I realized again how much I have taken for granted about the Seventh-Day Adventist beliefs and feel again vindicated in my perseverance on the journey.
We tend to see God as both a loving God and a God of wrath and justice.
Many people have a hard time with the two ideals of God portrayed in the Bible clashing.
Most Christian churches believe in the eternal soul. You do not receive a new one and the one you are given lasts for eternity. That is how those churches have come up with eternal damnation, or burning in hell forever. Because if your soul lasts forever and it is sent to hell, it can never die but is stuck in agony forever. Dr. Saaman gave an illustration about a serial killer. A serial killer can kill hundreds and hundreds of people, but the worst punishment that he can receive is the death sentence. When a prisoner is being executed and he is subjected to even a little bit of suffering, as he dies, or dies slowly, people are angered because it is considered inhumane. How could the God of the universe torture us for eternity for sinning? If humans, who are imperfect and selfish can't stand to see a serial killer suffer, how could the loving God of the universe stand to see us suffer eternally?
That is when he drew our attention to the Adventist belief in the state of the dead. We believe that the soul is not eternal. The spirit that God gives us at birth goes back to him, but our soul and body go to the dust. We know nothing until the second coming. When he comes back again all people will be raised again and justice will be served. Those who have hurt and destroyed will get what they deserve. They do not wish to be by God's side anyway, they do not want or accept his love. How could they ever be happy in heaven?
Its like loving someone who doesn't love you... you can never make them happy by your side. Those people go back to the dust and the ones that love God have their souls recreated, blameless and unable to sin. We still have a choice, but we have already chosen to abolish sin by following Christ.
This is AMAZING! I am so glad that my beliefs are continually right with my soul. This means that loving God and His truth is not about a guilt trip. Its not at all about heaven per say. Its about longing for something better here and now and a connection with God that he wants to make last forever.
1 comment:
Great thoughts SJ. I like it. And you are right. God doesn't guilt us into anything. He only asks that we accept, and pursue a life with him.
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