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Originally Posted by Megan1
Oh yes, salvation definitely does bring happiness! I'm just saying that happiness isn't my focus when preaching to someone. My focus is getting them saved. The happiness is just a plus.
I kind of witness like they do on The Way of the Master if you've ever seen that show (you can Youtube it if you haven't), except not in such an interview style like they do. I do it in a more personal conversation way usually (every case is different). You definitely need to talk about sin and hell, because otherwise they won't know what they need to be saved from and know that they need a Savior. But, you also need to make sure that you make it clear that ALL humans deserve hell and it's not just them- they're not worse than anyone else. I try to relate it back to myself so they know that I was a sinner who needed to be saved too (just 2.5 years ago) and I'm not singling them out. Look at The Way of the Master, minus the interview style, and that's basically what I do.
The bible doesn't give a word for word answer to your question about people who didn't learn about Christ while they were alive. However, I'm pretty sure that they would stll go to hell. Here's my reasons why. Test these against the bible and see if you find anything that says otherwise (I'm not saying that in a debating way; I seriously want to know if it says otherwise): First, God is sending people to hell for their sins, He's not sending them to hell for not accepting Jesus. Accepting Jesus is just the way out. Even if God had never sent Jesus for any of us, it would be completely fair to send us all to hell, because we all sinned. Jesus is just the much-more-than-fair gift that we were given. So, I'd say whoever doesn't choose that gift (eitehr because they couldn't or because they chose not to) just gets what they originally deserved anyways- which is hell. Second, if people could get to Heaven by not knowing the gospel, why did Jesus say it's so important that we share the gospel and get them saved? Wouldn't it be better to not tell anyone the gospel so they could get to Heaven for not knowing? Third, there is a scripture that says that no man has an excuse to not believe in God, because nature and His creations are proof enough that He is real. The bible also says that if you seek, you will find. So, according the bible, not me, anyone can know there is a God without being told. And from there, if they choose to seek Him and not ignore it, they will find the truth somehow (whether God sends a missionary to them, brings them to a church, tells them audibly...which is rare but has happened, etc).
Reguardless of this though, the bible tells us to preach the gospel...so I'm going to preach the gospel either way.
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I usually dont get irritated very easily when talking about religion, heck I can have someone tell me God does not exist a million times and it wont bother me but to read what you have just said just kills me, it hurts me so bad that im almost in tears. It hurts to know that people actually believe that God would send people to Hell because they did not have the opportunity to accept the Gospel and learn about Christ. What kind of God would do that. He loves us perfectly, we are his children and what He wants more than anything is for His children to return to him and He will make a way that is fair and just that they may return to him. And you say that it's not that if they dont accept Christ that will send them to Hell, it's sinning that does which im guessing you meant to say not repenting for our sins will send us to hell, because after all we all sin so we all must repent. But if we need to repent of our sins to "save our soul" as you say, wouldnt accepting Christ need to be apart of the repentance process? He did atone for our sins correct? So yes it is about accepting Christ isn't it? Yes we are commanded to bring souls unto Christ, this is true but what about the people in countries that didnt allow people to learn about Christ of preach about him or even pray? What about those people? It's not their fault they didnt learn about Christ therefore did not learn about repenting and asking God for forgiveness. There are just people in this world that did not have the opportunity and it would not be right, fair, or even just to punish them by sending them to hell because of that. Did you know that there is time spent in a place between death and the Resurrection and judgment? Time in a place called the Spirit World but it is divided into paradise and spirit prison....spirit prison isnt as bad as it sounds.....its a place for those who didn't have the opportunity to learn to learn and to repent if they so choose there are scriptures that talk about it 1Peter 3:19 which says "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison:" I suggest reading the rest of those verses too. and 1Peter 4:6 "For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they may be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." I suggest you read all of Chapter 4 it explains it all. But there it is, there is the answer....they will have the opportunity to learn. so bottom line....we try and reach those we can and because we are imperfect we cannot reach everyone so God has made a way to save them too.....doesnt that sound more like God?
