Would you really love God if there were no Hell?

DelightfulFlame

New Member
I strive to love God like this quote. A member of this site sent me this quote and I never forgot it. I think it is actually a muslim quote, but I'm not for sure.
Enjoy!

"Oh my Lord, if I worship You from fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship You from hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your own sake, do not withhold from me Your Eternal Beauty."
-- Rabia al-Adawiyya.
 

pebbles

New Member
DelightfulFlame said:
Would you really love God if there were no Hell?
I can't answer for anyone else, but for myself, allow me to answer with a resounding YES!!! Hell, fire and brimstone aside, the very thought that JESUS would lay down His life and die for the sins I committed, (not His sins, because the Bible says He knew no sin. He was perfect in all His ways), sometimes I cry just thinking about the love involved in such a sacrifice.

And if you knew what I've been through, that God would see fit to bring me through and hold on to me, even when I turned away from His word and His way, you'd understand how I can say yes with such certainty.

So if all of the sudden we learned that we can live this life and go to heaven or just live and cease to exist all together when we died, that we would suffer no punishment for anything we might do while on this earth, I would still LOVE GOD! He's been too good to me, really! You'd have to know me personally to understand that statement.

Loving God goes beyond not wanting to go to hell, for me. I want to meet my maker. I want to meet The Maker of Heaven and Earth. I want to see God, who loved me so much that He sent His only son to die for me, and kept seeing me through despite all of my sinful ways, despite the fact that I didn't deserve it. Oh yes, I would love Him anyway. :)
 

BabyCurls

Indy Girl Growing Strong
Pebbs, I have to agree with you. No matter if we messed up in life, God still loves because He loved His Son first. That same God who created everything is the God we love. Also, when you said that you turned away from His Word and His Way, I can relate to that. I haven't been back to church since our family has moved from one home to another. But God is still loving, and He'll never get angry because He's slow to anger, but abiding to love.

I love God because He can free you from sin, and make you whole. He really cares for you and for me. I, too, want to see The Maker, The Master, and The Alpha and Omega. And to be in the presence of the Father and the Son is really an awesome honor. God will always love me and will not remember any sin in the Book of Life.
 

MeccaMedinah

Active Member
I too would have to say yes. I have a relationship with God. I am thankful and I do not love Him for all that I can get out of him. I am grateful for all He has done, is doing and will do for us. And hell is not something that I think about much at all.

I have to agree with Pebbles, I am tearful and full of joy many times because He was so selfless.
 

Falon

New Member
Yes, because I am here and I don't have to be. God owes us nothing. The very fact that out of all of the available millions of sperm cells and thousands of eggs....I got picked is really enough for me. It's like we all won the Lotto straight out of the womb...what else do you think you could ever want or deserve?
 

DelightfulFlame

New Member
Honeyhips said:
If there was no hell, would there be no sin? If there was none of that would we need God and Jesus?

I don't exactly understand your question. I don't see how the absense of hell (as most Christians see it--eternal fire) has anything to do with sin. But I need my Father (God) regardless.
 

shahala

Well-Known Member
That's why I love that Andrae Crouch song - "If Heaven Newer was Promised to Me" It basically states that if even there was no heaven, it would be worth having the Lord in your life, for all the good things He has done. .
 

Poohbear

Fearfully Wonderfully Made
I would love God the same whether there were a Hell or not. Hell is a place for those that do not believe in his son Jesus Christ. Since I believe in Jesus and have accepted him as my Lord and Savior, Hell is not a place for me to worry about. ;)
 

vickid

Well-Known Member
My worship and love has nothing to do with hell. I worship and love the Lord because he has performed so miracles in my life that I have been able to witness. He gave me life, gave me good and moral adoptive parents, gave me the ability to think clearly and to reason, gave me good friends, gave me a good heart and gave me a husband that loves the hell outta me and provides more than I could ever want. I worship and love the Lord because without him, I would be nothing. He truly does answer my prayers and protects me in spite of myself!
 

GodsPromises

The Credit Countess
pebbles said:
I can't answer for anyone else, but for myself, allow me to answer with a resounding YES!!! Hell, fire and brimstone aside, the very thought that JESUS would lay down His life and die for the sins I committed, (not His sins, because the Bible says He knew no sin. He was perfect in all His ways), sometimes I cry just thinking about the love involved in such a sacrifice.

And if you knew what I've been through, that God would see fit to bring me through and hold on to me, even when I turned away from His word and His way, you'd understand how I can say yes with such certainty.

So if all of the sudden we learned that we can live this life and go to heaven or just live and cease to exist all together when we died, that we would suffer no punishment for anything we might do while on this earth, I would still LOVE GOD! He's been too good to me, really! You'd have to know me personally to understand that statement.

Loving God goes beyond not wanting to go to hell, for me. I want to meet my maker. I want to meet The Maker of Heaven and Earth. I want to see God, who loved me so much that He sent His only son to die for me, and kept seeing me through despite all of my sinful ways, despite the fact that I didn't deserve it. Oh yes, I would love Him anyway. :)

You said it prefectly Pebbles.

I love the Lord for being God, for loving me not because there is a chance of hell but because HE is Lord
 

blazingthru

Well-Known Member
This is a good question. At first I was scared to death of Hell and all it involves and so I was searching to find ways to avoid it. Later in my life I searched to learn who God is and whats it all about ( I still had the fear inside) but it changed I started knowing God more and more and Hell became less of an interest to me and then seeking God and wisdom and I started loving God, I started seeing all that he has done for me. and how he rescued me so many times without me asking him or appreciating what he did for me. It was then I was broken. No matter what I have done he still loved me and still cared about me like no other and I could now give me entire heart to God. so if there was no hell I still would continue to love God and continue to search out ways to please him.
 

Laela

Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
Oh, Absolutely :clap:

His Love is so amazing...I have an unquenchable thirst to always be in his presence~!
 

Nice & Wavy

Well-Known Member
"Though He will slay me...yet will I trust Him!"

I would love Him because He is love...without Him...there is no love!
 

TrustMeLove

................
Pebbles initial post about wha Jesus did is critical for me...Chris Tomlin has some lyrics in a song about He became sin who knew no sin so that we might become his righteousness. He humbled himself and carried the cross. Love so amazing..Love so amazing..

That is enough for me to want to serve and love God. Beyond that...He's God...he created me...why wouldn't I be what he wanted me to be..he is the creator....And honestly...I don't take any real pleasure in doing worldly dirt. I look at some of this stuff and I see folks go through the consequences and I'm like OOOOO That's why God said not to do that....I get it. :yep:
 

Ramya

New Member
My devotion to God has absolutely nothing to do with fear of hell. I love Him because there is NO greater love than what He did for me. He is a loving, caring God. How could I not love Him? :nono:
 

silenttullip

Well-Known Member
YES I'd love God without hell because it sounds odd but I literally have loved God before I knew about hell. My family didn't talk about hell much and anytime I went to church often was when I was a child and then I'd sleep.

I then at about 17 started to yearn for more. I got to a point in my life at a young age where NO ONE but God had my back I was stranded in more ways than one and I had to walk by faith many times literally because at night my vision is mega bad. I saw how God would guide me through work walks home and even to help others. I thank him so much for those times and ya know after that was when I really began to read about hell. Maybe its dumb of me but I loved God because... Well because he loved me and unlike us as people no one told him to and there wasn't anything in it for him nothing I could do for him that he couldn't do for himself but he did it anyway. I once heard a preacher say "he loves because he loves you because he loves you because he loves you" and I know to some it just seems annoying but for me it's amazing. Aside from my nephew who's 5 and my fiance' which those are still questionable lol no one has ever loved me like I've loved them so for God to totally exceed that I'd love him even if life was heaven on earth his love is amazing.
 

Blossssom

New Member
:yep:

For me, my love of God has never been predicated upon if I don't love him I will go to hell.

As I understand it, heaven AND hell are Christian concepts. I don't think any other religion uses these terms as places you will go if you accept or reject the centerpiece of the religion, in the case of Christianity, that being Christ.

Other religions may have different ways of using these terms to perhaps "scare" its members, however.

The real question I asked several Christians years ago at a Christian message board was, "Are you only a Christian because you're afraid NOT to be?" To their credit, quite a few of them admitted that they were only Christians because the thought of going to hell eternally for not being one terrified them. If that's the only reason you're a Christian, you need to seriously rethink the whole thing.

One woman who I actually developed a close off-line relationship with is a devout Christian. She not only read and studied the Bible, she lived it. Quite impressive, actually. I had never met anyone like her. I asked her once that if when she dies and if she realizes that there was no heaven and there was no hell and that Christianity was just one big "hoax", how would she feel about having wasted so much time going to church? Praying? Spending money she and her husband really didn't have, etc.? She told me that she would feel that she hadn't wasted anything because her life was much more enriched in having her beliefs and she wouldn't change it even if the Bible; stories of Christ, etc, were man-made.

GOOD ANSWER! :yep:

I hope all true Christians feel exactly this way because you SHOULD! :)

If your savior is real, you should worship and celebrate him out of reverence, love and appreciation. Not worship him because you're scared of what will happen to you if you don't.

Christ isn't a wife BATTERER! That's what a scared wife does. Stay with her husband and allow the beatings because if she doesn't, she knows he'll kill her! I don't think Christ wants members of his body to feel that way.
 
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GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I

New Member
Well, I can say that my folks have always been a spiritual people. It's intwined into every situation, everything. When you see a rock, you see G-d. The wind blowing, that's G-d. It's G-d as Creator of everything, living and inanimate. Everything has a spark of life from Him. The atoms are alive. So, if G-d never existed...that isn't ever a concept with my people. We know He does and we feel Him in all of creation.

The scriptures say that we cannot love G-d unless He loved first. I think that means we couldn't love Him unless He first demonstrated care and concern. But love is even deeper than that. Look at the mountains and the gorges, all beauteous works of G-d, created in His love of all that He created. It was love that made this world, this whole universe, because the One who spoke it into existence is pure love. He is pure love and His creations are made from love. Everything that He touched and created came from that love.

There is no question in my mind that one could ever separate creation from love while we are living. Even the flames of hell are the burning love of the Creator. When His creation rejects His love, they will bathe in it in everlasting torment. The question of the OP was different....if we could never reject His love, moot point. If we could reject His love as some of His creation do but there were no punishments, would we love Him? Let's be honest. If stealing weren't a sin? If wanton sex weren't a sin? If drugs and excess alcohol weren't a sin? All things that give a good rush feeling. Even if killing your brother because you resent him weren't a sin? I think we all know the answer if we are honest. We love Him back because He first loved us into existence and He was smart enough to give us punishments as incentive.:grin: He had to provide the first example and give the fence warnings lest we fall over.
 
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Aviah

Well-Known Member
Yup. He saved me from enough in this life, and keeps giving, in this life. I try to stay in His will- hell doesn't bother me...
 

Nonie

Well-Known Member
If we could reject His love as some of His creation do but there were no punishments, would we love Him? Let's be honest. If stealing weren't a sin? If wanton sex weren't a sin? If drugs and excess alcohol weren't a sin? All things that give a good rush feeling. Even if killing your brother because you resent him weren't a sin? I think we all know the answer if we are honest. We love Him back because He first loved us into existence and He was smart enough to give us punishments as incentive.:grin: He had to provide the first example and give the fence warnings lest we fall over.

Yes, I would still love him. Haven't you ever loved someone not worth of any love because of some evil deed they did, but you just couldn't stop yourself loving them? Well, if we can be capable of loving an unlovable, why would it be so hard to love Him even if there was no punishment? The things you describe as sin have never appealed to me and not because I was afraid of getting into trouble. Perhaps it is because we are made in His image that I have a conscience that just feels so bad when I do wrong things. If I stole or killed, the guilt for the loss I have caused someone would torment more than the fear of any punishment I'd be facing. And that same conscience is what makes me want to do good for those I love...including doing that which God wants from me. We all tell a fib every now and then, and the only reason it's so easy to do is because most times it doesn't really hurt as badly as other sins might. It's not because it's not a sin or we couldn't go to hell for it. That alone goes to show that it isn't fear of punishment or hell that keeps us from choosing not to tell a lie when the thought comes to mind and even when sometimes it seems like lying would be the easier way, but rather our conscience and our love for God.

Good parents do not scare their kids into being good with the threat of punishment hanging over their head, but rather, the punishment is there as the "reward" for wrongdoing, and they use good direction and positive reinforcement (praise) to encourage good behavior. Likewise, I don't think punishment was put in place as incentive for us to do good. That's more like the tactic Satan uses. I remember a former satanist sharing how hard it is to leave the Satanic cult because the torment you endure is enough to make you just want to stay.
 
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divya

Well-Known Member
Beautiful quote. It's sort of on the topic...the quote reminding of this song. What if there was no heaven? Would you still love Him?

If Heaven Never Was Promised to Me

You may ask me why I serve the Lord,
Is it just for heaven’s gain.
Or to walk those mighty streets of gold,
And to hear the angels sing.
Is it just to drink from the fountain,
That never shall run dry.
Or just to live forever, ever, and ever,
In that sweet, sweet bye and bye.

But if heaven never was promised to me,
Neither God’s promise to live eternally.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
Living in a world of darkness,
You came along and brought me the light.

If there were never any streets of gold,
Neither a land where we’ll never grow old,
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
You’ve been my closest friend down through the years,
And every time I cry You dry my tears.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
Living in a world of darkness, living in a world of darkness,
You came along and brought me the light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te0BnJp26r4
 

GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I

New Member
Yes, I would still love him. Haven't you ever loved someone not worth of any love because of some evil deed they did, but you just couldn't stop yourself loving them? Well, if we can be capable of loving an unlovable, why would it be so hard to love Him even if there was no punishment? The things you describe as sin have never appealed to me and not because I was afraid of getting into trouble. Perhaps it is because we are made in His image that I have a conscience that just feels so bad when I do wrong things. If I stole or killed, the guilt for the loss I have caused someone would torment more than the fear of any punishment I'd be facing. And that same conscience is what makes me want to do good for those I love...including doing that which God wants from me. We all tell a fib every now and then, and the only reason it's so easy to do is because most times it doesn't really hurt as badly as other sins might. It's not because it's not a sin or we couldn't go to hell for it. That alone goes to show that it isn't fear of punishment or hell that keeps us from choosing not to tell a lie when the thought comes to mind and even when sometimes it seems like lying would be the easier way, but rather our conscience and our love for God.

Good parents do not scare their kids into being good with the threat of punishment hanging over their head, but rather, the punishment is there as the "reward" for wrongdoing, and they use good direction and positive reinforcement (praise) to encourage good behavior. Likewise, I don't think punishment was put in place as incentive for us to do good. That's more like the tactic Satan uses. I remember a former satanist sharing how hard it is to leave the Satanic cult because the torment you endure is enough to make you just want to stay.


Although I truly comprehend your stance, that's not what I was saying from my point of view. The sins I provided were examples, not saying that they'd actually appeal to you...but they are common sins worldwide, which many people commit. What I wrote wasn't matter-of-fact. The actual meaning is based upon this:

1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."

That's in scripture. G-d placed hell for the fallen angels. Living a life without seeking peace and justice means that we will not end well. I view it as an act of love that hell is an option and it existed before this New Testament word was written. It cannot be separated out. Without it, many would forget to continue to seek peace and justice. That's human nature. That's G-d's providencial care.

We cannot love without Him loving us first. Peace was offered to all of us, not just some of us. We're all in the same boat, no matter how much we think otherwise. Jesus spoke much about hell and how to avoid it. He didn't specify his message be for a few, but for all. IMHO, saying we'd love G-d without the incentive to love Him is dishonest or rather blind. There's a reason for G-d to continue to remind us of His love...so we'd love Him back, which is what He so desires. It cannot come (IMHO) solely from us.

For myself, I'd rather "err" on the side of being a sinner, a continuous sinner, so I don't catch myself off-guard with viewing myself as the best friend G-d ever had. I know this not to be true. It's not that I don't love G-d, I do. But I know my intrinsic nature and it mirrors that of every other natural man on earth. We've fallen and continue to do so. The only thing that distinguishes human beings is their willingness to get back up and brush off the dirt when they fall. I have to remain humble so I don't see myself as holy and pure, which I am not. It's a process until the last breath. The last cleansing hasn't taken place.

Edit: Incidentally, I don't believe in "salvation" as understood by many christian sects. In other words, I don't believe that just uttering some words means one is set for heaven for life. I believe that the decision is with the Father and that that decision is based upon what we do...as well as believe...about living according to the truth as revealed to us.
 
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JinaRicci

New Member
Yes- even if there was never a hell or even a heaven- yes!

I would still love God because He would still be God and my life here on earth would still be so much better with Him.
 
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