Dear Kyle~ Thank-you so much for your blog and for posting your sermon. I am currently in the UK for 6 weeks (I've already been here for 3) and any bit of home is welcome. But I really appreciate your sermon for its modernity. Rob Bell's book needs to be addressed by our church leaders to answer the questions and fundamentalize what the Bible says about what Bell brings up. Thank-you for not being afraid to talk about this necessary topics that have unfortunately become so touchy over the decades/centuries. Lately I have been seeking signs of a more just God. Growing up, I hear a lot of "God is Love, God is good, God is mercy" and yes, he is all of these, but the reason he is these things are because of his justice. Without justice there can be no love. Its like a parent reprimanding their child out of love. To not reprimand them would be harmful to the child's well-being and is not love. Thank-you for addressing this issue on justice and hell. ~ kacie oberholzer koberholzer@wilson.edu
Hey Kacie, you're in the UK! I'm little jealous across the pond.
Thanks for your kind comments. You're the first to ever appreciate the modernity of my sermon, which is awesome. That's a high compliment in my book.
And you make a very important point on the necessity of justice for love to exist. What is love without justice? I've always appreciated the idea that we would be outraged if a law judge pardoned every criminal without issuing any punishment citing only his love as his reasoning. That's not love. That's irresponsibility and injustice, which are by nature unloving. Now if the judge finds the criminal guilty but takes the punishment himself, that's love.
Thank you for sharing the clear texts of scripture that tear universalism to bits...there is a hell to be shunned! We as believers have our work cut out for us to help prevent even our worst enemy from eternal suffering.
Thank you, Jesus, for taking hell upon Yourself for my sake.
4 comments:
Dear Kyle~ Thank-you so much for your blog and for posting your sermon. I am currently in the UK for 6 weeks (I've already been here for 3) and any bit of home is welcome. But I really appreciate your sermon for its modernity. Rob Bell's book needs to be addressed by our church leaders to answer the questions and fundamentalize what the Bible says about what Bell brings up. Thank-you for not being afraid to talk about this necessary topics that have unfortunately become so touchy over the decades/centuries. Lately I have been seeking signs of a more just God. Growing up, I hear a lot of "God is Love, God is good, God is mercy" and yes, he is all of these, but the reason he is these things are because of his justice. Without justice there can be no love. Its like a parent reprimanding their child out of love. To not reprimand them would be harmful to the child's well-being and is not love. Thank-you for addressing this issue on justice and hell. ~ kacie oberholzer
koberholzer@wilson.edu
Hey Kacie, you're in the UK! I'm little jealous across the pond.
Thanks for your kind comments. You're the first to ever appreciate the modernity of my sermon, which is awesome. That's a high compliment in my book.
And you make a very important point on the necessity of justice for love to exist. What is love without justice? I've always appreciated the idea that we would be outraged if a law judge pardoned every criminal without issuing any punishment citing only his love as his reasoning. That's not love. That's irresponsibility and injustice, which are by nature unloving. Now if the judge finds the criminal guilty but takes the punishment himself, that's love.
Great & timely message, Kyle!
Thank you for sharing the clear texts of scripture that tear universalism to bits...there is a hell to be shunned! We as believers have our work cut out for us to help prevent even our worst enemy from eternal suffering.
Thank you, Jesus, for taking hell upon Yourself for my sake.
~an unworthy sheep
Thanks Mom. It was an interesting study. Not a fun topic to research, but very humbling. I understand the weight of God's grace much more now.
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