God is Love. Love is God. (If Love took on a human body, and we could see, feel and speak with Love in a tangible way, we would have the very Person of Christ in front of us. Which did happen.) Everyone seeks love, to be loved and to love. Not everyone seeks God.
Why is that? I often wonder about this because it makes me sad that God loves us so much and that we often live our lives cut off from that love. An analogy would be the sun. The sun shines on all and everywhere. It's free. But what if we knew people who actually preferred to live in underground caves and not come into the sun? They would be missing so much. Someone, of course, (an anthropologist? a sociologist?) would come along and ask the question, "Why do they prefer the cave to the sun?" For most people, that would make no sense at all. One would have to get into their minds and figure out what's causing this. Is it fear? Did someone tell them the sun is angry at them? Is it ignorance? Do they not know that the sun brings life and health? Are they captive? Is there someone keeping them in the cave? Are they a bit deranged? Do they think that they are growing food and getting warmth in a cold, dark cave? Are they blind or have weak eyesight? Is the cave somehow easier for them? Are they a bit perverse? Do they prefer the company of rats and snakes and mold to the light?
These are all plausible explanations, or maybe it's something else, or maybe a combination. Since there are several people preferring the cave, maybe they each have their own reason.
I have a theory that some people shy away from God, and from Christ, because they have been fed a false notion of Who He is and What He does. The really sad thing is that our entire culture is permeated with many false notions about God and Christ. To make things even worse, the language has been hijacked by an enemy.
This would be akin to the first explanation, fear. The people in the cave have been told "The sun is evil and hates you. It can't wait to touch you with its rays and burn your skin. It is your enemy. If you know what's good for you, stay away from it!" So, forever in their minds, the word "sun" is associated with a cruel sort of suffering being inflicted on them, and out of fear they stay away from it. And, although the sun does have rays, and can burn one's skin, nothing in reality could be further from the truth than this explanation. Actually, the sun by nature has its attributes and it only burns when one of us is being careless. So, that means that the sun didn't actually set out to burn anyone, it was actually doing the right and good thing by providing us and the earth with warmth and light, but, if we don't pay proper attention to consequences of our choices, ouch, we get a burn.
And, that's it! That is the correct understanding. God, like the sun, is always light and warmth, and, in God's case, always love. There is nothing to fear in God's Presence.
However, what of those held captive? What of those who are blind? What of those who prefer being with vermin?
The most important thing for us to understand is that our salvation does not depend upon God. If it did, our worries would be over. Our salvation depends on us. On our choices. Do we want to be found in the sun? or do we prefer darkness? Do we prefer being ignorant because in some ways it's easier and less challenging? Or have we just been misled? What are we actually doing with our lives to continually draw closer to God, so that this life is a good preparation for the next life, when God will be all in all?
Let's assume for a moment that if everyone knew that God is loving and merciful, that everyone would love Him back, and be delighted in His Presence. And let's find out how our language has been hijacked, and why we tend to think otherwise.
Please continue to Part II of "If God is Love, what is Hell?"
Why is that? I often wonder about this because it makes me sad that God loves us so much and that we often live our lives cut off from that love. An analogy would be the sun. The sun shines on all and everywhere. It's free. But what if we knew people who actually preferred to live in underground caves and not come into the sun? They would be missing so much. Someone, of course, (an anthropologist? a sociologist?) would come along and ask the question, "Why do they prefer the cave to the sun?" For most people, that would make no sense at all. One would have to get into their minds and figure out what's causing this. Is it fear? Did someone tell them the sun is angry at them? Is it ignorance? Do they not know that the sun brings life and health? Are they captive? Is there someone keeping them in the cave? Are they a bit deranged? Do they think that they are growing food and getting warmth in a cold, dark cave? Are they blind or have weak eyesight? Is the cave somehow easier for them? Are they a bit perverse? Do they prefer the company of rats and snakes and mold to the light?
These are all plausible explanations, or maybe it's something else, or maybe a combination. Since there are several people preferring the cave, maybe they each have their own reason.
I have a theory that some people shy away from God, and from Christ, because they have been fed a false notion of Who He is and What He does. The really sad thing is that our entire culture is permeated with many false notions about God and Christ. To make things even worse, the language has been hijacked by an enemy.
This would be akin to the first explanation, fear. The people in the cave have been told "The sun is evil and hates you. It can't wait to touch you with its rays and burn your skin. It is your enemy. If you know what's good for you, stay away from it!" So, forever in their minds, the word "sun" is associated with a cruel sort of suffering being inflicted on them, and out of fear they stay away from it. And, although the sun does have rays, and can burn one's skin, nothing in reality could be further from the truth than this explanation. Actually, the sun by nature has its attributes and it only burns when one of us is being careless. So, that means that the sun didn't actually set out to burn anyone, it was actually doing the right and good thing by providing us and the earth with warmth and light, but, if we don't pay proper attention to consequences of our choices, ouch, we get a burn.
And, that's it! That is the correct understanding. God, like the sun, is always light and warmth, and, in God's case, always love. There is nothing to fear in God's Presence.
However, what of those held captive? What of those who are blind? What of those who prefer being with vermin?
The most important thing for us to understand is that our salvation does not depend upon God. If it did, our worries would be over. Our salvation depends on us. On our choices. Do we want to be found in the sun? or do we prefer darkness? Do we prefer being ignorant because in some ways it's easier and less challenging? Or have we just been misled? What are we actually doing with our lives to continually draw closer to God, so that this life is a good preparation for the next life, when God will be all in all?
Let's assume for a moment that if everyone knew that God is loving and merciful, that everyone would love Him back, and be delighted in His Presence. And let's find out how our language has been hijacked, and why we tend to think otherwise.
Please continue to Part II of "If God is Love, what is Hell?"
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