Thanks Isaiah! It is going to be quit a burden, but it will just let him concentrate on other things that matter

Sorry your comment took so long to appear, it got placed in the spam filter for some reason. I never know why it does that, but you should be good to post from now on!

Sorry to take a detour from deep discussion, but I think Will looks quite a bit like his father. Now I can’t decide if that is a good thing for him or a burden he must carry in life.

Yes Josh, that was my point exactly and the operative word is “communicate”. The reality is there and Jesus was quite vivid about it. Uh, can anyone say, wailing and gnashing of teeth? But it is a conclusion that one comes to when told that, without Christ we are dead in our sins and the wages of sin is death. but do we have to communicate that? Did Michael communicate that to his daughter? But look at what happened regarding the next stage of thought. I think that the description of hell is more for our benefit than for the non-believer. To perhaps gives us compassion and a sense of urgency regarding the lost.

I will check out that book you mentioned. I just started reading Bill Fay’s book, Share Jesus without Fear.

Thanks for sharing! I believe it (your story) will go far for all parents using it as a measuring stick of sorts to see where they are spiritually and that of there family.
I often wondered, what the age of accountabilty is. I suppose the bible could be a guide in that many instances the age 20 surfaces. But in our time I think it is a lot earlier, we are to technological. We need to be careful gurdians of our childern in this age. Too many, many things that can distract them and us from the truth of Gods ways.

I thought this bit of scripture is approiate, he has as you would say “timeless principles”

Deut. 11:18″(A)You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

19″(B)You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.

20″(C)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

21so that (D)your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as (E)long as the heavens remain above the earth.

22″For if you are (F)careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, (G)to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and (H)hold fast to Him,

Bryant

Lisa,

I think (correct me if I’m wrong) you are trying to communicate that we shouldn’t use hell, rather safety from it, as a “selling point” for belief in Christ. Which I agree with completely, the focus should be the treasure of God Himself. Perhaps a better way to talk about it , or at least correct errouness thoughts about it, would be to describe it not as, “you are going to hell if you don’t believe!” Rather, “you are dying and if you don’t receive this antidote you will perish forever”. Because the reality of it is Gods not sending people to hell, its people sending themselves there by rejecting His offer.

That being said I think it should be noted that Jesus was the one who talked the most about hell in the New Testament. Not only this, both Paul and John find it necessary to bring it into “their” writings (2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 14:10,11, Revelation 20:10 etc). I think the concept of hell has been distorted especially with the use of the current media, because it attempts to give images to something unimaginably horrible. So it seems there is support for talking about hell in the NT.

Piper’s book, God is the Gospel has been helpful to me in this area, especially in articulating the whole purpose of the Gospel.

Thank you Michael for your personal post, this should be the standard when we are talking about hell, (i.e. bitter anguish for those individuals as your children displayed). This really puts a face and an image to texts like 2 Cor. 11:29 and Romans 9:3 and invokes the priceless purity of child’s heart. Thank you again for your wonderful ministry and for being an example of a godly father.

Your brother in Christ,

-Josh

As I have been recently pondering this distinction recently, I thought some more about it in relation to this post and Joanie’s comments. Jesus said that we must believe in him to have eternal life. But this does not mean believe as in, yes I believe he did that but a trust, yes I believe that he did that and trust in and put my confidence in what he did.

And as I scanned the new testament in my brain today, I could not help but come to the conclusion that this is how the gospel message is communicated. Nowhere is scripture (and please correct me if I’m wrong) are we instructed or encouraged to communicate hell. Sure the it is a consequence of not believing. But even then, the reference is to judgement and not to hell. Yet think of the “fire and brimstone” as was mentioned in Joanie’s comment.

And I further think about how many times I have heard the comments about “getting saved for fire insurance”. But if it is for fire insurance, is it really salvation? Hmmmm….

That is an amazing story. Thank you. I hope I can be as wise if I have kids
someday. Thanks for sharing. I will pray for you and the kids as they continue
seeking after him daily. God Bless.

Thanks Michael. It makes me feel a little better for wondering about my son, who will be 10 next month. I
In Sunday school (I teach his summer class) he tends to have the most thought out and biblical responses and at home, he seems to get it. But still I wonder about the TRUST factor.

And I think it was a good thing to let them cry. Imagine where would we be if our heavenly father swooped down to stop our crying every time we wrestled with things.

Michael, I can understand how and why you responded to your daughter about her friends based on the way you believe. I can only say that I had a friend who basically had a nervous breakdown at age 7 because the nuns led her to believe that her mother would have to go to hell because the mother did not believe the way the church taught. Her mother “converted” maybe at first to appease her daughter but she quickly became a very devoted Catholic. I think that if my children asked me that question, I would have to respond that we tell everyone about the love that God has to offer us through trusting in Jesus and that we treat everyone with love and that God will take care of the rest. That we must trust God to deal with others and that we never know the final result of their relationship with God. That way, they honor God’s power and privilege and do not have to feel sad about their friends. I also think it can negatively impact how they act with their friends if they think those friends are going to hell. For what it’s worth, that’s my take on this.

I think it’s great that your children are so interested in theological issues and that they will come to you. It shows you are a committed, involved, loving dad!

Joanie D.