I don’t demand anything from God. I can’t. I’m trying to reason my beliefs against biblical teachings.
I can’t conceive of a merciless God. Parents teach you and when you still touch the stove and burn your fingers, they don’t say “I taught you and you never leaned. If you like the stove, here, I’ll push you in the oven and put it on 450-degrees.”
Parents don’t give up on you. I am having a very hard time believing that Christ give up on you any more easily. There are hard-headed kids that never learn, and parents don’t stop loving them as a result of their kids continuing poor behavior.
The bible says those who reject Christ will suffer eternal damnation in hell. I am aware of what the bible says. I can’t reconcile that against the thought that God is far more loving of me than even my parents. I can’t reconcile the thought that if I am stupid or ignorant enough to reject him, that he is going to push me in that oven and set it on 450-degrees.
That is my problem. The bible makes it clear you accept Christ as your savior or, sayonnara baby, it is off to hell. This violates my belief in the character of Christ. I can’t reconcile the two. I can’t.
“I don’t demand anything from God. I can’t. I’m trying to reason my beliefs against biblical teachings.”
Against biblical teachings?
That is why you are struggling. If you truly trusted God and his judgement you probably would not be struggling with this.
You are judging God. I don’t recommend this practice.
I am not attacking you, I am concerned for you.
From 1 Corinthians
Wisdom From the Spirit
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.[c] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
16”For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
This is Gods nature:
He is Rightous, Holy and most of all, he not to be judged by man.
From Exodus 33
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Parents don’t give up on you. I am having a very hard time believing that Christ give up on you any more easily. There are hard-headed kids that never learn, and parents don’t stop loving them as a result of their kids continuing poor behavior.
You seem to be strongly mischaracterizing what this is all about. God is not merciless. He is just, He is merciful, but He is not a doormat, and His patience has limits. Look at Exodus. There were a couple of times when He finally had enough and was going to completely destroy Israel. Only Moses' begging (and God's mercy) prevented it.
To go with your oven analogy, people keep reaching up and touching the hot stove, God keeps telling them not to, heals them, and they touch it again and again. He keeps warning them not to, but they blow Him off and see what it's like inside.
No one can snatch us from His grasp, but we can walk away. He doesn't relish it, in fact it grieves Him. But He is that He is--meaning, He doesn't change his mind; He doesn't make empty promises. If He says, believe in Me or you will die, then that's exactly what will happen--there's no reason to believe otherwise.
Him commuting the sentence of Hell upon those whom He told would get it would make as much sense as a court allowing Charles Manson out of prison b/c it would be the merciful thing to do.
It sucks that it has to happen, but we can't say we weren't warned.