Subject: Re: Nigel: Redemption/1
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 12:24:24 +0800
From: “Nigel Mitchell” < 
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian
In article<382d4587.35713880 ,  (Graeme Hunt) wrote:
> Two questions:
>
> What happens to the persons who “place themselves outside what God has
> done for them”?

The simple answer is that I do not know.  It is quite likely 
that those who deliberately reject what God has done for 
them get exactly what they want - nothing. There is also 
room in the scriptures for the traditional Catholic view 
that God ‘leaves the door open’, as it were, for 
further growth in faith and repentance beyond the grave. 
The Bible certainly does not give an indisputable answer to 
your question, and nor can I.  Let me state emphatically that 
I do not believe in a place of eternal punishment and 
suffering, whether or not it is called “hell”.

> How do we make sure that they don’t?

This is a much easier question.
By proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and living so that 
God’s love is seen in everything we say and do. Jesus 
gives us the example to follow in this.  He accepted people 
as they were, went out of his way to associate with those 
who were outcast and rejected in society, and constantly 
challenged those who were self- satisfied and thought that 
their interpretations of the scriptures wee the right and 
only way of salvation.

Now, Graeme, I may be wrong but I suspect that you would 
answer these questions quite differently to me. Can I 
suggest that rather than asking me a whole lot more 
questions (although I will be happy to answer them if you 
do), trying to tear my answers to shreds, proclaiming me to 
be “THICK”, or saying “anyone who says that 
must not be a Christian”, perhaps it would be more 
useful and interesting if you answer the questions yourself. 

Of course, you are free to do as you wish, and if you think 
attacking me is more constructive than presenting your own 
point of view, there is not much I can do about that. I am 
getting used to it.
cheers

N+