Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Going back...

So, I am going back to a previous post where I asked, "Can there be salvation without a belief in hell?"... (i'll wait for you to scroll down)
...
I looked into it myself and before I start reporting on my thoughts I have a question... okay, don't roll your eyes at me, but is the Bible written in Greek? So if I ask where can i find the original meaning to a couple of words, would that be Greek? Just wondering because I came across two different words for hell: Gehenna and Tartarus (any help is appreciated but I would like to know where to find the answer instead of just the answer itself... ya know, teaching the girl to fish instead of feeding her for a day kind of thing)

Alright, so I looked into salvation for my answers. The Bible is clear that there is no salvation apart from Christ. It's also clear that we are all sinners, there was and is no one that has lived a life without sin, except Christ. Romans 6:23 says "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". So salvation or life is a gift to us but it must be received through Christ... okay, so that still works for the man I was talking with because he believes in Jesus Christ and believes that salvation is through Him. The problem lies in whether you have to believe in hell or not...

MIND YOU!!! I am NOT trying to figure this man's salvation out, nor am I judging his soul. I was just faced with a question and I am interested in investigating it for myself. I am not condemning this man soul.

Matthew 10:28 says that we should not fear those who can kill the body but "rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell". So the way that I took that verse was that there is still a battle being waged for our souls. Ephesians talks about the armor of God (chapter 6)... which seems odd that we would need armor if we were not called to use it. Also, the Bible is our only weapon of offense. The rest of our armor is defensive. Hmmm.... so someone is attacking us. So there are still demonic presences in the world... so where do they reside or dwell or where will they be sent at the end of the "last battle"?
One person asked, how can you appreciate and "understand" the salvation of God if you don't realize what you have been saved from?
Hm, good thought. Anyway, this is just the beginning. Any additions would be nice (esp. with the Greek findings)... I welcome any questions, concerns or comments.

2 comments:

the jake said...

Don't forget Hades...

Joanna Kay said...

That is interesting. In the dictionary, one of the definitions for Hades is a "Greek word used to denote the state or place of the dead"... In the Greek bible it is the "usual rendering of the Hebrew sheol, the common receptacle of the departed" (Gen. 42:38, Psl. 139:8, Hos. 13:14, Isa. 14:9)
Wow, thanks. I stand corrected. I have more to look into... thanks!