Thoughts to Ponder (Listen or Read)
Thoughts to Ponder
Most Christians do not believe infants or the mentally handicapped go to hopeless death. If hope is extended to these, then God (if He is truly impartial and just) will extend hope to all. If not, then these privileged few are given an unfair advantage. Who in their right mind would want to live beyond the age of accountability if an eternal hell is their destiny? Or who would want to be born with a sound mind, if a mental handicap would keep them out of hell? Martin Luther had hope for all. In his letter to Hansen Von Rechen-
berg in 1522, he wrote: “God forbid that I should limit the time of acquiring faith to the present life. In the depth of the Divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future.”2
It is amazing to me that a passage such as He. 9:27 has been used to deny the substance of these numerous passages! How could we have allowed ourselves to believe death is an insurmountable barrier to an Almighty God? We simply assumed our tradition handed down from the time of Augustine was correct. I urge you to prayerfully re-evaluate the Scriptural evidence in support of hope beyond death and hell. (Ge. 18:14; Job 23:13; 42:2; Ps. 115:3; 66:3-4; 135:6; Is. 14:24, 27; 50:2; 55:11; Jer. 32:17, 27; Ez. 36:23-36; Dan. 4:35; Mt. 19:26; Mk. 10:26-27; Lu. 1:37; 18:27; Ep. 1:11; Ph. 3:20-21; He. 6:17; 8:10).
References: See Bibliography page.
