Jesus and my atheist dad

[anti_nietzsche]

In August my dad died. He had been raised as a christian, but became an atheist when he went to college. Up until he died he did not want to pick up the faith again, refused to pray with us, etc.

I am not a convinced UR believer. I hold it as a possibility though - I don't believe in it, but I hope for it.

I had been thinking of dad a lot, had nightmares about him.

Then recently Jesus came to me. He said it would be important that I would give up my dad to Him.

I think this means my dad has a chance. That Jesus cares. Why would Jesus ask me to trust Him about my dad if he is damned?

UR is a straw of hope. I don't think scripture permits we can pursue it with 100% certainty. But we can clutch to it. Salvation, damnation, election and all this are deep things of God. I guess we could say that God doesn't allow us to be 100% sure for a reason. Only God is good. We humans are not very trustworthy.

But we can hope for the best. Scripture says once we will all bow our knee to Jesus because "He has done it". Jesus is God, and therefor we cannot grasp Him entirely. We cannot second guess Him. But scripture also tells us that He is love.

Thank you Jesus for revealing yourself to us. That in you we have hope even in desperate cases.

[Cardinal]

  My father was an atheist or agnostic, depending on his mood that day. God did not give up on him, and He hasn't given up on yours, either. NOTHING can separate us from His love, love is stronger than death. Believe it.  Blessings.....

[micah7:9]

I was raised a Lutheran and was taught that if you were not baptized among other things that you were bound for a fiery residense in hell fire for all eternity or more commonly said, forever.
My dad was a good man, and I feel a good father. He was an alcohoic and died a terrible alcohoics death. When I met Jesus in a Free Will Baptist chruch it was confirmed, my dad was going to hell or he was there already. I was more than sad, I was lost. I never got to know him really, but I loved him and I missed him and the church telling me that he was lost and I would never see him again and that I knew he was a good man and father, to be told that my dad would be suffering in a place called hell because he never was told in the Lutheran church all the "stuff" that is really in the Bible made me all the more sorry.
But the Lord was not done with me, He kept me seeking. Although a good part of that time I was a renagade as far as the Bible and its teachings were concerned, but because of the dragging of The Father even in my world of corruption and disobedience He did not let go. And for more that 40 years of studying and searching His word, even in what I still consider a vile life, He was there and He never let go, even when I violently tryed to shake His hold for I wanted no more of Him..He WOULD NOT LET GO. Now when I look back I see that the Love of The Father is so Good and so Great that He will do and go through what ever it will take to bring ALL HIS Creatiion to that place that every knee shall bow and every tounge confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. My God and My Saviour will not lost ONE...NOT ONE. He is Love and He is LORD!

[Molly]

I am so grateful I have never had any of these hell fears.  I wasn't taught this doctrine and I have never worried about it.  I have always known the character of Jesus.    One of his names is "Wonderful."  You need to trust him.  He will never forsake you.  He will never hurt the one you love.  Trust him, for he is worthy of your trust.

But, you know that, don't you?  He's coming to you in person and telling you himself.  Let him comfort you.  Cast all your worries onto his shoulders.   You can believe him.  You have the most powerful Being in the universe on your side.


...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

--Isa 9:6

[lomarah]

  AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!

[anti_nietzsche]

Well in the end I think I cannot depend on a theology. I must depend on the real person of Jesus. I consider that my salvation, that I know Jesus and that He has always been kind to me. Contrasted with the knowledge that I didn't really deserve it.

Theologies are intellectual systems ... and I guess they have their use for those of us who are intellectual. But somehow, since the day I began seeking God, I have been fond of a simple, untheological faith. That is, anytime I tried to prop up my faith theologically, some problems were solved, but others opened up.

And I cannot sufficiently sift through all the human opinions to find the truth. Calvinism, Arminianism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy ... they all have things going for them. And they have things going against them. We are pushed unto the bible and unto tradition, and seek our answers there. But the truth, brothers, is that we must depend more on Jesus than on His book. To have this bible is wonderful, but it was not written as a guide and contains many mysteries. Theologies, who claim to be guides, cannot decipher the bible completely.

Think of Jesus and the scripture concerning Him ... the jews didn't have much of a clue. They thought the Messiah would immediately bring world peace and fame and honor to the jewish people. After Jesus' ministry and death His followers could understand how everything about Jesus was preannounced in the bible. But before, this had been hidden. And because of this I think it is rather futile to try to decipher the bible completely. Instead we must keep the few things we know for sure, and walk with God humbly and mercifully to other men.

God didn't give me complete certainty. And unlike when I was younger, I am not so interested in this certainty anymore. Instead I want a thoroughly good and meaningful life with Jesus. I want to have good friendships ... I know a woman for a while now, and I find her sweet, maybe we're going to become a couple and marry, she is a christian too and so kind. I feel weakened by life and exhausted ... and I just want to find a real home again, with people I love and who love me. Peace. Happiness. Meaning.

I am not against UR and will probably never be. But it's very important to put Jesus above our theologies. Reason is great and something divine, but not even the greatest of our minds are up to the task of comprehending God. Real wisdom is found in the man who can really happily and peacefully contend himself with what he has been given. Who really developed by God's grace a heart of thankfulness.

I think it's at this place where we must dig. And not forget our neighbor. But our situation and circumstances in this world, that we do not receive exhaustive explanation about our destiny, that is something that requires that we simply trust Jesus with the big things. At least for my side, I am coming to my limits. And it would have been better had I accepted this earlier.

[WhiteWings]

I am not a convinced UR believer. I hold it as a possibility though - I don't believe in it, but I hope for it.

Well in the end I think I cannot depend on a theology. I must depend on the real person of Jesus. I consider that my salvation, that I know Jesus and that He has always been kind to me. Contrasted with the knowledge that I didn't really deserve it.

Doesn't the second quote answer the first quote?

[Aleax]

Then recently Jesus came to me. He said it would be important that I would give up my dad to Him.

I think this means my dad has a chance. That Jesus cares. Why would Jesus ask me to trust Him about my dad if he is damned?

 

He said you should give up your dad to Him. He didn't say you should give him up to the adversary. Or to hell.

[Universalist Catholic]

I was raised a Lutheran and was taught that if you were not baptized among other things that you were bound for a fiery residense in hell fire for all eternity or more commonly said, forever.

How long ago was this?  Last I heard, many Mainline Churches have a more inclusive view of salvation.  In fact some surveys indicated that most Christians believed that people of other religions could achieve salvation too.  However the truth is that no religion saves anyone.  In fact I think sometimes religion spiritually poisons people.  The people who are the most religiously devout can often times be the most pharisee-like.  However most people who are Christians, but not real strict are in need of hearing the true gospel message.  Most people I dont think ever thought about the doctrine of hell, or really learned it.  Most people would be absolutely disgusted.  The Catholic Hell states that the souls there suffer horribly physically, known as the Pain of senses, stating that the souls in Hell are given severe physical punishment, and the fire represents a pain worse than a real fire.  But the real pain is the absolute pain of loss, stating that this pain is much worse than these pain of senses, which are supposedly meant to occupy us from the constant pain of loss.  The Protestant belief centered around this vengeful god who is going to throw you into this hot Lava for all eternity without end and make you scream in pain forever.  Honestly, if anyone could possibly love a god who would cast someone into this fire, or let someone blindly walk into that fire, then they would have to be a pretty cruel person.  Evidence shows that this is true.  Look at the most bold of the Hellfire preachers, Catholic or Protestant.  Are they anything like the Real Jesus? Absolutely not.  You cannot be love while also creating this Hellfire to exist, or allowing it to exist.  And you cannot be omnipotent if you cannot get rid of it, or you have to go against your will.  So temporary chastisements and judgment are still love, but tough love acting as a remedy.  Not an end.