nl: Absolutely not. I'm just saying that if you truly love Jesus you would be willing to endure an eternity of the pain and deprivation threatened in the fire and brimstone hell for His sake as I am sure He would do for us.
What on earth kind of reasoning is that? And how do you figure that Jesus would be willing to endure eternal torment for our sake? What's your Scriptural justification for that????
Not at all. I am not saying that fire and brimstone do not exist, just that as a Catholic and Christian the threat of that pales in comparison to an eternity absent God:
Spending an eternity absent from God without the torment is no punishment for someone who already hates and rejects God.
What's going to be the punishment for people who don't want God isn't being without Him; that's just giving them what they want.
It's going to be the torment
It only seems bizarre when considered in the absence of an understand of what divine and perfect love is.
"And how do you figure that Jesus would be willing to endure eternal torment for our sake?"
He loves me, divinely and perfectly.
"What's your Scriptural justification for that????"
You don't believe that Scripture says that God loves you?
"What's going to be the punishment for people who don't want God isn't being without Him; that's just giving them what they want..."
It is a very dark and hedonistic soteriology that puts the personal fear of the physical above the loss of the divine and believes that the Gospel must rely on threats and coercion to precipitate what should be selflessly given.
We cannot diminish the torment which the Scriptures warn await the lost who die in their sins. And which description is merely a negative one, that of separation from God, which the lost know now, nor even the privation of anything positive, which helps pacify our carnal man (but gives us occasion us to praise God by the Spirit).
Rather, while the Lake of fire that of totally negative privation of good things, it is also a realization of the wrath of God in the positive sense, that of weeping and gnashing of teeth, (Mt. 8:12) and longing for one drop of water, which the rich man in the true story the Lord told yet does. (Lk. 19:16-33) Thus the devil, who is quite separate from God already, shall be tormented day and night forever, shall all those who died believing his deceptions, in accordance with the grace they spurned, and the degree of sinfulness. (Rv. 20:10-15; cf. Lk. 12:48)
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:11)
But i need not see Jesus as suffering the equivalent of eternity in Hell, nor that the scapegoat and sacrifice of the yearly atonement of the O.T. (Lv. 16) did so either, but as becoming sin for us and making the atoning sacrifice by which God could justly yet mercifully forgive us our innumerable sins. Thanks be to God.
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26)
As concerns fear of eternal torment and its nature, it is incontrovertible that the appeal to fear is a valid one, else the Lord Jesus would not have warned the impenitent of the fire that is not quenched, and required crucifying what causes us to sin in heart or deed, (which is ultimately the “old man,” and i need to yet be better engaged daily i that endeavor, and to overcome evil with good).
However, that means of persuasion, while it is graciously provided in appealing to the self-preservation instinct of carnal man who is dead in his sins, is not to be the real or prime motivation for service, but while it typically begins there, grace is purposed to bring about obedience motivated by the love which is of and for God, which has the happiness of its Object as its motivation, and thus it also seeks to love His brethren as well as the lost.
In fact, in so doing, the believers motivation is not to be primarily to save souls from Hell, though compassion is a Christian virtue, but to see them repent and live a life of faith obedience to the glory of God.
Fully mature, the Christians only motivation is this love, for,
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” We love him, because he first loved us.” If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:18-21)
“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” (1 John 2:5)
“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12)
Now to live it, which gap needs closing.