Mandatory Belief: The "Or Else" of Faith

 

This was a billboard along the Interstate in South Carolina typical of the Southern Baptist mindset and motivator to accept Jesus. 

I personally, have always had a faith problem with forgiveness being impossible without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), redemption by execution and "I am the way, the truth and the light. No man comes unto the father but by me". (John 14:6)

If the Romans or whoever wrote the story of the pacified Jesus Messiah meant to make it uncomfortable to reject, they did it well. 

Sorry, that's just me

I don't believe anyone would argue that accepting Jesus, however one defines that, is an either/or else proposition.

There is no free will involved. You can only choose wrongly  if you do not choose rightly. There is only one right answer. 

Belief and acceptance of the story of Jesus as presented with all that can be questioned, doubted or suspect, is mandatory if one is to be on the right team.

Whether one accepts the theology of Jesus the first time or the second first time or after a good beating, there is no other way. 

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey" as I sang with gusto as a kid and yet it bothered me as well. Seemed risky and rather dictatorial with no good or any alternatives allowed. 

Belief in the story of Jesus, which must be accepted on faith, and the theology that follows from it is compulsary, mandatory, obligatory and required...OR ELSE.

No one on the planet will ever meet the Father God if they don't go through the Son God. 

The "Or Else" factor in mandatory belief and practice has always been the Biblical approach towards those less inclined to believe. 

Zechariah 14:16-21

 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 

This is just one of my personal stuggles with Christianity and belief since when I first believed. 

Trust and Obey is always risky in human hands and compliance, or else,  is no reason to believe anything. 

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https://godliberationcathedral.org/posts/what-happens-if-you-fail-to-accept-jesus-christ

The Eternal Consequences of Rejecting Gods Gift of Salvation

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36 (KJV)

 

The question what happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ is one of eternal significance. It is not a question of religious preference or theological debate—it is a matter of life and death, heaven and hell, eternal blessing and eternal judgment.

The Bible provides clear, unambiguous answers to this crucial question, and every person must face it honestly before their time on earth ends.

Rejecting Jesus Christ means turning away from the greatest gift God has ever offered humanity: His grace, forgiveness, and salvation. It means refusing the only remedy for sin that God has provided. The stakes could not be higher, and the consequences could not be more serious.

This is not meant to frighten but to inform, for God has revealed these truths in His Word so that we might choose wisely and escape the judgment that awaits those who refuse His Son.

The Biblical Reality of Rejection

What happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ? Scripture answers this question directly and repeatedly:

You Remain Under Gods Wrath

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36, KJV). This verse reveals a sobering truth: those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ remain under Gods wrath. They do not move from wrath to grace—they remain in the state of condemnation they were born into.

Gods wrath is not arbitrary anger or uncontrolled rage. It is His holy, righteous response to sin—His settled opposition to all that is evil and rebellious against Him.

Every person is born under this wrath because all have sinned and fallen short of Gods glory (Romans 3:23). The only escape from divine wrath is through Jesus Christ, who bore that wrath on our behalf. To reject Christ is to remain under the wrath you were born into.

You Will Not See Eternal Life

The same verse declares that those who do not believe in the Son "shall not see life". Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6, KJV). There is no other way to eternal life except through Jesus Christ.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, KJV).

Gods plan of salvation centers exclusively on Jesus Christ. No other religious leader, no other religious system, no amount of good works or moral improvement can save you. Christ alone is the Savior. To reject Him is to reject your only hope of eternal life.

You Remain Unforgiven

Without faith in Christ, your sins remain unforgiven. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, KJV). But this forgiveness is only available through Jesus Christ, who died to pay the penalty for our sins.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7, KJV). Forgiveness comes through Christs blood shed on the cross. Those who reject Christ reject the only means of forgiveness God has provided. They remain guilty before God with no covering for their sins.

 The Exclusivity of Christ

Some find it offensive that Christianity claims Jesus is the only way to salvation. But this is not arrogance—it is what Jesus Himself taught. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). We did not invent this exclusive claim; Jesus made it Himself.

The Biblical Doctrine of Hell

What happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ? Scripture teaches that those who die without Christ face eternal judgment in hell:

Hell is a Real Place

Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else in Scripture. He described it as a place of eternal fire, darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28, KJV).

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched" (Mark 9:43, KJV). Jesus describes hell as a fire that is never quenched—indicating eternal, unending suffering.

Hell Was Not Created for Humans

An important truth often overlooked: hell was not originally intended for human beings. "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41, KJV). Hell was prepared for Satan and his fallen angels—not for people made in Gods image.

Humans go to hell only by rejecting the salvation God offers through Christ. God does not send people to hell capriciously—they choose hell by refusing the remedy He has provided. Every person who ends up in hell will be there because they rejected Gods gracious offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Eternal Separation from God

Hell is ultimately eternal separation from God and all His goodness. "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9, KJV). Those in hell will be separated from Gods presence forever—cut off from all light, love, joy, peace, and every good thing.

This separation is eternal and irreversible. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46, KJV). The same word translated everlasting for punishment is used for eternal life. If eternal life lasts forever, so does eternal punishment. There is no second chance after death, no escape from hell once judgment is pronounced.

Conscious Eternal Suffering

Some attempt to soften the biblical doctrine of hell by suggesting annihilation—that unbelievers simply cease to exist. But Scripture teaches conscious, eternal suffering. Jesus described hell as a place where "their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, KJV). The rich man in Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man was conscious and in torment in hell (Luke 16:19-31).

In Revelation, we read: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10, KJV). This is not annihilation but eternal, conscious torment.

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The remedy for doubt seems to be faith, which is belief without evidence and trust in the word of God, (Romans 10:17) which is what one doubted to begin with. Seems rather circular much like the Bible being true because it says it is true.