Would You?

[wretched]

The Lord said that no greater gift can a man give than to lay down his life for a friend. This passage seemingly refers to physical life in context IMO (since we have the authority to actually give up our physical life for another)

 

BUT:

 

And let me caveat this by saying that I see no where in Scripture where this is possible so this thread is purely hypothetical.

 

If the Lord made provision at some point in the future, would you exchange your place in Heaven with a lost loved one in hell FOR ETERNITY?

 

If the answer is no for just one loved one, how about for all your loved ones whom are lost either currently living or already dead?

 

Pondering on my own answer to these questions brings to mind passages in where Jesus declares earthly loved ones hardly matter when blocking you from eternal life: Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 14 off the top of my head.

 

Kinda makes me want to get busy, what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alimantado]

Romans 9:3-4 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites

 

Great question. I've pondered it and questions like it for years. To what extent can a person really 'die to themselves' if they are counting on getting it all back at the end, and are ultimately being motivated by self-interest.

[John81]

No, because that would require turning my back on God and that's something I couldn't do.

 

As Scripture makes clear, we need to be busy sharing the Gospel, living for Christ, praying for the lost, praying for harvesters in the field, supporting our church and missionaries, and doing our part to bring the lost to Christ today, while there is yet time.

 

Prior to salvation I specifically refused to be baptized when some family members were baptized (with no profession of faith) because I wanted to go to hell with my friends so I could help protect them from the really bad people I expected to be in hell. Yes, I had a very warped and unbiblical view of hell at that time but my desire was to help my friends. By the grace of God, about a year later I was saved.

 

Scripture says God desires that none go to hell, so for me to purposefully go there, even for the sake of others going to heaven, would be another affront to God.

 

I know the question is hypothetical, but it distracts from the reality that we are called to sacrifice our lives now, right here while we live, for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of spreading the Gospel. How greatly we fail in this area! How much more greatly may we one day discover we failed?

 

How much of our money do we give for the cause of Christ...and then how much do we waste, spend on our selfish desires, spend on more than we need, etc.?

 

How much time do we spend in prayer for the lost? For missionaries? For our pastors? For laborers for the harvest?

 

So much self-examination we need to do and so much more surrendering our lives to Christ we need to do now, in reality.

[Genevanpreacher]

Laying down one's life, doesn't just have to do with 'dying'.

 

Sometimes it has to do with just stopping what you 'are', and letting someone else 'be'.

 

The Lord Jesus 'gave up his life' before the cross; when he left the portals of Heaven

and gave up his current situation in Heaven, with the Father, he 'gave his life' up and became human.

 

It's not always the OBvious, in some peoples lives of them 'giving up their life' for others.

 

For example, think of all the missionaries, from right after NT times, up to recent years,

where godly Christians 'gave up their lives' to enter the field of foreign ministry, as well as

many men of God 'giving up their lives' just to street preach or become pastors in a lost community.

 

That kind of love staggers the mind, sometimes.

 

Makes ya think about 'how much' we really love.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Genevanpreacher

[John81]

As one pastor said, it's typically easier for a guy to be willing to lay down his life to save his wife, but far more difficult for him to surrender his life so that he's even willing to do the dishes for his wife.

 

His sermon was on living for Christ in a practical way.

[Genevanpreacher]

 but far more difficult for him to surrender his life so that he's even willing to do the dishes for his wife.

 

Now that made my wife laugh out loud!

Edited September 28, 2014 by Genevanpreacher

[Eric Stahl]

Galatians 2:20 We are to give up living our lives for our selves and live for him. We are saved unto good works not by good works.

[2bLikeJesus]

That would be an entirely different Gospel contrary to all of scripture, that someone else besides God could pay the awful price of sin for someone else.  Only God could possibly do that, and to even think you could yourself is making yourself "like the most high".   Isa 14:14.

Bro. Garry

[DaveW]

Don't worry Wretched - you are not alone in your pondering.

Romans 9

 1  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

 2  That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

 3  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

 

What is understood in this passage is that whilst it is not possible, yet Paul's heart was such that he was willing to do so if it were possible. 

Since it was not possible, Paul did everything that WAS POSSIBLE. 

Is that sort of what you were proposing a couple of years back, Wretched?

(And note that this thread has been revived from 2014.)

[Heir of Salvation]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2014 at 2:38 PM, wretched said:

If the Lord made provision at some point in the future, would you exchange your place in Heaven with a lost loved one in hell FOR ETERNITY?

I've come to believe that the lost would not be happy in eternity with Christ.

They have rejected him.  They would not rejoice in it.

Hell is a place of unspeakable misery, but I've come to believe that, for them, heaven would be also.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Heir of Salvation