www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Regarding Hell

It appears to me that you are *unconsciously* reading the synergistic, conditional salvation view into what I've written. This view makes God's will ultimately impotent against man's will. The error of this view is to assume that if God engages his omnipotence in converting a soul, then such a conversion could not be a free act from the human side. This is a fallacy which ignores the reality of what Saint Augustine called "efficacious grace." This grace is the true causative source of saving faith. As St Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "It is given to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake." Efficacious grace does not over-ride human free will, but draws the soul, enabling the once perverse will to approach God in repentance and faith. Mark well that St Paul (I Tim. 1: 16) refers to his own conversion as the pattern after which all are brought to faith; not in the same blinding light and voice from heaven, but by the same almighty power of divine grace, which infuses faith into our souls without violating our free will, but enabling it to be for the first time truly free.

If you believe that God loves all his human creatures and gives them free will to respond to his love, can you really imagine that God would ever, even in imposing needed punishments, strip them of their free will so that they could not any longer choose to love him? Yet this is what some proponents of endless torment have stated. The idea that death forms a cut-off after which repentance and return to God is no longer possible is, I believe, a hideous notion which makes God not the Most Holy Lover of Mankind, but the Most Cruel Tyrant, whom we may fear and tremble before, but never love.

Death does form a certain cut-off point, but not to all further chances for salvation. Rather it forms the cut-off point for being the first-fruits and first-born, by which he will effect his plan to save all.

I believe that God has his elect whom he calls by his efficacious grace to conversion in this life, and that they are called not only for their own salvation, but for that of all others, who will be called and converted hereafter, in the ages to come. Is this not implied by the Fatima Prayer? "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fire of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy."

Did you ever consider the possibility that God, who holds the destiny of all souls in his almighty hands, is calling some to salvation now, and others he will call later? And that he calls some now for the sake of those whom he will call later? I see this clearly in the Scriptures. Consider St Paul's words: "But we, brethren beloved of God, are bound to give thanks to God always for you, because God has chosen you as first-fruits unto salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (II Thessalonians 2: 13, Confraternity Version). Now "First-fruits" are not the whole harvest, but rather the guarantee of the whole harvest to come in due time! All we who believe now, in this life, are the first-fruits called and ordained by God to guarantee the whole harvest of souls to come, according to his plan of the ages. We, as the first-born, have the incredible opportunity to serve him in the salvation of those who will be the latter-born. Who could ever sufficiently thank God for such a privilege? By the way, this is the answer to the lame objection that "if everyone will make it to heaven, what's the point of living a good Christian life now?"

Michael B:

First, welcome to this forum!

Would you please clarify what is behind your questions?

Thank you,
Gabriel

The eternity of punishment has never been defined. The Church has simply quoted Scripture on the subject of eschatalogical punishment. Hence the meaning of various Church decrees remains subject to what Scripture actually means in the passages quoted. For example, at the Council of Florence in the decree Cantate Domino (1441) for union with the Copts & Jacobites we read: "It firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those living outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans but also Jews, heretics, and schismatics, can become partakers of eternal life, but will go into 'the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matt. 25:41) unless before death they shall be joined to the flock." Now I don't doubt that the overwhelming majority of Catholics - and most Eastern Orthodox also - have taken the language of 'everlasting fire' in a literalistic manner. Yet as I have indicated, the Greek word aionos normally means age-long, and only means eternal in relation to God. Moreover the fire is not to burn and torment unfortunate souls for all eternity but to burn away sin by the divine energy which is analogically called fire. As Origen said, "'Our God is a consuming fire.' And what shall that fire consume? Our sins."