The doctrine of purgatory says that people suffer to pay for for their own sins. The Bible tells an entirely different story.
We have very little information about Paradise. We only find the word paradeisos in three passages in the Bible:
Bob wants to know why we humans believe that, after we die, we would be sent to a place based on what we did when we lived. He wants proof that Heaven and Hell exist.
Aaron asked: "I saw your comments regarding baptism and you said baptism is not necessary to get to heaven...but its Jesus' commandment for us to be baptised. If we don't, aren't we disobeying? Isn't disobedience a sin? How can we get to heaven without baptism?"
Sometimes, the messages I receive are intensely personal. While I try to be sensitive to those involved, I think that many private questions deserve to be published. I would never divulge anyone's identity in a touchy situation, but: if one person asks, chances are good that others struggle over the same issue.
Having a website is a big responsibility. Most of the time, most people don't think twice about it...after all: they wonder why anybody at all would read their website. If they're convinced that they're not being read, they don't have to think about what they write.
Let's look at some Scripture for our answer. Before they died, Jesus told the thief that they would be together in Paradise on THAT VERY DAY. Jesus could not have meant Heaven.
That's a good question. Most people are aware that there are different points of view on the question of whether baptism is required for salvation. Scripture, however, is abundantly clear. Baptism is NOT required for salvation.
There are two common misconceptions about hell. The first is that a loving God wouldn't let anyone go there, and the second is that God uses it to punish people. I think that both theories are actually attempts to diminish our view of God.
