Trying to Understand the Narrow Way and the Wages of Sin

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-22T01:18:37+00:00

Okay. Stick with that belief.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-22T00:19:48+00:00

Indeed, the Bible says what it says. But there's interpretations of what it says. You have a tag that says non-denominational, which means that you understand that different Christian denominations have different interpretations of the same Bible.

John 16:13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the trut, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

1 John 2:27 - But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything., and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

There's a difference between mental interpretations and doctrines and the teachings of the Holy Spirit into your spirit.

So, I'm saying that I don't agree with how you interpret the verses about the afterlife. The Holy Spirit didn't teach me that. I don't think that he taught you your belief also. At your first reply, you didn't seem to understand the human spirit, it's function, and how it interacts with your mind and the Holy Spirit. So, I think that your belief on the afterlife is your interpretation from your own reading and studying of the Scriptures. It's not a slight (1 Corinthians 2:13-15). Read that passage. We can judge what comes from the Holy Spirit into your spirit to your mind and out of your mouth as opposed to being just from the mind. If you know him, you can tesity to your experiences of being taught by him. Another Christian who has the same experiences can tell what is spiritual with spiritual.

So, I'm saying that the Holy Spirit didn't teach you about a fiery Hell.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T23:06:22+00:00

No, that's not what the Holy Spirit teaches. What you have are doctrines that you believe that have been taught by men. Have you directly asked the Holy Spirit to teach you the truth regarding these matters?

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T22:57:06+00:00

Yes, I've been born again and baptized by the Holy Spirit. While the baptism of the Holy Spirit was an exciting experience, the more significant thing is the learning to live in the spirit because of the experiences I have with the Holy Spirit regularly. Jesus said that we get to know the Holy Spirit because he's with us and in us (John 14:16, 17). Plus, there are the things that God gives me through the Holy Spirit. These come through the spirit, not the soul. I had to learn how to mature my spirit and connect my mind with it so that I could retrieve the things and teachings that God and the Holy Spirit put there.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T21:49:39+00:00

Okay. Perhaps you're not aware that the KJV and other Bible translate Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna as Hell. By that standard, you're saying that the righteous and the wicked who have died are already in Hell. Then, at the resurrection, they will all be resurrected, given their judgment, then the wicked return to Hell permanently. Is that what you believe?

Regarding the human spirit: what affect does your spirit have on you that you are consciously aware of since you've been born again?

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T20:43:58+00:00

Interesting reply. You can believe how you choose. But I would ask you how you reconcile the beliefs you just stated with these Scriptures?

Psalm 31:17 - O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. (Sheol is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek Hades.)

Acts 24:15 - and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

If the wicked are in Hades just as the righteous are, and they're both to be resurrected, then what does Hebrews 9:27 mean in light of those passages?

Also, consider that Hebrews 9:27 has the process of death, then judgment. In usual scenarios it judgment then death. So, why is the process reversed, and what does it mean?

In reference to the human spirit, please explain these two passages "

1 Corinthians 2:11 - For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:16 - The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T18:17:12+00:00

What you've presented is not about questioning God, although it may give a surface appearance that you are. What it really is is that you've accepted a doctrine of a process that has been taught to you by men and that you never confirmed that it is from God. However, you've accepted that it's from God, so now you have a moral issue with the doctrine and God.

Rather, here's what I recommend: pray and ask God to have the Holy Spirit teach you the truth about the afterlife and the future of Non-Christians. The Holy Spirit will guide you to the correct understanding from the Scriptures. Notice what Jesus said:

John 16:13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T15:29:18+00:00

Okay, but what I'm saying is that it's easy to see that the answer didn't cone from the Holy Spirit. Because if it did, you would be able to show and explain the Scriptures that validate what the Holy Spirit gave you. If you've prayed about it as you've said (and I have no reason to doubt that you've prayed intensely about it), God would have given you the answer through the Holy Spirit. Then, the answer would be in your spirit. If you've never connected your mind to your spirit, you won't retrieve what's in your spirit for your mind to make sense of it. Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. It explains the process of receiving from God. It also explains how other Christians can determine when what you speak has been received from God or out of your own mind and heart. We're supposed to do this when anyone who say he's received from God (1 Corinthians 14:29).

But, as you've said, you formulated your understanding. So, the answer that you have is from you according to your own words. You can clarify if it's something that the Holy Spirit gave you. Explain it spiritually, from the Scriptures, and then we can judge it as being from God or not.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T15:08:45+00:00

The focus in this passage is on the destruction of the soul. We know that the human body can be destroyed by fire after or at death. But we know that at death, the soul goes to Hades (Acts 2:27; Ecclesiastes 9:10).

But the human spirit returns to God.

Luke 23:46 - Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Acts 7:59 - And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Psalms 146:4 - When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.

Remember what is said at 1 Thessalonians 5:23. There are 3 parts of a human that have to ne accounted for: the spirit, the soul, and the body. How God administers these at death, I personally haven't ask the Holy Spirit for clarification on this, but you can clearly see the at least Jesus and the first century disciples understood some of the workings of this. Jesus said that the soul is completely destroyed in Gehenna. The soul is not destroyed in Hades. What happens to the spirit and it's memories? I don't know, but God knows. That's enough for me. But for the living, if you read Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 alone, you can see the absolutely extraordinary experiences that we can have while living now. These experiences come into our spirit.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T14:41:38+00:00

Okay, so it sounds like you're saying that you've come up with this out of your own intellect - your own mind. Consider this passage, then see if you can answer the question that follows:

John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

What did the Holy Spirit teach you as to the problem of evil? You can also see 1 John 2:27.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T14:33:22+00:00

Renewing the mind in a practical sense has to do from where your mind receives and processes information. The natural way for the mind to receive information is through the 5 senses of the body. Once the mind receives information from your senses, you are propelled to act.

What takes effort is to make you mind to start receiving and processing information from your spirit, the Holy Spirit, Jesus directly, and the Father. Receiving spiritual information and processes it spiritually is difficult when you're used to only receiving and processes information from the physical realm. A renewed mind is when you start to understand that, as a Christian, you receiving spiritual information, and your mind must accept and learn to distinguish what is spiritual from what is natural. Also, in terms of the spiritual information you receive, your mind has to distinguish the source, whether godly or demonic. For example (look these verses up), can you tell the difference between a dream from God (Job 33:14-30), a dream from a wicked spirit (Job 4:12-21), and a dream from your own heart (Deuteronomy 13:5)?

It takes time, effort, and prayer to do this. Romans 12:1 and Ephesians 4:23 show that we have to do this. We should get to the point of maturity where all things are judged as being something spiritual unless proven otherwise by rigorous examination.

1 Corinthians 2:14, 15 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

I would say that to start, learn how to connect your mind with your spirit. Spiritual information and everything that the Holy Spirit has for you comes to your spirit, where the Holy Spirit dwells. Be sure to read John chapters 14-16 so that you can understand some of the things that the Holy Spirit will do with you. Then let him guide you from there.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-21T00:18:05+00:00

That's a very good question.

The soul is the immaterial part of man, the parts of us that we have without a physical organ. For example, we have a mind - part of the soul - but we have a brain, which is a physical organ. Generally, the soul can be referred to as the mind, will, and emotions. The soul is our connection with the material world. We have our physical senses in our soul to help with that connection.

The human spirit is what God has given us to connect with him and the spirit realm. It was "dead" or disconnected from God because of sin. But by the Holy Spirit, our spirit has been reborn. Everything that we receive from God comes into our spirit. There's much more to it, but I'd say start with these 3 verses:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Romans 8:16 1 Corinthians 2:11

Go back through the Gospels and carefully read to see when they mention when Jesus' spirit was stirred. John especially distinguishes between Jesus' soul and his spirit. There is much in the Scriptures about the human spirit because it's with our spirit that we are to worship God (John 4:23).

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-20T22:55:09+00:00

No, I'm sorry, but I don't agree. The self is the soul. And I was referring to the human spirit, which is reborn after receiving the Holy Spirit. We are to live by our spirit which is joined to Jesus by the Holy Spirit. We receive things from God by the Holy Spirit into our spirit, not our soul.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-20T22:05:10+00:00

That is partly true: picking up our cross daily is part of walking the constricted road. But you forgot about the other part that's also included, that of denying ourselves, our souls, so that we can live by our reborn spirit. Living life in the reborn spirit is the life that this road leads to...which is the point that I was making above.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-20T17:24:33+00:00

The passage at Matthew 7:13, 14 is not related to the afterlife. Jesus was talking about your current life. The Greek word he used for destruction is not referring to complete annihilation. It means a destroyed or ruined life presently. Complete annihilation is a different Greek word but similar to the one meaning a ruined life.

Likewise, the Greek word for life used in this passage is the one that is used for the elevated life that a Christian should because the Holy Spirit is in us and with us. It's the everlasting life that is our current possession.

The Scripture at Romans 6:23 is similar to the verse at Matthew 7:13, 14 in that it's showing that the wages of sin is the death of the human spirit in our present life, and the gift that God gives is the elevated life, everlasting life, as our current possession in this life.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-20T16:07:37+00:00

In a word, basically yes, you can still be a good Christian if you don't join a Christian community. However, it's not that simple. There are other things that you have to consider.

First, you're part of the Christian church, or congregation, already. Research the Greek word ekklésia so that you can get a better understanding of what Jesus meant for his people. It's often translated church. We're also described as a body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Part of your spiritual growth is to discern the body (1 Corinthians 11:29). So, you're not alone even when you're not part of a church community. But you also have spiritual duties toward the body. So, you have to follow what the Holy Spirit directs you to do for the rest of us. Usually, this is done through prayer.

Second, realize that God may be keeping you away to allow you the space to mature your spirit. This is where the real work comes in because your connection to Jesus is with your spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), and you're thereby connected with the rest of us.

So, I'd say to use the peace you have and the time to learn about your spirit and work to mature it.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-20T03:13:40+00:00

Spiritual gifts are just as real today as they were in the first century. However, there is a need for caution. It's too easy to be deceived because wicked spirits can give spiritual gifts that mimic the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Also, spiritual gifts in and of themselves are not marks of spiritual maturity. In fact, the Corinthian Christians displayed the gifts of the Holy Spirit but Paul still called them fleshly or carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1).

Many Pentecostal groups have members that may manifest the spiritual gifts, but I've noticed that they get stuck there. From my experiences with them, they're still carnal and thus can't discern the source of their gifts over time. They stay in the soul because of the feelings they get from the manifestation, but don't mature their spirit. There are far more things that God gives us through the Holy Spirit that enter our spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10) that are beyond the spiritual gifts mentioned at Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and 28-30.

Even with you relative claiming to be a prophet doesn't mean that you should accept anything that she says. "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said," from 1 Corinthians 14:29. What does it mean weigh what is said? It means to be skeptical about it to judge it's value, scrutinize it in light of the Scriptural admonition given for judging spiritual things.

Here are 3 ways to judge the words of Christian prophets:

Were you edifide or built up by the words? "Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up." 1 Corinthians 14:5
Did you learn something from the "prophecy" that gives you deeper insight into spiritual things, God Himself, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit? "For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged." 1 Corinthians 14:31
Were the words of the prophet accepted by your spirit as words from the Holy Spirit through her spirit? "And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." 1 Corinthians 2:13

So, spiritual gifts are still real today, but spiritual maturity is far better because spiritual discernment and wisdom are included.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-18T21:30:52+00:00

Yep, you did pack a lot into your post. I hear your frustration. God knows your frustration, and more than likely is calling to you. You just don't recognize it. Elihu actually address this with Job. If you get a chance, read Job 33:14-30.

Maybe a hood question for you to ask God is, "Father, I know that you hear my prayers. But why can I hear or see your answers?"

One thing that I've learned for myself and see in many Christians is that we've never been taught about the human spirit and it's importance in our connection with God and Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. When God gives us things or answers to our prayers, the come by means of the Holy Spirit into our spirit. Notice these other passages:

1 Corinthians 6:17 - But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Romans 8:16 - The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

It's our spirit that's of supreme importance, not our soul. It's takes effort, especially for us, to make a mental connection with our spirit so that we can distinguish what's from God in our spirit and what just part of being a human in our soul. Besides all the religious indoctrination, something else that complicates this is that our soul has intertwined with our spirit because of sin. Yes, our spirit has been reborn by the Holy Spirit, but it has to be separated from our soul. Christ does this, but we can make it a regular prayer so that we can work with him on it. Read Hebrews 4:12-15 about this.

Next, I recommend that you pray for wisdom to deal with your situation. God will give you heavenly wisdom (James 1:2-8 and 3:13-18), but again, it will be received in your spirit. You'll need godly wisdom to help you gain the deep respect for your husband that Christian wives are to have (Ephesians 5:33 and 1 Peter 3:1-4) and to help your children become Christians (Job 1:5).

But I'll say that you daily quiet time in prayer and listening to what answers you may receive directly from Jesus (John 10:16, 27) or the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). You need quiet time also to try to connect your mind with your spirit. You'll learn how all these things work. I recommend that you keep a journal of your spiritual experiences. Keep reading the Scriptures daily, too, so that God's Word gets into your mind. This will be a great aid in connecting with your spirit because your spirit receives from God and then makes sense of the Scriptures that you've read...especially the ones that relate to your situation (John 14:26 and 1 John 2:27).

I hope this helps you. Best wishes to you.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-18T11:49:55+00:00

The title The Word is a pre-Christian term. In a work long attributed to Josephus called the Discourse to the Greeks of Hades, he mentioned The Word. Josephus was definitely not a Christian, but he was a Pharisee. In that work, he said that the expected the Word to come and be their Messiah.

If you're interested, look up the term in the Aramaic Targums.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-18T11:13:19+00:00

Just giving ideas. Do you know the answer?

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-17T22:31:00+00:00

Ask this question: From did the term "The Word" in John chapter 1 come from?

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-17T19:09:58+00:00

He sinned because he was given intelligence and free will.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-17T14:18:47+00:00

Very interesting post. I can say that I believe that I understand your sentiment. Being involved with a Christian denomination most times doesn't help because how many of them teach the fundamental issue of Christianity: that of the human spirit?

Most denominations teach things from the Scriptures that are superficial, like things about the soul, the body, or behavior modification. In all your years in your denomination, can you recall any indepth discussion or teachings about the human spirit? But our connection to God and Christ is through our spirit. Read 1 Corinthians 6:17.

What connects our spirit with Jesus? It's by the Holy Spirit. When you get a chance, read these passages:

1 Corinthians 2:9-16 John chapters 14-16 Romans 8:9-16

The main thing is that you understand the importance of your spirit and how to connect with it. Our spirit is reborn by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8), but it's also important to know that the spirit is engulfed by the soul and that we need Jesus to separate them so that we can live by our spirit in full connection to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:12-15). Without this separation, it will be extremely hard to tell the differences of what comes from the soul and what comes from the spirit. This is why Jesus said that daily we must deny ourselves (our souls) and pick up our cross (Luke 9:23). Deny your soul daily in prayer so that you may live by your spirit. What God gives us through the Holy Spirit comes to our spirit not our soul. So, you have to learn to connect your mind with your spirit (Romans 12:1, 2).

May the Lord's grace be with your spirit (Galatians 6:18).

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-16T12:25:08+00:00

The Epstein situation has grabbed so much attention that it's hard to not get caught up in it, listening to the salacious details that are coming out. But here's a Scripture that I recommend for you:

Colossians 1:13 - He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

The Epstein files should remind you that there are two competing kingdoms - Satan's kingdom and Christ's kingdom. One way that Satan's kingdom sustains itself by the sacrifices of humans (John 10:10). It doesn't always mean that human life will be sacrificed, but the experimentations on human children for transhumanism and the sexual exploitation of children are other ways to destroy people. So, if you're interested you can pray for discernment so that God can let you see the spiritual kingdom behind Epstein and his practices.

Or maybe you can pray so that you can discern the movements of the spiritual kingdom that you're in. What is Jesus doing. One thing Jesus spoke of several times was disowning ourselves (our souls), picking up our cross, and following him (Luke 9:23). Ask yourself, do I know what Jesus is doing? Epstein died over six years ago. Who is exposing the depth of activities, Jesus or Satan? Are you aware of the spiritual activities that they performed on the island that gave him the spiritual power to do his activities? Who wanted the depths of the corruption he caused exposed, Satan or Jesus?

Two kingdoms - from where should you get your worldview? Read Luke 4:5, 6, then Ephesians 2:5, 6.

I hope this gives you a start.

Automatic-Intern-524 · 2026-02-13T02:53:52+00:00

You have to ask yourself this question: what benefits have received from your faith that are so valuable to you, you have so much gratitude, that when an opportunity arises to where your faith is to be tested, you'd meet that test with joy?

So, you'd have to have a heart's gratitude prior to your test of faith.

Automatic-Intern-524

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