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Is man capable of both good and evil ?

The Truth About Hell

http://www.av1611.org/hell.html

Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death's Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings. Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, "considered all religion "hocus-pocus" and death nothing more than a painless extinction".

But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming — descending down into the flames of hell:
"Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death!

This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end."
Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!" . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before."

(Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door,(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3).
Dr. Rawlings said, no one, who could have heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell!

The Bible continually warns of a place called hell. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. And over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ!

In Luke 16, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of hell:

22 . . . the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:22-28)

turnorburn
 
This is sort of an offshoot comment to your post. The reliance on a church to "save" us is one of the things that makes me mad and conflicted with attending. The holy ghost resides in all of us if we simply ask, seek and have faith. One of my favorite quotes from a decent movie, "faith is not based on a floor plan". These ideas that mankind is incapable of good or finding the holy spirit without going to the right place of worship are a quest to expand the power of the church (in my opinion), not necessarily to save them. Only Christ can save us.

Your quite right, men are not saved by churches...
 
I'm leaning towards Calvinism, so I see it like this: thanks to the Fall, our "free will" is bent towards sin--we are what the scriptures call "slaves of sin." We can do good things, but, like the Scriptures say, our righteousness is like "filthy rags" unto the Lord--He is decidedly unimpressed.

Now, if God has chosen you, at some point He'll soften you up to the truth. The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin. You'll believe in and obey Jesus Christ. Then you become what the Scriptures call "a slave of righteousness." Its all about who controls you--Good or Evil, God or Satan. There is no third way, no morally neutral "I do my own thing" sort of Freewill here. You're hot or you're cold, you're in or you're out, you're Christian or anti-Christ.

God has chosen All to be saved who will place their faith in Christ...
 
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