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Hell, Reasons to Believe, What is God Like?

Hell-LET US REASON TOGETHER

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I once heard a pastor preach on the topic of hell.  It was called “Why the Intellectual Honest is Not Christian.”   A catchy title, but it is often true.  The teaching of hell, a place of torture and non-stop punishment in flames without end, doesn’t line up with the character of God.  If a person thinks it through, the sacrifice of God the Father by giving His Son Jesus so that we might not perish (John 3:16) is at the extreme opposite end of God’s supposed solution and punishment for the lost.  Mercy, justice, or torture with skin on fire; Which fits the character of God?  John, the beloved, described the essence of God’s character this way:

“…God is love.”

1 John 4:8b

From the central concept of God is love, all other doctrines of the Bible must line up.  If not, we have a massive misunderstanding about who God is.  How can He be merciful and full of love for even the worse of lost sinners?  Then respond to rejection by torturing them forever? If this is true, it would be the ultimate form of unsatisfied, unquenchable revenge. Can you think of anything more cruel? Maybe driving straw under the fingernail every second of the day.

God’s Glory and Goodness

Moses was allowed to see God’s “glory” and His “goodness” as He walked by. 

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.

After seeing God walk by, Moses didn’t describe God’s physical appearance, but the characteristics of God:

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

Exodus 34:6

This is where we must start understanding who God is and what His name represents.  This goodness, this kindness, leads someone to want to follow Him. God gave us the ability to reason. Non-Stop torture for quadrillion years, then starting over makes no sense for a merciful, loving God.

 Only after we understand that God is love, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness can we look at God’s plan for those who are “lost.”  No, not all are saved and live forever. It is the opposite; they die forever, They would not be happy in heaven.

This question must be asked: Which is God’s method of reaching the lost: The threat of personal eternal punishment or falling in love with a sacrificial God?

Popular Teachings on Hell

Hell is taught as a place either under the earth or somewhere in the universe where the souls of those who reject Christ spend eternity in flames and torture. Hell, and mercy cannot be in the same sermon or teaching for this idea. They are mutually exclusive because the burning flames of punishment would eliminate mercy. 

Before accepting Christ as an unbeliever, this idea of God’s punishment created a crisis of faith for me.  How could I trust a God who held this threat over my head?  Love me, or I will torture you. It made no sense. There was no logic there.

What if I had tried to win my wife by saying, “If you don’t love me, I will torture you.”  Would that attract her to me?  Sadly, I know someone who is caught in this type of Godless marriage.  The husband has (on several occasions threatened to kill the wife and her father if she left him.  What do you think her life is like? Is she free or in captivity? Is she in love or in shackles?

As an atheist, this idea of burning anyone for eternity gave me more reasons to believe that the Bible and religion were all about controlling people and scaring them into submission. 

What amazed my rational, logical thought process is this fact:  Many Christians, in particular, get angry if someone rejects the idea of such a place or a God that doesn’t put the sinners into a living place of flames.  They think it is unchristian and unbiblical not to believe the lost stay alive in hot coals of fire, crying for relief.  They insinuate it is what the sinner chooses, and it serves them right for rejecting Christ or living a life of rebellion and sin against God.

God and the bible teach justice. Is eternal torture justice?  Does punishment fit the crime?

Life In Prison-Justice?

A man was driving on the freeway going 75 mph in a 55 mph speed zone. He is taken to court, where the judge sentences him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Is this justice? 

Another man is caught in the same speed zone and is brought to the court. The judge hears the charges. He had been at a bar and left at 10:00 PM to head home.  He drifts over the double yellow line and kills an innocent family.  The dirty, smelly man is unrepentant.  The judge gives him life in prison without parole. Is this justice?  Likely.  But here is the sad thing, some teach that God says, “No!” This is not justice!   God condemns him to life in flames with no parole after He dies in prison, not because of the act of murder, but because he rejected Jesus and never repented. But here is something else to consider. The loving, hard-working husband and father also killed by the drunk is also condemned to flames because he rejected Christ and hated going to church with his wife and children. He was a good man but didn’t believe in Jesus and Christianity.

A rational person has a hard time wrapping their head around eternity, much less the idea of the unbearable stinging of flames on the skin, lips, arms, and legs kept alive FOREVER by God to “punish” the lost.  These human torches cry out for actual death to escape the flames, but the merciful God says, “No!”  The human torches, or as we call them, “lost,” can be anyone from Hitler to Uncle Bill who never attended church, never opened a Bible, didn’t believe in Jesus but was a good faithful husband and father. It includes all those who worship other gods or who never heard the story of Jesus. Their punishment is never satisfied by a loving, merciful God.  

WHO IS GOD?

Let’s explore this topic.  It is essential for Christians to know the truth and know their heavenly Father and His character.  Would a merciful, loving God do such a thing?  What method did God and Jesus employ to bring people into a loving, saving relationship with Him?

Following are the two typical modern understandings of hell.  This is what a majority of protestant Christians trust to be true.

View 1:  If you die and are unsaved (e.g., did not profess Christ), your immortal soul immediately (or after a quick judgment scene) goes to a place under the earth where the devil resides, and blistering hot flames torment your soul throughout eternity without end.  You will scream and desire to die, but you will stay alive in flames, never finding relief.  This could be called the immediate and present Hell.

View 2:  If you die and are unsaved, your immortal soul is judged at the Great White Throne judgment at the end of time. Your soul and body are cast into the lake of fire prepared for Satan and his angels, where flames torture you throughout eternity.  You will scream and desire to die, but you will stay alive in the fire, never finding relief.  We will call this future Hell.

The Catholic church throws in a couple of “holding” places, such as purgatory, and some talk about a place called “Abraham’s bosom.” Those in these places can be prayed into heaven. In some cases, money can pay them into heaven.

There may be other slight variations of hell, but if you ask a Christian or a pastor about hell, this is very close to the answers given.  It is often softened up to take out the idea of a Holy God torturing the unsaved by saying non-biblical things like,

“The lost choose hell.”  

Is that right?  Who in their right mind would choose to be tortured? The Bible teaches they choose death over eternal life not so much from a conscious choice but instead through unbelief in Jesus and rejecting the pull of the Holy Spirit to repent and turn away from the sins that lead to death.

The common idea with both basic views about hell involves non-stop burning, which is a miracle!  The miracle of staying alive with a body to experience pain! It also requires an immortal soul.  A term not used in the Bible.   We often hear preachers say, “You will live eternally in one of two places.”  Is this true?  Does the lost also have eternal life?  Are their souls immortal?  What is tortured by the flames?  The soul? The body?  Both?

What does the Bible have to say about all this?

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The Bible’s Teaching on the Fate of the Lost

Some will say, “The immortal soul is being punished, not the body.“  Of course, there is no biblical proof for this. It contradicts those who support a literal interpretation of the Rich Man and Lazarus, where the rich man has a tongue and gets thirsty in flames. He has a body!

Some will say, “God is just, and this is their fate.  We can’t understand it and aren’t supposed to.”

Is this true?

Indeed, our thoughts and ways are not like His, but there are things He has revealed that we can know with certainty. “

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to our children and to us forever,

Deuteronomy 29:29

Is the fate of the lost one of those things revealed to us?  Yes! But we must understand it from ALL that has been shown to us!

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JESUS’ APPEAL

The Bible tells us that eternal life is based on knowing God and having a relationship with Him.  We are drawn to Him as He is lifted up (Cross).  Is a torturing God the One we want to get to know?  Or is God like a father who loves his child?  Does God use hell to scare us into coming to Him, or does he draw us in a different more divine way?

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

John 17:3

Knowing God The Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is essential in our experience and salvation from death.  To have a false conception of God is dangerous, as we shall see.

We are not scared into a relationship with the Lord; He draws us with “lovingkindness.”

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

It is the cross, not hell that draws people to Jesus.

‘”…And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.‘  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”

John 12:32-33

That day on a lonely hill, Jesus dying on a rough wooden cross is the ultimate demonstration of the sacrifice and love God offers to all people. A clear view of the things leading up to the death of Jesus and the day He said, “It is finished,” will bring the sin weary to repentance, forgiveness, and salvation from eternal death.

His death was what all lost people would experience—an end without hope.  When Jesus “became sin for us,” He felt the separation from God the Father.  He felt forsaken.

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The Rest of The Story

It is unbiblical to think that the soul is immortal.  The soul is not eternal.  Only God has immortality.  The saved are not given immortality until Christ returns.

If a soul can die, it is not immortal.

“ Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die..”

Ezekiel 18:4

Only God has immortality!

I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

1 Timothy 6:14-16

Immortality is not given to us until Jesus returns and we are changed.  We “put on” immortality then and not before.  

Want to know a mystery about death that has been solved? Something God has revealed to us and our children?  Listen closely to the words of Paul:

 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.””

1 Corinthians 15: 51-54

Is this not as clear as a bell?  Immortality is “put on” when Jesus returns!  We sleep in death, waiting for the resurrection just as the Bible describes.  This waiting is like a mere micro-second.  A person dies.  Years if not millennia, pass, and they come forth in new immortal bodies at the return of Christ. The same is true for the “lost.”  Except, they meet a different fate.

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Eternal Death

“Death has come upon all men by the offense of one man. But, through grace and the gift of righteousness, life came by Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:12, 17

Wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 3:23.

Wages are something due to us for our work of sin.  Sin leads to death, not life. Both are mutually exclusive.  You can’t have both.  You must have one or the other. The gift of eternal life is reserved only for the saved.

He that has the Son has life.  He that does not have the Son does not have life.

1 John 5:12

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

Here is a simple, straightforward comparison of what awaits the lost VS the saved:

Believes in Jesus = everlasting life

Not believing = perish (eternal death)

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life….”

John 3:36

Believes in the Son = everlasting life

Does not believe in the = shall not see life.

The Lord can destroy the soul,

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28

The body and soul are destroyed in hell.  It is not kept alive to suffer throughout eternity. If there is a fear to be taught, it is the fear that both the body and the soul are forever destroyed, while the redeemed have a new immortal body and life without end.

The Power and Miracle of the Resurrection

As described before, the belief in God AND the resurrection of Jesus are both vital to receiving salvation from eternal death:

… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

It was Paul’s goal to be raised from the dead…Not to die and be with Him,

” if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:11

The mortal “puts on” immortality, and death is no more when Jesus returns.

The dead in Christ are resurrected.

“For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words”

1 Thessalonians 4: 15-18

Note:  Those who died in Christ and those alive when He returns start to “be with the Lord forever” when He returns.  So, the resurrection is our hope…Our eternity with the Lord does not begin until He returns.

Jesus will raise the saved from the grave on the last day.

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”

John 6:39

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:44

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:54

“Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

John 11:24

The teaching of resurrection as our hope is an ancient truth.  Example: Job said,

“my redeemer lives and I will see God in the flesh in the latter day upon the earth.”

Job 19:25, 26

The resurrection is crucial because we are lost if it doesn’t happen.

Our faith is futile without the resurrection. Our hope is in the return of Christ and the Resurrection, not in dying and floating off to heaven.

“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1 Corinthians 15:14-19

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus story does not include the resurrection in its story.  It is clearly a parable directed at the snooty self-righteous Pharisees.  To say it is literal brings many contradictions to other clear verses that are not parables. This parable comes near the end of a long series of parables spoken by Jesus.  There was a resurrection of another Lazarus that clearly describes the state of those who die.  The event is described in John 11.  Here Jesus compares Lazarus’ death with sleep:

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep…Then said Jesus, unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

John 11:14

Notice something else; When Jesus brought Lazarus back to life after being dead for four days, he did not say to him to come down but rather come forth (v. 43). If Lazarus had been in heaven, he would have had many things to share, don’t you think?  Why is he silent?  It is because he was unconscious until Jesus called for him to “come forth.”

The Resurrection of the Lost

The unjust have a resurrection, too (after the millennium): 

“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.”

Act 24:15

The “rest of the dead” come up long after the first resurrection:

“And they (the saved) lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”

Revelation 20: 4, 5

The second death is the fate of the lost who are not part of the first resurrection but rise in the 2nd resurrection. Revelation 20:6

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power….”

Revelation 20:6

At the end of all things, the saved may have died once, but they will never have to die again because they have been given immortality.  But the lost who died once will die again, fully aware that their death will be forever. This knowledge is their quick punishment. They acknowledge they were wrong and dismissive of Jesus:

As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

Romans 4:11

At the end of time, fire destroys the earth, Satan, and sinners:

Jesus comes as a thief in the night in which the heavens, earth, elements, and all the works are burned up.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

2 Peter 3:10

Everlasting Destruction

“The Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9

What is everlasting?  The destruction. This is the punishment, never existing again.

The wicked are destroyed forever (Psalm 92:7, Psalm 9:5)

“When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever.”

Psalm 92:7

Death and hell (grave) are destroyed!

“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Revelation 20:14

Fire comes down from God when the resurrected lost try to surround the beloved city. This fire devours them. When something is consumed or devoured, there is nothing left.

“They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

Revelation 20:9

“For our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:29

The Anti-Christ (lawless one) is destroyed when Christ returns by the brightness of the Lord’s coming.

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

2 Thessalonians 2:8

Wicked is burned up, reducing them to nothing

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.”

Malachi 4:1

Satan is burned to ashes and shall never be anymore

“You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth.
In the sight of all who saw you.”

All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever”

Ezekiel 28:18, 19

So, Scripture is clear: sin’s wages are death, not eternal life in burning flames.  There is a hell of fire, but it is a work of eternal destruction. Even Satan’s fate is total destruction.  God’s end-time plan will wipe the universe clean of sin and its results. There won’t be some special corner of the universe for people to suffer forever. 

Eternal life is given only to those who turn to Jesus and trust Him. Life eternal is given to those who know Him and not just about Him. It is all about Jesus.  He holds the keys to the grave and death:

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold; I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 1:18

Because we believe He can resurrect us and give us immortality, we have passed from death to life. I want to be part of the first resurrection, don’t you?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

John 5:24

I often wondered why God wipes away all tears. The passage in Revelation 21: 4, Revelation 7:17, and Isaiah 25:8 are in the context of the end of time when all of God’s people arrive in heaven at the same time after the resurrection, as described in 1 Thess. 4:15-18

The saints will spend their first day in heaven wondering about a loved one who didn’t make it. Then they will understand from the Lord Himself that they were lost and will never be anymore. There will be tears in heaven, but Jesus will literally and symbolically wipe away the tears.  He will explain and show them the many opportunities given to them to receive eternal life as a free gift, but they refused it.

Then all the saints will bow, throw their crowns, and proclaim

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11

God is just! God is worthy! For this, he receives glory, honor, and power!

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Good Bible Interpretation, Reasons to Believe

context-part 4-A parable of extravagence

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In our last study (Part 3), we discovered a good way to understand Jesus’ parables. It is quite simple. The point is usually found at the end of the story. It is almost like reading the last chapter of the book. But if you do that alone, you miss or fail to appreciate the ending details as we will see in the parables recorded in Luke.

In the first four chapters, Luke records the lineage and the calling of the disciples, etc. In chapter 5, Jesus speaks plainly to the multitudes in his first sermon on the mount. In Chapter 6, Jesus gets crossways with the “righteous” Pharisees about the Sabbath. Their non-scriptural application of religious/cultural rules leads Jesus to proclaim Himself as the “Lord of the Sabbath.” This means, He created a literal day of rest and knows how it should be honored. Jesus’ conclusion about the Sabbath is: “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” and to “save life” Matthew 12:12, Luke 3:4

In chapter 7, Jesus heals the Centurions Servant and raises the Widow of Nain’s son. In the same chapter, a sinful woman washes the feet of Jesus, and her sins are forgiven. Luke tells us this was Mary, also called Magdalene (Luke 8:2). This incident with Mary sparks the first parable in the book. The story of the creditor and two debtors is given to Peter (and the crowd in the house) to help them understand a principal of God’s kingdom. Here is the truth at the end of the parable:

 “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Luke 7: 47.

This truth is simple and to the point. The more the sins, the more the love for the One who has the power and authority to forgive. But let’s now read the entire parable:

 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  (In today’s US dollars, this is about $3,700 and $1,850, respectively. A significant sum in those days. ) And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Luke 7: 41-47

In this parable, Jesus begins with a story that is likely not an actual event, but a story about forgiveness of debt and the feeling of joy that comes from it. The more that was owed, the greater the feeling of burdens lifted. What a great experience of joy when debt is no longer part of our life!

My wife and I recently became totally debt free. We don’t owe any loans, credit cards, or mortgages. It has allowed us to take a deep breath and remove many worries. But the point in this parable is not only about literal debt, but rather it is about spiritual debt!

Mary loved Jesus for His compassion and non-judgmental attitude toward her. This likely preceded her sins being forgiven. Because it is not until after the parable is spoken and explained that Jesus forgives her sins and says,

“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Verse 48

Because she had “many sins.” Her feeling of great appreciation and love for Jesus must have grown even more when she heard those words that her debt of sins (primarily prostitution) was removed.

In my lifetime, I have observed that the “worst of sinners” often make the best evangelists for God. Their witness is dramatic and effective. They can’t keep their joy of forgiveness to themselves.

In the very next chapter 8, the number of women who minister to Jesus grows. They provide Jesus and the twelve with their own possessions (8: 1-3). Included among them was this same Mary whose sins were forgiven.

“…Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons.”

Luke 8: 2 last part

It is no wonder that Mary was extravagant with her love for Jesus and serving Him! She even gave to Jesus and His apostles her own possessions!

It is not God’s will that we are burdened by a mind heavy with the guilt of sin and helplessness. No matter what our sins may be or how many times we indulged in them, Jesus can give forgiveness and power over the demons of sin. A great feeling of freedom will come, and you cannot contain yourself in your service to God! Your possessions will belong to God.

This is the deep message of this simple parable.

In our society, today, pornography, adultery, fornication, and perversion are rampant and even justified. It is the sin of an indulgent self-centered society that ignores God. But with it comes guilt for many. For those who feel this burden of guilt, they can have the assurance of peace in their life through Jesus’ promises to “not condemn.” He has the ability and right to forgive sins and to provide the motivation and power to overcome the sins which “so easily ensnare us.”

“And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”.” John 8:11

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Do you want that feeling of joy, peace, and energy to serve Jesus? Do you want to be free from the power of sin? Cast all your burdens of sin and doubt upon Him. Sin is burdensome, but forgiveness is more powerful to the heart and soul. It will give you joy and peace that cannot be found anywhere else in this world.

How does one practically “cast all their burdens onto Jesus?” It always begins with praying to the Savior who hears your heart. Tell Him you have sinned and cannot bear the results and consequences. Ask for forgiveness and tell Him,

“I trust You to do what You have promised. “

Then believe you have forgiveness and stay close to Him (daily and moment by moment) through prayer, reading His word, and being active for His kingdom. A real experience is not inward, but rather it reaches out to those who need Him in one way or another.

My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5: 6-7

In our next study, we will look at a string of parables from the book of Luke and list the point of each. There is one parable in particular that has been greatly misunderstood because of tradition and an attack on God’s character of love. But its message is powerful if correctly understood.

God's Will For Us

Is Obedience Only for the Legalistic, Part 2

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“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Mathew 5:17-19

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Part 1 Summary

In the earlier blog, we looked to the word of God to answer the question about legalism and the role of God’s law in the heart of the believer.

Briefly, we saw that there are many laws in the Bible.  Some were temporary (Ceremonial and Sacrificial).  These laws or ordinances were like a school master that taught God’s people about sin, salvation, and the coming Messiah.

These had their purpose and their end came when  type (e.g. spotless lamb) met anti-type (i.e. Jesus).  When Jesus came, we no longer needed the School Master to teach us. We now had Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection as our teacher and hope.

But, the law that  is eternal is the moral law contained in the 10 commandments.  Jesus did not come to abolish it or to destroy it.  On the contrary, His life magnified the law and made it honorable.  Example:  Jesus told us men that looking upon a woman with lust was the same as committing adultery

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Mathew 5:28

Here we see Jesus “magnifying” the law.  He makes it bigger so we can clearly see or understand to scope of the law.  It also demonstrates that man is sinful to the core.  It tells us we need a Savior not only from eternal death but from the power of sin.

Sin is defined in one place as the breaking or transgressing of the law.

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

1 John 3:4

John goes on to tell us something very important for the believer.

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1 John 3:6

Is it not clear that if someone sins, they don’t know Him?  But if the believer “abides” in Him, that person will not sin.  Now be careful here.  It is not saying you are perfect and never sin.  It means you do not practice sin as clarified in the the next verse:

He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1 John 3:7

Before John ever gets into this discussion, he sets the boundaries of the discussion by saying this:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:1

God’s desire is that we do not sin. We have Jesus as our advocate in heaven (another topic for another time) to cover us should we sin.  But this advocate is not an excuse to practice sin. That the true follower will not do.  The thief will not continue his life of stealing.  The adulterer will stop sleeping around.  The person with other gods will give them up.  Is this a fair statement?

Here is what we must remember:  We are born with a sinful nature.   When we are born again, we are given a spiritual nature.  These two natures will compete against each other and it is our choice and God’s action as to which one will win the war between flesh and spirit.  Keep in mind that battles may be lost due to the carnal nature, but this does not mean the war is over and a victor crowned.  Paul describes this battle in Romans 8 (Another study for another time).

One of my favorite writers wrote something that I think is very appropriate here and supported by the grace of our great loving God:

“There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John,

“These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1.

Steps to Christ, P. 64

The law, specifically the 10 commandments, point out to sinful man what is sin.  To know about the law and sin is to know more about the God who gave it and more about ourselves.  It points out how really sinful we are and that we need  a savior because we cannot “enter into the womb a second time” and be reborn.   We cannot give ourselves a new spirit.  The law enhances the reality of grace and His power, but God’s grace does not eliminate the law otherwise he could have simply eliminated the definition of sin instead of having his Son pay the penalty for sin i.e., death.  This would be a divine loophole of sorts. I don’t see where God provides loopholes, but He does supply grace and power.

The law, like God, is eternal and it is given the same description as God Himself.  The law expresses His character which is holy, just, and good.

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Romans 7:11, 12

We can not take the 10 commandments off the wall and wash our face with it,  the law points out the smudge on our face, which tells us we need to be cleansed.  To try to wash our face with the law would be the definition of legalism.  Instead, the law indicates God’s will for us and that we need a Savior not only for breaking it, but for the power to obey it as will be shown in the following discussion.

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When talking about the law of God, we must discuss the topic of new covenant versus old covenant.  Here many make a deadly mistake, thinking the old covenant was about keeping the law for salvation, but the new covenant is freedom from keeping the law and living under grace. This implies disobedience.  As we shall see both covenants include obedience to God’s law.  The new covenant does not diminish the requirements of the law, but there is a twist that should give encouragement to us and help us avoid legalism.

Jesus is the “Mediator of the new covenant.”

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15

By the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the cross, He redeemed everyone, including those under the first covenant.  This redemption for them and for all “who are called may receive the promise of eternal life.”

So again, we see that the cross is the central point for both those in the old testament and the new testament.  It is here where all, on both sides of the cross, look by faith to Jesus for eternal life.  Those in the old testament looked forward in faith and were instructed by the School Master or the sacrificial and ceremonial laws given by God through Moses to teach them about Jesus. They were not saved by works and obedience, but by faith in the spotless lamb of God (Jesus).

Those of us on this side, look to Jesus’ death on the cross by faith for eternal life and we  have the life of Jesus and the testimony of His followers to teach us.  Also, we have the experience of those before the cross to teach us as well.  In fact, those before the cross and the writings of the old testament can instruct us in righteousness.

Paul wrote to Timothy and reminded him of this fact.  Paul wrote it before the writings of the other new testament writers were known and brought together.  So Paul’s message to Timothy is referring to the writings of the old testament when he said,

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16

Those books in the old testament will reproof, correct and even instruct the new testament believer in righteousness.  Further, it will make us complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We should never say or believe things like, “That is in the old testament, I am a new testament believer.”  Rather, we should say, we are a believer of “All Scripture.”

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The experience of God’s people before the cross serve as examples of how we should both live and respond to God.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Their lives and experiences become examples of how to live or not to live.  Their experiences will give us hope!

Jesus is also found in type all through the old testament.  To bypass these books is to miss Christ.

 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them.”

1 Corinthians 10: 1-7

So as we look at the new covenant or the new testament, we must not forget the value of the old covenant and the old testament.  It still provides us help in our Jesus journey. It is even provides information that should be obeyed and understood by the Christian who appreciates the value of the new covenant.

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To understand the new  covenant, we must understand the old covenant.  Is that a fair statement? Why two covenants?  Did God make a mistake and create a new covenant because it was impossible or too difficult to live under?  Many think this because of somethings Paul states.

Generally, a covenant is defined as an agreement between two parties, but it can be simply a promise by the Lord. For example, the Lord made a promise to the people of earth to not destroy it by water ever again. This was a covenant or promise from the great Creator.

“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth… and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

Genesis 9:13,15

The Lord did the same type of “one-sided covenant” with Abraham when he promised him land and descendants:

“On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—’ ”

Genesis 15:18

 “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

Genesis 17: 2-7

However, these covenants (promises) of God are not the covenants distinguished as old by Paul.

There was a point where the people of God tried to make a covenant or agreement with God and they became “old.”

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 

Exodus 19:5-7

In the next Chapter of Exodus (20) we see these words:

And God spoke all these words, saying:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Exodus 20: 1-2

Then the Lord spoke the 10 Commandments Himself as shown in Exodus 20: 3-17

Here was the covenant the people made.  It seemed to be the response God wanted, but noticed they agreed to obey God based on fear and their own efforts.  They state, “all that the Lord has said we will do.” They attempted to obey God under their grit and determination. Obedience was not from the heart but rather from duty and fear.  After a while their promises faded away and became old.

They were afraid of God and this formed their their response.

Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

Exodus 20:19

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Citing the fear and poor promises of the people, the writer of Hebrews cites the need for a new covenant:

 “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”

Hebrews 8:6

What better promises?  Did God make a promise that was inferior or had a fault? No!  The problem or fault was found with the people who made the covenant with God as shown in the verse that follows:

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them. He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.“

Hebrews 8: 7-9

The fault was with the people who made a promise they could not keep.

Have you ever made a promise to God while under fear?  “God if you will just get me out of this situation, I will serve you until I die.” But, after you are delivered, you forget your promise and go back to serving only yourself. In this situations, you are doing exactly what the children of Israel did.  They made a promise they could not keep.  Why?  Because they were attempting something without a changed heart.  They did not realize their own weakness. God desired them to obey out of love and through His power.

Continuing in Hebrews 8, we see the better promise, but it still contains God’s law and obedience.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” 

Hebrew 8:10

So the new covenant is one where God provides the promise and the people respond to His love in obedience because they have a new heart (rebirth). But notice that the new covenant still involves the law of God and obedience.  The law is never destroyed or eliminated, it is a new attitude about it where the obedience comes from the new heart.  If it is on the heart, do you think you will obey the letter?  The spirit and the letter of the law go together.  Let me explain:

If a born again Christian says to his wife, I obey the law concerning adultery in the spirit, but not by the letter.  What has he just told his wife?  Would the wife be comfortable about the separation of spirit and letter?  Could the husband sleep with her sister (letter) but keep the “spirit.”  NO!  If He is living in the spirit of the law, he won’t even allow himself to look at a woman with lust!  Especially, he will not tempt himself with pornography!  Men, if you are looking at porn, you need Jesus to both forgive you and to help you overcome it.  It is sin!

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“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.“

Romans 7:6

Paul is explaining how we often get the cart before the horse.  Many try to serve only in the letter.  These are the legalistic.

In a very difficult part of Paul’s writing, he continues to explain that the law is spiritual and we are carnal.  There are the two natures that live and fight within us until Jesus returns.  The purpose of the law is to tell us what God considers as transgression and how sinful we are:

I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”  Romans 7: 7

“…by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:20

Here Paul understands that desiring the possessions of another person is sin, but he goes further:

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.”

Romans 7: 9

Paul was “foot loose and fancy free” as we say in the South. But, when he became aware of the words of the law, he came under great conviction and he saw his way of life meant death, for he had said earlier in the chapter,

“the wages of sin is death.”

Romans 6:23

The law points out what God calls sin regardless of what the world might think.  When we come to accept the fact that we are sinners, we seek God and find forgiveness and the power to live a life in Christ.  We don’t want to continue in an unsatisfying life of sin and disobedience.  God begins to write His laws in our hearts so that our obedience comes from a new heart powered by God himself.  The law does not go away.  In fact, it becomes a writing inscribed in our way of thinking so that the thief stops stealing, the liar stops lying, etc.  If, in our brand new way of thinking,  we do slip; we have an advocate with the father.

I have heard someone say, I obey the law with my spirit and not by letter.  I am under grace. How does that work?

Paul cautioned again such thinking when he said,

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Romans 6:15

 Being “under grace” does not mean one can disobey God’s law. We are not “under” the law because we are not under the penalty, because Jesus paid the penalty for our transgression of the law.  His death shows the permanence of the law.

The followers of God are shown to be true followers by obedience to it.  To claim we follow Jesus and willfully disobey is to not be a follower, for He said,

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

Luke 6:46″

It is like saying I am a follower of Robert Atkins, but I don’t obey the diet plan.  I obey it in my spirit, but not the letter.  How much weight do you think that person would lose?

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It is no wonder that Satan himself is upset with the last day people who wish to testify of Jesus Christ through an experience of obedience to His words that include the 10 commandments.  This identifies them as true followers and not religious pretenders.

“And the dragon (Satan) was enraged with the woman (church), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.“

Revelation 12:17

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Conclusion

God’s 10 Commandment law has never been destroyed.  It is still a sin to have other god’s, to build statues of gods  and fall down before them.  It is still a sin to disrespect God’s name and character.  It is still a sin to forget the Sabbath of the Lord and dishonor his creation and the time He blessed.  It is still a sin to dishonor your parents, to murder, to commit adultery, to steal, to lie, and to covet your neighbors possessions.

All 10 of these commandments line up under the two great commandments.  The first being to

“love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” The second is like it, “to love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22: 37-39

The first 4 commandments hang (summarized) under the first principle and the last six under the second principle.

But notice the order.  If one fails to love God completely, they will not be able love their neighbor with a Christ like love.  They will in effect become legalistic (if connected to religion) and a worthless noisy show-off of a cymbal if God’s love is not the basis for their obedience:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

1 Corinthians 13:1

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No.  Obedience is not for the legalistic although there are many who obey to somehow impress God or attempt to make themselves worthy of blessings and salvation.

Obedience is for those who have been born again, where love for their Creator and a testimony to the true God can be expressed through obeying his word.

To obey God is to have true freedom. Just ask the man in prison who murdered someone or the person whose life is run by lying.

To say that we love Him and not obey Him makes us a liar.

“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 2:4

Obedience comes from a new heart supplied by the Redeemer.  It is not religious, but it is real.  Obedience is the walk with the One you love, not the requirement for walk. The walk, like a child, will be shaky at first, but as you hold the Father’s hand, you will get stronger to do his will, but unlike the earthly example, our hand must be in the hand of our Creator constantly, because if it isn’t, we have the possibility of returning to the mud from which we were cleansed (See 2 Peter 2: 18-22)

I close with the inspiring words from Steps to Christ, p. 60, 61

“But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, “I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience–the service and allegiance of love–is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the scripture says, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.”