Our retirement community has a new phase under construction for Independent Living. When the contracting company began work, they placed a trailer on the opposite side of the road from the construction area, parallel to the road, to serve as their office. I didn’t pay much attention to it when I drove past it almost every day. But recently, they turned the trailer around to be perpendicular to the road. I was amazed at how long it is, with three doors and many windows. Somehow, the trailer that I saw daily now looked like a completely different trailer. This experience of change in our environment is probably why we like to move our furniture around from time to time or in different seasons. I used to do that a lot, but now I have no need or desire to do it. When we study the Bible with different teachers or under different preachers, we sometimes “see” things differently, freshly, and or more correctly. Why should it be any different with the gospel? We can have a fresh view and appreciation of Christ’s gospel promise by looking at it from different angles. So today, we will see the warning of the gospel for those who don’t believe. The gospel is hope and healing for all who will put their trust in Jesus and the ultimate warning for those who reject it, satisfied that they are doing well without Christ. As we embrace the hope and healing of the gospel for our sins, let’s share the gospel freely with others for their hope and healing.
Gospel Truth
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36) “There are two ways to die, according to the Bible. You may die ‘in the Lord’—Revelation 14:13 says, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on’—or you may die ‘in your sins.’ To die in sin means to die with the burden of one’s sin upon oneself and, as a result, to be forced to bear the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death. God says that ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Rom. 6:23). Physical death is the separation of the soul and the spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul and the spirit from God. To die in sin is to die separated from God and to remain so forever…Someone will say, ‘But that is frightening. Are you saying those things just to frighten me?’ In a sense I am, for I would like you to be so frightened by the warning the Lord Jesus Christ gives that you will turn from your sin and cleave to him. The gospel tells us that Jesus died for your sin. He died both physically and spiritually—he was separated from God—so that you and everyone else might not have to die spiritually. He removed our sin, so that all who believe on him might have eternal life and be able to follow him to heaven.” (1) The first three chapters of Romans have much to say about this truth. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20) “God’s anger is not selfish or arbitrary but represents his holy and loving response to human wickedness…God’s wrath is expressed for good reason since his power and divine nature are clearly revealed through the world he has made, and yet he is rejected by all people. These verses show that salvation does not come through ‘general revelation’ (what is known about God through the natural world) since Paul emphasizes the universality of sin and concludes that ‘no one seeks for God’ (3:11). The entire natural world bears witness to God through its beauty, complexity, design, and usefulness. [Therefore] no one should complain that God has left insufficient evidence of his existence and character; the fault is with those who reject the evidence.” (2)
Humanism vs. Christ’s Gospel
Last week, a neighbor of mine inquired about GriefShare, a Bible-based Christian grief-support program that I am participating in and preparing to co-lead in 2025. In her email, she wrote, “I can truly say that in my eight years of working with families, I never once had a religious question…it isn’t a religious time. It’s a time for listening and hearing what the family says and not pushing your beliefs on them.” I’m sincerely sorry for the implication that someone, at some time, “pushed” their religious views on my neighbor, who does appear to have a religion or philosophy called Humanism. While many folks do believe that God created people (humanism technically does not), they live as if their primary hope is found in people. “Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that prioritizes human beings, values reason, critical thinking, evidence-based decision making, and views individuals as responsible for giving meaning and shape to their own lives…and seeks to build a more humane, just, and democratic society…It offers a joyous alternative to religions and considers this life to be of paramount importance, providing purpose through developing one’s talents and using them for the service of humanity…[While] Biblical Christianity offers a path to hope, peace, and fulfillment in this life and beyond…Humanism emphasizes human reason, experience, and autonomy, and views individuals as the ultimate arbiters of truth and morality. Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, holds that God’s word, as revealed in the Bible, is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice…Humanism sees human beings as inherently good and capable of self-realization and self-fulfillment, while biblical Christianity teaches that human beings are fallen and in need of salvation, as stated in Romans 3:23, ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’…Humanism emphasizes human-centered principles of equality, justice, and compassion, while Biblical Christianity teaches that morality and ethics are grounded in obedience to God’s commands and that true righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ.” (3) The biblical Christian gospel is not meant to be used as a threat or a hammer to force someone to believe in Christ. Repentance (of refusing God) holds the promise of hope and peace. However, the gospel of Jesus Christ also contains a warning to those who reject him. So we do well to embrace the hope and healing of the gospel for our sins, confessing and repenting often and sharing the gospel freely with others for their hope and healing.
Sealed or Alienated For Eternity
“False teachers of religion are deceiving thousands of people by bending the gospel to suit their own purposes. And in this regard, the human mind is ready to be deceived. If you can teach someone how to ignore sin, he will listen to you. If you can tell him how to ignore the possibility of judgment for his wrongdoing, he will listen to you. This is why the cults of deception are so popular—not because they are true, but because they alter the truth to suit the carnal desires of mankind. May God have mercy on the deceived and on the deceivers!” (4) “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 6:36) “Men naturally mind earthly things; and it is owing to the Spirit and grace of God, if they mind and savour spiritual things, or have their affections set on things above, or their conversation in heaven; and even such, at times, find that their souls cleave unto the dust, and are hankering after the things of the earth…and he that believeth not the Son; that does not believe Christ to be the Son of God, or Jesus to be the Messiah; or rejects him as the Saviour; who lives and dies in a state of impenitence and unbelief: shall not see life; eternal life; he shall not enter into it, and enjoy it; he shall die the second death.” (5) The gospel’s warning for those who reject Christ can help us appreciate His mercy for those, like us, who have been brought into the kingdom of God by God’s grace alone. This, in turn, can motivate us to seek fresh ways of approaching prayer and witnessing for Christ, with joy and peace in the hope and healing for all who will believe. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The unchanging gospel has many facets, but none of them change God’s truth. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
Related Scripture: Psalm 19:1-6; 78:1-2, 30-31; 95:11; 106:24-27; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Jeremiah 10:14a; Matthew 5:17-20; John 3:7, 17-19, 27; Romans 1:18-25; 5:6-10; 6:23; 8:5-9, 32-39; Hebrews 3:18-19; 1 John 5:10-12.
Notes:
1. Boice, James, Boice Expositional Commentary Series, John 6:24, Baker Books, Software version, 1998.
2. English Standard Version Study Bible Notes, Romans 1:18-20, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.
3. Humanism vs. Christianity, Bible Truths, https://www.bibletruths.org/biblical-christianity-vs-religion-of-humanism/
4. Chambers, Oswald, My Utmost for His Highest, September 7, https://utmost.org
5. Gill, John, John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, John 3:31, 33, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/john-3.html
September 19, 2024
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 