The Bad News You Must Know

Some churches (fewer all the time) believe in “being saved.”  Let’s look at that phrase.  First question:  What is it we want people saved from?  The answer to that question, per Scripture is:  We want people saved from eternal punishment, punishment that never ends.  We’re speaking of conscious life in a body resurrected, but suited for everlasting punishment.  The Bible speaks of that as occurring in a place that we know is hell.  It comes from the Greek word “gehenna.”  The Book of Revelation calls this the Lake of Fire where people are punished and tormented forever.
 

In all honesty, we distance ourselves from that reality.  Even if we attend most churches, in today’s sermons, such a negative topic is kryptonite—when the truth is, it ought to be the first thing we talk about when the subject is the Gospel, the good news of how to be saved.  At least, the doctrine of hell is still in the thinking of our culture.  A 2016 survey said that 64% of Americans believe in hell (down from 5 years before, when 75% believed in it).  Christianity at least still has an influence.  However, of those 64%, only 4% believe that there is any chance that they will go there. So, hell is for someone else, not me, brother. Well, that’s a problem.  Jesus said that the majority of people will go to hell (Matthew 7:13, 14).  He said only a few would experience life, eternal life.  We’ve gotten one point across, but we haven’t gotten our point across that most people are headed there and need to take steps to avoid it.

 Here’s why most of us don’t think about hell, the punishment for sin:  We live in a world where sin is freely done.  Sin is so much a part of our culture that every imaginable sin is accepted.  For instance, I just read an article in a reputable newspaper that a feminist author was ostracized by other feminists, largely because she spoke against legalizing prostitution nationwide.  We don’t seem to have any real problem with fornication (premarital sex), or even adultery among the upper classes; and nobody is showing much shock against homosexuality being normalized on TV, where it affects children the most.  We are not often disciplined if we perjure, or for cheating (despite the recent college admission scandal), such as on taxes, or even stealing—if we’re poor, “we’re oppressed, and we deserve it.”  And government supports gambling, the downfall of more people every year—and which hurts the poor the most.  Nobody complains about that.  And let’s not forget the elephant in the room--casting our glance sideways over murder of the innocents.  So most of us “Christians” even grudgingly accept legalized murder.

 So we’re very used to sinning. And we’re very comfortable with sin—society has very few consequences that it places on people for sin.  Parents, if their child says that’s what they’ve done or really want to do—would rather be a homosexual advocate, a transgender advocate, or an abortion advocate, to “support” him or her, rather than speak the truth to their child to try to save their soul from hell.  Yes, the Bible is indeed against these.  So, there is now evidently a warped sense of good and evil, and a distorted understanding of justice.  Consider Isaiah 5:20: 

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness… 

Please do not appeal to favorite items in the New Testament, such as how Jesus was merciful to the adulterous woman (John 8).  Let us not forget--He said to her, “Go, and sin no more,” since He saw her repentance of her sin.  That was acceptable—not her adultery. And try reading the rest of the New Testament, to get the whole picture.

 Our new definition of sin is, only if it “harms someone else.”  That’s a definition most often used by teens engaging in fornication.  It seems to be a fine definition for most people.  But that is applied blindly—in an abortion, you’re still doing murder of the infant—who is, after all, “someone else” as all science acknowledges.

 A parent who talks with their child on (sexual) protection has already given up on their morality.  And the child knows it.  To say, “Well, I’ve got to tell her she must only have sex with someone she loves” is totally ignoring God’s parameters about sex. And do they know what real love is? To say, “Well, he/she’s already doing it” is to again give up on their morality.  You’re teaching them that the culture wins, God loses.  A fine article of faith.  

And consider the cold facts on fornication.  First of all, today’s young females will have, on average, three or so sexual partners before marriage, so say surveys.  Secondly, there is a distinct correlation between the, shall we call it, “promiscuity rates” and the rates of later divorce.  As the National Survey of Family Growth points out in 2013, women with 10 or more partners were more likely to later divorce; women with 3-9 partners were less likely, and women with 0-1 partners were the least likely.  Thus, data proves that fornication is bad—at least if you consider that the later divorce is bad.  I guess I can’t assume.  Some people actually say, “I thought he was my soulmate—I made a simple error of judgment.  I must divorce him and continue my quest; only one person can make me happy.”  Or they say, “I’m different now.  He isn’t.  We have to part.”  Or, the worst, “I can’t even imagine one person for 40 years—it’s gotta be boring.  Divorce makes sense.”  Even grown up, at least half the population has no idea of real love. The Bible’s Greek term is “agape”—which means “God-love.”  Sacrifice and submission is demanded.  Most divorces are for selfish reasons, such as the above. 

Actually, that sex survey is beside the point:  if you want souls saved (a much more important idea than current “needs,” since it’s for eternity), consider that anyone committing fornication or adultery (and that latter term includes second marriage) is headed to hell, according to I Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19, Revelation 21:8 and 22:15—they often use the broad synonym “sexual immorality.”  BUT sincere repentance, belief in everything Jesus did for reconciliation, and a changed life under God’s Scriptural loving commands will change that horrible penalty.

 In summary, do not look to the society for spiritual guidance.  We’re grown up to reject “peer pressure,” aren’t we?  Society doesn’t have any real spiritual guidance.  Of course, if you and, let’s include your children, get saved and learn about appealing to the Holy Spirit for help, you don’t have to co-opt to cultural norms.

 So, let’s turn around and talk to the nominal Christian too.  If you are a real Christian and are talking to people about the consequences of sin, be prepared:  if you introduce the (Scriptural) idea that the offenders will pay in full—forever--for every sin, that idea is simply alien to most people, and that’s why we get the ridiculous 4% who feel deserving of hell (see above).  “No, God couldn’t do that to me.  I’m better than most.”  But you are ignorant of His standard for salvation, and should be high-tailing to learn it, since He is the judge, not you.  He does have wrath for sin, and He has warned us so. We haven’t bothered to read all of New Testament Scripture, which lays it all out--the frighteningly real consequences of dithering around and how important this is.  Too bad our pastors are keeping quiet on hell.  Convincing people that there are such horrible deferred consequences is a hard sell—especially when they believe the Bible is God’s “suggestions.”   Consider Romans 2:5—does this sound like “suggestions?”

 …in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God 

Yes, barring getting truly saved, you’re not getting away with anything—no sin in behavior, no sin with the lips, no sin with the mind (Jesus added that feature), no (self) deception—you’re just accumulating iniquities, all of which will be confronted and judged.  You’re storing up wrath.  And you don’t wipe it all away by insincere repentance, or by sincere Hail Marys, or penance.  But there is a way out—but the way out does not end with a one-time action; it’s not a sprint.

 The problem is, people are just so used to getting away with sin in this life that their hearts become, over time, seared of conscience and often permanently hardened. That makes it easy to self-deceive, and assume things about God’s love and eternal forgiveness; but these assumptions are based on what people imagine, what they hope, not based on God’s revelation of Himself. So cultural “truisms” about sin like “sewing the wild oats” or “let them go through a rebellious phase; they’re young” only increase the likely destination of hell. That likelihood is higher if people become well off.  They see no need for “being saved” (I have my bank account), no need for redemption, and all of what that word means.  “Buy me out of the slave market of sin?  I’m a slave?  What are you talking about?”

 Now let’s talk to the nominal Christian again. Imagine this metaphor:  If a man sees someone he loves walking straight at a house fire, they’re in some kind of foggy hallucination, tell me what that loving person will do to stop them from arriving at the house.  Everything, right?  He will first get into his face and explain bluntly and loudly what is about to happen, in the most fervent of tones. If that doesn’t succeed, he will make whatever physical obstacle he can to slow them down, or even tackling them. Is that person crazy for extreme behavior?  No, he loves them.  He is a hero. But try to do anything “extreme” to rescue someone from hell (like actually talk to them fervently about hell, like you really believe it).  You’re not a hero afterwards, are you? But real Christians get persecuted, and we should bear that as a badge of honor, so we don’t care what they think. God talked to Ezekiel (2:3-7; 3:18-21), made him a “watchman,” as every real Christian is today.  He told him that if he truly evangelized, and if the person didn’t change and went to hell, the blood would not be on the evangelizer’s hands.  BUT if he didn’t warn him, and he went to hell, the blood would be on the evangelizer’s hands.  Did you get that? 

So the question is, what are we doing now for our loved, but unsaved family members?  Most people who actually “witness” take a light, unhelpful, touch, and then he/she just gives up and goes to prayer.  Such an unsatisfactory witness is due to the fact that he or she: (a) assumes God will let the unsaved live longer so as to accept the gospel later (no guarantee of that); or (b) assumes God is grandpa-like and forgives all sin, despite our spitting in His face in rebellion; (c) assumes maybe because the lost person went to church and said he “believes” in Jesus, he’s saved—though there is little evidence of it; or, finally, (d) doesn’t want to connect the dots of Scripture, doesn’t want to think about it. Basically, all these excuses are because few people really believe in how close we are to hell, or we don’t really believe that God will actually send people to such a horrible place forever. Scripture is crystal clear otherwise.

 Someday, God will brush all those assumptions aside at His seat of judgement. Once a person dies (and we don’t know when that will be, right?), there is no changing their ultimate destination. So if we do nothing, I maintain that we don’t really believe Scripture.  That is a dangerous place to be in, since we’re also saying we don’t believe in what God is saying to us.  Jesus did really speak often of hell.  Did He do that just to scare us?  No, because He loved us, He warned us. But His love will NOT stop Him from His promise to carry out wrath to all those who reject Him. And that’s the majority of society.  Yes, even including in the U.S.  Jesus does what a loving person would do in my “fire” metaphor above. He gives free will—if a person is determined to ignore warnings, he ends up in the fire. IF we believe His Word, a real Christian’s actions in evangelism would not be reticent as it is today.  We might actually talk more frequently about hell—and in convincing tones.  To do less is to put our “belief” in the Bible, and put our “Christianity” under serious question. 

Speaking to the nominal Christians again:  Parents should start teaching their children when they are young—studies show that our moral structures are mostly formed by the time we are 11.  But parents today are convinced by the worldly-wise telling them not to be negative with kids.  But Scripture says we think too much of ourselves already—we tend to give our kids an open path to selfishness.  To slow down our ego’s appetite, parents must administer significant consequences for the sins of their children.  That means spanking too—as Scripture commands it.  We’re very close to the day that if you spank your child and they are worldly-wise and call Family Services, you could be deprived of your children!  If your child is hooked on bad friends, video games, or the cell phone (now why did you give them that?), it may be a good time to pick up and move to a rural community and take away the cell phone, certain TV watching, and most video games.  Instead, substitute pets for them to take care of, and chores to do.  Choose their after-school activities carefully; you want them to attend your non-judgmental family dinner most nights.  Don’t interrogate them, unless you have evidence that things are going bad; but be honest about your feelings and encourage them to express their feelings. Pray with them, not always just at night.
 

Be active in the school system; actually visit school a few times and ask many questions of the principal, all to pick up the moral tone.  If it’s bad, you should actively consider home schooling. Mom or dad staying home is a good thing.  Sure, you will wail about the huge loss in family income, and you may cry about the ridiculous sacrificial family budget.  But, hey, remind yourselves—how extreme will you go to get them saved?  It’s about that fire, remember?  How much do you love your children?  Look to the future, which is eternal:  Treasures in heaven, not treasures on earth, right?  Were you on the rat-race saving up for their college?  Well, first, colleges, by every study you can imagine, are festering swamps of immorality and will destroy their faith. Look at church attendance for anyone over 20-35.  Plunging.  The professors in most “Christian” colleges are skeptics on Biblical creation and inerrancy of Scripture, and will lodge questions in students' mind about their faith. Oh, you say, my kid is smart and will avoid that.  Maybe smart, but maybe not a moral super(wo)man.  Kids lie, and parents don’t ask intrusive questions—so maybe you don’t know how smart they are on the moral scale.  Well, you say, they must socialize.  You mean “acclimate,” in its dire meaning, to the immoral culture?  Try reading the Old Testament—it’s ¾ of the Bible, so God must have put it there for a reason.  He strenuously objected to the Jews mixing with the corrupt cultures surrounding them.  One of their horrible activities was sacrificing their children to the god Molech.  Its relevance to today?  Your grown-up child in college can get an abortion without having to tell you.
 

Speaking of Molech: Any god other than our God is really a demon doing play acting.  Yes, I am xenophobically denying the salvation of people who are worshipers into Buddha, Hinduism, Shinto, Mormons, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Confusion, etc, etc.  Please memorize Acts 4:10,12:

 …let it be known to you all, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole….¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 Yes, this intolerance has made you pause before considering getting into real Christianity. BUT—do you want to go on like the past, and hope for different results? I’m talking of freedom, love, and connection.  Tell me, does the present world made you happy?  You know what the revised definition of insanity is, don’t you?  Repeatedly living with and believing the “wisdom” of the same tragic culture and lack of love--and expecting different results.
 

So, are you ready for this venture? The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  God will support you.  He loves you. Obey Him—later you will love Him, believe me.    Oh, of course.  I haven’t explained what “saved” is.  Read the New Testament a few times.  Try another blog, like my “Getting to Heaven:  Initial Salvation etc.” Actually, this paper, long as it is, has only given you the bad news.  For the Good news, see those references.  May God bless you.