We all love thanking God for His promises, singing of how He is faithful to keep them. But did you know that Scripture contains many negative promises of His? These are sober warnings about hell—and did you know that He is faithful to keep those negative promises too? Scripture clearly says, more people will go to hell than heaven (Matthew 7:14). We seldom hear preaching on the negative side of God’s promises—only the positive. But we need to know all aspects of God, not just one side, to truly know all about Him. And we should want to figure His thinking--He will use His thoughts to judge us. On what basis does He decide to send us to heaven or hell? Each church has its simple follow-the-pattern to get to heaven--but sometimes they got their pattern by cherry-picking Scripture. If you're serious about getting to heaven, you really want to know the truth. You should be rational. But there really aren't too many rational people when it comes to mortality. Keep in mind, we don’t know God just by thinking about how we’d like Him to be, or picking selected Scripture that we like. So, for a look at another part of the truth, here are some negative promises that God will also be faithful to keep:
Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, IF you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
For God to continue to bless us, including saving us from hell (“cut off” says that), as this verse points out, we need to “continue in His goodness.” What does that mean? It means essentially the same as Jesus says in John 15:8,10:
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples… If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love
“Abide in My love” is the same as “continue in His goodness.” But to do that, we must bear fruit, and keep His commandments, to truly be His disciples. If we don’t do these, we don’t abide in Him, we’re not saved, and we go to hell. See John 15:6:
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned
These are “conditions to continue to be saved” that we seldom hear preached. I guess that’s because preachers are saying what people want to hear, not the whole truth. Consider II Timothy 4:3-4a:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth…
Here's another negative promise:
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
If we supposed Christians don’t forgive people, then God won’t forgive us. That means we can’t go to heaven—we lose our salvation, we go to hell. Consider Matthew 18:23-35 for additional proof of the necessity of a forgiving spirit--and how you can lose salvation once obtained:
Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet] and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses
Note how the servant was originally forgiven, but the master retracted that forgiveness and had him “delivered to the torturers.” To apply the parable to us, that means our Master, God, will, if we are unforgiving, withdraw our salvation, and we go to hell. This servant was unforgiving. The servant has no excuse; look at how much he was forgiven himself. But his original "salvation" was only temporary because it didn’t change his personality; he still turned around and was unforgiving and grudging. God is looking for changed personalities, people who are humble enough to see how their sin looks in His eyes, and appreciate their rescue from the terrors of hell, which we all deserve. If your “being saved” is just a “mental assent” thing, and you aren’t changed—maybe you aren’t saved. It is possible that we deceive ourselves.
Galatians 6:8: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Paul is speaking to Christians here. If they ignore Him six days out of seven, if they focus on the world's ways, they may reap “corruption," or hell. It doesn't matter if they once went forward at church, if they confessed their sin and got saved. They can still end up in hell (note that "corruption" is the opposite of eternal life in the verse). Why are these people in danger of hell? Not because they refused Christ—it’s because they spend most of their time in self-indulgence. If a Christian does that as an ongoing practice, he can lose his salvation. A lot of people are into materialism and don’t worry one iota about the dangerous cost of loving the world. As I John 2:15 points out, worldliness removes your love of the Father. That makes you unsaved. Remember the parable of the Sower. One of his unfruitful soils was choked by thorns. These were people who still love the world. For such a person, the Word is choked, he is unfruitful. See Matthew 13:22:
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world…choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful
Being unfruitful through your life--such as immersion in worldliness will do--is a ticket to hell—John 15:2:
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away
Gal. 5:19-21: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul repeatedly warned Christians of going to hell for serious sin. (See also I Cor. 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:3-6, and Rev. 21:8). And why are these people in hell? Because they denied Christ? Yes, in their BEHAVIOR they denied Him. By not following His commandments, they show that they do not love Him—that amounts to denial. You single people who like to live together, Beware! Your current pleasure could yield an eternity of suffering in hell! Is the trade-off of temporary pleasure for hell worth it?
Consider I John 5:3: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
What is the true measure that we love God? By keeping His commandments. This requires Bible reading, to see what those commandments are. By doing this daily, we love Him, and we abide in Him—and we can turn away from addiction to sins such as the above.We're not talking about the ten commandments, by the way. We mean the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' many instructions and warnings throughout the Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire
We need to know fruits. A list of fruits is in Galatians 5:22-23:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
If we are not consciously cultivating these qualities, if we are not making Jesus’ behavior ours, how can we call ourselves His disciples? How do we become more like Christ? It is unlikely that His characteristics just ossify on us. No, it takes conscious effort. If we don’t develop these fruits as a consistent practice, we are “cut down and thrown into the fire.” Christian, focus on each of these fruits in turn in your daily devotions—cultivate them.
Matthew 10:33: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven
People assume that this denial has to be verbal. Not the case, as we pointed out above. If we are ungodly in our behavior, we are denying our Lord, because people look at our actions, not our words. Then what happens? He denies us…and God changes His mind about our destination; we are consigned to hell, not heaven.
Could God do this? Read some interesting verses in Deuteronomy 31. Let’s start with Moses’ words to the people of Israel in v. 6 (quoted frequently by uplifting preachers):
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
So you say, “Ah, hah! God won’t ever forsake me!” Well, ah-ha, what word did you add to His Word there? “Ever,” right? Well, you only have to read ahead 10 verses (something I’ve never heard a preacher do) to read God’s limitation on His kindness. It may not be forever. Read of the prophecy of the children of Israel’s sad future, Deut. 31:16-18:
And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
Read v. 17 again. Yes, God changed His mind. When the people forsook God, He eventually forsook them. He is faithful to His Word—if you love Him, He blesses you; if you turn from Him, He tries to win you back. If you won’t come back, He sadly has to part from you. As you read about the servant above, He can RETRACT His forgiveness.
Scripture is clear that only a "few" (Matthew 7:14) go to heaven. Polling indicates 65% of Americans call themselves "Christian," and thus believe they're going to heaven. That's not "few," is it? How do you explain the gap? Do you believe the people are correct, so God is a liar? No; I believe in self-deception. Lots of people who say they are Christian never think twice about God, their conversation is never about the eternal, they don't want to know all about God. They have deceived themselves! They should have asked if John 15:1-6 applies to them. God leaves lots of warnings in His word--but people don't really read the Word 6 days out of 7, they read uplifting devotions instead. God help us to fear Him, and seek the truth
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