Hebrews 6:1-3
Verse 2 …instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
The last item on the author’s list is eternal judgment. This is a topic which is uncomfortable for many and yet it is so vital to our faith. There are many in our world who refuse to believe this truth and sadly many of them go to church and claim to be Christians. We have lessened God’s holiness to a lower place than His love and therefore many are sure everyone is going to heaven no matter if they had a loving relationship with God or not.
Many in society and in the church have reshaped the image of God into something more to please themselves than to be true to His loving and just character. God’s wrath has become a taboo topic as the false doctrine of wanting everyone to feel good about themselves spreads like wildfires. We even apply the doctrine to our children saying we only want them to be happy. Is that true, do our children mean so little to us that we are willing to allow them to willingly live in sin because it makes them happy?
Hell is a real place and it isn’t just for people who everyone hates or the enemy of God. If we aren’t willing to admit this than we are not going to growing in our faith. We can’t grow because we are stuck in a mindset which lies about who God is. When we believe this lie about Him we are just saying His ways are not as loving and kind as the god we have formulated in our own minds. We begin to think of Him as inferior.
There is an eternal judgment and God will be sending some people to hell without a second thought. We don’t have a say in who He ships there even though we may want a say in the matter. The truth is, just as God chose His people He has rejected some people. It isn’t because of what they have or have not done but because it is what He decided to do.
We have to believe God has a side of wrath or we can’t fully accept His having a side of love. While the world would have us believe that His being a God of love means He wants us happy and will give us all we desire, the truth is that because He loves us He must hate everything which could destroy those He loves.
Making It Personal
Do you believe in eternal punishment? What does His being a God of wrath mean to you? How does knowing He can be wrathful help you enjoy His loving side?
Making It Personal Kids
How hard would it be to have eternal punishment? Do you want to be happy or do you want Jesus to help you grow even though it is hard? How is Jesus’ love different from His wrath?
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for this reminder of how You have some set aside for judgment. Help us live lives which speak both of Your love and Your wrath. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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