Judgment and Loss

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Co 3:9–17)

Everything I have heard or read on this passage until now looked at this passage as directly applicable to the individual. In other words, every bit of what you or I do in the Kingdom of God will be judged by fire, so we better be doing the best job we can with the best tools and materials we have in order to continue to build God’s house.  If not, we will lose the reward we could have had because the cheap attempts will be burned up. This tactic is familiar in many Christian circles. The idea is to goad the believer into trying harder to be a better Christian through non-stop evangelism and good works. The effects may last anywhere from nightfall to sometime the next day, but eventually, failure is certain. True, the Christian is able to perform these tasks, however, inevitably such browbeating leaves the believer with a nagging uncertainty that enough has been accomplished because the prescribed application is wrong.

Context, Context, Context
Let me ask this question: what is the context of chapter 3? What has been the thrust of the apostle Paul’s opening remarks? There is division in the church (1 Co 1:11). And how does he respond?

• I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. (1 Co 1:14)
• And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Co 2:1–2)
• And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. (1 Co 3:1)
• Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (1 Co 4:1)
• For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Co 4:17)

Read the first four chapters, and the common theme becomes clear. Paul is addressing those who are building Christ’s church with apostolic or apostolic-designate authority. Within the immediate context of chapter three, then, the building is being accomplished by one ordained to the task, not the average Christian in Corinth. The master builder is being judged according to how he conducts himself in the duties of his office. The faithful worker uses the precious, enduring materials of Scripture rightly divided as well as sacraments rightly administered, while the unfaithful build with the common and temporary measures brought in for pragmatic or promotional reasons.

What about Me?
Is there a personal application for this section of Paul’s epistle? Yes, but it is secondary in nature. The common (or lay) believer does not have the burden of responsibility that comes with an ecclesial office, but there is a responsibility to walk in a manner that reflects the gospel as Paul mentions in his epistle to Ephesus:

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,… [but now] we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:1–2, 10)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1–3)

Because we have been brought from darkness to light, from death to life, we conduct ourselves to one another’s good that all may be lifted up. We show ourselves to unbelievers in a manner that they might see our good works and want an answer for the hope within us.

What of the Judgment?
What do we say of the final judgment for believers? What will that be like? Again we draw from Paul as he wrote in his second epistle to Corinth:

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Co 5:9–10)

We will each receive what he or she has done in the body but not in a way that should instill fear or regret if we hold fast. The author of Psalm 99 exhorts all the people to praise the Lord together. We are reminded that Moses, Aaron, and Samuel all called on His name and were heard, yet they were fallible men able to commit grievous sins. Of what does the psalmist remind us?

O Lord our God, You listened to them;
O God, You were very merciful to them,
while avenging all their ways of living. (Ps 99:8 LXX)

God dealt with the sin in a merciful, yet just, manner. There was nothing for these saints of old to fear after death. Neither should we be concerned. Did these men lose a reward? Yes, in a temporal way, but they still rested on His promise to receive the faithful. If we worry that not enough has been done, perhaps our emphasis is in the wrong place. Each believer is called to be a good steward in his or her vocation or station in life. Do what has been given you to do, not be worried about what you cannot do.

Better? You’re Actually Worse!

One of the harshest methods to deliver condemnation is to place the guilty party in an equal relationship—even a familial relationship—with others deemed worse by that guilty party.  Through the prophet Ezekiel, God roundly condemns Judah for its sins.

Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: “Like mother, like daughter!”  You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.  Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.  (Ez 16:44-46)

What a scathing rebuke!  Judah, which prided itself on being the more faithful of God’s elect when the kingdom was divided, referred to as the offspring of pagan Canaanites with siblings of religiously, ethnically syncretic Samaria and proud, self-centered Sodom.  Such a comparison would have raised hackles on the self-righteous spiritual leaders.  One could almost hear voices responding in retaliation, “How dare we be put in league with those vermin.  We do not enter into their vile practices.”  True, they may not have performed the same actions, but the Lord had some devastating news for them.

You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.  As I live, says the Lord God, neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.… Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.  (Ez 16:47-48, 51)

Judah, who thought itself so good and honored for continuing as an elect people, was assured recompense for their covenant-breaking ways.  They who had the Law and the Prophets depraved themselves to an extent that made Samaria’s and Sodom’s grievous sins look like they had merely been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  Despite the nation’s erring ways, God would show Himself faithful and gracious by committing to restore His people.  Those who had once spurned His commands and promises would enter into an eternal covenant established in the atoning work of the Almighty and no one else (Ez 16:60, 63).

Beyond the wonderful news to His ancient people, God also promises something new to Samaria and Sodom: these nations would have a new relationship with regards to the covenant.  Instead of running together with Judah into escapades of tomfoolery or depravity as siblings are wont, these two will be daughters receiving instruction and nurture in accord with godly practice (Ez 16:61).  No longer rushing into sin, they will remember their shame and in gratitude build up each other in righteousness because of what great things the Lord has done.  Jew and Gentile alike will be united into one family of God, receiving His righteousness so freely poured out in lavish grace.

No Take Backs!

Times of great stress cause people to act strangely—even repent of sin.  Under the Mosaic Covenant, should one Hebrew be destitute and sell himself into indentured service to repay a debt, the Law had specified, fixed limits and conditions for that service (Ex 21:1-11).  Later in Israel’s history, the people chose to ignore these limits, most likely to wrest more service than required for repayment.  During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, this practice was in full swing.  King Zedekiah, whether from pity or in hope of currying God’s favor, proclaimed liberty to all Hebrew slaves, and all the people complied “so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free” (Je 34:10).  At face value, we would call this a win.  The people had repented of a national sin—a fact recognized by the Lord Himself:

You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name.  (Je 34:15)

This seemed all well and good with sincerity apparently oozing from every pore.  Perhaps there was a chance for further reform.  Then conditions improved.  Nebuchadnezzar’s army withdrew because Pharaoh’s army was moving up from Egypt (Je 37:5).*  When the pressure relented, the people once again enslaved those they had freed (Je 34:16).  The change of circumstance brought a change of heart so that Zedekiah’s repentance looked like he was negotiating with God much as we see in this clip from The End.



Judah took back its act of repentance.  We review this case and say that the repentance was not “heartfelt,” “genuine,” “intentional,” etc., but we cannot ignore the fact that they had begun with the correct action.  Had the nation adhered to their resolve in the matter, other areas may have been rectified as well—a conjecture based on God’s acceptance of their limited obedience.

By rescinding on their granting of liberty, God pronounced “liberty” to the inhabitants:

I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.  (Je 34:17)

In the same way that Judah had exercised freedom to bind former Hebrew slaves to their obligations, the Lord granted freedom to those who acted duplicitously to reap the fruit of their decision.

And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts—the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.  And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives.  Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.  (Je 34:18-20)

Like the animal that would be cut in half to ratify a covenant, the two-timing penitents would be cut in twain (figuratively, if not literally) as God Himself established the method of judgment and its certainty.  What had been considered a problem averted became the tool of destruction and deportation.

And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you.  Behold, I will command, declares the Lord, and will bring them back to this city.  And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire.  I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”  (Jer 34:21-22)

Do Christians fall into the same trap?  Yes, they do.  In the early chapters of Revelation, five churches are given commands to repent: explicitly to Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis, and Laodicea; implicitly to Thyatira.  By following church history, we can see there was some success to the warnings in Ephesus and Laodicea, yet in both cases the conditions from which both were to spurn returned with a vengeance, and both lamp stands were effectively obliterated: indeed they all were, but these two are notable for being involved in the formation of both canon law and sound doctrine through the first few centuries† but lost sight of the gospel directive and placed their corporate interests above God’s, ultimately losing their places.

The problem continues today.  Disciple-making is no longer be pursued as a vital part of individual or corporate Christian life, giving way to tactics of self-preservation to forestall the dwindling numbers or invoking marketing schemes for self-promotion.  The problem clear.  Both methods are focused on self and are doomed, not being rooted in the purpose and plan of our Lord.  The solution is simple—repent.  But that solution is difficult, because it requires abnegation of our intentions as fickle and fallible, and acknowledging that what good we can do is accomplished only according to God’s precepts and empowerment.


*  Scholars disagree as to whether the Egyptian offensive was the occasion, but the timing fits.
†  Church councils were held at both locations: Laodicea (363-364 ᴀ.ᴅ.) and Ephesus (431 ᴀ.ᴅ.)

Perhaps, or Perhaps Not

Inquire of the Lᴏʀᴅ for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us.  Perhaps the Lᴏʀᴅ will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.  (Jer 21:2)

The armies of Babylon had captured Jerusalem, looted the temple treasury, deposed King Jehoiachin, and seated a different king, Zedekiah, upon the throne before returning to Babylon with the booty and important men (2 Ki 24:10-17).  Eventually, the armies returned to besiege Jerusalem, which prompted Zedekiah to ask the prophet Jeremiah to inquire of  YHWH if He might look with favor on the people and turn back the invaders.  YHWH had done this before and perhaps would do so again.

The request seems legitimate.  Time and again, the Lord had intervened for Israel and Judah, turning back enemies of overwhelming numbers for His name’s sake.  God does give a response according to His name, however it is quite jolting:

Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls.  And I will bring them together into the midst of this city.  I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath.  And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast.  They shall die of a great pestilence.  Afterward, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives.  He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword.  He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.”  (Jer 21:4-7)

In other words: “You are utterly without hope and will endure much at My hand because of your sin.”  Judah had been suffering from a spiritual malaise for decades, briefly repenting under a few good kings.  At this time in their existence, God had already said that He would remove them from the land because they refused His prophets’ calls for repentance.  When Zedekiah was installed to his position, he showed his true colors:

And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lᴏʀᴅ, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.… And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.  (2 Ki 24:19-20)

Rather than endure the thought of being subject to anyone but himself, Zedekiah rebelled against God and His servant of judgment, Nebuchadnezzar.  We can see that the king’s request was either a misguided attempt to curry divine favor or a last ditch effort to save his pride and throne.  In either case, the die had already been cast, and the residents of Jerusalem, from small to great, were to suffer greatly from the siege, then be deported and spend most of their years in a foreign land.  Divine intervention was not coming.

Two things of note come as part of Jeremiah’s prophetic message.  The first concerns God’s mercy in judgment.  In a previous post, I had mentioned how God had warned Egypt of the coming plague in order to allow them time to care for their servants and livestock.  In the same way, the Lord tells Jeremiah that the people are to surrender in order to save his life (Jer 21:8-10).  The consequences of sin and resulting discipline do not need to extend beyond what is intended.  If the people willing give up, they will save their lives, otherwise the result will most likely be death.

The second is a call to the house of David and the people:

Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed.  And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.  For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people.  But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ, that this house shall become a desolation.  (Jer 22:3-5)

Though they may not have recognized it, by affirming the house and throne of David, God is telling the people that there yet remains a certain hope.  If David’s offspring will do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with his God (Micah 6:8), all of the elect will be the beneficiaries; but of he should fail, the line will be cut off.  David’s line had no ability to do as God asked—not perfectly.  The descendants would all fail.  That is, except for One.

Jesus, the root and offspring of David, is the only one qualified to properly sit and administer kingship on the thrones of both His human predecessor and divine Father.  And as a result of His taking the judgment for our sin upon Himself, we walk free in His righteousness.  We are able to obey His word.  Not that these are yet done perfectly through our effort, but by virtue of faith that is ours in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, we are enabled and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to do what is pleasing and good before God.

One day Jesus will return and assume His rightful place.  We will have perfect justice: sin will be no more, and all things will be made new.  The King will be on His throne forever.  Hallelujah!

Mercy in Judgment

Many times over the centuries, the God of Scripture has been considered a capricious, vindictive, despotic monster for His actions against sinful actions.  Those stating these descriptors weigh actions of judgment against Jesus’ instruction that God is love and wants to reconcile the world to Himself and us to each other.  The disconnect appears to be insurmountable.  What naysayers (and many Christians) overlook is that God never executes judgment beyond what is necessary: the effects are direct, never extending beyond the intended object—unless we choose to ignore the warning and remain in harm’s way.

The Lord had begun a series of plagues against the nation of Egypt for the way they had treated His people Israel.  The first four that came upon the Egyptians caused great annoyance and discomfort, but otherwise did not harm any living creature save for the frogs, gnats, and flies that were God’s instruments.  The fifth plague, however, was severe and killed all the livestock, and the sixth was personally painful as boils came on man and beast.

It is the seventh plague to which we might turn our attention.  In preparation, God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to tell him:

For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.  (Ex 9:14-16)

Pharaoh was exalting himself above the people of Israel, and God was going to make an example out of him and his people.  Notice that the plagues had been measured in order to teach all of Egypt a lesson they would never forget, because Pharaoh was too proud to admit his rightful place before the Almighty God.  Even now, though, the coming plague had with it a measure of mercy, so that the hail would not do more damage than was intended.

Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.  (Ex 9:18-19)

Remember that the Egyptians’ livestock had all died in plague five.  Evidently, enough time had gone by to allow the replenishment of livestock through purchase or trade.  So as not to inflict damage to the new livestock or any person, the people were given clear warning to bring them to shelter.  This plague was designed to affect only the crops and trees—two food sources—yet even in this the Lord showed mercy because only a portion of the crop was damaged because the rest had not come up yet.

The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.  (Ex 9:31-32)

Some Egyptians listened to Moses’ warning and brought their slaves and livestock into shelter, while the rest stubbornly ignored it and suffered loss of life, bringing trouble on themselves.  The plagues were having their desired effect: the former recognized and believed in the God of the Hebrews, trusting in the word of the prophet; the latter were hardened and chose to cling to their own gods to their loss.

In each plague the Lord was merciful in judgment in order to show the people their sinful ways and show Himself as Lord of all.  He desired that they all (not just the children of Israel) might exalt the Lord.  Indeed, a mixed multitude of non-Hebrews left with Moses for the Promised Land (Ex 12:38), choosing to identify with the God of Israel who had won a great victory.*

Scripture mentions varying responses that God has toward sinful acts.  Some he deals with harshly and suddenly, while others appear to receive of a reprieve for the initial act but detailing the damaging consequences.  Do the varying punishments mean that God is capricious?  No, it means He knows more than we do both of the immediate situation and His grand work of providence.  What we do know is that the Creator of all is patient beyond measure

The Lᴏʀᴅ is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.  (Ps 103:8-10)

with the end that all might repent

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  (2 Pe 3:9)

It may be difficult to understand why a righteous God would be so patient with wicked mankind and not destroy them immediately, but then we each only need to look at ourselves and be thankful that He was, else would also be my fate.  Not all will believe that Jesus is the Passover lamb slain for their sin, but for us who do, ponder with grateful adoration and awe that we are now in Him.


*  This group was admittedly problematic.  At one point in the wandering, they led the grumbling against Moses (Nu 11:4), however some, like Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kennizite, were wholly faithful to the Lord (Nu 14:6, 24, 30; 32:12).

Wrath and Grace—The Same God Pours Out Both

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.  (Ex 20:5-6)

Although these words relate to all the commandments (as we shall hereafter learn), yet they are joined to this chief commandment because it is of first importance that men have a right head; for where the head is right, the whole life must be right, and vice versa.  Learn, therefore, from these words how angry God is with those who trust in anything but Him, and again, how good and gracious He is to those who trust and believe in Him alone with the whole heart;* so that His anger does not cease until the fourth generation, while, on the other hand, His blessing and goodness extend to many thousands, lest you live in such security and commit yourself to chance, as men of brutal heart, who think that it makes no great difference how they live.  He is a God who will not leave it unavenged if men turn from Him, and will not cease to be angry until the fourth generation, even until they are utterly exterminated.  Therefore He is to be feared, and not to be despised.† … Let every one seriously take this to heart, lest it be regarded as though a man had spoken it.  For to you it is a question either of eternal blessing, happiness, and salvation, or of eternal wrath, misery, and woe.  What more would you have or desire than that He so kindly promises to be yours with every blessing, and to protect and help you in all need?

Martin Luther, Large Catechism: 31-34, 41

*  Deuteronomy 6:5
†  Deuteronomy 10:20

O Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee

Someone on the internet made a comment about how he had been considering the love surrounding Christ’s incarnation. Another person replied with a link to this hymn pointing out verse four, which considered the same thought.  This is a wonderful hymn.  Take some time and consider the God who did such great things for you.

If a person desired, minor editing could be applied to update language for modern use, but a case could be made for leaving it as is.  Now if only Chris Tomlin, Matt Redmond, etc. could deliver the same depth and breadth of content in their lyrics.

1. O Lord, how shall I meet Thee, How welcome Thee aright? Thy people long to greet Thee, My Hope, my heart's Delight! O kindle, Lord, most holy, Thy lamp within my breast To do in spirit lowly All that may please Thee best.	6. Ye need not toil nor languish Nor ponder day and night How in the midst of anguish Ye draw Him by your might. He comes, He comes all willing, Moved by His love alone, Your woes and troubles stilling; For all to Him are known.
2. Thy Zion strews before Thee Green boughs and fairest palms, And I, too, will adore Thee With joyous songs and psalms. My heart shall bloom forever For Thee with praises new And from Thy name shall never Withhold the honor due.	7. Sin’s debt, that fearful burden, Let not your souls distress; Your guilt the Lord will pardon And cover by His grace. He comes, for men procuring The peace of sin forgiven, For all God’s sons securing Their heritage in heaven.
3. I lay in fetters, groaning, Thou com’st to set me free; I stood, my shame bemoaning, Thou com’st to honor me; A glory Thou dost give me, A treasure safe on high, That will not fail or leave me As earthly riches fly.	8. What though the foes be raging, Heed not their craft and spite; Your Lord, the battle waging, Will scatter all their might. He comes, a King most glorious, And all His earthly foes In vain His course victorious Endeavor to oppose.
4. Love caused Thy incarnation, Love brought Thee down to me; Thy thirst for my salvation Procured my liberty. O love beyond all telling, That led Thee to embrace, In love all love excelling, Our lost and fallen race!	9. He comes to judge the nations, A terror to His foes, A Light of consolations And blessed Hope to those Who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, Send forth Thy beams so cheering, And guide us safely home.
5. Rejoice, then, ye sad-hearted, Who sit in deepest gloom, Who mourn o'er joys departed And tremble at your doom. Despair not, He is near you, Yea, standing at the door, Who best can help and cheer you And bids you weep no more.	Text: Matt. 21:1-9 Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1653 Composer: Melchior Teschner, 1613

Will You Receive Undeserved Bliss or Just Desserts?

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.… And [the unrighteous] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.  (Matt 25:31-33)

For all, the righteous and the unrighteous alike, shall be brought before God the Word.  For the Father has committed all judgment to Him, and in fulfillment of the Father’s counsel, He comes as Judge whom we call Christ.…  He, in administering the righteous judgment of the Father to all, assigns to each what is righteous according to his works.  And being present at His judicial decision, all, both men and angels and demons, shall utter one voice, saying, “Righteous is your judgment.”*  Of which voice the justification will be seen in the awarding to each that which is just; since to those who have done well shall be assigned righteously eternal bliss, and to the lovers of iniquity shall be given eternal punishment.  And the fire which is unquenchable and without end awaits these latter, and a certain fiery worm which dies not, and which does not waste the body, but continues bursting forth from the body with unending pain.†  No sleep will give them rest; no night will soothe them; no death will deliver them from punishment; no voice of interceding friends will profit them.  For neither are the righteous seen by them any longer, nor are they worthy of remembrance.  But the righteous will remember only the righteous deeds by which they reached the heavenly kingdom….  You who believe these words, O men, will be partakers with the righteous, and will have part in these future blessings, which “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”‡  To Him be the glory and the power, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Hippolytus, Against Plato, on the Cause of the Universe 3

*  Psalm 119:137
†  Isaiah 66:24
‡  1 Corinthians 2:9

Having It All Laid Bare

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  (Heb 4:11-13)

Nothing can escape the incorruptible Judge.  He knows everything precisely, even the movements of our very thoughts.  He knows what is done under cover of darkness.  He knows what is committed in secret, the wicked counsels of the soul did not elude him, what is hidden is laid bare to Him.  He used the phrase “exposed to the eyes of him” as a metaphor from sacrificed beasts, which lie completely mute, the slaughter doing away with their life, and along with their life, their cries.  In similar manner, he is saying, when we also are judged, we behold everything done by us in ungodly and lawless fashion, whereas we receive the sentence of punishment in silence, realizing as we do its justice.

Now, it was not just to them but also to everyone of us that the divine apostle wrote this.  So it behooves us to consider that divine judgment constantly, be afraid and tremble, keep the divine commandments assiduously, and look forward to the promised rest.  May we attain it in Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and majesty, now and forever, for ages and ages.  Amen.

Theodoret of Cyrus, “The Epistle to the Hebrews”

The Sinner's Condemnation Is Just

[S]in came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because wall sinned…  (Rom 5:12)

But why do we speak of Jerusalem, since, indeed, the fashion of the whole world must also pass away, when the time of its disappearance has come, in order that the fruit indeed may be gathered into the granary, but the chaff, left behind, may be consumed by fire?  “For the day of the Lord comes as a burning furnace, and all sinners shall be stubble, they who do evil things, and the day shall burn them up.”*  Now, who this Lord is that brings such a day about, John the Baptist points out, when he says of Christ, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, having his fan in his hand to cleanse his floor; and he will gather his fruit into the granary, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”†  For he who makes the chaff and he who makes the wheat are not different persons, but one and the same, who judges them, that is, separates them.  But the wheat and the chaff, being inanimate and irrational, have been made such by nature.  But man, being endowed with reason, and in this respect like to God, having been made free in his will, and with power over himself, is himself the cause to himself, that sometimes he becomes wheat, and sometimes chaff.  Wherefore also he shall be justly condemned, because, having been created a rational being, he lost the true rationality, and living irrationally, opposed the righteousness of God, giving himself over to every earthly spirit, and serving all lusts; as says the prophet, “Man, being in honor, did not understand: he was assimilated to senseless beasts, and made like them.”‡

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4.4.3

*  Malachi 4:1
†  Matthew 3:11, etc.
‡  Psalm 49:12

Comforted in the Promise of God's Judgment

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  (2 Thess 1:6-8)

So he means that it is just and right for the lawgiver of righteousness both to reward us for our sufferings for the faith and to exact of the adversaries a penalty for impiety.  This will be at the time of consummation.  Then the Lord will come from heaven, the choirs of angels will precede him, and those invested in the gloom of unbelief will be consigned to inextinguishable fire.  Now, the divine apostle wrote this to comfort with future hope those enduring those dire and awful things.  This is surely the reason he also presented the judgment as fearsome, showing firstly the Judge arriving from heaven, then the power of those ministering to him—namely, angels—and then the form of punishment—namely, consignment to flaming fire.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Second Letter to the Thessalonians"

Loving and Hating at the Same Time

Does God hate sin but love the sinner?  Most reading this post will answer that God certainly hates sin but loves the sinner because of the sacrifice of Jesus for the atonement of sin.  The typical expectation of God is that he is loving to all.  That hatred should never be attributed to his character manifests itself when dealing with the passage "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" (Mal 1:2-3; Rom 9:13).  This disturbs the naïve believer and is generally softened by meaning teachers who say this is just a rhetorical device meant to compare God's intense love for the elect with his general love for the world at-large.

This comparative, though popular, is built on partial knowledge of scripture with buttressing of subjective reasoning.  Let's begin with a familiar passage.

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are six things that the Lord hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil,

a false witness who breathes out lies,

and one who sows discord among brothers.

Solomon appears to be making a clear delineation between the person and the act as the latter falls under God's condemnation, and rightfully so.  On the other hand, here are two passages that will give pause:

Psalm 5:4-6

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

    evil may not dwell with you.

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes

    you hate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak lies;

    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

 

Psalm 11:5-6

The Lord tests the righteous,

    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Let him rain coals on the wicked;

    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

Notice the difference.  No longer does the deed alone fall under condemnation, but the person who carries it through.  The texts are clear.

One attempt to harmonize the apparent dissonance is to say that this may have been true before the cross, but afterward, the Lord has a different outlook because sin has been dealt with.  God simply does not hate those who have not believed but lavishly demonstrates his patience and forbearance until they do.  This sounds good but is just a variation of wrong teaching espoused by Peter Abelard in the twelfth century: Jesus is the example of the fullness of God's love, not a substitute for sin.

There is no question that the "soft" divine attributes are actively used by the Trinity today, however that does not detract from the harsh realities of wrath and judgment that all men live under who do not believe.  The apostle Paul describes unbelievers as children of wrath (Eph 2:3) and enemies of God (Rom 5:10)—the latter expressing "not our enmity for God, but God's enmity toward us." *  We are left with the paradoxical state the God both loves and hates unbelievers.  How can this be resolved, if at all?

We are born into this world disobedient and living in our passions (Eph 1:2:3), giving no thought for God or his precepts.  All unbelievers are objects of wrath, though they may not comprehend their condition and need for a savior.  Conversely, we know God loves the world.  John 3:16-17 is a clear indicator that his love extends beyond the confines of his elect, resulting in the ultimate sacrifice for sin.  As mentioned before, God is long-suffering.  He waits to execute his full wrathful judgment until the person dies or the Lord Jesus returns to earth.  Yet for those who know the truth and yet still disbelieve, God shows himself to be openly hateful and yet patient until the proper time.  It is to these that God shows himself as a foe in full indignation and promise of retribution.

In the end, we need to understand that God hates sin and both loves and hates the sinner.  Scripture clearly teaches that those who remain in their sin die and are judged, while those who believe the love and grace available through Christ live eternally.


* Walter W. F. Albrecht, Does God Hate Sin or Sinners?, Essay Delivered To The Springfield Circuit Pastors’ and Professors’ Conference, April 20, 1953.  Accessed at SoundWitness.

God's Judgment is Proper and Just

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?

Consider the potter's clay, which has no share in reasoned discernment and so offers no objection to the maker.  Even if it is assigned the work of an ordinary vessel, it remains silent to what happens.  But you resist and object.  You, then, are not constrained by natural necessities nor transgress in defiance of free will, rather you embrace evil willingly and accept the hardship of virtue of set purpose.  The sentence of the God of all is therefore proper and just: He justly punishes the sinner for presuming to do this with free will.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Letter to the Romans" on Romans 9:20-21