Wednesday Bible Study: Hell, part 2

 

An old blogging acquaintence recently posted a rant against President Trump (kind of) about his actions detrimental to the LGBTQ community, saying that it just showed nothing but hate.  Which I would have just shrugged and said, "well you know how this person is, not a surprise" -EXCEPT for the post title that showed their true target: "An open letter to Christians like my parents."  At that point I had to respond.

Respectfully, I explained how the opposition to LGBTQ was not out of hate, but of love.  The Bible clearly states, I said, that these things are sin.  And while the actions of politicians and perhaps even the parents mentioned might not be strictly 'by the Book'- beings as we are all fallen and imperfect- the sin remains.  We can love the sinner, and show them their error, but we cannot abide the sin.

Not surpisingly, this was not a pleasant return I received;  and I had set my mind not to further engage.  I recently saw a Chuck Swindoll devotional which basically said, "Don't waste your seed on the stony ground.  At a certain point, you need to just rely on prayer."  And I saw that as wise advice.  But then today (as I type), I got another, thought out and kinder response from this person.  Kinder, but no less wrong.  That my "hate" was endangering my soul, and I should go back to the God I supposedly follow and see how I am supposed to love and encourage everyone.

And I thought, this is exactly why God has me on this subject.  Let's look at the hard truth of the Bible:

1Co 6:9  Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, 

1Co 6:10  nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. 

My acquaintence, I'm sorry to say, is greatly deceived.  You cannot practice what God has named sin unrepentantly and enter the Kingdom.  The God they want me to obey does not exist.    Another verse that might be helpful at this point:

Joh 5:8  Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 

Joh 5:9  And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 

Joh 5:10  So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 

Joh 5:11  But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 

Joh 5:12  They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 

Joh 5:13  Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 

Joh 5:14  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 

People like my acquaintence like to point out that "Jesus ate with sinners", etc.  What they don't look at is NEVER ONCE did He heal or forgive someone and say, "Now go back to what you were doing, it's cool."  Obedience is a struggle.  Disobedience is easy, and the road to Hell is wide and smooth.

So why is it that this person thinks they can pick and choose what they like from the Word of God and ignore the rest?  An easy answer is, "they never read the Bible", but it isn't the right answer.  Paul lets us in on what's really going on:

Rom 1:26  For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 

Rom 1:27  and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 

Rom 1:28  And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 

In another section Paul explains God gave them a "strong delusion";  basically, they made a choice- like we talked about last week- and so He removed the gentle, guiding hand of the Spirit from their way.  And Jesus told us what happens next:

Mat 12:43  “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 

Mat 12:44  Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 

Mat 12:45  Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” 

And the next step is obvious:

Rom 1:32  Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. 

Or, derision to those who don't.  Sometimes, derision is harsh words and insults- hatred, bigotry, fascism.  And sometimes, derision is, "I think you got God all wrong."  I think we will end this post with in my opinion, the most chilling words in the Bible:

Jer 5:30  A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. 

Jer 5:31  The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?