The Fate of the Ungodly
Many Christians continue to insist that God intends to torture ungodly folks for all eternity --- so here is another attempt to remind you of what His Bible teaches on the subject of punishing sin.
“The wages of sin is DEATH…” (Romans 6:23a)
That is not difficult to understand. The Godless hell of Greek Mythology was invented to control the masses, and is accepted without proof by those who deem it unjust for godly people to have the same fate as the ungodly. Again, this is what God says...
"...but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23b)
Ungodly people should be punished by social justice as well as by God. And a just society should put the most wicked among us to an early death for the protection of the rest of us. God has given governments of men that responsibility. The fact that they often do not is a problem with our liberal do-gooders, not the justice of God. Our prisons are full of repeat offenders who cost the not so wicked free people billions of dollars to house them. Capital punishment should be expanded, not declared unconstitutional.
HOWEVER, don't equate death, the just punishment for sin declared by God, with sadistic eternal conscious torment.
Again, the “wages of sin is death”. And we all sin.
OK, what about the common teaching that Jesus paid the price for our sin so we don't have to? No he didn't. How many Godly people do you know that have not or will not die?
Jesus died “FOR our sin" because he had no sin of his own to die for. He did not die to pay for our sin so we don't have to, but to identify completely with mankind, and show us what happens after death and give us hope and peace. He took our sin upon himself and died like all sinful people do. And just as Jesus was resurrected, so all sinners will be resurrected, judged and eventually made righteous because of the truly righteous work of the ONLY man, Christ Jesus, who lived perfectly obedient to God and by his blood will justify and reconcile all condemned sinners to God.
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for ALL men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men. For as by the one man's disobedience (Adam) the many (all men) were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience (Christ Jesus) the many (all men) WILL BE made righteous”…”God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation… He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Romans 5:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 )
He has committed to us this "word of reconciliation". However, only a few, like the Apostle Paul, seem to understand this good news, much less tell anyone about it. Despite all the religious commentary to the contrary, only the grace of a merciful God and the righteous faith of Jesus Christ will get anyone beyond death and into heaven. And if even one sinner doesn’t make it to heaven, then none of us do, and worse, if the Mythological Greek hell were real, we would all end up there because…
”…it is written, there is none righteous, not even one." ...”The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Romans 3:10; Jeremiah 17:9)
It seems "desperately wicked" to invent a god that will supernaturally resurrect the ungodly after death in order to torture them endlessly. Faith that one will be saved from such a fate by various works such as believing, repenting, accepting, confessing, joining, baptizing, evangelizing, obeying, etc. is a religious work to do to join a tax exempt religious group, but it is not saving faith, and it will not be credited to anyone "as righteousness". Only faith in a God who "justifies the ungodly" will be "credited as righteousness".
"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)
What motivates God to justify "the ungodly" after they are punished for sin by death? The LOVE of a Just Father..
"God is love."..."For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the UNGODLY...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."..."Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, IT KEEPS NO ACCOUNT OF WRONGS." (1 John 4:8; Romans 5:6-11;1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
The "wrath of God" is finished in the death of the sinner. The "wrongs" have received their punishment in the death of the sinner. There is no further record kept of those wrongs and so...
"As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
After we die, we are "saved" from the "wrath of God" (death) by our resurrection to life by Christ Jesus who is the first fruits to be resurrected, and we should "fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith".
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God...Christ has indeed been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam ALL die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive.” (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:22)
“The wages of sin is DEATH…” (Romans 6:23a)
That is not difficult to understand. The Godless hell of Greek Mythology was invented to control the masses, and is accepted without proof by those who deem it unjust for godly people to have the same fate as the ungodly. Again, this is what God says...
"...but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23b)
Ungodly people should be punished by social justice as well as by God. And a just society should put the most wicked among us to an early death for the protection of the rest of us. God has given governments of men that responsibility. The fact that they often do not is a problem with our liberal do-gooders, not the justice of God. Our prisons are full of repeat offenders who cost the not so wicked free people billions of dollars to house them. Capital punishment should be expanded, not declared unconstitutional.
HOWEVER, don't equate death, the just punishment for sin declared by God, with sadistic eternal conscious torment.
Again, the “wages of sin is death”. And we all sin.
OK, what about the common teaching that Jesus paid the price for our sin so we don't have to? No he didn't. How many Godly people do you know that have not or will not die?
Jesus died “FOR our sin" because he had no sin of his own to die for. He did not die to pay for our sin so we don't have to, but to identify completely with mankind, and show us what happens after death and give us hope and peace. He took our sin upon himself and died like all sinful people do. And just as Jesus was resurrected, so all sinners will be resurrected, judged and eventually made righteous because of the truly righteous work of the ONLY man, Christ Jesus, who lived perfectly obedient to God and by his blood will justify and reconcile all condemned sinners to God.
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for ALL men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men. For as by the one man's disobedience (Adam) the many (all men) were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience (Christ Jesus) the many (all men) WILL BE made righteous”…”God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation… He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Romans 5:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 )
He has committed to us this "word of reconciliation". However, only a few, like the Apostle Paul, seem to understand this good news, much less tell anyone about it. Despite all the religious commentary to the contrary, only the grace of a merciful God and the righteous faith of Jesus Christ will get anyone beyond death and into heaven. And if even one sinner doesn’t make it to heaven, then none of us do, and worse, if the Mythological Greek hell were real, we would all end up there because…
”…it is written, there is none righteous, not even one." ...”The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Romans 3:10; Jeremiah 17:9)
It seems "desperately wicked" to invent a god that will supernaturally resurrect the ungodly after death in order to torture them endlessly. Faith that one will be saved from such a fate by various works such as believing, repenting, accepting, confessing, joining, baptizing, evangelizing, obeying, etc. is a religious work to do to join a tax exempt religious group, but it is not saving faith, and it will not be credited to anyone "as righteousness". Only faith in a God who "justifies the ungodly" will be "credited as righteousness".
"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)
What motivates God to justify "the ungodly" after they are punished for sin by death? The LOVE of a Just Father..
"God is love."..."For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the UNGODLY...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."..."Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, IT KEEPS NO ACCOUNT OF WRONGS." (1 John 4:8; Romans 5:6-11;1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
The "wrath of God" is finished in the death of the sinner. The "wrongs" have received their punishment in the death of the sinner. There is no further record kept of those wrongs and so...
"As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
After we die, we are "saved" from the "wrath of God" (death) by our resurrection to life by Christ Jesus who is the first fruits to be resurrected, and we should "fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith".
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God...Christ has indeed been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam ALL die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive.” (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:22)