II Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NIV)
He
will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the
presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.
It is not a pleasant subject to write about
punishment. Yet, the Bible speaks about
punishment here and elsewhere so it is a reality that all humans must
confront. In listening, reading, and
reviewing Biblical teaching about punishment and eternal destruction, the
contrasting good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ becomes even greater news. Great news because anyone who believes in who
Jesus is and what He did for humankind through His suffering and death on the
cross does not have to worry about punishment and eternal destruction. Everything about the eternal future of a
Christian can be viewed with joy and peace and great anticipation while those
who do not (or not yet) believe in Christ’s salvation look to their eternal
futures with doubt, apathy and/or fear.
God deals righteously with unbelievers as described
in Matthew 25:41. He deals righteously
with the devil and his angels. And, to
the Christian’s indescribable relief, He deals righteously with us. When
confronted with the realities of punishment and damnation and hell, the
Christian has all the more reason to be indescribably thankful that he/she need
not worry about these things. However, we
still must be in prayer and do whatever witnessing is necessary with our
unbelieving family and friends.
The word ‘punish’ is translated from the Greek word
that means “doing justice with a sense of vindication”. Two types of people are described who will
receive this justice--- those who do not
know God and those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus. Those who do not know God are those who have
rejected the knowledge of God as revealed in creation and conscience (see
Romans 1 and 2). Those who do not obey
the gospel of Jesus are those who have heard the gospel and have deliberately
rejected it (see John 3:18).
Disobedience to the teachings of Christ is the same as rejecting Him. Remember, He said in John 14:21 and 23 that
if you claim that you love Him, you will keep His commandments. Sure, you will fail at times to keep His
commandments, but deep within your heart, you desire to do so and when you
fail, you confess your sins and ask for His forgiveness (I John 1:9).
I do not feel that I am sufficiently knowledgeable
to comment on how the Lord might view a person who claims he was saved yet
continues to sin deliberately and does not admit his sin nor repent. The only control I have is how I live my life
in a sincere and conscientious effort to be obedient to the Lord. The same can be said for you. Make sure that you are not living a life that
could be viewed by our Lord as a life that is disobedient to Him. Anyone who openly confesses Jesus Christ as
his/her Savior and Lord and lives each day doing his/her best to love God and
love your neighbor as yourself is assured of eternal life in heaven and never
has to worry about these warning statements about hell.
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