Note:
This is the second in a series of three posts used with permission
from Guest Author John Burton At http://www.johnburton.net/.
"And
"If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the
ungodly and the sinner?" (1
Peter 4:18
).
With the emergence of the false-grace, or what I prefer to call
unbiblical grace, teachings, the thought of worshiping, tithing,
praying, Bible reading Christians who have great families and seem to
be the model of righteousness going to Hell seems ridiculous.
I believe this is one of the most important passages of Scripture in
today's false-grace generation:
"For if we go on sinning
deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of
judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the
evidence of two or three witnesses.
How much worse punishment, do
you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the
Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he
was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him
who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again,
"The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews
10:26-31).
This means that tongue-talking, hand-lifting pastors, for example,
can go to Hell if they struggle with lust. People that refuse to
forgive another are at risk of Hell. If we continue in sin the Bible
is clear—there remains no sacrifice for those sins.
There are supposed minor sins such as gossip, lust, rebellion to
authority, lying and others that seem to fly below our radar—but
not God's.
We can't continue in so-called minor sins and presume all to be well.
We will experience judgment in this life and in the next if we do not
repent. This brings the sweet little lady who's known as the church
gossip into the light—and a terrifying light it is.
Have you ever met someone who has lived with unforgiveness in their
heart? What about someone who is into pornography? It's horrifying to
think this, but those very people, even if they are amazing in every
other way, are very possibly unsaved right now.
Barna recently reported that 97 percent of born
again Christian men are into pornography, and 84
percent of Christian women are viewing pornography.
Is it any wonder Leonard Ravenhill famously said that he doubts that
5 percent of professing born again Christians in America are truly
saved?
"Therefore we must pay much
closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and
every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how
shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation..."
(Hebrews 2:1-3).
Corrie Ten Boom
Consider Corrie Ten Boom. You may have read her story in the book,
The Hiding Place. She was a general in the faith as she and
her family hid Jews during the Holocaust. Eventually they were
discovered and were put into a concentration camp. She ministered
Jesus in inhuman conditions. She was faithful in a time where all
faith was lost.
Ultimately, after torture at the hands of one particular guard and
countless horrors, her entire family was killed. The war ended and
Corrie was released.
Shortly after Corrie was walking down the road when a man approached
her. He said, "Excuse me, you were in the camp, weren't you?"
Corrie affirmed that she was. He continued, "After the war I
gave my life to Jesus. I prayed that he would allow me to find one
person that I hurt so badly in the concentration camp." It was
the guard—the one who brutally tortured and killed her family.
He said, "I told God that I wanted to seek their forgiveness.
Would you please forgive me?"
Corrie, in her own words, shared her reaction. She said that she
simply could not forgive him. As that thought consumed her soul, God
spoke to her. He said, "Corrie, if you don't forgive him, I
won't forgive you."
She knew, as a general in the faith, if she refused to forgive that
man than she herself would die in her sins. Hell was her future. She
then looked at the man who brought so much horror to her and took his
hand and said, "I do forgive you." She said the love of
God shot through her hand into the former guard's.
Tragically, so many Christians today presume they are exempt from
such truths in Scripture. "For
if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew
6:14-15).
Daniel Ekechukwu
Daniel Ekechukwu is a Nigerian pastor who died tragically in a car
accident. He was told that he would go to Hell if he wasn't raised
up—because he refused to forgive his wife regarding an issue.
Here's A Short Transcript:
"Daniel, if the book of your life was to be closed today, this
would be your portion."
"No, I'm a pastor; I'm a child of God. I'm born-again—and I've
preached all over…"
"Enough, Daniel, on your way to the first hospital, you were
asking God to forgive you, but you would not forgive your wife. And
your sins have not been forgiven. It is a matter of reaping what
you've sown. You cannot sow un-forgiveness to your wife and reap
forgiveness from God."
End Of Post
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