God does not lose any who would come have to him

While some of the specifics about our judgment day remain a mystery, there are some things we can be assured of. One of those things is that God will not lose any who would come to Jesus. God’s judgment is not arbitrary but instead is based on wisdom and certainty. And so we can be certain that there is no scenario where God knows given a certain circumstance, a person would have believed, but he condemns them anyway. Paul affirms this when he writes,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28–30, ESV)

God knows every scenario we might encounter and how we would respond

The scripture assures us that as we stand before God’s throne, we will be “naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13, ESV). This should bring us comfort, knowing that if there is a circumstance where we would believe, he knows it. The scripture is clear God prefers mercy to judgment and seeks to provide a way for us to come to him. He who knows all things is able to sustain anyone who would come to him given another circumstance other than the one they lived. Because of God’s love, we need not fear missing his grace due to a fleeting moment or dying right before we would have believed or even the circumstances of our life. We can have confidence that no one who would have come to God under different circumstances will be cast out. God knows the heart of all of us, understands all our circumstances, and will judge faithfully in righteousness and equity. No one will be able to bring charges against God and accuse him of being unloving or unfair. But because God takes all circumstances and scenarios into account when he judges, his judgment once rendered, is final. The door is shut.

Steadfast love and faithfulness go before the throne of judgment

The scripture tells us of God that “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you” (Psalm 89:14, ESV). God’s judgments are neither malicious nor arbitrary; they are rooted in righteousness and justice and on this strong foundation steadfast love and faithfulness go before him as he judges. Pause on this: in ALL God’s judgments even condemnation, steadfast love and faithfulness go before his verdict. This means that before any judgment is made, one must encounter and get through the flood of His steadfast love and faithfulness. On the day of judgment, those who are condemned will know that their condemnation was preceded by God’s steadfast and exhaustive pursuit. Their mouths will be shut knowing that their fate is all their own. They have rejected the love that has gone before them. The Gospel which comes first offered them reconciliation, but instead “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10b, NIV).

This is why their condemnation is so sure: They have been given every opportunity to leave the kingdom of darkness and come into the light, but because they love the darkness more than the light they have chosen darkness.

Who are those who are condemned

God does not condemn the innocent. But of course, none of us are innocent. So let us rephrase this. God does not condemn those who come to him in repentance and faith. I am not aware of anywhere in scripture that says this is only a temporal truth that stops. However, the scripture does warn that our hearts can become so hardened that we will choose to never repent regardless of how much God pursues us. Gehenna is described as a place of “gnashing of teeth”, a term symbolizing hostility and anger. And this hostility is directed at God. Those who reject Jesus do so because they love their deeds more than the desire to come to God. God opposes the kingdoms they have made (more here). Those who are condemned are described as those who chose to persist in their wickedness, despite being offered hope through repentance and faith in the work and worth of Jesus. Here are some scriptures that describe this:

and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:10, ESV)

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:4, ESV)

If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. (Isaiah 26:10, ESV)

She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. (Zephaniah 3:2, ESV)

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 7:11-12, ESV)

But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:24, ESV)

O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent. (Jeremiah 5:3, ESV)

For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; (Isaiah 30:9, ESV)

The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him, for all this. (Hosea 7:10, ESV)

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8, ESV)

And those who are in Gehenna remain there because they continue to love darkness and continue to refuse to turn to the light.

Daniel is told, “Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand” (Daniel 12:10, BSB)

Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” (Revelation 22:11, ESV)

No one who is condemned desires to repent and come to God. If you continue to reject God, the only source of love, beauty, and goodness, what do you have left? Many of us have suffered the agony of lost or unrequited love. How much more is the agony of those who have rejected the very source of love and are hostile to it. The weight of their own rejection of goodness, beauty, and love is unimaginable. It is hell.

In Jesus’s discussion with Nicodemus, he confirms these things, when he states, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18, ESV). But this in of itself does not tell us the full story, for we already know that belief in Jesus is what distinguishes those who are saved from those who are condemned. But who is preventing those who are condemned from believing? Is it life events, circumstances, or others? None of these external factors keep the condemned from God. Instead, as our hearts stand naked before God, it is our hearts that condemn us. Jesus goes on to say that it is our own stubbornness that keeps us from the love of God.

Jesus describes those who are found guilty before the throne of God, “And this is the verdict: Light has come into the world but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19, NIV). Why are people condemned? It is because they love the darkness so much that they refuse to come to the light. There are no circumstances under which those who are in Gehenna would have or will turn to God. For them to do so would be to go against everything they love and treasure as good. They do not want God to be near because he is a threat to all they hold dear (more here).

Though they are at enmity with and reject God, those who are condemned will long for the goodness that those in the light have and so there will be “weeping” at this loss alongside their “gnashing of teeth” as there was with Esau. But this weeping is not accompanied by repentance or turning to God. Paul warns us, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV). They will long for the light, but not at the price of relinquishing the darkness they cherish so dearly. They are so ensnared and enslaved by their own desires that their love for the “drug” surpasses their desire to be healed.

And so the scriptures teach that it is those who both continue to walk in unrighteousness and refuse to come to God that are condemned. Those who repent and come to God are freely welcomed into the love of God. God does not keep those in Gehenna from repenting and coming to him, they are stuck there by the chains they have forged for themselves. We can have confidence that those in Gehenna would not have repented under any circumstances. Part of what makes Gehena so devastating is this: those who go there do not abandon their wickedness, but continually choose to separate themselves from God. They continue to choose to walk in wickedness continuing to incur further wrath. Gehena is not for the hypothetical person in Alex O’Conner’s imaginary scenario who if only given a few more moments would have believed, but died just before that. Gehena is for those who stubbornly and eternally continue in disbelief.

This is why the scripture urges us not to harden our hearts, for it is not death that will seal our condemnation, but rather a hardened and unrepentant heart. And this state can come long before we die, leaving us without hope both in this age and the age to come. This is why the scripture says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8, Hebrews 3:7-8,15; 4:7). The scripture warns that we should not assume that we will one day in the future change and have a repentant heart. Today is our opportunity. Again it is not death that finalizes our state, but a hard and unrepentant heart of unbelief. This can happen now at this moment, before death, so do not linger to come to God when you hear the call of the Gospel.

God exhausts his pursuit

Earlier, I mentioned that Alex O’Conner did not ask an appropriate question. The reason is that there will never be anyone in Gehenna who would have repented under other circumstances. However one might ask if the steadfast love and faithfulness that go before God’s throne is exhaustive. Has God done everything possible to bring this person to repentance? The scripture would support an affirmative answer. God’s readiness to forgive is an inherent part of God’s nature. When God’s glory came near to Moses, “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). God was declaring this is who he is. Peter writes, “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.” Other verses support this as well.

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18, ESV)

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7, ESV)

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10, ESV)

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19, ESV)

the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3, ESV)

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 103:8, ESV)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34, ESV)

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, (Proverbs 1:22-25, ESV)

God is eager to embrace the rebel

Not only is God slow to anger and patient, but he is also ready and eager to forgive the rebellious.

“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23, ESV)

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:12-13, ESV)

“Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:10-11, ESV)

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:6-8,ESV)

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18, ESV)

To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him. (Daniel 9:9, ESV)

who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4, ESV)

They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, (Nehemiah 9:17, ESV)

Our death does not change God’s character

It is foolish for us to think that something like our death would change the nature of God. Death does not separate us from God. Not even our sin and rebellion alone separate us from God. It is a hard, unrepentant heart who refuses to come to God under any circumstances that ultimately seals the fate of those in Gehenna.

Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. (2 Kings 17:13-14, ESV)

Yet the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. (1 Chronicles 36:15-16,ESV)

O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent. (Jeremiah 5:3, ESV)

You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ Yet you have not listened to me, declares the LORD, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm. (Jeremiah 25:4-7, ESV)

But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Romans 10:21, ESV)

He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31, ESV)

What about Sodom?

In Matthew 11:24, Jesus states, “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (ESV). Does this mean that people who are in hell would have repented if they were given a different circumstance? No, this verse is not about the individual, but about a city and a temporal situation not about the age to come. Even though this Sodom would have responded to the works of Jesus, this does not mean that individual hearts would have changed or that it would be more than an outward change. In the Gospels many times scripture refers to those who believed outwardly in Jesus but did not have saving faith. We see this with Ahab who is described in these words, “(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)” 1 Kings 21:25-26, ESV). But after Elijah spoke and warned Ahab of God’s wrath, “when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house” (1 Kings 21:27–29, ESV). Despite Ahab’s superficial repentance, God readily relented putting Ahab to death, demonstrating his eagerness to show grace even to one of the worst kings of Israel. Sadly, it does not appear that Ahab responded to this act of grace. Jesus words about Sodom shows the eagerness God has to show kindness despite our hardened hearts. God extends love even to his enemies who reject him. To this kind of heart Paul aptly writes, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:4-5, ESV).

But not everyone has the same knowledge of who God is

But you might say, “But not everyone has the same revelation”. And I would agree this is the case. However, this does not mean that God does not exhaustively pursue us or take all this into account as he judges us. Those with less knowledge will not be held to the same accountability of someone who has extensive knowledge of God. They will be judged based on their obedience to the knowledge of God they have been given. Paul states, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30, ESV). God knows our hearts and he will judge us by what we do know, not by what we do not know. But he has made himself known to us all, and so we are without excuse if we are not obedient to the revelation we do have. It is also clear that God is found by all who seek him with sincerity and that God is quick to bring us to himself. Paul in his address, “standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said:

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for

“ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22–31, ESV)

Also consider this: God is loving even toward his enemies. He will not vindictively pile on judgment. For those who have already hardened their heart, more revelation would only bring more judgment. In the Gospels, there are occasions when it is clear that the hearts of those around Jesus were hard and he simply walks away, refusing to give himself to them. In some cases, this is the most loving thing for God to do. God in his wisdom knows how to give enough revelation so that those who are condemned are left without excuse, but then backing away when that revelation would only cause more condemnation. No one will stand before God and be judged by what they do not know. And no one who is condemned will accuse God of not pursuing them exhaustively. Their mouths will be shut and no accusation will be brought before God because they will acknowledge that his judgments are just and fair.

before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)

before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalm 96:13, ESV)

then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” (Isaiah 16:5, ESV)

God is patient and slow to anger, never quick to condemn. Those who face condemnation have first had to come through the flood of the unwavering steadfast love and faithfulness of God that go before his throne and precede his judgment. The only ones in Gehenna are those who have rejected God’s love.

A word of warning about bad questions

In the case above, Alex O’Conner posed a poorly framed question. Sadly, this is common among “atheist apologists”. It is easy to be skeptical and to phrase questions in a way that gives the appearance of wisdom on the surface, but upon closer examination only reveals our foolishness. I wrote more on this here. But my word of caution is this: If you find yourself asking these kinds of questions, take a moment to examine your heart. Persisting on asking foolish questions, even though there are good answers out there, suggests a deeper issue. Contrary to what some atheists will try to make you believe, there are good answers out there for these questions.

As Christians when dealing with these kinds of foolish questions, we must be aware we cannot know the hearts of those asking them. Those asking these questions may be sincere and we should to be patient with them. But we also should encourage them to examine their motives behind the questions as well, while addressing any genuine inquiries with gentleness and respect.

FURTHER SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 14:12-35 & 15

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2–4, ESV)

In the previous article (here), we discussed the “sound”. The “sound” is not alone; it is accompanied by the “wind”. In the power of the “wind”, the “sound” of the Gospel has gone forth into all the world, and it has gone out to conquer the hearts of men. The “wind” or the “Spirit of the Lord” is the means by which the “breath” of the Word of God enters our being, breaking our hearts of stone and creating hearts of flesh and giving us life. In the same way that the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters and the Word of the Lord spoke creation into existence, and in the same way the breath of God gave life to Adam, so it is also by these means that a new creation is created through the Gospel message. So, you ask for a miracle. Well, this is the miracle, the most powerful miracle: the restoration of humanity and our transformation into sons of God. For as we hear and heed the message of the Gospel, we are transformed. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Ezekiel gives us this hope, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The prophet Ezekiel gives us insight into this and how the “sound” and “wind” work together to bring life. 

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”  

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.  

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:1–14, ESV) 

It is the power of the Spirit that brings life into us, though we were dead in our trespasses. And it is the Holy Spirit that brings life whenever the Gospel is preached.

But, as it is written, 

      “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, 
      nor the heart of man imagined, 
      what God has prepared for those who love him”— 

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
      (1 Corinthians 2:9–10, ESV)

We cannot come to God without the Holy Spirit. Though the “sound” works through the preaching of the Gospel, it is not elegant words that convince those who hear to come. Paul describes is proclamation of the Gospel: “and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5, ESV).

As Peter spoke the first sermon of the Church, the proclamation of the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit brought life to those hearing his words. In his sermon, Peter declared that Jesus is on his throne and has declared war on the kingdom of this world through the preaching of the Gospel (for more on this, go here). The Gospel, with the power of the Holy Spirit, has the power to devastate the kingdom of this world. Those who hold on to this world will be swept away with it. The Gospel is “to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Corinthians 2:16, NASB). God is calling humanity to abandon the kingdom of this world, which is given over to total destruction, “blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke”, and come and heed God’s call by calling upon the name of Jesus. From the day Peter preached this first sermon to this day, the Gospel has gone out into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. Will we resist the Holy Spirit?

Does God do wonders, miracles, and perform signs? The answer is yes. But these things point to the Gospel and are a call to us to listen. But we must be careful to assume we would believe in God if we saw a miracle. Splitting seas, a voice from the sky, healings, God coming down, or whatever your imagination may conjure will not be the means by which your heart is broken. In fact, in the scripture, these things often lead to the heart getting harder. Jesus, in his parable, noted, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31). And despite the miracles Jesus performed, most continued to walk in unbelief. “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37). Grand things will not move us. Dry bones and the dead are not moved by these things. Something far more intimate is needed. We need to hear the voice of someone who loves us, just as Lazarus, who was dead, heard Jesus’s voice. It is the power that created the world out of nothing that saves us. It is the voice of the one who loves us that calls us out of death. Our hearts can only be moved by hearing the voice of our Lover, the one who pursues his Bride.  

And we know that this salvation does not come through great signs or knowledge or the efforts of men that puff up. Paul writes,

But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); (Romans 10:6–8) 

Paul declares, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (10:17). After Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, the rest of Acts chronicles the story of the Gospel going forth to the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To those who demand signs of God’s existence, Jesus replies,

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:39–41, ESV)

Even the preaching of a reluctant messenger had more effect than the mighty works that were being done amongst them. God has revealed himself, but in our stubbornness, we choose to harden our hearts to the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:19–21, ESV)

When we stand before the throne of God, no one will accuse God of not revealing himself to them. It will be clear that they have suppressed the light given to them because they loved the darkness more than the light. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. . . . So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18, 20b, ESV). Those who walk in continued willful unbelief and resist the Gospel’s and the Holy Spirit’s call do so to their own peril and shame. Those weary and heavy-laden by the darkness of this world and hear the call of love come into the light without price and shame.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, 
   come to the waters; 
 and he who has no money, 
   come, buy and eat! 
 Come, buy wine and milk 
    without money and without price. 
 Why do you spend your money
   for that which is not bread, 
    and your labor for that
      which does not satisfy? 
 Listen diligently to me, 
     and eat what is good, 
    and delight yourselves in rich food. 
 Incline your ear, and come to me; 
    hear, that your soul may live; 
 and I will make with you 
  an everlasting covenant, 
    my steadfast, sure love for David. 
 Behold, I made him a witness
      to the peoples, 
    a leader and commander
      for the peoples. 
 Behold, you shall call
   a nation that you do not know, 
   and a nation that did not know
    you shall run to you, 
 because of the LORD your God,
   and of the Holy One of Israel, 
    for he has glorified you. 

 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; 
    call upon him while he is near; 
 let the wicked forsake his way, 
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts; 
 let him return to the LORD,
   that he may have compassion on him, 
    and to our God, for he
      will abundantly pardon. 
 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
    neither are your ways my ways,
     declares the LORD. 
 For as the heavens are higher
      than the earth, 
    so are my ways higher than your ways 
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

 “For as the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven 
    and do not return there
       but water the earth, 
 making it bring forth and sprout, 
    giving seed to the sower 
     and bread to the eater, 
 so shall my word be that goes
   out from my mouth; 
    it shall not return to me empty, 
 but it shall accomplish 
  that which I purpose, 
    and shall succeed in the thing
      for which I sent it. 

 “For you shall go out in joy 
    and be led forth in peace; 
 the mountains and the hills before you 
    shall break forth into singing, 
 and all the trees of the field
      shall clap their hands. 
 Instead of the thorn shall
      come up the cypress; 
   instead of the brier shall
      come up the myrtle; 
 and it shall make a name for the LORD, 
    an everlasting sign that
      shall not be cut off.”
               (Isaiah 55, ESV)

There is a song I relate to, that exposes me for who I am. It has these lines in it . . .

Behold the man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders;

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers.

from How Deep is the Father’s Love for Us

Most of us at least consider Jesus to be an ok guy. Christians may be jerks, but Jesus was a good moral teacher that taught people to love one another. Love is good. Can’t hate a person like that, right? I suppose, but do we know the man. We can say we like Jesus because for most of us Jesus is an idea, a concept more than a real person, with whom we must interact. We can define and mold an idea to our imagination. Jesus is not a person we have to get to know. So, if you have this casual knowledge of Jesus and like him, it is probably because you don’t know much about him. Those who were alive and interacted with him when he was here ended up crucifying him.

We might say, “Yeh, they crucified him back then, but I wouldn’t do that”. Well, . . . is that really true. We tend to see the best in ourselves. “If I was there, I would have behaved differently. . .I would have stood up to Nazism, racism, slavery, etc. blah, blah, blah . . .” But if we are honest with ourselves, we are no better than others, our hearts are prone to the same longings for safety and comfort. We are not unique but all of us have weaknesses and faults.

Here is the thing, Jesus was not a moral teacher. He was not creating a to-do list of how to be a good person. He wasn’t giving strategies of how to love others. He was calling people out of the kingdom of this world, out of the darkness, out of oppression into his Kingdom. Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46).

Most of us are attached to the world we live in, so were most in the days Jesus walked the earth. Imagine if someone was coming to destroy your world. How would you respond? They were no different than us. Jesus is by no means comfortable. Jesus has come and threatens all that we know and hold on to. He calls us to abandon this world and follow him. This is not casual moral teaching; it is a line in the sand. Jesus said that the world “hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)

A popular verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But right after this, Jesus makes it clear, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19,20) We may be intrigued by Jesus, but in the end, we love this world, we want to hold on to it. Jesus has come to destroy this evil age and if we cling to it, we will be destroyed along with it. Jesus is a threat to the life we love. He is a threat to us. He says things like, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” He came to rescue us from our fate, to save us from the darkness, but we love the darkness more than the light, and the light becomes our enemy.

Jesus’s miracles and teachings fascinated and intrigued the masses, but in reality, he was not well-loved by the people of his day. On occasion, people picked up stones to kill Jesus after hearing him speak. He was hounded by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Even the crowds who followed him and appeared to love him, eventually abandoned him, because they found his teachings too hard for them. Only a few stuck it out, and even those deserted him. And in the end, when he was brought before the people to see what they would have done, they cried out, “Crucify him!”  

When I take an honest look at my own heart, I am with those who tried to stone him, with those who abandoned and deserted him, and in that crowd who called for his death. I can say with the hymnist, “Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.”

 Jesus said, “Whoever hates me hates my Father also.If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ (John 15:23-25)

 We love this world and are ready to fight against anything that has come to destroy what we cherish. And this is what the Kingdom of God does, it destroys this evil age and calls us to come to and be reconciled with God. In the end, Love will overcome and this evil age will come to an end. Though we fight it, we can’t stop it. Love will conquer evil. However, this world is all we have known. What God has called us to is unknown, uncomfortable. We cringe and shrink back. We see our world being destroyed and we want to fight to keep it. We believe when we fight against Jesus, we are protecting the good we have. And we are willing to do anything to keep what we have, and so, in this frantic desire to protect what I have, I hear my angry voice defending what I love and crying out “Crucify him!” “Away with the man who has come to threaten my world.”

Thankfully, the song and the scriptures do not end there. . .

Behold the man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders;

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished;

His dying breath has brought me life –

I know that it is finished.

Yes, I was an enemy of Jesus. Yes, I put him to death. But my hatred for him is what held him there. Before Jesus was betrayed, he prayed that if there was another way to rescue humanity that God would provide it, that he would not have to suffer on the cross. God the Father who loved his Son would have granted his Son’s request if there was another way. Jesus chose to bear my hatred for him on the cross because it was the only way that we might be reconciled to God. On the cross, Jesus defeated hate with Love, darkness with Light.

Don’t deceive yourself by “liking” Jesus or being fascinated or intrigued by an idea of Jesus. This is not knowing the man. Jesus will not be ignored or fooled. He knows our hearts and who we are. Jesus warns, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22–23).

Despite this warning, we continue to love this world more than God and so we scoff. “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money [ie. this world], heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God’.” (Luke 16:14,15). We are not given the option of a casual relationship with Jesus. Jesus has come for a bride, the most intimate of relationships, the most powerful Love. We will either be lovers of this world or intimate lovers of Jesus. If we are lovers of this world, we will cling on to it and follow it into its fate, . . . Fortunately for me, Jesus did not die for the righteous, he died for sinners. He died for those who scoff and hate him. Before your world crumbles around you and it is too late, come to him, his arms are open wide. He is calling, “Come out of this evil age of darkness into the light.” Love is more than you have known.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

“Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus has come to destroy your world. How will you respond?

Questions:
In Deuteronomy 15:11, God states that the poor will never cease from the land, what did this indicate about the “Promised Land”?

Reading:
In Isaiah, we read this passage –

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,”
–Isaiah 61:1,2a

There is something significant to all the passages in Deuteronomy 15:11 and the rest of the Old Testament that reveals a gut wrenching, heartfelt concern for the poor and a concern on how God’s people respond and love those who are in poverty. God in these passages is not only concerned with the poor, but His heart and love for the poor reveal something much deeper and much more pervasive. And even though Israel was coming into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 15:11, this was not God’s ultimate plan. The fact that the needy and the poor would not cease in the land was an indication of that this was not the fulfillment, but pointed to the fact that God had something more ultimate in mind. . . . Israel was a shadow of a Kingdom that would break in to our world through the preaching of the Gospel Jesus Christ.
It’s no coincidence that this passage in Isaiah 61 was read by Jesus as He was beginning His ministry. Another passage in Isaiah 55, cries out,

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.”
–Isaiah 55:1

In the real world, it is not just a few who are poor; we all are poor, and not only poor but utterly destitute and wretched, ugly and depraved, enslaved and rebellious, blind, broken, and needy. Romans 3 shows us that none of us escape this poverty –

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

God has ordained that there be poor, destitute, and orphans in the land, because all of us are poor and destitute in our sin. The poor are a picture of who we are, in a small sense, for our poverty and destitution is far greater than any physical need and even goes into the depths of hell, for in our sin, we are separated from communion with God. In Christ’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man cries out from Hades, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” This rich man in this parable experienced poverty, unheard of in this life. And this is our poverty without Christ. A spiritual poverty that is very real.
All the scriptures in the Old Testament about reaching out to the poor and needy in the land and the passion we see in the heart of God towards the poor, demonstrated a need for something more than the nation of Israel, something greater than the “Promised Land”. And these commands of God to love the poor, demonstrated that one day God, himself, would with open hands give himself to poor sinners. God’s passion for the poor comes from His deep seated passion for the Gospel. God was pointing Israel to the future when a greater Kingdom would come through the preaching of the Gospel and the true needs of the poor (us) would be met.

And the Kingdom has come. In ministering to poor, we get a glimpse of the greater story of Christ’s work to redeem us. Christ radically saved the spiritually poor through the power of the Gospel. He being rich lowered himself, and came into our world, becoming poor. He engaged us and gave himself, even to death on the cross, that we might be rich in Christ. Christ came for the lost, the poor, the broken, and for sinners. And not only were we poor, but we were also enemies and rebels, fools and mad, loving the ways of this world more than God. And yet He loved us first, and He came for us. When we love the poor, we are demonstrating the Gospel in a very tangible way.

Scripture reading:
Read these verses and discuss what they mean to you and in regards to ministering to the poor

Colossians 1:21-22
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Romans 5:6-11
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Questions:
How do the poor and downtrodden relate to the Kingdom of God breaking through? What picture do we get of the Gospel?

How does the gospel play a part in the poverty?

How does ministry to the poor display the Gospel?

How does this apply to the undeserving poor, who are there on their own fault?