Are
the threatenings in Scripture hypothetical?
When God warns the believer with consequences of eternal damnation, is
that simply a ploy? Is it an empty caveat?
For example we read, “If anyone does not abide in me
he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown
into the fire, and burned” (John 15:6, ESV). Or, “if we endure, we will
also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12,
ESV). Are these threatenings real?
My answer is ‘yes’! God doesn’t make idle threats. So then we ask, “What do we make of the
security of the believer?” Or a better
question is, “What is the effect of these warnings on a believer?” The answer is found within the body of truth
that is communicated by the doctrine of total inability and the doctrine of regeneration. Let’s review the doctrine of total inability.
Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)
”1 And you were dead in the
trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course
of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is
now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once
lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
This key passage describes the lifeless
condition of those outside of Christ.
They are dead. They are inert.
Their response to the things of God is “no response.” “No one
understands; no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:11, ESV).
But what of regeneration?
Paul goes on to write, “But God, being
rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we
were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you
have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV).
Simply stated, the condition of the
unbeliever is deafness and unresponsiveness to God. The condition of the believer is one of
quickening, alertness and life. This
reminds us that only the believer can hear the warnings of God. Now let me provide an imperfect but important
illustration:
Let
us presume that two children are playing a game near a busy highway. As I observe their sport, to my chagrin, I
see them running at breakneck speed toward the road with traffic hurling down
the highway. I scream at the top of my
lungs, “Stop or you will get killed.”
Now, is that a hypothetical warning? Not in your life! Let me advance the illustration further. Let us assume that one of these children is
mine. They have my genes. My DNA is in their body. They are “begotten” from my “loins”. They have known my voice from birth. They have known my love, my instruction, my
concerns. Now I ask you this question, “In
a perfect world, which child will hear my voice and respond?”
My youngest daughter was born by Cesarean
Section. The nurse asked me if I wanted
to bathe her and hold her. Of course I
said yes. My wife was recovering in the
operating room. The nurse directed me to
another room in the hospital. As I
approached the two big doors I heard the screaming of a baby. Opening the doors another nurse said, “Is
this your baby?” I said, “Yes!” Instantly, on cue, my youngest went
completely silent. The nurse said, “She
sure is!” My baby girl had heard my
voice for 9 months. It was a voice she
was familiar with. For some reason it was
a voice she wanted respond to.
Jesus spoke of Himself in John 10:3–4 (ESV).
He said, “3 To
him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep
by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own,
he goes before them, and the sheep
follow him, for they know his voice.” [Emphasis
mine]. God’s redeemed people hear the
promises of God relative to the gracious goodness of our Lord. We live on those promises. God’s people also hear His promises of
warnings. He calls them by name. His sheep hear His voice and listen.
Thus when Christ calls out, “Stop or you will
get killed,” He means it. It is not imaginary.
Those who are yet dead in their trespass and sins do not hear that
warning. Those who are simply professing
faith in Christ but do not possess His life, do not hear that warning. But those who are born from above, hear and
respond in faith.
So we are left with
wondering: “Can a child of God hear the warnings of Christ and willfully reject
them – to their own damnation?”
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