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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Pursuit of Life, #6
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8—NIV)
We understand, most of us, that the wicked belong in the Lake of Fire. Revelation tells us of the personalities that shall find their home in the Lake of Fire along with Satan and his angels.
The Lake of Fire is an outcome of place.
But when the Apostle Paul speaks of the believer who continues to walk in the appetites and desires of the flesh and soul he never speaks of Hell or the Lake of Fire. Rather the consequence of living in the flesh instead of following the Spirit of God each day is set forth as not inheriting the Kingdom of God, or spiritual death, or destruction.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions And envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21—NIV)
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Romans 8:13—NIV)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8—NIV)
Now I understand numerous Christian teachers will not accept that these warnings apply to Christian people, protesting that we are "saved by grace." But it is obvious from the contexts of the three passages that Paul is speaking to Christians. To say otherwise is to demonstrate questionable scholarship, a bias not worthy of a sincere investigator.
But stop and think. If the Apostle Paul, writing in the name of Jesus Christ, states that if we continue to live in the sins of the flesh we will not inherit the Kingdom of God, we will die spiritually, we will reap destruction, shouldn't we take heed to the warnings and not attempt to gainsay them or pretend they are not in the Bible?
Paul is not saying we will be thrown in the Lake of Fire if we live in the appetites of the flesh instead of praying, meditating in the Bible, and gathering with the saints. Rather Paul is pointing toward the principle of cause and effect, the unchangeable Kingdom law of sowing and reaping. We Christians are going to reap what we sow.
Where we are placed in the day of resurrection depends on the judgment of Christ. Grace and mercy can intervene here, perhaps, and also the intercession of the godly for their relatives and friends. I say "perhaps" because I know of no clear passage that gives us such assurance.
But one thing I do know beyond all doubt: we are going to reap what we sow. We are going to be clothed with our own conduct, with a robe created from our actions on the earth.
To be continued.