- Published on
by George Sidney Hurd
Our Father God is repeatedly presented in Scripture as a “Consuming Fire.” This biblical portrayal of God has been understood by some to mean that God will ultimately incinerate all except for those who confess Jesus as Lord during their brief lifetime. They would say that the Consuming Fire consumes the individual himself – wiping him out of existence altogether.
The traditional view, which has been the most commonly held view since the 5th Century, also sees the Consuming Fire as being directed against the individual person. However, according to this view, the Consuming Fire never actually consumes him. Instead, God preserves those who did not properly respond to the gospel during this lifetime in a state of eternal conscious fiery torment – always burning in the flames but never being consumed.
Both of these propositions are so appalling that most Christians block them out of their minds, avoiding any thoughtful reflection upon their implications. However, more and more thoughtful nonbelievers do consider the moral and logical contradictions such doctrines present. They reject the idea that a wise and benevolent Creator who inhabits eternity and sees the end from the beginning would create mankind and set a plan in motion, knowing all along that it would culminate in incomprehensible tragedy for the majority of Adam’s race.
I believe that both views miserably fail to capture the true nature and intent of our Consuming Fire as He is revealed in Scripture. The prophet Malachi reveals to us the true nature and intent of this fire:
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a REFINER'S fire and like launderers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” (Mal 3:2-3)
What is the nature and intent of His fire? It is a refiner’s fire. A refiner’s fire does not entirely consume that which is subjected to it; it only consumes the dross in order to purify that which is precious in the eyes of the refiner. Neither does it last forever. It only lasts until it has purified that which is precious. Its end is restoration – not annihilation or perpetual torment. The end of God’s plan in creating us as and the ages we inhabit is the final restoration of all – to the praise of the glory of His grace (Acts 3:21; Rom 11:36; Phil 2:10, etc.).
The imagery of God as a Consuming, Refining Fire is seen throughout the Scriptures beginning with God’s removal of Israel from Egypt, “the iron furnace:”
“But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.” (Deut 4:20; cf. 1 Kings 8:5; Jer 11:4).
Here we see the first stage in the Refining Fire’s refining process with His chosen people. Much as Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tried of the devil, Abraham’s earliest descendants were sovereignly led into the iron furnace of affliction in Egypt. The iron furnace did not convert them into gold, but it served to set them apart from the unrefined (iron ore) nations as His people.
As their history progresses, we see the refining process for Israel described by referring to the refining of more and more precious metals, culminating in the trials of the Jew/Gentile Church which convert us into pure gold (1Peter 1:7; Rev 3:18). God has never forgotten the rest of the nations, but the time of their refinement has not yet fully come. That awaits the times of the restoration of all (Acts 3:21).
God makes it clear that the fire that refines us is not literal fire, as some might think, but rather the fire of affliction intended to purify our hearts:
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isa 48:10)
“The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.” (Prov 17:3)
“For You, O God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined.” (Ps 66:10)
Although many today do not see God’s benevolent, purifying intent in the biblical descriptions of fiery afflictions, the Psalmist clearly understood God’s furnace of fire to be good and beneficial:
“For You, O God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; you laid affliction on our backs.12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” (Ps 66:10-12)
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and do good… It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” (Ps 119:67-68,71)
We see His good purposes in view, even in the most severe judgments against His people, who repeatedly defied His authority by worshipping false gods and committing abominable acts:
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 ‘Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. 21 Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. 22 As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.” (Ezek 22:17-22)
If we didn’t know that God is good all the time, even in His wrath and most severe judgments, we might here conclude that Israel was doomed forever – that His wrath and fire were for their total irremediable ruin rather than for their restoration. But the ultimate purpose of God in the furnace of fire was their restoration – not their destruction – as we see in continuation:
“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek 36:24-26)
Here we see that, even when God in His wrath casts the obstinately wicked into a furnace of fire, He is nevertheless good all the time. His motives are redemptive and disciplinary, and the final outcome is purification and restoration. Indeed, if He were to withhold correction, it would be paternal negligence rather than love. On the other hand, annihilation via incineration or everlasting fiery torment would be excessive and abusive punishment and irreconcilable with His love. We see this same redemptive purpose and outcome of the Lord’s furnace of affliction repeatedly throughout the Scriptures:
“I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.” (Zech 13:9)
“For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” (Heb 12:10)
Consistently throughout Scripture, we see that God’s fiery affliction ultimately leads to restoration. Some would accept that God’s fire purifies the elect but insist that it is only designed to torment or exterminate the rest of mankind. However, God does not show partiality. “The Lord is good to ALL, and His tender mercies are over ALL His works” (Ps 145:9). God is good to all all the time – even when they are being melted in the furnace of fire.
God even says through Ezekiel that Sodom, along with Samaria and apostate Jerusalem, will ultimately be restored (Ezek 16:53-55). This is consistent with the “apokatastasis” or the doctrine of the final restoration of all, but is irreconcilable with the doctrines of annihilation and eternal punishment.
The exact same imagery of the refiner’s fire that was used in reference to Israel and the nations of the Old Testament are carried over into the passages speaking of the eschatological furnace of fire in the Gospels and Revelation. Jesus describes the separation which will take place when He returns in the following manner:
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt 13:41-42)
Actually, God’s words back in Ezekiel 22, when referring to what we know were Israel’s temporal judgments, sound even more ominous than Jesus’ mention of the furnace of fire here. In addition to saying that He would cast them into the furnace of fire, God said, “I will leave you there and melt you.” However, severe as it may sound, the “furnace of fire” is not referring to God’s incinerator as Annihilationists believe; nor to His eternal torture chamber according to the traditional doctrine of eternal torment, but rather to the divine Refiner’s purifying fire which consumes all impurities in the hearts of those who are precious to Him.
The fiery furnace has an end in view, and its end is not annihilation but purification and restoration, as we see presented throughout the Scriptures (Rev 21:5; Acts 3:21, cf. Matt 19:28; Isa 45:21-24; 25:6-8; Ps 66:3-4, etc.). Jesus is the Savior of the whole world, and He has redeemed all mankind. However, we are all damaged and contaminated by sin, in need of restoration and refinement. In the present age, few willingly submit to the Refiner’s consuming fire of affliction, which is necessary for our restoration to the image and likeness of God. However, in the times of the restoration of all, none will escape our Refiner’s consuming fire. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and He will not desist until He has drawn all unto Himself (Jn 12:32; Eph 1:10).
At the Great White Throne Judgment, the wicked will be judged according to their works and will receive their part in the furnace of fire (also called Gehenna fire or the Lake of Fire and Sulfur) (Rev 20:12; 21:8). The phrases “According to their works” and “their part,” as also Jesus’ reference to “many stripes” or “few stripes,” are not consistent with eternal torment (Luke 12:47-48). Also, on two occasions, when speaking of Gehenna fire, Jesus said that they would not get out of there “until” they had paid their debt (Matt 5:26; 18:34). By saying “until,” He rules out any concept of unending fiery torment or extermination. What all these terms are perfectly consistent with is the imagery of the refiner’s fire which continues only until it has purified that which is precious in the eyes of the refiner.
Having seen the consistent use of refiner’s terminology throughout the Scriptures, we will now examine the references to sulfur and salt in relation to the fire which man is said to be subjected to by God.
The Lake of Fire and Brimstone
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (sulfur) where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev 20:10)
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8)
Before going into an explanation of the lake of fire and sulfur, there is an apparent contradiction between these two texts as commonly translated which needs clarification. The latter says that they will receive “their part,” which speaks of a measured judgment, whereas the former says, “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” “Their part” cannot be without end as “forever and ever” would express. As we have already seen, the rendering “forever and ever” is erroneous. The Greek phrase translated “forever and ever” is simply εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων (eís tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn) Our Fatwhich means “into the ages of the ages:”
Ages are measurements of time and have nothing to do with eternity. Additionally, the preposition eís expresses “entrance into” without specifying the duration within the period of time called “the ages of the ages.” The preposition “for” as in “forever” is misleading because it expresses the idea of “throughout” which would be expressed by the Greek preposition dia rather than eís. Since “into the ages of the ages” sounds awkward in English we could better understand it as “in the ages of the ages” without significantly changing the meaning.
The phrase “In the ages of the ages” expresses something which will take place within the ages of the ages without specifying how much of that timespan it will occupy. When we say something like: “in the 21st Century man will be on Mars,” we are simply stating that something will take place within that century without specifying the time necessary to accomplish that objective. This is consistent with a measured judgment where one is judged according to his works, receiving “his part” in the lake of fire and sulfur. Also, once we understand God’s objective in the lake of fire and sulfur, it becomes clear that it could not last “forever and ever.”
I had difficulty understanding exactly what was being expressed by the lake of fire and sulfur until I came across an article written by Michael Webber entitled “What is the Lake of Fire?” {1} In his article, he explains that the lake of fire and sulfur refers to the refiner’s crucible, and that sulfur was added in order to separate impurities and baser metals from the gold during the refining process. Upon further investigation in Google, I found numerous sources which confirm and elaborate upon what he said in his blog. {2}
From antiquity, sulfur was added to the impure gold after reaching the molten state. In the fire, the impurities and most other baser metals unite with the sulfur, being converted into sulfides which float to the surface as dross and are then removed. To the refiner of gold and precious metals of biblical times, the connection between fire and sulfur would have been obvious. Even to this day, sulfur is commonly used in the same manner, although other more sophisticated methods have also been developed.
Also, the word translated “lake” in our translations obscures the meaning of the passage. The word in Greek is límne. Although at times it can refer to a lake, in other contexts it often means “a pool” or “a pond.” Strong’s Concordance defines it: “a pond (large or small).” The same word that is used in the New Testament referring to something as large as Lake Gennesaret in Galilee can also refer to a pool or a puddle. In certain contexts, according the Liddel, Scott, Jones Greek-English Lexicon, límne can actually refer to the receptacle containing the pool. [3] In the context of the refiner’s fire and sulfur, the “pool” would be the pool of precious molten metal and the “receptacle” would be the refiner’s crucible or melting pot.
The Bible translators, either unfamiliar with the process of gold refining, or else unduly influenced by the traditional doctrine of eternal torments or both, all rendered it as “lake” instead of “pool,” with the exception of the Douay-Rheims Bible, which reads: “the pool of fire and brimstone.” Nevertheless, once one understands the refiner’s process of purifying gold, the meaning becomes clear. Just as apostate Israel was cast into the furnace to refine them, so it will be in the end of the age. God’s fire is intended to purify the heart because only the pure in heart can see God (Matt 5:8; Heb 12:14). The apocalyptic lake of fire and sulfur is the divine crucible which will serve to refine the hearts of even His most obstinate enemies, bringing about the restoration of all in the coming ages, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
The Smoke of their Torment
“He shall be tormented (basanízo) with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment (basanismós) ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Rev 14:10-11)
Another detail about the lake of fire clarifies that it refers to the Refiner’s crucible, which purifies those cast into it. This detail relates to the meaning of the word commonly rendered “tormented.” The Greek word is basanízo, which literally means “to test gold with a touchstone.” Touchstones were made of basalt and were used to test the purity of gold. By rubbing the gold on the touchstone, it would leave a mark by which a trained eye could determine the purity by its color. An additional acid test is also done by applying acid to the scratch-marks on the touchstone. If there is a reaction producing smoke it isn’t pure gold. That is what is meant by their smoke ascending. [5]
In a refiner’s context, the touchstone (basanízo) is not speaking of torture, but rather the refiner’s use of a touchstone in order to determine the gold’s purity. Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament gives us a thorough definition of basanízo and its cognates:
“NT:931 básanos, basanízo, basanismós, basanistés
The básanos originally belongs to the calling of the inspector of coins. It is linked with the Heb. root (‘to test’) and the Egyptian bhn (‘basalt’)… the testing of gold and silver as media of exchange by the proving stone, was first developed by the Babylonians, then came to the Aramaeans and Hebrews by way of Lydia…In the spiritual sphere it has the figurative sense, which is closely related to the original concrete meaning, of a means of testing. The word then undergoes a change in meaning. The original sense fades into the background. Basanos now comes to denote ‘torture’ or ‘the rack,’ espec. used with slaves… In the testing of metal an essential role was played by the thought of testing and proving genuineness. The rack is a means of showing the true state of affairs. In its proper sense it is a means of testing and proving, though also of punishment.” {6}
As we see, the word basanízo eventually was applied to the process of bringing out the truth in man, and over time the meaning degenerated, becoming nothing more than torture carried out by perverse men. However, contrary to what Kittel insinuates, I believe that, in the context of these passages so full of references to the purifying fire, it is not speaking of torture, but rather retains its original significance to the refiner, which was to test in order to determine the level of purity in those subjected to the Refiner’s consuming fire..
This explains what it means when it says that they will be “tested as with a touchstone” (not tormented) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Christ and the angels will not be mere spectators, as in the Roman arena, or even standing guard over them to make sure they don’t escape, as one author speculated, but rather they will be ever present, overseeing the progress of those being refined as gold. As soon as they are determined to be pure, they will be restored, having their names written in the book of life and permitted to enter into the New Jerusalem (Rev 22:14). As we saw earlier, “day and night” and “forever and ever” are not referring to eternity, but rather an indefinite period of time in the ages of the ages. That it is not speaking of eternity is also clear, since “day and night” are measures of time which commenced with creation. In eternity, outside of creation, time with its measurements of day and night are nonexistent. Day and night have no existence in eternity.
Salted in Fire
“For everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:49 NASU)
This verse has been very ambiguous to most. Even ancient scribes who copied the Greek texts struggled to understand it. Later Byzantine texts incorporated an explanatory note that became part of the scripture itself, changing the verse to read: “For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” However, most modern textual scholars consider the earlier, shorter reading to be correct. Out of some fifteen different interpretations given for this text, half of the consulted commentaries refrained from commenting on the verse altogether.
While I believed that the verse referred to the purification process which all without exception must go through, either now or later, in order to become pure of heart and see the Lord, I didn’t understand why Jesus made a connection between fire and salt until I began to investigate the use of fire and sulfur for the refining of gold. I made an amazing discovery which immediately brought clarity of meaning to Jesus’ words.
When they refine gold, they first melt the ore and then add sulfur, causing the other metals and impurities to form a dross of sulfides that float to the top. Sulfur is effective in removing other base metals and impurities from gold, but is not as effective in separating the silver from the gold. Far before the time of Christ, the ancients discovered that salt was more effective in separating the silver from the gold than sulfur. This is called “parting.” The Encyclopædia Britannica states: “By 2000 BC the process of purifying gold-silver alloys with salt to remove the silver was developed.” {7} When the gold containing silver is heated with salt, the silver reacts with the salt, forming silver chloride which can be easily removed, producing pure gold. {8}
This imagery illustrates God’s determination to continue purifying us until we come forth as pure gold. Silver is considered a semiprecious metal, but God will not settle for leaving us as a mixture of precious with semiprecious. It is not enough to remove the dross of sinful flesh from our hearts. Even our “good” but independent, dead self-works must be purged from our lives like the silver from gold, until all our works are wrought in God – passing from our life of independence into a perfect oneness with Him.
The Greek noun “fire” is in the dative case and could either be translated as instrumental – “with fire,” or as locative, indicating location – “in fire.” I was never able to understand how we could be salted with fire. However, now, understanding that the context is referring to refining gold with salt, it becomes obvious that the correct reading is “for all will be salted in fire,” rather than “with fire.”
Many have thought that Mark 9 refers only to the unjust. However, in the context we see that all must pass through a refining process. Even the disciples were not exempt from it:
“For He was teaching His disciples and telling them… 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For EVERYONE will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:31,47-49 NASU)
In verse 31, we see that Jesus was speaking these words primarily to the disciples. After warning them of the reality of postmortem fire in Gehenna, He explains that everyone will have to pass through the processing of fire and salt which separates the gold even from the semiprecious silver. If we do not submit to the Refiner’s fire in this life, becoming purified from all contamination of flesh and spirit now, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Cor 7:1), then we will be hurt by the second death, receiving our part in Gehenna fire which is the purifying lake of fire and sulfur (Rev 2:11; 21:8).
God will not annihilate His enemies in an incinerator, nor did He create an eternal torture chamber when He made the heavens, the earth, and all within them in those first six days. No, His fire is like a refiner’s fire; He has declared that His plan for the ages will culminate in the restoration of all when He shall be all in all in eternity:
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ ALL shall be made alive…. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:22,28) {9}
“For of Him and through Him and TO (eís) Him are ALL things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36) {10}
“Say to God, ‘how awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power YOUR ENEMIES SHALL SUBMIT THEMSELVES to You. 4 ALL THE EARTH shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” (Ps 66:3,4)
“Look to Me, and be saved, ALL you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE SHALL TAKE AN OATH. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.’ TO HIM MEN SHALL COME, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him.” (Isa 45:22-24)
It is not possible for me to fully present to you in this short blog all that the Scriptures have to say about this glorious theme of the final restoration of all of God’s creation. For a more in-depth study of this biblical doctrine, I recommend my book entitled: “The Triumph of Mercy.”
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1 https://www.amazon.com/George-Hurd/e/B071YDGBQ9/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507842693&sr=1-1
2 http://thetotalvictoryofchrist.com/whatisthelakeoffire.pdf
3 Two concise and helpful sites were: https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/sulphur-refining-gold
https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/gold-refining-methods#goldrefining-by-sulphurisation
4 Liddell, Scott, Jones - A Greek-English Lexicon: limne.
5 https://www.gia.edu/bench-tip-use-the-touchstone-method-for-testing-purity-karat-gold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchstone_(assaying_tool)
6 Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 vol.)
7 Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite, version: 2012.00.00.000000000: Gold Processing,
History
8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_parting
9 Our English word “things” does not have an equivalent in Greek. Neither does the neuter form in Greek
always indicate objects as in English. When the translators insert “things” in contexts that are obviously
referring primarily to persons and not inanimate objects I take the liberty to cross it out in order to keep the
focus where it belongs.
10 https://www.amazon.com/George-Hurd/e/B071YDGBQ9/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507842693&sr=1-1
- Published on
by George Sidney Hurd
Many today are coming into a new and fresh revelation of God’s grace which is introducing them into a level of intimacy and transformation never before dreamed possible. They are overjoyed to discover that the straight and narrow is not less traveled because it is too difficult for all but the strongest of the strong, as some translations and paintings have portrayed it.[i] Contrary to what some believe, it is only less traveled because it is passed by unnoticed by the self-sufficient who continue on their way, not recognizing their need for grace.
Rather than being a hard, arduous and treacherous path that can only be embarked upon with much difficulty and self-effort, it is a grace-walk – a rest that Jesus invites us to enter into with Him (Matt 11:28-30; Heb 4:1-9). Those who do not find it fail to discover it simply because their illusion of potential self-fulfillment blinds them to its presence.
Peter indicated in his sermon on Solomon’s Porch after Pentecost that seasons of refreshing would prepare the way for the Lord’s coming, and that His return would commence the times of the restoration of all things, something which had been prophesied since the beginning of time (Acts 3:19-22). I believe that it is significant that “seasons” appears in plural. Our generation has seen significant seasons of refreshing or revival and each one has served to restore essential truths to the Church in preparation for His coming.
Many of my generation, like me, were saved during the revival that came to be known as the Jesus Movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. Jesus was the focus of that revival. The essential truth revealed during that season was the reality of Christ in us – the exchanged life. In a time of cultural decay, many of us were miraculously delivered from immorality and drug addiction by the abiding presence of Christ in us. We became consciously aware of His wonderful transforming presence within us.
The next season of refreshing was the Holy Spirit revival of the 1980s and early 1990s. The gifts, anointing and communion of the Holy Spirit were restored to the Church in that season. In the mid-1990s came another glorious season of refreshing in which the Father’s love was revealed to what by then had become a fatherless generation that had only known the distant, capricious and vengeful god of traditional Christendom.
This present new season, which is regarded by some as the “Grace Revolution,” could possibly be the final season of refreshing, bringing us into the greatest harvest of all time, followed by the Second Coming of Christ. I see it as potentially being the culmination of all the previous seasons – the free abounding favor of God upon the Church, bringing to perfection the revelation of the knowledge of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; the love of God our Father; and the communion of the Holy Spirit, all coming together into one glorious season (2 Cor 13:14).
Some see the darkness enveloping the world, and sensing that the apocalyptic judgments are impending, only look for an escape. However, the darkest hours of history have also seen the greatest visitations of the glory of God. And the final and darkest hour of this age will see the greatest manifestation of His glory that man has ever known. God, in His judgments, always remembers mercy, and the final judgments of Revelation are no exception. John in vision was shown an innumerable multitude who will come out of the Great Tribulation, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14). The greatest days of glory in this age are yet to come. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. (Isa 59:19). The darkest hour is just before dawn, and the Lord has promised that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His Church (Matt 16:18).
In the darkest hour, multitudes will come to the end of their self-sufficiency during the Great Tribulation. They will discover the super-abounding grace of God in Christ Jesus and enter the kingdom through faith in Him. Jesus is the narrow gate into the grace-walk where we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. He leads us into fullness of life, giving us grace upon grace, and taking us from glory to glory, faith to faith, and strength to strength (Jn 1:16; Ro 1:17; 2Cor 3:18; Ps 84:7). The straight and narrow is Jesus Himself. He is both the Door and also the narrow Way. It is not a difficult way because it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us. We simply live by His faith, allowing Him to do His works through us – works which God prepared for us to walk in from the foundation of the world (Gal 2:20; Eph 2:10; Heb 4:3-11).
However, while the straight and narrow is a grace-walk, it is nevertheless a narrow path to walk. The only way we can continue upon it without stumbling or turning aside is to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and finisher of faith (Heb 12:2). We must daily consider ourselves to have indeed been co-crucified with Christ to our old life in Adam, and by faith see ourselves as the new creation we now are in Christ. We must understand and recognize that the life that we now live is not us, but Christ living in and through us.
As we walk upon the narrow path of the Christ-life, we will be tempted to leave the path of life and, in our independence, follow the branches that appear both on the right hand and on the left. Anytime we take our eyes off of Jesus, we cease to be Christ-conscious and become self-conscious and inevitably stray from the straight and narrow.
The branches which branch off to the left and to the right can be compared to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In their original state of God-consciousness, Adam and Eve lived in God, free from all self-consciousness. It wasn’t until the serpent convinced Eve that she needed something they could not find in God to complete her that she ate of the tree. And why did she eat of the tree? Was it willful rebellion against God? No. She was deceived into thinking that she was incomplete and that by eating of the tree she would complete herself, making her more like God. It wasn’t until Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they became self-conscious. In this state of independence from God, they felt shame because of their nakedness. Instead of running to God for Him to cover their nakedness, they hid from Him and tried to cover their nakedness themselves with fig leaves. Mankind has been doing the same ever since then.
Since the fall, mankind has sought to find a sense of self-fulfillment: some through partaking of the good branches, seeking self-improvement through the “good” deeds of the flesh, while others partake of the evil branches, seeking fulfillment through the self-gratification of the flesh. The religiously self-righteous despise those who eat from the other side of the tree, considering themselves to be better in God’s eyes than other “evil sinners.” But all fleshly self-originating activity, whether “good” or bad, comes from the same forbidden tree and is therefore unacceptable to God.
The term “flesh” in the Bible, when not referring to literal butcher shop meat, refers to the independent self-life which we inherited from Adam. Although the old Adamic flesh was crucified with Christ and we have now become new creatures in Him, thereby changing our essential nature, we still carry in our physical bodies the residual desires and tendencies of the old fleshly self-life. As long as we remain in this body, the desires of the flesh will be in tension with the desires of the Spirit (Gal 5:17). We must by faith continually consider ourselves to be dead indeed to the sinful flesh, but alive to God in Jesus Christ (Rom 6:11).
On both sides along the narrow path of the grace-walk there are branches leading us away from the Christ-centered life, back into the fleshly self-life. On the right, we are drawn towards fleshly self-effort to produce "good" works independently of our union with Christ. On the left, we are enticed to find fleshly self-gratification independently of Him. If we take our eyes off Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and look inward, we will always wander off of the narrow way of the grace walk. If we look to the left and fear going in that direction, we will inevitably wander to the right into fleshly self-efforts through volitional obedience to an external law, causing us to fall from grace into fleshly striving in order to subdue the flesh (fighting flesh with flesh). This is deceptive, since it appeals to our fallen human logic but, as Paul says, self-imposed religion is of absolutely no value against the indulgence of the flesh (Col 2:23). Sooner or later, no matter how strong-willed one is, he will eventually cross over and partake of the fruit from the left side in fleshly self-indulgence. This inevitably produces feelings of guilt and self-condemnation.
Our natural instinct is to cross back over into the right side, rededicating ourselves in will-worship, full of resolve to outperform our previous attempts. The longer we continue to abstain from the evil branches and partake of the fruit of the “good” branches, the greater our self-assurance and pride. But inevitably our will wears down, and in a vulnerable moment we cross back over onto an evil branch and partake of its fruit. The more determined we are to “do” good, the more we feel devastated when we once again partake of evil.
Many who enter through the narrow gate by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ only enjoy the glorious grace-walk for a brief time. We are born again into a new life in which it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in and through us. But newborns are not born walking. Paul said that we must learn to walk in the grace-walk in the same manner we entered, which was by grace through faith. He says:
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Col 2:6,7)
What are we to do when we stumble in the grace-walk? The human tendency is to take a quick detour from the grace-walk to the right. We hide in the bushes until we can prepare fig leaves to cover our shame. Only when we have eaten sufficient fruit from the “good” branch to satisfy our conscience do we feel worthy to return to the well-lit path. That is a great mistake which we have all frequently made. The apostle John says that while we walk in the light of the grace-walk in communion with Him, the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us (Greek present continuous katharizo) from all sin (1Jn 1:7).
Even when we leave the path to willfully indulge the flesh – whether to the right or the left – fellowship is immediately restored by simply confessing and agreeing with God once again (1John 1:9-10). Confession is simply “saying the same thing” or coming into agreement with God. When we refuse to acknowledge sin in our lives – whether it be self-righteous sin or self-indulgent sin – we leave the path of light, and communion with the Father is interrupted. To wallow in remorse and self-effacement in an attempt to propitiate our failings only prolongs our detour from the grace-walk. Your Father says that your sins have already been cast as far as the east is from the west, and that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Ps 103:12; Rom 8:1). Paul says that we should walk in Christ in the same manner that we received Him – by faith abounding in thanksgiving. When you come into agreement with the Father concerning your standing before Him in Christ, you will be abounding in thanksgiving for His unconditional acceptance. You will not leave the light to hide in the bushes in remorse and self-castigation, thinking that your contrition somehow propitiates your sins (1John 2:2).
Paul continues in Colossians 8 saying:
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Col 2:8-10)
The problem with philosophy, whether it be moralistic or hedonistic, is that it is all based upon the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and therefore the preaching of the cross with its unmerited grace is seen as foolishness. The goal of philosophy is self-realization and self-fulfillment, and is not according to the truth that we are now already complete in Christ. The believers in Galatia had become bewitched into thinking that, although justification was a work of free grace, their sanctification into Christlikeness was a work of the flesh. He said to them:
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal 3:1-3)
Wherever Paul went preaching the pure gospel of grace through Jesus Christ, he was followed by a group of Judaizers. Judaizers were Jews who most probably had entered by the narrow gate which is Christ. Nevertheless, they insisted that it was necessary to keep the Law of Moses in order to ultimately be saved. They did not outright deny grace for the Christian life. However, to them grace was not the free unmerited favor of God which Paul preached. To them grace simply empowers or assists us in order to produce good works for salvation. To Paul, their teaching constituted being made perfect by the flesh instead of by the Spirit of grace. He made it clear that free grace is antonymous to works:
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law… Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Rom 3:28, 4:4,5)
Can you see what Paul is saying? Grace is the gift of God’s free unmerited favor. If salvation is not entirely apart from works, then God owes it to us, and it is therefore no longer by grace. If a loved one were to give you a precious gift out of the goodness of his heart and you were to insist upon paying at least ten percent of its value in return, wouldn’t it be taken as an insult against his grace shown towards you? Even if we were to say that grace was simply given to assist us as we work, it would no longer be grace, and God would end up owing us.
To illustrate this, let’s suppose that I needed someone to mow my lawn. Seeing a young man walking by, I offered him the job. The lad responded: “I would be glad to, but I don’t have a lawn mower.” I say: “No problem, I have one. All you have to do is sit on it and steer.” The young man accepts my offer, and at the end of the day, he finishes mowing the lawn, and when he comes up to me I say to him: “Well done. I’ll see you next time.” What is missing in this equation? He was working; albeit with the assistance of my own power mower, and he justly anticipated payment for his labor. Paul said that if one works for something, then payment is expected in return. Grace by definition, is "unmerited kindness and favor” and not merely divine enablement. Paul makes that even clearer in chapter eleven of Romans:
“And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” (Rom 11:6)
You see, what God has given us by His grace is more than a restoration of the old, it is an entirely new creation. That is why Paul said: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation” (Gal 6:15). The narrow way which is our new life in Christ is not simply a matter of eating from the good branches instead of the evil branches with divine assistance, but of living an entirely new creation life in Christ. The works are not ours, but rather His works in and through us:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)
The works done in our bodies in the grace-walk are not ours, but rather are His workmanship in us. As we simply abide in Christ, resting in Him in yielded surrender, He works in us, giving us both the desire and the power to do all of His good pleasure. He works – we bear fruit. In Him we no longer partake of the old tree of the knowledge of good and evil which only left us weary and heavy laden. Now we partake of Christ, the Tree of Life, and bear fruit for God.
Peter said: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). As we grow in grace, it is inevitable that we stumble in many ways. Contrary to what some grace teachers affirm, we are not born mature sons. (I consider this subject in more detail in my book “Focusing in on End-Time Events”).
The Church is designed by God to provide a nurturing environment in which Christ is formed in us through the combined ministries of teaching, assistance, encouragement, and corrective orientation. When it pleased the Father to reveal Christ in Paul, his goal in ministry was no longer to reproduce religious Pharisees after his own kind. His goal was to see the same Christ who was revealed in him formed in others as well. He said that he suffered what he could only describe as a second labor until he saw Christ formed in the believers of Galatia (Gal 4:19).
I, along with many others, believe that we are entering into a new season of refreshing in which the Church is receiving a new revelation of the grace-walk in which we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. As with all major seasons of revival in the past, the enemy will do all in his power to discredit what God is doing. We must be wary of any doctrine based upon a dilution of the pure gospel of grace, which is nothing more nor less than “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” Any gospel that would attempt to combine works with grace is a falling from grace (Gal 5:4). Grace plus works is not grace at all. It is another gospel which is not really good news at all. It is the leaven of the Pharisees (Matt 16:6). All that which is not entirely Christ-centered is self-centered, and a partaking of the “good” fruit of the forbidden old tree.
On the other hand, we must beware of any doctrine which would invalidate the many admonitions in the Scriptures. John, confronting the encroachment of an early form of Gnostic libertinism which encouraged fleshly indulgences, who argued that being under grace permitted sin, said:
“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 9 NASB)
The Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, commenting on this passage says: “Not the teaching about Christ, but… the walk of Christ… These Gnostics claimed to be the progressives, the advanced thinkers, and were anxious to relegate Christ to the past in their onward march.” [ii] We are living in an age of lawlessness in which many have chosen to live a life of self-gratification, eating the fruit of the evil branch of the old tree. Seeking spiritual affirmation for their licentious conduct, they flock to teachers who will only say what they want to hear. Paul warns us, saying:
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Tim 4:1-5)
Jude warns against these false teachers who would interpret the grace of God in such a way as to affirm those who are living an immoral lifestyle:
“For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (Jude 4 NIV)
These modern “grace” teachers present God as a father who is always jolly, no matter what his children are “into.” Their selective use of Scripture avoids all New Testament warnings and declarations of the judgment of God against persistent and unrepentant sin in the lives of His children. Many of them conveniently relegate all the warnings of Jesus and the epistles concerning the last days, along with the judgments of the entire book of Revelation, to the first century. Others simply ignore all warnings in the Scriptures entirely. The grace of God is not to be understood as being His affirmation of an ungodly lifestyle. Quite to the contrary, Paul says:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.” (Titus 2:11-15)
We need every word of God. Some “grace” teachers show a contempt for the written Word of God in favor of the incarnate Word of God, which is Christ. However, Jesus, the Logos Himself, continually affirmed the absolute authority of the Scriptures or the written word. Paul, the apostle of grace himself said:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
Some “grace” teachers present all reproof and correction – all judgment and discipline – as contrary to grace. We all stumble many times as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The admonitions of the New Testament are New Covenant grace admonitions intended to correct our focus when we take our eyes off of Christ and deviate from the straight and narrow grace-walk. The writer of Hebrews says that God rebukes and disciplines those whom He loves (Heb 12:5-6). His rebukes are to keep us in His grace, restoring us when we fall from it, or taking His rod and bringing us back into the fold when we go too far and do not abide in the doctrine of Christ. Almost all of the New Testament epistles were written to bring correction when believers began to focus upon self rather than Christ, and either wander into Old Covenant law and legalistic self-effort, or veer to the left into lawlessness and self-gratification.
While I may seem critical of what I see as excesses among some grace teachers, at the same time I want to recognize and honor those who have been the cutting edge in this glorious grace revival. When God does something new, He must find a willing instrument that is open to change. Often new seasons of change are resisted by the very leaders God raised up in the prior move. We often build our tabernacle around a move of God and remain stationary when the glory cloud moves on. God must then seek a “new wineskin” – someone willing to think out of the box, so to speak – someone teachable. [iii] New moves of God often have extremes at first – even among the primary leaders of that new move. Nevertheless, God is ultimately in control of every revival, and He brings each new revelation into balance in His own time.
Therefore, let us keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and enjoy the grace-walk as He leads us into fullness of life, giving us grace upon grace; taking us from glory to glory, from faith to faith, and from strength to strength.
[i] One of the most misleading paraphrases is the New Living Translation. It reads: "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matt 7:13-14) This version renders the Greek word thlibo, literally meaning “narrow,” for our word “difficult,” giving the impression that it is comparable to a rigorous obstacle course, requiring much human ability. It also replaces the word apoleia which describes a state of “perdition or being lost” for the word “hell.” Then the translators close the passage by adding the word “ever,” precluding the possibility that those who lost their way will ever be found by the Good Shepherd in the future. The New American Standard Version is representative of a better translation of the idea expressed in the text: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (Matt 7:13-14 NASB)
[ii] Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament
[iii] Thinking out of the box should not be seen as going beyond Scripture but rather refusing to be defined by established religious dogma. Great reformers such as Martin Luther, William J. Seymour and others, questioned tradition but never the Scriptures themselves. They challenged established dogma based upon the authority of the Scriptures.
- Published on
;Shedding Light Upon the Roman Catholic Dogma of Purgatory
Having been raised in a Protestant home and in a predominately Protestant nation, I gave very little consideration to the doctrine of purgatory. However, after years of ministering in a Catholic Latin American culture, it has become evident that the visual images and the very fabric of the Roman Catholic mind-set continues to affect the concepts one has of God and spirituality, even years after having converted to Evangelical Christianity.
When writing the book “The Triumph of Mercy,” which sets forth what I consider to be the biblical doctrine of the ultimate restoration of all and the correctional and temporal nature of hades and the lake of fire, I didn’t include a treatment of the subject of purgatory, thinking it to be superfluous. However, many former Latin American Catholics, after reading the Spanish version of the book, have expressed their difficulty in differentiating between the biblical doctrine of postmortem correctional punishments in Hades and the Roman Catholic dogma of purgatory. Exactly what has been the historic Catholic teaching concerning purgatory, and in what sense is it distinct from hades as presented by Biblical Evangelical Universalists?
In considering this subject, we must be humbly aware of our limited ability to fully understand God’s ways. Even Paul, while contemplating the infinite wisdom of God’s judgments, exclaimed: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Some mistakenly understand Paul to be saying here that God’s judgments are infinitely more terrible than we can comprehend. However, in the context of Paul’s declaration we see that it is God’s mercy and wisdom in His judgments which defy comprehension, placing all under disobedience in order to ultimately have mercy on all, uniting all in Him in the end (Rom 11:32-36; Eph 1:10). Due to the fact that His judgments are unsearchable, we must avoid being overly dogmatic concerning details of God’s postmortem judgments. Much confusion has resulted from speculating concerning the details of His judgments which He has not seen fit to reveal. However, we can rest assured that His judgments are good and wise beyond our comprehension and culminate in the praise of the glory of His grace.
The first, and most obvious difference between the Roman Catholic purgatory and postmortem correctional punishment presented by the Evangelical Universalists is that the Roman Catholics teach that purgatory is exclusively for the purging or purifying of the elect – a transitional state in which those who did not commit eternal sins, and faithfully avoided and confessed mortal sins, are purged from all faults, and venial (forgivable) sins, in preparation for heaven. The rest of mankind are condemned to an eternal hell where they will be subjected to God’s implacable wrath forever, without end.
In contrast to this, most Evangelical Christians do not see any warrant in Scripture for the belief in a transitional region called purgatory through which Christians must pass before being received into the presence of the Lord. Paul, speaking to believers, spoke of being absent from the body as being present with the Lord (2Cor 5:6-8). While Jesus warns us that it is possible that an unfaithful servant may be excluded from the kingdom, He states that he will receive his portion with the unbelievers – i.e. in hell or Gehenna (Lu 12:46). There is no mention in all of the Scriptures of a third state or region called purgatory that is neither heaven nor hell, in which the elect are purged from residual sin.
The doctrine of purgatory is based primarily upon a supposed historical Judeo/Christian tradition. In order to show that purgatory has roots in Jewish history they appeal to the belief in the temporal and corrective nature of postmortem punishments which has been held by some Jewish Rabbis since the Intertestamental Period between the Old and New Testaments. A Catholic apologetic states the following concerning the origins of their belief in purgatory:
“In the Jewish faith there is no ‘official theological doctrine’ about what happens in the afterlife, therefore, there [is] no properly developed overarching definition of a Heaven or a Hell. However, there are Jewish teachings on a ‘heaven’-like place where the righteous go when they die. There is also an ancient belief in a place of purgation which they call Gehennom. It is a ‘holding place’ of souls to be cleansed of their wickedness. Because they believe most souls do go to Gehennom, they are prayed for. The Mourner’s Prayer or the Kaddish is something Jews do even to this day, and after twelve months here on earth the soul is released.” (emphasis added) [1]
It is here argued by Catholics that some Jewish Rabbis of the Intertestamental period spoke of Gehenna as a place of purgation. They present this rabbinical belief as support of their doctrine of a purgatory for the elect. However, what they fail to point out is that they understood Gehenna to be a place where the unrighteous went in order to be cleansed before entering heaven – not the righteous. Based upon many Old Testament Scriptures, some Jewish Rabbis taught the ultimate restoration of all (Ps 66:3-4; 72:11; 86:9;138:4;145:8-10; Isa 25:6-8; 45:22-24, etc.). [2] It is impossible to take these and many other declarations concerning a universal restoration in the Scriptures seriously and at the same time believe that hell is eternal, and for that reason (among others), most Jews, as well as Evangelical Universalists, do not understand hell as eternal and without a restorative purpose.
The Catholics also appeal to the testimony of the Early Church Fathers. However, the majority of the Early Church Fathers also held to the belief that hell is temporal and purgatorial, leading to the ultimate restoration of all. (See my article, “The Testimony of the Fathers”). Therefore, when the Early Church Fathers spoke of postmortem purification as purgatory, it must be understood that they are referring to the purification of the impenitent, not believers. The following are some examples of quotes from the Early Church Fathers which Catholics have taken out of context in order to support their dogma of purgatory.
Clement of Alexandria 150 to 215 AD.
“Punishment is, in its operation, like medicine; it dissolves the hard heart, purges away the filth of uncleanness, and reduces the swellings of pride and haughtiness; thus restoring its subject to a sound and healthful state.” [3]
This statement, taken out of context, could seem to support the Catholic dogma of purgatory. However, Clement was clearly a Universalist, as any Church historian would affirm, and he is here making reference to the purgative punishments of the ungodly – not the elect, as we can see throughout all his writings:
“The Lord, he says, is a propitiation, ‘not for our sins only,' that is, of the faithful, ‘but also for the whole world.' Therefore He indeed saves all universally; but some as converted by punishments, others by voluntary submission, thus obtaining the honor and dignity, that ‘to Him every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth,' that is angels, and men, and souls who departed this life before His coming into the world.” [4]
We can see that the punishment Clement here refers to is only for those who do not voluntarily submit to the Lord in this life.
Origen 184 to 254 AD.
“But he that despises the purification of the word of God and the doctrine of the Gospel only keeps himself for dreadful and penal purifications afterward; so that the fire of hell may purge him in torments whom neither apostolical doctrine nor gospel preaching has cleansed, according to that which is written of being “purified by fire.” But how long this purification which is wrought out by penal fire shall endure, or for how many periods or ages it shall torment sinners, only He knows to whom all judgment is committed by the Father.” [5]
Only by taking a portion of the above quote out of its context is it possible to give the impression that Origin was speaking of a purgatory distinct from hell (Gehenna). He clearly says that only those who despise the purifying fires, and refuse submission to the Word of God in this life, will then have to go through the purgative fires of hell. He is clearly referring to the impenitent and not the elect. Elsewhere he makes even clearer his belief in the ultimate salvation of all in the consummation of the ages:
“But our belief is that the Word shall prevail over the entire rational creation, and change every soul into His own perfection; in which will choose what He desires, and obtain what He chooses. For although, in the diseases and wounds of the body, there are some which no medical skill can cure, yet we hold that in the mind there is no evil so strong that it may not be overcome by the Supreme Word and God. For stronger than all the evils in the soul is the Word, and the healing power that dwells in Him; and this healing He applies, according to the will of God, to every man. The consummation of all things is the destruction of evil…” [6]
Gregory of Nyssa 330 to 394 AD.
“When death approaches to life, and darkness to light, and the corruptible to the incorruptible, the inferior is done away with and reduced to non-existence, and the thing purged is benefited, just as the dross is purged from gold by fire.” [7]
Taken as a whole, it is very clear that the postmortem purgatory that Gregory refers to is not for the elect, but rather for those who die in their sins. He is referring to what we have now come to refer to as “hell.” What traditional Christianity today calls “eternal hell,” is a far cry from the temporal purgatorial restoration of all, referred to by the Early Church Fathers when describing “hell.” He continues, making it clear that this purgatory is for the impenitent and will not exist forever:
“I believe that punishment will be administered in proportion to each one’s corruptness. Therefore to whom there is much corruption attached, with him it is necessary that the purgatorial time which is to consume it should be great, and of long duration… All evil, however, must at length be entirely removed from everything, so that it shall no more exist. For such being the nature of sin that it cannot exist without a corrupt motive, it must of course be perfectly dissolved, and wholly destroyed, so that nothing can remain a receptacle of it, when all motive and influence shall spring from God alone,” [8]
“When every created being is at harmony…and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; when every creature shall have been made one body…. Now the body of Christ, as I have often said, is the whole of humanity. And again he (Paul) writes, ‘Everything shall be subdued to Christ,’ and they shall be subdued by a full knowledge of Him, and by a remodeling. … Now God will be all in all at the time of restitution.” [9]… “The One who both delivers man from evil, and who heals the inventor of evil himself.” [10]
So we see that the purgatorial fires of Gehenna spoken of by the Rabbis and also the Early Church Fathers, were not seen by them to be the transitional place of torments for the elect before entering heaven, but rather the place where the unrepentant are brought to repentance, faith and purification before being finally restored.
There are a couple of sayings of Jesus which Catholics use to support the dogma of purgatory. One of them is: “Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” (Matt 5:26;18:34). From this they argue that purgatory is not eternal. However, once again we see that Jesus was not speaking about “purgatory” for the elect but rather “hell fire” [Gehenna pur] for the unrepentant (5:22). In another instance He said that some servants would receive many lashes while others will only receive a few lashes (Luke 12:47). Nevertheless, these two sayings of Jesus are both in agreement with the doctrine of Universalism held by the Early Church Fathers and many Evangelicals today, which teaches that all who are not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be excluded from the presence of the Lord. Then at the White Throne Judgment, if their names are still not found written in the Book of Life, they will be judged according to their works and each one will receive their part in the Lake of Fire - some receiving a few lashes and others receiving many lashes. Jesus is speaking with reference to Gehenna and the lake of fire – not the Catholic purgatory. Unless one bows their knee, confessing Jesus as Lord in repentance and faith he will by no means get out of Gehenna fire till he has paid the last penny. However, the Lord has sworn that every knee shall bow in submission to Him and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord (Isa 45:23; Phil 2:10-11; 1Cor 15:22,28).
The common practice of the Jews and Early Christians of offering prayers and sacrifices for the dead is also cited as evidence of purgatory. They argue that it would have been considered futile to pray for the dead if their state was already eternally fixed, either in heaven or hell. However the Jews to this day still offer prayers for the dead - not because they believe in a separate place called purgatory, but because they believe that hell (Gehenna) is temporal - only lasting as long as necessary for one’s purification. Many in the Early Church offered prayers for the dead for the same reason. They also practiced baptism on behalf of the dead. Protestant Evangelicals do not pray for the dead because it is not taught in Scripture. Although Paul makes mention of the practice of being baptized on behalf of the dead (1Cor 15:29), he neither condemns the practice nor enjoins it. They offered prayers for all their departed loved ones – not only those who died in Christ, but also the wayward ones. Therefore their practice of praying for the dead confirms their belief in the universal reconciliation of all, rather than a purgatory exclusive of the elect.
There is, however, a sense in which all believers will have to pass through a purging or purgatorial fire. Jesus said - speaking to His disciples, “everyone shall be salted in fire.” (Mark 9:49). Therefore, not even His disciples are exempt from the purifying fires. The Apostol Paul also speaks of a fire through which believers must pass:
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1Cor 3:11-15)
Paul here states that even those who have built their lives upon the foundation which is Jesus Christ will have to pass through the fire which will reveal and consume all works which are wood, hay and stubble. Note that here it is not the individual himself who is being burned up in the fire but rather the vain and worthless works which have no eternal value. The fire does not destroy the individual. What he suffers is not physical pain but loss. He will be saved, but worthless works will not follow him into the kingdom.
In this sense, and in this sense only, can we acknowledge a biblical form of purgation for the believer. Based upon this passage, some notable Evangelical scholars, including the renowned C.S. Lewis have defended the belief in a form of purgatory. [11] However, it is nowhere said to be a place or region, such as heaven or Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire, but is rather the result of being in the presence of Him who is a consuming fire.
I understand the expression “that day” as having reference to the moment we become absent from the body and present with the Lord - whether it be at the Second Coming or at the moment of death. In a moment of time our whole lives will be laid bare - exposed by the penetrating look of Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire. It is not a judgment which determines justification or condemnation, since that was already settled at the foot of the cross and applied to us individually upon believing. I believe that it will be an emotionally painful and shameful revelation for even the most devout saints, but momentary nevertheless. Even the best of saints have some dross in their lives which will be exposed and consumed by the One who is described in Scripture as a consuming fire and everlasting flames (Isa 33:14). Isaiah’s initial reaction upon seeing the Lord was to cry out: “Woe is me, for I am undone.” (Isa 6:5). The same cry is heard in all the major revivals when the presence of the Lord exposes sin and carnality for what it really is.
This purging fire, to which all in Christ will be exposed, should not be seen as something taking place in an interim period after death before being received into the presence of the Lord, but rather the initial experience of being in His very presence. To be absent from the body, for the believer, is to be present with the Lord. At His Second Coming those who are alive and remain will not go to “purgatory.” They will be caught up into the air to meet the Lord (1Thess 4:15-17). It will be more painful for some than for others, as the consuming fire of His presence burns away the wood, hay and stubble in our lives, but it will occur in a moment’s time. It will not be a judgment in which justice is served, and sentence meted out. That was done for us in the person of Jesus Christ when He shed His blood for us on the cross. There is no penal condemnatory judgment awaiting those who are found to be in Christ on that day (Rom 8:1). Those who believe on Him do not enter into judgment but have already passed from death into life (Jn 5:24).
In contrast to this, the historic traditional Roman Catholic dogma of purgatory, presents the elect as serving time in a place which is often depicted as including literal fiery torments. According to this doctrine, only the elect who are found to be in a state of grace at death are admitted into purgatory. Those who have committed what they refer to as eternal sins or those who repeatedly committed mortal sins without confessing them to a priest will go directly to an eternal fiery hell without possibility of escape.
Pope Gregory (A.D. 590 – A.D. 604), declared that Catholics “will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames.” He also presented the flames as literal, saying: “The pain is more intolerable than anyone can suffer in this life.” Centuries later, in 1431 at the Council of Florence, purgatory was declared to be an infallible Church doctrine. The Church has made great profit selling indulgences under the promise that the offerings given for departed loved ones will alleviate their suffering and shorten their time in purgatory. These abuses are what led Martin Luther to nail his Ninety-five Thesis to the door of the All-Saints Church in Wittenberg in 1517 in protest. His posting of the Ninety-five Thesis is what is considered to have sparked the Protestant Reformation Movement. The declaration made by the Council of Florence concerning purgatory and indulgences for the dead was reaffirmed by the Church in the Council of Trent in 1564 which had convened in order to counter the Reformation.
Some may ask: “What difference does it really make whether or not one believes in purgatory?” Does the doctrine of purgatory as taught by the Roman Catholic Church go against the gospel of Jesus Christ? Sadly, it does. Catholic traditional doctrine has historically taught that venial sins and even “forgiven” mortal sins must be expiated in the flames of purgatory. [12] Pope Gregory the Great said that in purgatory the elect "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," [13]
By teaching that the saints must expiate their own sins in purgatory, they deny the all-sufficiency of Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice of Himself in our place. The wages of sin is death. That was God’s declared sentence from the very beginning in Eden. Life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22). No amount of flames, however intense they may be, can reverse God’s declared penalty which is death. No indulgences are of any avail. There is no hope of resuscitation for those who are already spiritually dead in Adam. We must come to Christ in order to receive His resurrection life – being born again into His new creation (Eph 2:4-9).
The only acceptable sacrifice, able to redeem us from the universal condemnation brought through Adam’s disobedience is the shedding of the innocent blood of the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. When John the Baptist - the forerunner of the Messiah, saw Jesus coming toward Him at the Jordan River to be baptized, he declared: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:2).
There is no other way to the Father except through Christ’s expiatory sacrifice for our sins. No amount of time in purgatory can make the still-born live again. We were born dead in our trespasses and sins, and no amount of works can change that. However, all those who die in Adam will be made alive in Christ, the Last Adam, but each in his own order (1Cor 15:22-23). Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). All of creation was reconciled to God in Christ (Col 1:15-20). However, the only way to experience the peace with God, which was brought about by His reconciliation, is through the blood of His cross (v.20; Rom 5:1-2).
Jesus came to destroy all the works of the devil and free us from the last enemy, death, which held us in bondage to fear. If you do not have the full assurance that Christ’s blood cleanses you from all sin - if you live in the dreadful anticipation of purgatory or hell, then look to God. He will show you the cross where His Son Jesus Christ willingly shed His precious blood for the remission of all your sins so that you can live in joyful anticipation of being received into His presence, instead of living in bondage to the fear of death all the days of your life.
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
[1] https://catholicischristian.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/catholic-inventions-purgatorys-roots/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna
[3] Clemente de Alejandría, Paedagogus 1.8 as cited in Thayors Léxicon.
[4] Clemente de Alejandría, Comentary of 1 John Adumbrat. in Ep. I Johan., printed at the end of his Treatise, Quis dives salvetur, p.1009, Potter´s Edit.
[5] Origin, Commentary In Epist. Ad Rom. lib viii. cap. xi.
[6] Origin, Contra Selsum 8.72.
[7] Hanson, J.W. Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First 500 Years (Kindle Locations 2837-2839).
[8] Hanson, J.W. (2014-09-16). Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First 500 Years (Kindle Location 2842-2847).
[9] Gregorio de Niza, Catechetical Oraciones, (36)
[10] Gregorio de Niza, Catechetical Oraciones, Cap. 26.
[11] Lewis, C.S. (Cllive Staples) (2002). Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 108.
[12] Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Purgatory
[13] Ps. 3 poenit., n. 1, quoted in Catholic Encyclopedia: Purgatory
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As some have learned from bitter experience, a solid foundation is the most essential and fundamental element to consider when building any structure, whether it be our home; our family; our business or most importantly, our faith. No matter how simple or elaborate the structure, the foundation must be solid. If the foundation is unstable, then all we build upon it is unfounded and insecure and with time will come tumbling down. The loss of a home can be devastating but it is nothing compared to the ruin which will inevitably result if our faith is not founded upon a firm foundation.
The great tragedy of our generation, even within many churches, is the lack of a solid foundation upon which to build a strong vital faith that can withstand the storms of life and not be moved by the winds of opposition or every new teaching that comes our way. What is the only truly solid foundation upon which we can build a faith which is immovable through the sands of time and the storms of life? The Word of God. Everything else in God’s creation is movable and subject to change but the Word of God is a firm foundation which abides forever:
"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever." (1Peter 1:24-25)
We not only see that the Word of God is enduring, but Peter says that it is the firm and stable base upon which to build our lives and faith:
“And we have the more firm (bebaios “sure, firm, stable”) prophetical word: whereunto you do well to attend, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.” (2Peter 1:19 DRB)
The prophetic Word is the bedrock upon which we are to build our faith. And what is this firm prophetic Word to which Peter refers? The Scriptures. He goes on to explain in verses 20 and 21 that the Scriptures are not merely the opinions of the men who wrote them (“of private interpretation”). It wasn’t a product of the will of men who decided to write down their own thoughts and opinions, but rather the Scriptures came into being as a result of holy men of God speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Being the inspired Word of God, Paul could make the unequivocal, dogmatic declaration:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Tim 3:16-17)
So, we see that the Early Church considered all Scripture to be inspired of God – God’s very words spoken to mankind through His yielded and consecrated servants. This dogmatic faith in the Scriptures as the Word of God and the only absolute authority for faith and godliness did not originate with them. Jesus set the example, referring to the Scriptures as the very Words of God. Jesus, when tempted by Satan resists him, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 saying: “It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'” (Matt 4:4). He then proceeded to defeat each temptation of the devil with the appropriate Scripture, stating in each instance: “It is written…” If the Scriptures were merely words of holy men, or even words of men containing divine truths, they would not have carried sufficient authority so as to stop Satan in his tracks.
Jesus’ use of the Word of God - resisting the devil with “it is written,” explains why Paul refers to it as “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6:17). Hebrews 4:12 states that the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. This could not be said of the Scriptures if, as many today affirm, they were merely words of saintly men with divine thoughts and therefore subject to question.
As a child I had sword-fights with my friends. However, we didn’t use the two-edged swords of tempered steel. We called them swords, but we knew that they wouldn’t be very effective against a real enemy because they were made of rubber. If the Scriptures are not indeed the very words of God: If they are nothing more than words of men mixed in with divine ideas, then it would be entirely ineffective, just as a rubber sword would be against a real enemy. One who does not have a firm faith in the Scriptures as the very words of God is of no threat to the enemy. Satan mocks those who lack absolute confidence in the Scriptures as the very Word of God, just as a soldier would mock you if you came against Him with a rubber sword.
The enemy knows that he cannot win against one who has their faith firmly planted upon the Word of God, no matter how frail or insignificant that individual may appear to be. David demonstrated how even a shepherd boy with a firm faith in the Word of God and the God of the Word can become a giant-slayer. The enemy also knows that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Therefore, the only way he can possibly defeat us and prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ is to undermine our faith in the Scriptures as the pure Word of God.
A brief review of the history of the Church reveals how Satan’s strategy from the very beginning has been to move us from the firm foundation of the Scriptures as the only absolute authority for faith and godliness. From the time of the original twelve apostles, the leaven of the Pharisees sought to contaminate the pure Word of God, adding to it the commandments of men. The leaven of the Sadducees, on the other hand, took away from the Scriptures, denying its supernatural nature. Then the mysticism of the Gnostics sought to remove truth from all objectivity, leaving one without a solid anchor for one’s faith in the knowable Word of God. This was followed up by the rise of the Roman institutional Church which replaced biblical truth for tradition and removed the Scriptures from the common people, depriving them of the truth and mixing it with pagan superstition.
With the invention of the printing press, the Scriptures once again became available in the language of the people, and the Reformation sprang out of a renewed faith in the Scriptures as the objective and authoritative Word of God. Following the example of Jesus and the Early Church, the reformers once again stood firmly upon the conviction that the “it is written” of Scripture was the final authority on any matter of doctrine and practice. Sola Scriptura (only the Scriptures) was once again the theme of the rising Church.
With the Scriptures now in the hands of the people, the Papal Church with its traditions and pagan superstitions that had kept the people in the dark for more than a thousand years could no longer keep them from the transforming truth of God’s written word. They were now rising up with a renewed faith in the God of the Bible, and Satan was losing his power to keep God’s people from knowing the truth that would make them free. The only way the enemy could possibly stem the rising tide of the Reformation was to undermine this renewed confidence in the Scriptures as the Word of God.
The reformation, which began in the sixteenth century, was headed off by what has become known as “The Age of Enlightenment,” in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The “Enlightenment” exalted reason above the authority of the Church and the Scriptures. Exalting reason over God’s revelation is seen in Scripture to always result in “every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deut 12:8; Jdg 17:6; 21:5; Pr 3:7; 12:15; Isa 5:21, etc.). It has always led to bondage and ruin, requiring God’s judgmental intervention.
The Age of Enlightenment gave birth to Modernistic Materialism in the nineteenth century, which rejected the supernatural in favor of empirical science which denied any reality which could not be demonstrated by scientific investigation. Many within Christianity, feeling the need for the affirmation of the scientific community, began to call into doubt the veracity of the Scriptures. The creation account in Genesis was either altered to accommodate science or outright rejected as myth in favor of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The miracles were spiritualized and historical events recorded in the Bible were subjected to the “higher criticism” of the liberal theologians, which essentially approaches the Scriptures in the same manner as empirical science (assuming Scripture as false until every means to discredit it fails). The devil, demons; and for some, even God Himself, came to be considered by them to be nothing more than mere myths. The religion of the day was Atheism.
Man, however, having been created in the image and likeness of God, cannot find significant meaning to go on living in the void produced by the concept of an impersonal, materialistic world. Modernistic Materialism only produced hopelessness and despair. At the same time, scientists began to realize that there are many mysterious realities which empirical science cannot prove – except possibly in theory. This gave place in the late twentieth century to Postmodernism which has begun to open up to the acceptance of spiritual realities beyond our physical world.
This new trend towards the recognition of the spiritual dimension beyond that which materialistic science can prove in a test-tube, would seem, at first sight, to be a tremendous opportunity for the Church, enabling it to reach a generation for the gospel, and indeed it is. However, even as Modernistic Materialism produced a generation of Atheists who operated from unbelief until proven otherwise, Postmodernism has now produced a generation of Agnostics who operate from uncertainty. Since they now realize there are realities beyond those which can be tested in a test-tube, they conclude that there are no definable absolutes – that everything is relative.
What is lacking in our generation are those faith is firmly planted upon the foundation of the Word of God – those who can say with conviction “it is written” and therefore it is true; no matter what the latest fad of “science” may be affirming as truth. Our generation needs to hear a clear word in the dark vagueness of relativity – a more sure prophetic word (2Peter 1 19).
Tragically, as usual, many in the church world are seeking the approval of men rather than the “well done” of our Lord. Many churches, just as it has been since the beginning, are seeking to be conformed to the present worldview in order to attract a larger audience, rather than being transformed by the renewing of our minds, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (Rom 12:1-2; 2Cor 10:5). Only in this manner can the Church positively impact the world, becoming salt and light in a dark world as Jesus commanded us.
The Liberal theologians, parroting Modernistic Materialistic science, approached the Scriptures in the same way as the empirical scientist with the mind-set: “It is false until evidence requires belief.” Today Atheistic Modernism has given place to the agnosticism of Postmodernism, and Liberal theologians have morphed into today’s Progressives. Progressives do not deny that the Scriptures contain truth; nor do they deny the supernatural. What they do deny is that all Scripture is inspired of God, and that truth can therefore be known with dogmatic certainty. Many even go so far as to deny Jesus’ words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The emergent church of the twenty-first century is once again departing from the faith once and for all delivered to the saints into a sea of relativity that could eventually cause her to take on the form of Mystery Babylon, the harlot church (Rev 17).
The Church of the living God needs to rise up to this opportune hour with a clear word like Elijah crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” We need to build upon the solid foundation of “it is written,” following the example of Jesus and the Apostles. We need to bring the Reformation to perfection, using once again the reformer's theme: Sola Scriptura.” The reformers restored the Scriptures as the foundation of absolute truth, recovering the doctrine of justification by faith and rejecting unbiblical traditions. It is my conviction that, as we go on to complete the reformation which the reformers began (but was side-tracked by Modernism), we will rediscover the doctrine of the final restoration of all, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began, but was lost sight of upon entering into the Dark Ages. (Acts 3:21) (For a more detailed exposition of this subject read my book The Triumph of Mercy.)
The whole of creation awaits the time of the manifestation of the sons of God, the Bride of Christ who is the first-fruits of God’s new creation. Paul says that all creation will be restored at the time of their manifestation (Rom 8:18-23). Obviously the reformation will not have come to completion until all the elect sons of God have finally come to believe that the restoration of all is indeed part of God’s overall plan for the ages, based upon the Scriptures. How are we as sons of God going to be instrumental in the restoration of all and the reconciliation of all, when many of us do not even believe it will take place as promised?
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Are All Sins Equal?
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A catchphrase that has become so common in evangelical circles that many take it as “Bible” is the saying: “All sins are equal in God’s eyes.” If we were to be honest most of us who have used this expression would have to admit that we have mentally appended this outwardly dogmatic statement with an internal interrogative. The idea that all sins are equal goes against our own innate sense of justice. How could the sin of a little child stealing a cookie from the cookie jar be equal to the sin of a grown man raping and murdering a defenseless little girl?
It is true that God’s ways are infinitely higher than our ways and our ability to comprehend them is indeed very elementary. However, His judgments transcend our sense of justice rather than flying in the face of it. Our innate sense of justice is so true to God’s justice that, according to Paul, even a Gentile without the law of God can still discern what is right in such a manner as to leave him without excuse before God (Rom 1:14-16). Jesus rebuked the multitudes for not using their God given ability to judge what is right saying: “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?”
To say that all sins are equal not only defies all sense of justice, but it also contradicts the Scriptures. The Scriptures frequently use comparative language when referring to different sins. In Exodus 32:21 Moses said to Aaron when he saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it: “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” Here we see that there are greater sins and lesser sins. We can also see that it was considered a greater sin in the eyes of God than their murmuring and other prior sins by the severity of His judgmental actions against them.
Numerous prohibitions were given under the law but only a few were so great and abominable that the death sentence was prescribed. Jesus himself indicated that there are degrees of sin when He used comparatives like “the least of the commandments,” and “the weightier matters of the law” (Matt 5:19; 23:23). He said to Pilate, referring to Judas, “The one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin (Jn 19:11). Jesus said that, “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men… either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt 12:31-32). The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not an “unpardonable” sin as many believe, but it is greater than other sins and for that reason Jesus said that it will not be forgiven in the present time nor in the coming age (For more detail on this subject see my book “The Triumph of Mercy”).
We can also see that all sins are not equal before God by looking at the varying degree of punishment for progressive stages of the same sin. For example, in the area of sexual sin, Jesus said that one who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery in his heart. Nevertheless, looking upon a woman is not as great a sin as actually committing the act of adultery. Committing adultery is a very grave, damaging and selfish sin, but it could not be said to be as great as pedophilia, bestiality or sodomy.
We can see from Romans 1 that sodomy is a greater sin than adultery or other forms of fornication because it is a perversion of nature:
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” (Rom 1:24-27)
Some today would argue that sodomy is no greater a sin than any other form of fornication or committing adultery with the opposite sex. However, Paul here shows a cultural descent in a downward spiral which culminates in abandoning the natural heterosexual form of intercourse, practicing or condoning sodomy – men with men, committing what is shameful. Peter also refers to sodomy as filthy conduct:
“and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed (kataponeo: “oppressed, harassed, mistreated”) by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)” (2Peter 2:6-8)
Jesus also compared the time of His Second Coming to the days of Lot. (Luke 17:28) The people of God who are unwilling to compromise their godly convictions in order to accommodate LGBTQIA+ lifestyles are increasingly being subjected to harassment and mistreatment by the gay activists and their sympathizers, just as it was in the days of Lot in Sodom.
Some today would argue that Sodom was not destroyed due to the practice of homosexuality, but rather because of their lack of hospitality. However, Peter characterized their sin as “filthy conduct” which is not a descriptive phrase one would use to describe a lack of hospitality. “Filthy conduct,” just as Paul’s other descriptive terms “against nature” and “that which is shameful” are terms understood by all to be descriptive of sexual perversion and not a lack of hospitality.
The text used by gay activists to argue that Sodom’s sin was inhospitality instead of the sin of homosexuality is Ezekiel 16:49-50 which says:
“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.”
Here, as in Romans chapter one, we see a downward spiral. In this case we see that it began with pride and spiraled into excess, laziness, indifference towards others and then they finally ended up committing the abomination. It was committing the abomination that provoked the severe judgment of the Lord – not a lack of hospitality (“they…committed the abomination...therefore I….”).
What is the abomination they committed? Certainly, it was not inhospitality. In the first place, inhospitality is a sin of omission – not commission. What sin is Sodom historically known to have committed that could be aptly described as an abomination? Homosexuality. That is why sodomy has historically been utilized as a synonym for the homosexual lifestyle.
Lack of hospitality is never referred to in Scripture as an “abomination” requiring the death penalty. God would have been acting outside of His own law if He inflicted the death penalty upon them for failing to show hospitality. The law of God does not prescribe the death penalty for failing to give to the poor, but it does require the death penalty for the abomination of homosexual activity:
“If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death.” (Lev 20:13)
What abomination did Sodom commit that justified their death penalty “as an example?” This phrase “committed an abomination” as it appears here in Hebrew in the singular form is the same as “committed abomination” in Ezequiel 16:50. In all of Scripture the expression “commit abomination” in singular is exclusively used to refer to the homosexual act. Jude, who was one of the brothers of the Lord Jesus, further describes the nature of Sodom’s sin:
“as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 7)
If you were a reader with a bias in favor of the homosexual lifestyle you probably would have stopped reading this blog the moment I first referred to same sex acts as sodomy. However, in the light of what we have seen in these texts, clearly sodomy is a term which aptly characterizes homosexual activity. I believe that in these times at the end of the age we are seeing a repeat of the cultural decline described concerning Sodom in Ezequiel 16:49,50 and in Romans 1:18-32. This same downward spiral was prophesied by Paul in 2Thessalonians 2:9-12. Paul says that, at the close of this age, all who do not receive the love of the truth will fall under a strong deluding influence which will prepare the way for the final deception under the Antichrist:
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Paul said in Romans 1 that: since they did not want to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them up to vile passions. He, in all probability was alluding to Sodom. In 2Thessalonians 2, Paul says essentially the same thing: He will send strong delusion to all those who do not receive the love of the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Scriptures also foretell the present societal intolerance towards sound biblical doctrine and a proclivity towards new and novel “interpretations” of the text in order to accommodate the Scriptures to one’s own sinful desires. This is a very real phenomena which we are witnessing in today’s culture – not only in the world but also within the churches. Paul warned us saying:
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2Tim 4:2-4)
In our days, more than any other time in history, we need to know what God has revealed in His Word and hold fast to it:
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” (2Tim 1:13)
“But hold fast what you have till I come.” (Rev 2:25)
Returning to the focus of this blog, we can now see some of the practical consequences of a seemingly innocent but unbiblical catchphrase like “all sins are equal before God.” All sins are not equal before God. And placing a lustful thought on the same plane as adultery and homosexuality is having a disastrous effect upon modern society and has greatly contributed to the disintegration of the family. A common argument used to justify homosexuality in our present culture is based upon the supposition that all sexual sins are the same. This same erroneous logic could soon easily be applied to incest, pedophilia and bestiality.
If God set Sodom and Gomorra as an example of what will become of a society who gives itself over to “sexual immorality” or “filthy conduct” in defiance against nature and God’s clearly established boundaries, where does that leave us today? Some years back Billy Graham cited a statement made by his late wife, Ruth. She said: “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The question remains as to where the saying: “all sins are equal before God,” originated. Like many other unbiblical phrases used in theological circles, it seems to have originated as an attempt to justify the generic sentence of eternal condemnation upon all the lost, regardless of the magnitude of their sin. It is a common traditional response to those who might ask: “If God is just, why would he sentence the little boy who stole a cookie from the cookie jar to an equally eternal sentence as a grown man who rapes and murders a little girl?”
The response of the traditionalist would be worded in somewhat the following manner: “All sin, no matter how small, is against an infinite and eternal God, and is therefore worthy of an infinite and eternal penalty.” The statement, “all sins are equal,” although unbiblical, is necessary in order for the traditionalist to bolster the doctrine of an equally eternal punishment for every sinner without regard for the greatly varying amounts and degrees of sin between individuals.
However, a generic sentence of eternal punishment for all does not align with the Scriptures. Future punishment as presented by Jesus is of measured duration and in proportion to the offense, rather than infinite and eternal. Jesus said that some will receive many lashes whereas others will receive few lashes (Luke 12:47-48). Many or few lashes are both by their very nature limited in duration. They are also seen to be measured out with a just measurement. Each will be judged according to their works and will receive their part or allotted portion (Luke 12:46; Rev 21:8). A portion is a justly measured sentence according to the works of each one and not infinite. Jesus said that they would not get out until they have paid in full (Matt 5:26; Luke 12:59). If one infinite generic condemnation will be meted out to all without distinction, then why is there any need for a judgment of each individual according to their works? Why does Jesus say that the sentence will be more tolerable for some than for others? (Matt 10:15; Luke 10:14). Why does He say that some will enter the kingdom before others, and that some will be first while others will be last? (Matt 21:31; Luke 13:30).
While all sins are not equal with God, we must also insist along with Scripture that all sin, no matter how small, is unacceptable before God. All have sinned and the wages of sin is death. James says: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). God’s standard is not like a baseball game where you get three strikes before you are out. Some states within the United States have adopted a “three strike” law for repeat offenders. God’s holiness requires perfection. No sin can enter the eternal kingdom of God. Sin will be nonexistent in eternity when God shall be all in all.
Due to the fact that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all, without exception, are in need of the Savior. All of mankind, from the child stealing the cookie from the cookie jar to the man who rapes and murders an innocent child, stand guilty before God. The law was given for the express purpose of revealing our sinful state. The law was given to condemn us. It was the ministry of death and condemnation to all who have placed their hope in self-salvation (2 Cor 3:7,9). Only those who come to recognize their hopeless sinful condition will look to the Savior. Therefore, the law was given as our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Gal 3:24). All, without exception, have “struck out” and need the grace of God that only comes through the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ. The law placed us all under disobedience in order that all might come to Him for mercy:
“For God has committed all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.” (Rom 11:32)
Only in Him can we find justification in spite of our sin, and only in Him can we attain to the sanctified life without which no one shall see the Lord.
While it is true that sin is sin, and all have sinned and equally stand in need of the Savior, we can clearly see that all sins are not the same in God’s eyes. His judgments are just, good, limited, measured and merciful towards the repentant. It is His mercy that is eternal – not His wrath. It is my conviction that the phrase “all sins are equal in the eyes of God” is just one more traditional saying that distorts the true revelation of God, invalidating the Scriptures.