Introduction:
Over the past two months, we have allowed single questions
to take up our question and answer session.
During this lesson, we will get back to answering more than
one. In fact, we have
three questions to deal with.
Discussion:
I.
Are there degrees of punishment in hell and reward in
heaven?
A.
We will first address degrees of punishment?
Will a person receive greater punishment for worse sin?
I believe the answer to that question is, “No” and
“Yes.” Allow me
to explain.
1.
Despite our concept of lesser and greater sins, the Bible
does not rank sin. While
some sins have a greater impact in our world – serial murder
versus a little white lie, every sin has the exact same impact
spiritually on our souls.
a.
Romans
3:23 says
we have all sinned, falling short of God’s glory.
The issue is not how sins compare to one another but how
they compare to God’s glory.
Every sin falls short.
b.
Isaiah
59:1-3
says our sins separate us from God, whether they are the sins of
shedding blood or the sins of telling lies and muttering
perversity.
c.
Romans
6:23
says the wages of every sin is death.
Whether we have lied or murdered, we have become worthy of
death.
2.
However, the scriptures indicate that some will endure a
greater punishment than others.
But this difference is not based on how awful we believe
the sin to be, but on the extent of the person’s knowledge.
Notice the following passages.
a.
II
Peter 2:20-22
declares it would be better for a person to never know the way of
righteousness than to have known it and abandoned it.
b.
Luke
12:47-48
indicates our punishment will be based on our knowledge.
To him who knew but did not obey, many stripes will be
given. But few
stripes will be given to him who sinned but was unaware.
The key for us is that whether we knew or did not know, we
will still be punished. I
do not want to be in even the coolest spot in hell.
Do you?
B.
Are there degrees of reward in heaven?
1.
To answer this question, we need to consider what allows
any of us to go to heaven? Do
any of us earn the reward of heaven?
Absolutely not. We
enter heaven by God’s grace through Jesus Christ (Ephesians
2:8-9). None of
us has any reason to boast (Romans 4:1-4). According to Luke 17:7-10, when we have done
everything we ought to have done, we can only claim to be
unprofitable servants. We
all enter heaven by the same grace.
Since it is by grace for all of us, none of us can expect a
greater reward than any other.
2.
Do not believe that means you may be a lazy, non-growing
Christian. II
Peter 1:5-11 demonstrates that we must diligently grow in
Christ to receive the kingdom of God.
If we are lazy, half-hearted, uncommitted, non-growing
Christians we will not receive the same reward as our brethren.
We will receive the greatest number of stripes because we
knew better but did not grow (Luke 12:47-48).
II.
What does it mean that Michael the archangel did not bring
a reviling accusation against the devil in Jude 8-9?
A.
As Jude wrote to warn faithful Christians to keep an
eye out for certain men who would creep into the church secretly,
turning God’s grace into a cloak for immorality and in reality
denying the Father and the Son (Jude 4-5), he used Michael
the archangel as an example of proper behavior.
One of the main problems sinners have is not understanding
the meaning of authority (I am not speaking about establishing
biblical authority, but rather of the concepts of positions of
authority). Just as
the angels of Jude 6 and Korah of Jude 11 did not
understand what it meant to be under someone else’s authority,
people who want to sin despise true authority and make themselves
out to be the only authority.
B.
Michael the archangel stands as a stark contrast to
this. Consider who
Michael is – not only an angel, but an archangel, that is, a
ruling angel. Michael himself is in a position of authority among the
angels. However, he
has a very clear understanding of the limits of his authority.
The term for “reviling” is blasphemia
which means “blasphemy, verbal abuse against someone which
denotes the very worst type of slander …”
The term for “accusation” is krisis which means a “decision …; by extension, a
tribunal; by implication, justice … accusation, condemnation,
damnation, judgment.”
Despite how much Michael may have wanted to pronounce some
kind of judgment against Satan, he knew that was not his place.
God is the judge. God
is the avenger. God
is the punisher.
C.
That is not to say that Michael had no authority to
declare that Satan was wrong and would be judged. In fact, that is exactly what he did, pointing out that God
would rebuke Satan, charging and judging Him for his evil.
D.
The point of Michael’s example is that we must
recognize our place in the scheme of authority. We are not the judges, God is.
We cannot pronounce judgment on anyone, God does that.
All we can do is exactly what Michael did.
We can point people to what God has said He will do.
We can let people see God’s Word.
If they reject and despise it, then while we do not
dispense the official judgment that condemns people to hell, we
must certainly let them know that the Lord will rebuke them.
Remember, they do not need us to judge them, Jesus’ word,
which they have rejected, judges them (John 12:48).
III.
What kind of distressing spirit did God send Saul (I
Samuel 16:14-15, 23)?
A.
This passage has caused consternation among Christians
because the King James translated the phrase “evil spirit.”
The immediate conclusion is that God sent a spiritual being
to cause problems for Saul, but what is disconcerting is that He
used an evil one.
B.
However, as the New King James translates this passage the
question is a little easier for us.
The “spirit” is not evil in the sense of morally wrong,
demonic and satanic. Rather,
it is evil in the sense that it is distressing.
It does not cause good things, but negative things.
Thus, God did not use evil, wicked, sinful means to reach
His ends. Instead, He
caused Saul to be distressed.
C.
Going further, however, are we actually seeing a picture of
God sending a spiritual being to harass Saul?
The term translated “spirit” (ruwach) is used in
numerous ways throughout scripture.
Certainly, in I Kings 22:21, it was used to describe
a spiritual being. In Genesis 1:2, it referred directly to the Holy
Spirit. In Genesis
7:15, to the breath of life.
In Genesis 8:1, it is a wind.
In Genesis 26:35, it referred to the mind of Isaac
and Rebekah. In Genesis
41:8, it spoke of the inner part of a man and it was troubled.
In Exodus 28:3, it spoke of a tabernacle worker
having a spirit of wisdom. In
Numbers 5:14, it referred to a spirit of jealousy.
In Numbers 14:24, it spoke of Caleb having a
different spirit than the other spies.
In I Samuel 1:15, Hannah had a sorrowful spirit.
With all these possibilities, we would certainly be amiss
to simply assume God sent a spiritual being to Saul.
D.
This text is making a play on words.
God’s Spirit was no longer with Saul as it had been in
the past (I Samuel 10:10; 11:6).
Instead, Saul was plagued with a distressed or evil spirit.
Instead of having the comfort, strength and peace that
comes with being supported by God, Saul had the anguish and
anxiety that comes with being abandoned by God.
I believe the text is claiming that Saul was dealing with
bouts of depression.
E.
I have two reasons for this.
The first is textual.
That is, in Judges 9:23, the same terms are used for
“evil spirit” (KJV). There the term clearly refers to the mindset that Abimelech
and the men of Shechem had toward one another.
The second is contextual.
According to I Samuel 16:23, Saul could overcome his
distressing spirit through music.
If the distressing spirit was a spirit inhabiting Saul, he
could not overcome it through these means but would need to have a
miraculous intervention. I
am mindful of the time that the disciples tried to remove a spirit
from a man and failed, Jesus said it would only be removed by
prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).
Conclusion:
I
certainly hope this has been helpful to you. Please,
remember that you can submit questions at any time by filling out
the form on the phone table by my office and placing it in the
appropriate box.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
Franklin
Church of Christ
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