The Gospel & Salvation: Eternal Consequences of Sin

Eternal Consequences of Sin

Selected Scriptures

 It is good to be back in the pulpit this morning. I love you and I love teaching you God’s word. It was a blessing to be able to be gone last week and to have the opportunity to perform my grandson’s wedding ceremony. Thanks to Matthew for filling in for me. Let’s begin with the reading of a passage today that will focus us on the subject of our message. This message will be much more topical in nature than most I preach. Revelation 20 is the passage I want to read to set the stage. We have been looking extensively at the first book of the Bible to see the beginnings of the problem of sin. Let’s look at the end of the Bible and see the final results that will come to all sinners. Read Revelation 20.

We are continuing our series on the gospel and salvation today. We will be looking at the eternal consequences of sin in our message today. Let me give a very brief overview of what we have learned so far. We began with an introductory message during which I explained why we need this teaching. Many people have been misled regarding the work of salvation. The modern gospel presentation sometimes misleads. Too much is at stake when it comes to our eternal destiny. We need this teaching so as to do all we can to make sure that each one of you knows for certain that you have believed a biblical gospel message and have experienced a genuine spiritual birth. There are so many deceptive counterfeits to the true work of salvation.

We have looked extensively at Genesis 3 to see where the problems for mankind all began. Our problem is sin. Salvation is not offered to deliver us from a meaningless or purposeless existence. It isn’t offered to make us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Salvation’s work isn’t primarily intended to make us happy. Salvation delivers us from our greatest problem, which is sin. We learned in our first message that sin is defined as failure to live up to God’s moral code. God’s moral code requires that we love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Jesus gave us this succinct description of God’s law. And we saw that sin resulted from the failure of the first couple to love God to that degree. If they had, they never would have entertained the questions of the serpent that led to the Fall of mankind into sin. Sin is any failure to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and live up to God’s moral code.

Having established the cause of sin we have, since then, been looking at the consequences of sin. It is important to understand just how devastating sin has been, and still is. We learned of the spiritual consequences of sin. Sinners are alienated from God. Adam and Eve went from innocence to sinful and as a result they ran from the presence of God. They knew evil and they knew they were sinful. In their shame they tried to cover their nakedness. They wanted nothing to do with God. They illustrate to us the reality that our only hope for reconciliation comes from the fact that God graciously seeks the sinner and He offers the solution to man’s sinful condition.

We saw the relational consequences. Sin brought about God’s curse on the first couple. The woman was cursed with increased fertility and multiplied pain in childbirth. Struggles and conflict would result from her desire to control her husband and his dominion as the one who would rule over her. This is why relationships are hard. Sin is at the heart of every relational conflict. As sinners we are experts at blaming everyone or everything else for our actions.

Two weeks ago we looked at the natural consequences of sin. There was the curse on the serpent. The serpent was just a tool Satan used to embody to carry out his hateful scheme. Yet the serpent was cursed to crawl on his belly and eat dust as long as it exists. All other natural consequences of the Fall on the created order will be reversed when Christ reigns on earth. The lion and the lamb will lie down together. The predator and prey will eat straw side by side. But the serpent will still crawl on its belly. We also saw the natural consequences related to man’s struggle to work hard and scratch out a living from the dirt. The most telling of the natural consequences is that of death. Man returns to the dust from which he was taken.

Last week Matthew taught on the generational consequences of sin. He delivered a very important message. The generational consequences reveal that none of us is exempt from the effects of sin. The first couple was corrupted by sin. All you need to do to see the generational consequences is look at their first child. He became a calloused murderer who killed his own brother. Chapter 5 of Genesis gives further evidence of the spread of sin’s generational consequences because as you read of the descendants of Adam, the most often repeated statement is, “and he died.” Death reigned from Adam until this present time.

The generational impact of sin continued to be evidenced in Genesis 6. Verse 5 says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” God’s destruction of evil in the Flood did not solve the sin problem. It wasn’t long after Noah and his sons exited the Ark before sin again rears its ugly head in Ham, Noah’s youngest son. It wasn’t long before the corruption of sin produced the events at Babel. 

The Old Testament is full of evidence regarding Paul’s statement in Romans 5:12. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:18 adds, “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men…” There is more to that verse that must be discussed later. But the point is that all of us stand condemned as sinners because we are descendants of Adam. Romans 5:19 further emphasizes this by saying, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners.” This is Paul’s commentary on the generational consequences of Adam’s sin. 

The result of the generational consequences is that Adam’s guilt was imparted to us and imputed to us. We are all guilty by virtue of our relationship to him. If that does not sound like it is fair to you, be very careful. If you are a true Christian, you are counted righteous by the very same law of imputation. You are credited with the righteousness of Christ. You are given credit for His perfect, sinless life. This is the only way you can stand before a holy God and not be condemned. If we think it is unfair that we are counted guilty because of Adam’s sin, we must also consider it unfair that we would be counted righteous because of Christ’s righteousness. The generational consequences of sin reveal that there is none who has escaped the corruption of sin. Therefore, there is none who is not in need of the cure for the corruption.

The consequence we are going to look at today drives this point home even more dramatically. Today I want to talk about the eternal consequences of sin. These are perhaps the most difficult of all consequences to accept because the eternal consequences of sin cannot be understood apart from the reality of hell. The word “hell” is a favorite by-word of many people. I hear athletes declare a great performance in a contest as “a hell of a game.” While it may be many people’s favorite by-word, it is not the favorite topic of everyone. Whether we like it or not, and regardless of whether we accept it or not, hell is the eternal reality for all who die without the work of salvation.

Turn to Matthew 24:51, 25:30, 25:46. These are just a few of the many places Jesus describes the reality of hell. He said more about hell than He did about heaven.

Hell is a place of conscious punishment for all unredeemed sinners. It is a real place characterized by weeping and gnashing of teeth. This indicates that there will be a great deal of sorrow and regret. The weeping results from the sorrow of finding one’s self in that awful place. The weeping is the product of the regrets of those who did not concern themselves with their spiritual needs until it was too late. There will be weeping and sorrow resulting from the realization that millions were deceived regarding their true spiritual condition. The gnashing of teeth indicates that hell is a place of suffering and agony. Matthew 25:41 describes the outcome of the judgment of Christ at the final judgment. To the condemned He will say, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Hell is an eternal place with an eternal fire. Mark 9:48 records the words of Jesus as He describes hell as the place, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

Revelation 14 describes the fate of those who worship the beast and receive the mark on his forehead or hand. Verse 10 says, “he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Verse 11 continues, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 20:10 tells us this torment goes on day and night forever and ever.

The eternal consequence of sin is not a joyful topic to study. To be honest, it is a disturbing topic. In fact, it is so disturbing that many evangelicals have rejected the idea of eternal consequences. Kirk Cameron is the most recent of popular religious personalities to adopt a position regarding eternal damnation that is not consistent with the Scriptures and specifically the teaching of Jesus. This is also the position of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 

Because Mr. Cameron couldn’t reconcile the idea of eternal punishment with the concept of God as a loving God, he embraced the idea of annihilationism. This is the belief that after enough time has passed for sinners to have satisfied the wrath of God, God will ultimately destroy them so they no longer have an existence. This is necessary, they believe, because eternal punishment would be disproportionate for sins committed in a person’s lifetime. They don’t see this as something a loving God would do. So, they take some verses that speak of the destruction of the wicked to mean that the wicked will not suffer eternally, but will be destroyed so as to exist no more. This cannot be reconciled with Scripture.

One of the ways in which man was created in the image of God was the fact that we were created as eternal beings. We have a soul that will exist forever. If this is not true, then Christ cannot save us for eternity. He can only save us for as long as we exist. How long will that be? If the soul of the children of God will be eternally saved, it doesn’t make any sense to say that the souls of the condemned will only be condemned for a limited amount of time.

As for the argument that eternal punishment for the sins of a lifetime are disproportionate, and inconsistent with the nature of a loving God, the argument could be made that any judgment and punishment for sin would be inconsistent with the nature and character of a loving God. This is a slippery slope that leads us to the conclusion that God accepts us all, regardless of our sin. This is the heresy of universalism, or the idea that God saves everyone.

If sinners are annihilated, then what kind of punishment would there truly be for sin. Where there is no real punishment for sin, sin is actually encouraged and incentivized. Why would a holy God, who commands us to be holy as He is holy, incentivize sinful behavior, which is exactly what annihilationism would seem to advocate.

As unattractive as the reality of eternal consequences might be, we cannot dismiss it just because we don’t like the idea of a conscious, eternal, horrible place of suffering and pain. The Bible makes too strong an argument for the reality of it. And, we must not forget that God does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11 says, “As I live! Declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.’ ‘Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” When Jesus saw the certainty of the destruction of Jerusalem, He lamented in Matthew 23:37, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold your house is left to you desolate!”

As much as we might not like some things that are in the Bible, they are no less true. We must never dismiss what God has ordained and given in Scripture. Scripture is right! We must never loose sight of the fact that all that God does is just, and holy, and righteous. There is no unrighteousness in Him at all. If He has determined that eternal consequences are the just punishment of sinners, then what He has determined and decreed is true and righteous altogether.

1 Peter 1:17 tells us that God our Father is the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work. This verse tells us that not only is God’s judgment impartial, it is personal. His judgment is impartially applied to each and every individual, according to our conduct and work. Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 2:2 says, “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.”

Romans 2:11 says, “For there is no partiality with God.” Romans 2:16 reveals that God’s judgment will include the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. Even those things that are not publically known will be exposed when God judges even the secrets of men. We will not even be able to offer a defense. Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.” The final judgment will be the ultimate affirmation of God’s justice. No one will be able to complain against Him. Revelation 19:2 tells us that His judgments are true and righteous.

It really should come as a surprise to no one that God will judge mankind and punish all sin where ever it is found. God has consistently judged and destroyed sinners. He judged the first sinners with the curses we have studied and the ultimate sentence of death. He destroyed all but eight with a worldwide flood. He scattered the idolaters of Babel. He sent fire and brimstone raining down on the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. He ordered the utter destruction of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan when Israel conquered and possessed the Promised Land. He later judged Israel for their unfaithfulness sending them into captivity of their enemies. God judges and condemns sinners.

The most astounding example of God’s faithfulness to execute judgment is seen at the Cross of Calvary. God poured out His wrath, and fully punished sin, when He executed His own Son by means of the cruelest form of death that has been devised by man. God judged and condemned His own Son and put Him to death on a Roman Cross. It wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours. The outcome of every individual’s final judgment depends on his or her response to what God did through Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Turn with me to Luke 16 for the next few minutes. From this passage we are going to make a few observations about the eternal consequences of sin. Read Luke 16:19-31. We don’t have enough time left for an in-depth look at this, but we can make a few observations. Jesus taught in parables a lot. A parable is an earthly story with a spiritual message. I don’t personally believe this is a parable. If it is a parable it is the only one in which Jesus gives the name of an individual. I think this is an actual account of something only Jesus would have known.

The first thing to note is that the eternal consequences are inevitable. The first thing we see is that there were two men with completely opposite circumstances in life, but both died. Eternal consequences are inevitable because we are all going to die. Hebrews 6:27 tells us that it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.

Upon the death of these two men they immediately went to two different places. The fact that the rich man went to a place of torment, and that the poor man went into Abraham’s bosom would have been shocking to the Jews who were hearing Jesus teach this truth, especially the religious leaders. They were all wealthy and convinced that their wealth was a sign of God’s favor and blessing. They would have been equally convinced that the poverty and physical plight of Lazarus would have been confirmation that he was cursed of God. According to their belief system, the rich man was rich because he was righteous and pleasing to God. Lazarus was poor and sick because he was a wretched sinner. When Jesus described their eternal destinies there would have been a collective gasp of horror among those listening.

We can also learn from this account that the eternal consequences are distinguishable. There is a favorable outcome and a very undesirable outcome. Lazarus was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. According to verse 25 this was a place of comfort. The destiny of the rich man was a place of torment. He was in agony in the flame. He was begging Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water so he could cool off his tongue. Please note that nothing is mentioned by Jesus about Purgatory. It is not a biblical doctrine. It is a fabrication of the Catholic Church. It is a false doctrine that gives a false hope. Once your eternal destiny has been determined, there are only two options. The only two options are heaven or hell.

I must point out that the rich man is in a place of torment and suffering agony in the flame, but he is not in the place of final judgment that we read about in Revelation 20. That is the lake of fire that will be the eternal destiny of the sinner. Hades is the temporary abode of the dead until the time of the final judgment. Conversely, the Scriptures teach us that when the redeemed die, they are taken into the presence of God. The fact that Moses and Elijah were present at the Transfiguration of Jesus reveals that they were not confined to Hades or Sheol until a later time. Paul stated that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

The next thing we see from this passage is that eternal consequences are irreversible. Verse 26 reveals the presence of a great chasm fixed that prevents any change in the eternal consequence. It was impossible for Lazarus to go to the rich man and it was impossible for the rich man to leave the place of torment. Their eternal destiny was permanent. There was no way to reverse the consequences. There was no reprieve from the suffering. There was no hope. The hopelessness of hell will only serve to compound the sorrow and regret.

There is one more point to be made from this passage. It is that the consequences of sin are avoidable. This is really good news. It is about time for some good news. It is about time to turn the corner in this series on the gospel and the work of salvation. I think this point in this passage in Luke 16 is a good turning point. It was the turning point for the rich man but it was too late for him. The rich man came to understand the spiritual consequences of his sin. He was separated from God, even though he thought he was right with God.

The rich man understood the relational consequences of sin. These had come to light in the way he had viewed the poor man at his gate and had neglected to love his neighbor as himself. The natural consequences of his sin had come to light because he had died. He also understood the generational consequences because he knew his brothers had the same sin problem he had. He now understood the eternal consequences of his sin and that there was no escape.

But the rich man also realized that the eternal consequences could be avoided. He wanted his brothers warned so they would not also come to the place of torment. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his brothers. The rich man also understood what it would take for his brothers to avoid the place of torment.  They would have to be persuaded to repent. He hoped that if someone went to them from the dead they would listen to one such as this and they would repent.

Abraham agreed that it was possible to avoid the eternal consequences of sin. He also said that people won’t listen and be persuaded to repent because someone rises from the dead. What they needed to hear was the message of Moses and the Prophets.

Moses gives us the Law. Moses reveals God’s moral code. As we move forward in this series we are going to learn much more about the role of God’s Law. It is, as Paul tells us in Galatians, the tutor that leads us to Christ. The rich man’s brothers also had the prophets. Isaiah and others tell of the Suffering Servant who would come and be crushed for the iniquity of us all.

Moses points to the need for a Savior. The Prophets tell us of the coming of that Savior. The Gospels record for us the life and work of our Savior. The letters to the churches tell us of the great work of salvation accomplished through faith in that Savior. We will continue to look at the gospel message and the work of salvation by which we are saved from the eternal consequences of sin.

Let’s pray.