Reflecting on Truth #28
Q: What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?
A: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. . . . Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:16–18, 36)
Why does this matter?
We recall Question 18 of the New City Catechism which asked, “Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?”, to which we answered, “No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.” We were taught in our contemplation of that question that unrepentant sinners have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God, for because of sin the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Hebrews 10:31 tells us that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” We should consider this matter seriously, with soberness and humility, being reminded that if Christ had not saved us from our sin, we ourselves would be “cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever.” This is a fearful and terrifying thought. Scripture makes it very clear that whoever does not believe in the Son is “condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” and that the wrath of God remains on the one who does not obey the Son. There will be eternal and just punishment for those who are not united to Christ by faith in this life.
What does this mean for us?
First and foremost, we should be humble and sober in our reflection. We are, by nature, no better than our non-believing family members, friends, and peers. However, this should not deter us from proclaiming that sin is an abomination, especially to those around us who do not trust in Christ. It is our sin that nailed Christ to the cross. It is because of sin that God’s wrath rests on those outside of Christ. But praise God that He made a way for us to be saved. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We contributed nothing to our salvation except the sin that made salvation necessary in the first place. We give all praise, honor, and glory to God for our salvation accomplished in Christ Jesus.
Second, we ought to proclaim the truth and reality of hell with boldness and clarity. There are many today who attempt to convince themselves and the world that hell is not real. The primary reason that we should believe in the reality of hell is because the Word of God tells us so. However, there are theological reasons why we should consider the biblical teaching of hell seriously. The existence of hell helps us to better understand the nature and consequences of sin, and the reality of hell also helps us to better understand, and appreciate, the meaning of the cross. We cannot understand the depths of God’s love until we grapple with the reality of God’s wrath, for his wrath flows from his love, his righteousness, his holiness, and his justice.
Third, we are reminded that the wrath of God was poured out on Christ for undeserving sinners like you and me. Christ experienced hell for us, he endured the full cup of God’s wrath upon himself for us. It is for this reason that Paul exclaims in doxology that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Let us praise our mighty and awesome God who loves us and who gave his own Son up for us! This is the good news of Christ. The world needs to hear that there is a way to be reconciled to God and saved from our sin: repent and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Our God is an awesome and mighty God, and his wrath remains on those who do not repent of their sin and turn to Christ. May we yearn to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of Christ to those around us, that by God’s grace they may be saved and reconciled to their Creator.