The Gospel Way Catechismنموونە

QUESTION 28: What Happens to Those Who Oppose God?

ANSWER

God will one day purge the world of evil and establish righteousness on earth. Those who oppose God will experience eternal judgment—an everlasting fate apart from him, where his life and light are no more.

John Lennon’s 1971 song “Imagine” invites us to envision a world without heaven and hell, where living for today is all that matters. This anthem captures the spirit of the post-1960s era of questioning traditional beliefs and values. “Imagine” wants a world of peace and harmony, but it’s hard to see how such a world could exist apart from some notion of fairness and justice. Lennon’s vision eliminates heaven and hell but leaves us without answers for life’s brokenness. Some of the very people who express frustration with God for not making everything right in this world right away also despise any notion of God executing judgment on evil.

Christianity offers a refreshing and startling word to a world that imagines life without eternal consequences. To the one who longs for justice and yet doesn’t think God should judge, Christianity says: You can’t have it both ways.

The Bible acknowledges the present world’s injustices but points to a future where all wrongs will be righted, justice will prevail, and God will hold all accountable. This is why in the Old Testament, when the psalmist talks about the judgment of God, he rejoices (Psalm 96). Not because he is filled with contempt for others or thinks he deserves eternal life, but because he wants to see justice enacted, the oppressed delivered, and the world restored. Likewise, in the New Testament, the truth of King Jesus returning to this world to judge the living and the dead brings great comfort to all who are persecuted (2 Timothy 4:1).

Deep down, we want God to make the world right. We want God to fix everything. We want a world of perfect justice. But our desire for perfection runs into a point of contradiction. If God eradicates evil and establishes a perfect world, where does that leave us? We not only suffer under the fallenness of this world; we’ve done our share of contributing to it. Even though we long for God to right everything in the world, we must acknowledge we’re part of what is wrong with the world.

God’s ultimate plan is to restore his good creation now marred by sin. To do so, God must and will eradicate evil from the world and establish perfect righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). This means, all who oppose God and remain on the side of evil will face eternal judgment, a truth that highlights the gravity of rebellion against God.

Eternal judgment is the consequence of opposing God. Turning our backs on God is what separates us from God’s life and light. Many people today struggle with the idea of hell and the images Jesus used to describe this everlasting fate. But we should receive the warnings of Scripture as an expression of God’s love, a warning to us that the act of severing ourselves from God, the source of life, results in eternal death. Uprooting ourselves from the soil leaves only the scorching heat to wither us eternally. Only in Christ, the True Vine, is life to be found.

Sin leads to severing, and this separation underscores the severity of the choice to rebel against the Creator and Judge. In the final judgment, righteousness and goodness will prevail. That’s why now is the time to recognize the gravity of sin, turn from sin to Jesus in faith, and be safe with him on that day when he returns to execute justice (John 3:36).

Reflection Questions

Why do you think many people today struggle with accepting the idea of final judgment and hell? Explore the cultural and philosophical reasons behind the resistance to these concepts and how they contrast with the biblical view of justice and eternal judgment.

How does the holiness on display in the final judgment shape our present understanding of mercy? Reflect on how an awareness of our sinfulness and need for redemption shapes our perception of God’s judgment and the profound mercy offered through Christ’s sacrifice.