In John 3, we see the
jewel of John encased within the framework of Jn 3:16, For God so loved the world. the most terrifying warning is found in the same chapter twenty verses
down in Jn 3:36, the wrath of God. These attributes are humanly perceived as “polar opposites” of the
nature of God, but the Holy Spirit through inspiration reveals that there is
absolutely no conflict between the love of God and the wrath of God!
If it appears unnatural or incongruent, love versus wrath, we
are declaring this, not the inspired text. There are two groups of people found
in the book of John: the receiver (has everlasting
life) group (Jn 1:12) and the rejecter (the
wrath of God abides on him) group (cf. Jn
12:37). Jn 3:36 sums up the fate of both. Both of these are in effect. The one
who believes (Gk, pisteuo) has everlasting
life (referring to spiritual life [Gk., zoe] right now
and forever.
For the one who does not believe (Gk, apeitheo), the
wrath of God abides on him, right now. He or she will not
see spiritual life (Gk., zoe).
The former is a permanent spiritual condition; the latter is conditional,
meaning that if this person willing chooses to believe in Jesus Christ (whoever
believes in Him, Jn 3:16) shall not
perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16, NASB), but if a person dies in
disbelief, it is understood he or she shall perish and the terror of all
terrors (the wrath of God) abides on
them for an eternity, hence, permanent!
We will see just how crucial free will is on this side of eternity.
We can make the argument that if a person believes right now it is permanent,
then the same is true of a person who does not believe currently is a permanent
condition also. However, that contradicts Jn 3:16 (NASB), whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,
as well as a host of other verses. What seals his or her destiny is not the
circumstances of life but the choice that is made concerning Jesus Christ in the here and now.
Those who receive Him have eternal life; those who reject Him do
not. The choice cannot be any clearer (cf. 1 Jn 5:12). The verbs, has and abides,
are in the Greek present tense. It implies a continuation of an action, usually
associated with duration, practice, habit, lifestyle, etc. It is not merely a
point of action, and that’s it, but it is a series of consecutive actions, not
intermittent, hit-or-miss kind of thing but consistency.
In the context of Jn 3:36, the verbs, has and abides, are
literally unending, has everlasting life and the
wrath of God abides, respectively. Stating the obvious, the
former is highly desirable; the latter is highly undesirable. The former leads
to heaven; the latter leads to a diametrically opposite locality: hell, a
temporary holding tank, and eventually, being divinely shifted over to the final and
eternal disposition of all without Christ, the lake of fire, following the
great white throne judgment.
For those who think of themselves as “inbetweeners,” thinking
they are in neither group of receiving or rejecting (still searching for
answers, sorting things out, finding themselves in the scheme of things,
sinning up to the last possible moment, etc), you will be hard-pressed to find
a third group. Undecided falls within the rejecting group unless he or she
shifts to the receiving group. People disagree with this and charge people like us who
believe this as being “judgmental and self-righteous,” but this is what the New Testament teaches!
Nonetheless, there is no relative group according to Jn 3:36. If
you are still undecided, know this, if you die without the Holy Spirit,
you will most certainly wind up in a place where you really don’t want to go!
There is no recourse after physical death, only before. Up to this point, since
everyone has died but two people (Enoch and Elijah), there is a pretty good
chance you are going to physically die, too!
Should the rapture take place in the meantime and the Holy
Spirit is not living within your heart, you will miss that great translation
with all the others who think there is a third group. A contrived purgatory
construct or a second chance does not exist either. There is no netherworld
between heaven and hell for those with unsettled business with
God. Let me reword this that parallels the truth of John 3:36,
He who has the Holy Spirit has eternal life, but he who does not
have the Holy Spirit will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Now, let’s read Rom 8:9b, NASB, But
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Presently speaking, the person who does not have the
Holy Spirit is the natural man of 1 Cor 2:14. Jude
described Paul’s natural man as sensual
persons…having not the Spirit (natural – sensual are
translated from the same Gk word, psuchikos), Jude 1:19. The NASB
describes the natural or sensual man this way, ones
who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
Right now, for those without the Holy Spirit living within their hearts, the
wrath of God abides (Jn 3:36). Should they die in that spiritual
condition, it is a neverlasting life and everlasting death, or eternal
spiritual separation from God or what is referred to as the second death.
This is literally the sum of all fears. To truly believe is the
greatest quantum leap anyone will ever make this side of eternity, being
spiritually transported from abject darkness into the glorious light of God
(contrast 2 Cor 4:4). Bar none, there is no greater decision than asking Christ
to come into your life, being a part of the receiving group forever!
I realize people wrestle with Yahweh being a God of love and a
God of wrath. People ignorantly cry out, “My god doesn’t send people to hell
for he is a god of love.” Consider the source; for those in spiritual darkness
cause divisions; they are worldly-minded, and they are devoid of the Holy Spirit.
The only conflict seen between the love of God and the wrath of God is that
which exists solely in our finite minds, being defined by corrupt logic. God is
not bound by human logic.
Personally, I find it impossible to wrap my arms around God having no beginning, but I am not going to go against the teaching of Scripture
by saying, “There’s no way!” based on a belief that all things, animate and
inanimate have a beginning. The inspired texts declare these truths of God, but
man arrogantly interjects his opinion and arbitrates on whether this is true or
not, highly unwise. I work from a worldview that believes the Word of God to be the
absolute and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
All of God’s attributes or perfections are in harmony with one
another. There are no contradictions, inconsistencies, competitions, or
conflicts between his known and unrevealed attributes or qualities (based on the foregoing). All of
God’s attributes are holy, infinite, unchanging, eternal, and so much more.
I would go so far as to say there is no hierarchy of His
perfections or proportionalities of His attributes. In other words, if we
could, theoretically, see a pie chart of Yahweh, it would be unique for there
are no slices divvying up the pie. He is the great I AM: I AM holy; I AM
infinite; I AM immutable; I AM eternal; I AM wrath; I AM love; I AM omnipotent;
I AM omniscient; I AM omnipresent; I AM omnisapient, et al. There are no
layers. In other words, there is no bottom layer or top layer or in between
layers, suggesting hierarchy, lesser to greater or greater to lesser.
Imagine His omnipresence, for instance. Given the immensity of
the known universe, since God is omnipresent, He is with me; in fact, He
promised never to leave you or me (Heb 13:5), and He is all there with each
one of us! Glory to God! This is true of every believer in the world. How can
that be!? How can He be all there everywhere?
I cannot explain this paradox, but this is what He has promised
to all who have the Holy Spirit within them. He is not keeping in touch via
angels; He is here with us, living within and around us! I have all of
the Person of the Holy Spirit living within me, and so do you if you belong to
Him! How can that be!? His known attributes are just the tip of the iceberg of
jaw-dropping things to come in glory!
Are you a receiver or a rejecter? For those who have received
Jesus Christ, John declares,
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name (Jn
1:12).
This is so cool! What is not cool at all, figuratively or
literally, is this,
He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abides on him (Jn 3:36b). This
is the unbelieving way of the rejecter, one who does not have the Holy Spirit
living within them.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever (Psa
23:6).
Now, that’s the life of a receiver in the here and now, and I’m
loving every bit of it because I was given that right by Jesus to become a
child of God since I asked Him to come into my heart, taking that wrath-weight
right off of me, and He will for you, too, but you have to receive Him into your heart! Just remember,
there’s something for everyone: heaven for the receivers and hell for the
rejecters. <><
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