What I Really Meant to Say

Hebrews 9:27

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes love,

Now it doesn't take an expert in theology or hermeneutics to recognize what is wrong in the above scripture. But for the sake of those who are young in the faith, I'll give you a few more seconds....

Got it yet? Of course you do! Judgment has been replaced by the word love. That little four letter word makes all the difference in the world in that verse. Wouldn't it be great to die and then just be loved? Unfortunately, God's Word does, in fact say judgment in Hebrews 9:27. The Greek word used here is krisis. It means: decision(subjectively or objectively, for or against);by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice(especially divine law):-accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.

No love to be found in this verse no matter how much we want it to be there. R.C. Sproul has a great quote. “You are required to believe, to preach, and to teach what the Bible says is true, not what you want the Bible to say is true.” Why all the fuss you might ask? Well more and more the gospel message is being watered down with a "love only" message and a "Love Wins" mindset. This dangerous line of thinking erases words like judgment and hell from peoples thoughts, cares, and fears. Granted, many get carried away with wrath and judgment, all the while ignoring love and grace. Of course there has to be a balance. But listen, if your child is running towards a speeding bus, you will not calmly say "Stop. We love you. Come back to us." I hope that you would run, frantically screaming, warning the child about the bus and their imminent death. I would. Charles Spurgeon said, "If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

And that's what we have to do with lost sinners. Implore them, warn them, pray for them. There is no reason to run from love to love. There is plenty of reason to run from judgment under the Law of God into the loving arms of Jesus Christ however. Let's look at another commonly overlooked verse in the gospel of John. See how fast you can spot the error.

John 3:36

English Standard Version (ESV)

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the love of God remains on him.

The love of God does not remain on an unregenerate sinner no matter how much we want to believe that. The verse actually says that it is God's wrath that remains. How the church body has gotten so far away from the actual message is beyond me. We broke God's Law, Jesus paid our fine. False gospels abound in spite of the actual biblical message. Yet none of these false gospels do anyone any good for they are no gospel at all(Galatians 1:5-7). If we go around not giving people the whole story, we are no better than the cults, who by the way, are way more obedient to spreading their news than the church is of sharing the good news of Jesus.

People love themselves enough to last them a lifetime. It's part of our fallen state. To reinforce that they are loved by God in their current condition could only serve to uphold their own self-righteousness. Sinners need to be brought to conviction under God's Law so that they will be humbled and broken by their sin. They need to see their need for a Savior. They need a reason to run. Telling them that God loves them the way they are encourages them to nestle comfortably in their sin. It allows them to continue enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. If they die in that sin, whether we want God's Word to say it or not, these sinners will end up in Hell. For an eternity they get to think about the person who told them that God loved them as they burn continually. Wow. What a thought huh? We don't have a lot of time on this Earth. For the glory of God, let's at least get the gospel right while we are here. The bus is coming. It's out of control. The child is running. Your choice. Tell him he's loved or tell him he's about to die an awful death. Think about it.

Hebrews 9:27

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,