Blammo said:
jim,
It seems obvious to me that christians will be chastened for disobedience. However, I have to ask, do you and your church believe christians who are not good enough in this life will burn in hell for a thousand years during the millenial reign of Christ?
There are two parts to your question.
1. No. My church does not believe what you have presented. But we do believe that the Christian will be severely chastised at the JSOC who was a wicked and slothful servant. In fact we heard just such a message this past Sunday morning. What that chastisement looks like varies amongst us. Our Pastor leans towards loss and impoverishment. Others lean toward exclusion from the Kingdom. Still others have not even considered the subject. We are an IFB KJV church. So, to answer the first part which you listed second, we as a body are as varied on this subject as Baptists can be since we hold to the doctrine of liberty of conscience.
2. As for myself, I have already stated in other threads of this nature, I am still undecided. There are very good arguments for the doctrine to which you refer. OTOH, there are also good arguments against it. I lean toward the picture which Jesus gave us here;
Mt 25:26
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mt 25:27
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Mt 25:28
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mt 25:29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Mt 25:30
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Some have argued that 'outer darkness' is indeed hell. I don't know where this place is but I do believe it will not be in heaven, nor will it be on the earth. I also believe it won't be pleasent.
I don't think Jesus gives us as clear a picture of the place of punishment for the unfaithful christian as He did for the lost because we are not to focus our attention on where we go if disobedient. Our focus ought to be on the reward for faithfulness, this is why there is so much more detail given about the reward versus the punishment. OTOH, the place of punishment for the lost is clearly pictured so as to motivate US more than THEM to be obedient and preach the Gospel to them. Hell and the Lake of Fire is a motivator for the
CHRISTIAN to go and reach the lost. Similarly, exclusion from the Kingdom serves as such a motivator for us as well.
Yes, God's love for us
should be motivation enough, but one need only look around him at the Western Church and see that this is not necessarily enough. Would you agree? For IF it was enough we would not need to continually preach our hearts out trying to get people to evangelize their lost neighbors now would we?
