Reactions

 We may be as unique as snowflakes, but when it comes to reactions regarding eternity, there are only three that men can have. They may be nuanced, with certain small addendums or omissions here and there, but on the whole, when you dig down and do away with all the unnecessary fluff, there are only three.

The first of these is men being lost, knowing full well that they are lost, and being wholly unconcerned about it. I’ve seen people wear shirts declaring that they know they’re going to hell and don’t care. I’ve even had people say it to me candidly when trying to have a conversation about salvation, eternity, and eternal life. It’s heartbreaking, and all you can do is present Christ to them, hoping that the seed you plant will take root and they will come to their senses.

Someone who is lost and who knows they are lost yet is indifferent about the prospect cannot be reasoned with or persuaded by natural means. When their heart is stirred, it is supernatural, something done by the Holy Spirit, for it must compel them to humble themselves, repent, and seek salvation.

The second is men affirming that they are saved, believing they are saved while utterly lost. The world is full of such individuals, people who will stand before Christ one day, reminding Him of all the things they did in His name and Jesus informing them that He never knew them.

Jesus didn’t say that to scare folks. He didn’t say it to cause anyone undue stress or sleepless nights. Jesus said it because it would be a reality. It will be true. It will happen just as He said it will.

John 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Just so we’re clear, people with more power than the modern-day church will be turned away and commanded to depart from before Christ. Even though they’d prophesied, cast out demons, and done many wonders, they failed to do the will of God and continued to practice lawlessness.

If you don’t like wriggly things, you might want to turn away. We’re about to open a can of worms because everyone else seems to be ignoring it or giving it a wide berth. But why would you want to do such a thing? Why not let sleeping dogs lie and tell stories about Vlad the Impaler or something? Because there are people who are confident that they are saved, and they are not, and it’s hard to wash blood off your hands. I can’t even rub garlic powder into a chicken breast with my bare hands. It makes me squeamish.

For anyone trying to create a carve-out for any movement or person, past or present, insisting that they were mightily used of the Lord even though they practiced lawlessness and did not do the will of the Father, go back and read those two verses very carefully.

Just because someone prophecies, casts out demons, or does wonders, it does not mean that their demonstrable lawlessness is somehow sanctioned, excused, or justified by God. It likewise does not mean that on the day of judgment, their lawlessness and rebellion will be overlooked, and they will get a pass for their unrepented misconduct.

It’s one of those straw man arguments that drives me up a wall and one I hear more often with each passing day. But so and so divorced his wife, married his secretary, and look at the mighty wonders he is doing. It must be okay in the sight of God. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing all the wonders.

That’s not what the Bible says. Yes, I know, back to the Bible; sorry to disappoint those who think their opinion supersedes it.

It’s also how some men justify habitual, protracted, and ongoing lawlessness. Because they can keep prophesying or doing wonders, or even casting out demons, they talk themselves into believing that God thinks they’re so special, He’ll pretend as though they weren’t doing wrong.

God is not like man. Men will often excuse something their own nation does that they condemn in other nations who do it. There are plenty of examples, but the point is that God will not excuse sin in His house while condemning those of the world for it.

Fair warning: it will get to the point of being ludicrous, in your face, and blatantly obvious, and people will still attempt to justify it and embrace it. Make of that what you will, but the point is this: The Bible says a good tree produces good fruit, and a corrupt tree produces evil fruit. It doesn’t say the corrupt tree doesn’t produce any fruit at all. What the Bible makes clear, however, is that a corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit.

Perhaps, at some point, we’ll learn the difference between biblical and judgmental. One can hope, anyway. I’m not judging anybody, that’s not my intent, but I’m not about to say that due to changing weather patterns, corrupt trees are now producing some mighty tasty fruit.

But what about all the high-profile spiritual leaders and influential individuals endorsing this or that person? That’s on them. They will have to contend with the fallout and answer before an omniscient God. If I’d planned on selling out for clout, I would have done it long enough ago that I could have lived my best life for a couple of decades before spit-roasting for eternity. I’m too close to the finish line to consider it at this point.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.