Man before becoming born again is at enmity with God. This does not mean that God desires to be the enemy of man, it is a consequence of Adam's sin in the Garden and man's ongoing sinfulness. God is holy and righteous and must judge sin. This is a terrible truth.
God gave man a conscience as we mentioned in a previous section. God expects man to walk in the truth that he/she knows. The conscience makes man aware of God's will (as best as the person knows it) and 'pricks' the heart as a reminder not to do otherwise. there are basic things that man knows is right and wrong. This is the law of God written on the heart from birth.
Every Sin is Counted and Recorded
Sin is defined by James as knowing to do good and doing it not. Sin is transgression of the known will of God. From childhood people disregard their conscience and walk in their own ways. They do wrong and they know better. God holds man accountable for these actions. We gain insight into this from Solomon that writes:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Eccl. 12)
Notice the words 'every'. This means that nothing will escape the eye of God and all is being recorded for final judgment. God deals with man lovingly, but at last when man has rejected God he/she will meet not a loving Savior, but a Just Judge at the Great White Throne Judgment. This will be the most terrible day of all the ages. Can you imagine the record? Can you imagine God beginning to mete out the just repayment of each and every sin? the writer to the Hebrews warns us again:
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:1-3)
Notice the word 'every' again. Sin is a crime against God. He is the primary offended party in any Sin (Psalm 51). Every transgression and disobedience will be weighed in a balance and repaid to the sinner. This is a terrible truth. What compounds the sins is the circumstances surrounding them. the more of God's will that a person knows the more accountable they are. To whom much is given shall much be required. So the punishment will be determined also by the 'light' that a person has. How terrible will it be for those that have trodden under foot the Son of God? How awesome will the judgments be for those that knew better and resisted the Holy Spirit's prickings (conviction) day after day? How dreadful will it be when God exposes the countless times that he dealt with a sinner and they neglected so great salvation.
Hebrews 2 is telling us that there will be no escape. There will be no escape or mercy for those that through great knowledge and priveledge have shunned the Gospel, aggravating their crimes, heaping unto themselves sin in spite of God, his word, his ministers, and His personal reminders and dealings.
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Robert Wurtz II ( - )
For almost 20 years I have served as a author and teacher of advanced biblical studies. My interests are the New Covenant, apologetics and classical revival. Native of the Kansas City, Mo area and reside now in Independence, MO with wife Anna.He is the author of many books including the newest Televangelicalism. In this insightful and thought provoking book, Robert Wurtz II traces the history of Christian evangelism from the book of Acts to modern times. The contrast between pre-1900 and post-1900 evangelism is so sharp, that the book is divided into two sections: Part 1, the pre-Billy Sunday era and Part 2, the post-Billy Sunday evangelistic era. This book is a must-read for anyone that has concerns about issues such as "the sinner's prayer" or shallow concepts of conversion.