Does The Non-Believer Get Points At Final Judgment For Going To Church?

AN INITIAL CONFUSION: What do the “many blows” mean for a Christian? Answer: This is for non-believers.

- Luke 12:47-48.

- For me, one of the first places that my mind drifted in thinking about this passage was the idea of purgatory. After all, where else do you get the idea of a believer being beaten with “blows”?

- This passage is not about that, though, because closer study makes it clear that this final portion concerns people who are not believers. Yes, there may have been some outward indication of being a believer, but the words of the master make it clear that is not ultimately true.

- The reference is verse 46 is clearly a reference to hell, so we are dealing with non-believers.

- Yes, he is referred to as a “servant,” but I think that must be taken as someone who outwardly appeared to be a servant but did not actually fulfill the duties of a servant. This points us toward Jesus’ frequent rebuke of the Jewish religious leaders, who had all the outward signs of religious knowledge and authority, but were regularly and vehemently castigated by Jesus.

OVERLOOKED JUDGMENT FACTOR: It’s not just how much sin; it’s also how much you knew of the truth.

- Luke 12:47-48.

- Matthew 11:20-24; John 3:40-41; John 15:22; James 4:17.

- Look up some of the extra passages and unpack them.

- When we think of Final Judgment for non-believers, we tend to that those who have sinned the worst are going to get the worst of it: people like Hitler or people who have done heinous crimes without an ounce of sorrow. And, certainly, those actions are worthy of great punishment.

- This passage reminds us of an additional factor: how much of the truth you were exposed to.

- The gospel is not obvious. It’s not easily and naturally discernable like “the sky is blue and grass is green.” The gospel shares incredible and unexpected truths. Our sins cannot be brushed away, but are serious enough to separate us eternally from God. God is willing to sacrifice for us, even to the point of having His only son die. God desires to personally come and dwell in us, empowering our transformation and witness. Eternity is not “off there somewhere,” but involves the redemption of the earth with us ruling with Christ.

- Because these truths are incredible and enticing, there is great gain in knowing the revelation of God. It opens hearts in ways that our guesses about who God is could not. To know the gospel is, in general, a wonderful opportunity.

- There is a corollary truth, though: to know the truth and not act on it puts one in a hard spot. To have the privilege of getting inside information but then refusing to act on it puts a person in a place of harsher judgment.

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. Some of the most severe punishment in hell will fall on unsaved church attenders.

- This is a stark and unsettling thought.

- We naturally presume the “Well, at least” idea. “It’s too bad they never made a commitment to Christ, but, well, at least they came to church a lot.” As though, in that situation, that’s a good thing.

- It’s not. The more you know about Jesus and the more you understand about the gospel puts you in a position that is worse.

- This is why hearing the gospel is both a privilege and a responsibility.

2. This emphasizes how bad hypocrisy is in Jesus’ eyes.

- I have preached extensively about the shortcomings of the Pharisees’ faith, but this is another reminder. The sin of hypocrisy is front and center here in this passage. The servant claims the authority of the master but does not obey the instructions of the master. This is a horrible place to be.

- As Christians, we need to be closely aware of the deep sinful danger that hypocrisy represents. It has the capacity to put us in a horrible situation.

3. We must remember this key truth: the servant’s actions mattered.

- Luke 12:35-46.

- Matthew 7:21-27; Matthew 25:27, 30; James 2:14.

- Look up some of the extra passages and unpack them.

- This is a truth that we talk about fairly often, but it’s importance merits another mention here: it was the actions of the servant that proved the authenticity (or lack thereof) of his faith. It’s not enough for us to be able to easily recite the “standard Baptist answers” and then go on our merry way. We must be obedient to the teaching of Jesus. We are called to be His followers.