Fearful Threat of Eternal Damnation

Hebrews 10:26-27

The Voice (VOICE)

Now if we willfully persist in sin after receiving such knowledge of the truth, then there is no sacrifice left for those sins—only the fearful prospect of judgment and a fierce fire that will consume God’s adversaries

On Sabbath, Pastor Sam told the experience of a student at La Sierra University who grew up under the must Puritanical form of legalism. This governed everything she ate, everything she wore, everything she did, and everywhere she went. No matter how strictly she followed her upbringing, she couldn’t find joy; only the fearful threat of eternal damnation hung over her head.

I couldn’t help but feel empathy with her because of similar feelings in my upbringing. As I considered our plight, I remembered Martin Luther’s experience. In 1505 he had finished a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in law. He was wending his way down a dirt road to Erfurt when a sudden storm blew up, and a lightning bolt struck the ground near him. Paralyzed with fear, he promised Saint Ann he would become a monk. He did and took up every aspect of a monk’s life, with fervor. He prayed, fasted, slept in the bitter cold without a blanket, and whipped himself with a zeal that almost took his life. But he found no peace, no joy, and no freedom from his fear of eternal punishment in hell. Finally, while reading and meditating on the Psalms and the book of Romans in the word of God, he fastened his faith and hope in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther wrote “So when you are frightened by the law, you can say, ‘Lady Law, you are not the only thing, and you are not everything. Besides you there is something even greater and better, specifically, grace, faith, and blessing. They don’t accuse, frighten, or condemn me. They comfort me, tell me to expect the best, and assure me of my certain victory and salvation in Christ. So there is no reason for me to despair.’”[i]

For many years now, I have rejoiced in the freedom and peace that comes from a certain knowledge that Christ has forgiven me and saved me−not because of anything I have done, but because of His love and sacrifice for me.

May I be the means of today helping someone find this same peace in You, Lord Jesus.

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[i] Martin Luther, By Faith Alone edited by James C. Galvin published in 1998 by World Bible Publishers, Iowa Falls, Iowa; in the March 15 devotional.