I'm 26 chapters into the gospel of Matthew. Six times so far Jesus has warned of 'weeping and gnashing of teeth'. Many of His parables talk of a separation at final judgement - some to eternal life, others to "eternal puhishment (Matt 25:46)
It's easy to believe in heaven and angels - harder to believe in hell and demons. But as I finish reading Matthew, I note that it doesn't take a seminary degree to see that Christ believes in all of the above. And he warns seriously about the latter. Words you never want Christ to say to you: "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you." Matthew 7:21 isn't that hard to understand: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
I was raised going to a Church of Christ. I remember my baptism at around the age of 13. I remember why I was baptized too. I was afraid of hell. Now, at 41, as I look back on it, my baptism was like the quick marriage of a Mexican alien seeking to avoid deportation. I married someone I didn't know, only because this marriage would prevent my deportation back to Mexico. Now, years later, I know much more about this person I've committed my life to. She's infinitley more than my ticket out of Mexico. She's my love and my joy. Slowly but surely, I'm starting to realize there's more to Christ than just hell avoidance.
I listen to Paul's words from Phillipians for how to respond to Christ. "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
