Jefferson Vann

review of “First Doctrine”

Reviews are normally shared to notify the interested public of new and potentially important publications, particularly relating to certain fields of interest. One of the unfortunate aspects of that fact is that often some of the more important and relevant works are already published long before the reviewer is born. Also, newer works may not be more helpful than older ones, but they are almost certainly more expensive. Some of the more significant works on a given topic may be freely available to all, having passed into public domain, and available online as free e-books.

In light of that, this reviewer does not apologize for being over a century late in his review of The First Doctrine of the Christian Church by Charles Earl Preston et. al. (Providence, RI: The Young Minister’s Christian Union, 1891). This gem, discovered not in a dusty library, but in a Google search, offers valuable assistance for those who are interested both in the history and the doctrines of conditionalism.

The book is a collection of essays on conditional immortality, regarded as the “first doctrine of the Christian church” because it was the hope presented by the first witnesses of Christ in New Testament times. It was prepared for a convention of the Young Minister’s Christian Union, a clergy conference held (it is presumed) that year. The 19^th century had seen a number of religious revivals, including the Adventist movement, which had a major impact on America, particularly in re-sparking interest in eschatology. The YMCU was one of the results of that interest.

In the preface, the publisher expressed thanksgiving for being able to present a work defending conditional immortality to the public. The publisher expressed gratitude that “many who were bound by the subtle influence of the traditional dogma are now rejoicing in the blessed truth of life alone in the Redeemer[1].” That traditional dogma it refers to is the belief in the innate immortality of all human beings. Instead, the gospel teaches that Christ alone brings eternal life.

Nature of God

One of the criticisms that this book implies to the traditional doctrine of hell is that it makes God the author of an eternal evil – a place where a significant number of souls (most of all who have ever lived) will suffer in agony for all eternity. The preface quotes a bishop Newton, who wrote “nothing can be more contrary to the divine nature and attributes, than for a God, all-wise, all powerful, all-good, all=perfect, to bestow existence on any beings whose destiny he foresees and foreknows must terminate in wretchedness and misery, without recovery or remedy, without respite or end.”[2] Some, today, are thinking thoughts like this, and it is leading them back to the ancient concepts of probation and purgatory.

Conditionalism offers another alternative. God’s prescribed wages of sin is eternal death, not unending misery. “Eternal Death is at once an eternal punishment and the everlasting blotting out of evil from the universe of God.”[3] Conditionalism is –first and foremost – a defense of God’s loving nature.

Human Nature

An essay in this work traces two diverging lines of thought in theology, both of which can be traced back to Plato’s philosophical doctrine of the immortal soul. Origen’s concept of eventual restoration of all, and Augustine’s doctrine of eternal conscious torment each find their origin in that pagan concept of the indestructible soul. The suggested solution to the problem agrees with Augustine that future punishment must last forever, and agrees with Origen that evil must be blotted out. That solution is what the Bible calls the second death, an eternal death.[4]

Yet, to insist that fallen human beings have been made immortal makes eternal death impossible. “Fallen man to live forever! Oh! No! That was the Devil’s lie whispered in Eve’s ear in Eden and by her believed to the destruction and death of her children.” Instead Christ taught that those who do not come to him will not have life (John 5:40). Paul taught that immortality is a gift promised believers, not a present possession of all (Romans 2:6-7).[5] God created human beings with a marvelous nature, but immortality is not ours this side of the resurrection.

Life after Death

Even today, we are often told that a conscious life immediately after death is a belief shared by all cultures at all times. But the Bible denies that. Paul said, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, that the Gentiles had no hope of life after death. “While our teachers and preachers are telling us that belief in immortality was universal in the heathen world, Paul who knew that world well, tells us it had no faith in any future life, and no hope beyond the grave.” Justin Martyr and Tertullian said that the heathen believe in “nothing after death.”[6] The concept of natural immortality was devised by pagan philosophy, and adapted syncretistically into Christianity. It had its origin neither in popular belief nor the Bible.

Final Punishment

The ultimate punishment for those who are not saved will be the same punishment Adam was threatened with – “not eternal life in misery, but death.” God will destroy with fire those who will not make it into his eternal kingdom. “It will be an unquenchable fire. Eusebius speaks of unquenchable fire destroying the martyrs. So also in Jeremiah (17:27) we read of such a fire burning the palaces of Jerusalem, though not now burning.”[7] This threat of the final punishment of destruction is what Jesus said people should fear (Matthew 10:28).

The First Doctrine of the Christian Church is not without its flaws. It gets somewhat sidetracked at times, suggesting a bit too strongly that Christ will save many “good” heathens that never knew him. But the book does serve as a good record of 19^th century conditionalist thought, and has many good biblical arguments against innate immortality.

Scriptural Index to “The First Doctrine…”

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17 53 (80)

Genesis 2:15 60 (87)

Psalm 16:11 6 (33)

Psalm 21:4 6 (33)

Psalm 34:10 4 (31)

Psalm 37:20 4 (31)

Psalm 145:20 4 (31)

Isaiah 26:19 61 (88)

Isaiah 66:24 5 (32)

Jeremiah 17:27 4 (31)

Hosea 13:14 61 (88)

Matthew 10:28 xii (19), 36 (63)

Luke 16:25 44 (71)

Luke 20:36 65 (92)

John 3:16 3 (30)

John 5:40 3 (30), 63 (90)

John 6:51 63 (90)

John 10:27; 11:25 62 (89)

John 15:22 44 (71)

Acts 17:30,31 25 (52)

Romans 2:6-7 64 (91)

Romans 2:7 5 (32)

Romans 5:12 54 (81)

Romans 6:23 5 (32)

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 5 (32)

1 Thessalonians 4:13 57 (84)

1 Timothy 1:1,10,17 5 (32)

1 Timothy 6:16 5 (32)

1 Peter 1:3 66 (93)

1 Peter 3:18-22; 4:1-6 42 (69)

2 Peter 2:6 4 (31)

1 John 2:17 3 (30)

1 John 5:11 3 (30)

Revelation 20:7 43 (70)

[1] vii (14). [Since this book was scanned into .pdf format, references to page numbers will include the .pdf document page numbers as well. Those numbers will be in parentheses].

[2] ix (16).

[3] 51 (78).

[4] 49-50 (76-77).

[5] 63-64 (90-91).

[6] 58 (85).

[7] 3-4 (30-31).

the one and only

“One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” (Mark 12:28-30 NLT)

At it’s heart, this is a commandment for God’s people to be loyal to him. You do not have to be an expert in the Old Testament to know that staying loyal to the LORD was the challenge the Israelites faced. The people of the exodus struggled to stay loyal in spite of their wilderness wanderings. The people of the conquest struggled to stay loyal in spite of the fact that it meant fighting what seemed a hopeless cause. The people of the monarchy struggled to stay loyal in spite of the constant temptation to give in to other deities – often being tempted to do so by their own kings and priests.

Every generation has its own test of loyalty. Ours is no different that the ones who have come and gone. It is our test – it is not God’s. He knows who he is. He knew the time in the beginning when no one else existed. He had no rivals. He also knows about eternity future. He has appointed a day of judgment. He knows that there will be no rival standing after that day. He has a day of destruction coming that will deal effectively with all his enemies. One by one, all humans and all demons who have dared compete with him for the allegiance of others will be judged, punished, and destroyed, until the last enemy (death itself) will be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26). The Judgment Day is the Final Exam. It is the time when all will see who made it to the next term (which, in this case, is eternity).

The standard is this: loving the LORD as the one and only lord. The apostle Paul said:

“There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6 NLT)

Living for the one creator and trusting in his one means of life is what Christians do. It is how we show our loyalty to our LORD. We have been born into a generation of religious pluralism, but we dare to be religious singularists. We will tolerate and befriend others who hold to other faiths, and accept them as individuals. We may even defend their right to believe what they do. But we cannot join their worship, not allow our children to be proselytized. The Bible teaches the truth. Things that contradict the Bible’s message cannot be taught or accepted without breaking the most important commandment.

Our God looks beyond this age with its relativism and uncertainty. He sees into eternity, when no rival to his throne exists. He knows what is real and what is just a passing fancy. The Christian is challenged to see this world as God sees it. Today it is filled with things that are temporary, but there are some things that will remain. Loyalty to the LORD makes sense, because only he and those who cling to him will last. It is not just that we want to be on the winning team. It is that we understand that even the contest is temporary. God’s enemies will be destroyed. Those who follow them will be destroyed. Jesus is not just one of those offering life: he is the life.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-12 NET).

The life we are born into is a gift from our creator. The life that we expect to receive at our resurrection is a gift from our redeemer. He is coming in the clouds one day, and he has a gift with him. We are so certain that he is coming back and has that gift for us that we can talk about having it now. It is a done deal, because it is a promise from the one who loves us so much that he went to the cross for us. He is not going to let us down. So, whether we are alive when he comes, or asleep in death, we know we will live along with him. He is the firstfruits from among those who sleep (1 Cor. 15:20,23). Just as he was raised (awakened) to life again, so we will be raised (awakened) as well.

THE ORGAN OF LOYALTY

In ancient days, the heart was more than the seat of the emotions. It was the organ of loyalty. When God told the Israelites that they would rebel against him, he also promised that “The LORD your God will also cleanseyour heart and the hearts of your descendantsso that you may love himwith all your heart and souland so that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6 NET). If the opposite of loving God is rebellion, how do we show our love for him? Those who rebel must return. You cannot love God if you remain distant. The first Christians were taught how to live because “the aim of our instructionis love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). You have a heart which is capable of clinging to the LORD in loyal love. The Father knows that you will do it. He sees into the future, and sees you loving and serving him forever (if you are a believer now).

THE LOYAL LIFE

Your soul is not some invisible life force which survives death and flies away when the body dies. Your soul is your life itself. The Old Testament Hebrew word nephesh is related to a Ugaritic word for neck or throat. It had to do with eating and breathing. The word came to express one’s life. In the New Testament, Jesus said:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25 ESV).

That word “life” was the word psuche, the Greek word for soul. It had to do with eating and drinking. Disembodied souls do not eat and drink, but living souls do, because eating and drinking keeps them alive. Jesus was challenging his disciples to live lives so loyal to him that the LORD was more important that staying alive. That is what it means to love the LORD with all your soul.

THE LOYAL MIND

To love the LORD with all your mind entails surrendering your mind to his. It is not simply allowing someone to indoctrinate you in religious things. It is setting your mind free to become what God intends it to be. A mind loyal to God is always open to learn. The prophets in the ancient world has students, and taught them how to see what God sees. Jesus gathered disciples around him, invited them to follow him, and promised to turn them into something more than they were. To simple fishermen, he promised to make them into fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). To teachers in Israel he promised to teach them heavenly things (John 3:12).

Satan wants to keep us from devoting our minds to the LORD’s service. He likes to convince people that God is not interested in their minds: he only wants their hearts. But this commandment requires us to be completely and comprehensively loyal to the LORD. There is no hierarchy of loyalty. Our thought lives are just as important to God as our emotions are. Especially in this age where all religions are criticized for being primeval, we need men and women who dare to challenge that assumption. We need Christian doctors and lawyers and teachers to unashamedly proclaim that God is sovereign in the classroom as well as the prayer room.

PRIME TIME LOYALTY

For the Hebrews, the word strength had the connotation of youth and vigor (Joshua 14:11). Another strategy that the Enemy uses against the LORD is to convince people to waste their strong years on themselves, and to put aside the LORD’s work until retirement. But the LORD commands prime time loyalty. He wants the years of our strength. In fact, if we dedicate our strength to loving him, he will renew that youth (Psalm 103:5). This appears to have been what happened in Caleb’s life. Sadly, the Calebs of this world are few, because Satan has convinced most that there is plenty of time for religion later on, after you spend your life on other pursuits. But, imagine a generation of young men and women whose hearts and souls and minds and strengths are wholly committed to the LORD!

ONLY ONE THING

The greatest commandment challenges us to forsake a life of many pursuits and to concentrate our devotion and efforts on God: the one and only. Most of us who want to be good Christians struggle with this. Like Martha, we are “distracted by (our) many tasks” (Luke 10:40 NRSV). Jesus commended Mary because “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42 NLT). Have you discovered it yet? Life is like a puzzle that only makes sense when you see the big picture. Then, you can put it all together. Discover Christ – the one and only — and keeping the greatest commandment can be done. Come, sit at his feet, and your life will have meaning.

ACST 54: The Life

A truly saved person has both repented of his past sins and trusted Christ for his present and future life. This converted person will live a life of faith that reflects his new commitments. The life lived in faith makes the gospel real to the believer, and confirms his testimony. The Bible gives us both examples and descriptions of that life. John wrote that “all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”[1] It is a life that aspires to the purity of Jesus.

Anyone attempting to live a life of sinlessness will immediately encounter obstacles in doing so. We have been changed, and we no longer want to sin, but sin and the sinful nature is still with us. As a result, we will constantly find ourselves conflicted, as Paul was in Romans 7:

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my

flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very

evil I do not want! 20 Now if I do what I do not want,

it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good,

evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law

of God in my inner being. 23 But I see a different

law in my members waging war against the law of

my mind and making me captive to the law of sin

that is in my members.”[2]

The bad news about the Christian life is that all of us are going to live with this kind of struggle going on inside. Even great Christians like Paul admitted to the inability to be completely what he wanted to be. Yet, Paul also knew the good news of the Christian life, and he went on to explain that good news in Romans 8:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law

of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set

you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For

God achieved what the law could not do

because it was weakened through the flesh.

By sending his own Son in the likeness of

sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned

sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous

requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us,

who do not walk according to the flesh but

according to the Spirit.”[3]

The good news is not that Jesus has already changed our nature so that we are no longer tempted to sin. It is that Jesus has already paid the price for our sins, so that they no longer separate us from God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is free to work with and within us to actually accomplish righteous acts, as we surrender to him. We are in a temporary state in which the laws of two dominions apply to us. The law of sin and death is still at work, so we will fail at times. But the law of the Spirit of new life in Christ Jesus is also at work, so we can actually please God as well. Both freedom and bondage are possible, depending on who we choose to surrender to.

a forgiven life

A person living this life reflects a confidence that his sins have been forgiven, and God will never forsake him. Paul told the Colossian Christians that “you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.”[4] As a result of this new status, they were free to forgive others who offended them. He said “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”[5] A forgiven life is a forgiving life. Instead of seeking revenge, or passing judgment on someone else who wrongs them, people who live the forgiving life remember that they too have been forgiven, and follow Christ’s example and forgive. A negative example of this reality is found in Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant:

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be

compared to a king who wished to settle

accounts with his servants. 24 When he began

to settle, one was brought to him who owed

him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he

could not pay, his master ordered him to be

sold, with his wife and children and all that

he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the

servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have

patience with me, and I will pay you

everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the

master of that servant released him and

forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same

servant went out, he found one of his fellow

servants who owed him a hundred denarii,

and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying,

‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant

fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have

patience with me, and I will pay you.’

30 He refused and went and put him in prison

until he should pay the debt. 31 When his

fellow servants saw what had taken place,

they were greatly distressed, and they went

and reported to their master all that had

taken place. 32 Then his master summoned

him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I

forgave you all that debt because you pleaded

with me. 33 And should not you have had

mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy

on you?’ 34 And in anger his master

delivered him to the jailers, until he

should pay all his debt. 35 So also my

heavenly Father will do to every one of

you, if you do not forgive your brother

from your heart.”[6]

Jesus’ story reveals some helpful parallels in the subject matter of sanctification. First, the grace by which the master forgives the servant is the result of the master’s choice. Second, it is unmerited by the servant. Third, the servant’s choice to not forgive his fellow servant for the lesser debt was wrong. Now, notice this: if the servant had not been forgiven by his master, he would have been under no obligation to be lenient on his debtor. But, since he had been forgiven a great debt, he was not under obligation because of grace to forgive the lesser debts. Since he had been saved, he was now expected to imitate the kindness and generosity of his savior.

The forgiven life implies more to us than the mere fact that we should forgive others. It also means that we can live outside of the condemnation that our debt had put on us. Having been forgiven, we are free to live and love as never before. Thus, we can express our love for others because we are no longer under the bondage of self-condemnation. An example of this aspect of the forgiven life is found in the Gospels:

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him,

and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took

his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman

of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned

that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s

house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,

38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping,

she began to wet his feet with her tears and

wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed

his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited

him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man

were a prophet, he would have known who and

what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said

to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain

moneylender had two debtors. One owed five

hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When

they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of

both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for

whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he

said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then

turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do

you see this woman? I entered your house; you

gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet

my feet with her tears and wiped them with her

hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time

I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she

has anointed my feet with ointment. 47

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many,

are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who

is forgiven little, loves little.””[7]

Simon’s concept of life was minimalistic. He gave only to the extent that he perceived others deserved it. He felt only what he perceived was appropriate. This sinful woman, however, had been set free. Her encounter with Jesus removed the bondage that had inhibited her life. It was not the gift that Jesus was impressed with. He knew this woman’s heart. She gave not in order to be forgiven, but because she knew forgiveness already. The love she showed Jesus was not the means of her reconciliation, but the method she used to proclaim it. It is the same for Christians as they live the forgiven life. We love, not in order to be forgiven, but because we have been forgiven.

an obedient life

A person living this life submits to the lordship of Christ, obeying his commands. The commands of Christ are important to him because he has a relationship with the commander. Jesus gave numerous commands to his disciples, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Invest your life in eternity. Seek PERMANENCE, don’t get sidetracked with the things that are only temporary.

2. Put God first. Make DEVOTION to him your reason for living.

3. Be what you claim to be. Let your GENUINENESS declare to others the veracity of your testimony.

4. Rely on God to do what you cannot do. TRUST him to provide for the needs which are beyond your capability.

5. Keep in contact with God. Make PRAYER the link between your life on earth and your Master in heaven.

6. Learn, proclaim and keep God’s Word. Let his TRUTH guide your mind.

7. Be used by God to fulfill his will. Let his POWER flow through you as a conduit.

8. Live in expectancy of Christ’s second coming. Let his ADVENT be the focus of your actions.[8]

an eternal life

The eternal life we have in Christ is real but not yet actual. It is a promise. Christ promises to raise us to immortality at his second coming. But one of the keys to living the sanctified life is living out that promise, putting less emphasis on the things that are temporary, and more on those which are permanent. Our present needs are real, but they have less importance because of the future in which all our needs are going to be met. Therefore, we can forego meeting some needs for a time, and concentrate on meeting other peoples’ needs.

Knowing that we were created to have an eternal relationship with God allows us to make the kind of decisions that put him first. We see our devotional life as a necessity, and thus are not likely to put it aside when things get busy. Nothing is more important when seen from the standpoint of eternity – not even other people. The one relationship which we are going to have forever is our relationship with God.

Someday we will be able to look back on all the deeds that we have done in this age and see them for what they really were. Everything done out of false motives and for wrong reasons will be clearly exposed. The Christian seeks to live in such a way that his genuineness will never be called into question. It is not just a matter of appearances. The Christian knows that he has only one life. He does not have a public life and a private life. His entire life is public before the one who matters. God sees all. The Christian does what is right in order to be honest to God.

This life will put us to test. All of the famous biblical saints were tested as they sought to live out the life given them. The same will be true for anyone who dares to proclaim Christ. Suffering will be the rule rather than the exception. The trust involved in living the Christian life in spite of suffering is a testimony to the reality of the faith.

The Christian life is lived on the knees. Through prayer we keep the link between our temporary present, and our eternal hope. Every Christian who tries to live the Christian life without regular, sustained prayer knows how difficult it can be. Those with genuine faith all know that prayer is essential. Prayer does not change things. God changes things. But God keeps us safe in the transition by sustaining us in prayer.

The Christian life is a biblical life. God has sent us a text message, and we rely upon it. We look for answers in his words and keep looking because we trust him. The Bible is not an object that we venerate, but a subject we investigate. We look to his word because we want him. His truth guides us.

The Christian life takes advantage of power that the world does not know. We have the advantage of being able to see beyond the laws of nature, and gain access to another set of laws altogether. We can trust our mustard seed prayers to do what all the nuclear bombs cannot. We have access to the power that God had when he said ‘let there be light’ and when Jesus said ‘little child, arise.” That is power.

The Christian life is also lived with the awareness that even if we fail, we will eventually win. We are free to take enormous risks, because we know we are on the winning team. The eternal life we are living has a king who is coming soon. The things we endure for him are worth it, because he is returning. Nothing is going to prevent his keeping his promises.

a community life

In systematic theology, having first dealt with the reality of the saved person as an individual, we then naturally progress to study the saved as a whole: the church. Who and what the church is, and what the church does, is always important because Christ not only died for me, he died for all of the redeemed. The life that we live in Christ is not just an individual life. It is part of a greater whole.

[1] 1 John 3:3 NLT.

[2] Romans 7:18-23 NET.

[3] Romans 8:1-4 NET.

[4] Colossians 2:13 ESV.

[5] Colossians 3:12-13 ESV.

[6] Matthew 18:23-35 ESV.

[7] Luke 7:36-47 ESV.

[8] For more on these commands, see http://commandsofchrist.wordpress.com/.

the wrath to come

The biblical prophets had a double role. As representatives of the LORD, they were free to pronounce blessing upon the people if God willed it. Often, however, they predicted his impending judgment. John the Baptist was no exception. As the forerunner to the Messiah, he proclaimed the marvelous good news (or gospel) that Christ was coming to this earth. Yet the people were not ready for their king. Consequently, John’s message was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The good news of the Christ to come had to be taught alongside the bad news of the wrath to come. Two very similar verses from the record of John’s ministry in the New Testament highlight this message.

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “”[1]

“He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “”[2]

These are the first major texts in the New Testament that address the issue of final punishment of the wicked. They reflect the fact that John encountered multitudes of Israelites who felt ready to embrace the coming of their Messiah, but they were actually not ready. So, John’s message was to get ready for him or face his wrath.

The crowds, and particularly the religious elite, felt that the Messiah’s coming would bring victory against Israel’s enemies, and blessing to all of those who were physical descendants of Abraham and Jacob. John’s message was that physical lineage meant nothing. If God wanted to, he could produce children to Abraham out of stones. In fact, being children of Israel meant that these people stood to be the first to fall when God’s wrath is unleashed. Thus, John’s message was that the nation had to get right with its God.

the wrath of the orchard owner

The nature of this wrath is spelled out by John with two familiar images. First, he pictures the Messiah as an orchard owner, whose axe is laid at the root of the trees.[3] He had planted the trees for the purpose of bearing fruit. If they are fruitless when he comes, they will serve as firewood. Their destruction would be fair because they will have not served their master’s purpose.

The threat that these people face could in no way be construed as any kind of eternal existence at all. They were in danger of being cut down and destroyed. The wrath that John described was not an ongoing process of perpetual wrath, but an event. That event would be eternal, in the sense of permanent. It would result in death forever – the second death.

the wrath of the wheat farmer

The second image John uses to describe the wrath to come is that of a wheat farmer during harvest time. The Messiah would gather the authentic wheat into the barn for preservation. He will then set out to remove all the chaff that is left over. He will do this by burning the chaff up.[4]

The image illustrates essentially the same teaching as the axe image did. Those who are not prepared for the Messiah’s arrival will not take part in his kingdom. They will be excluded from it because they will have been destroyed by the Messiah’s wrath. Mere appearance will not save them. Unfruitful chaff will be eliminated in the same way that the unfruitful trees will. The wrath is fire, and the fire destroys.

But John’s use of the wheat farmer imagery adds one more element to the theology he is defining. This element makes explicit what was merely implied in the use of the orchard owner image. John further describes the fire of God’s wrath as “unquenchable.”[5]

Piper insists that “the term “unquenchable fire” implies a fire that will not be extinguished and therefore a punishment that will not end.”[6] Neither the image, nor the teaching of John the Baptist support that assumption. The adjective asbestos only appears three times in the New Testament.[7] In each reference, the word describes the nature of the fire, not the process of burning. It is a warning that anyone thrown into the fire will not be able to extinguish it. It contains no promise that the process of burning will go on forever.

In both of the images John the Baptist uses, it is clear that the subjects thrown into the fire are destructible – that is the point. The trees and chaff are not thrown into fire to be tortured, but to be destroyed. The punishment is destruction. The masters of the orchard and wheat fields gain neither pleasure nor profit from this fire. It is only there to eliminate what will not meet their objectives. Likewise, God will not be pleased when he puts people into the fire of Gehenna hell. His wrath only exists because eternity is for the recipients of his grace alone. His wrath is subservient to — not coequal to – his love.

The conditionalist teaching on hell is that it will be a necessary reality at the end of the age. It does not take place at death. It takes place in conjunction with the second coming of Christ. This is in line with John the Baptist’s teaching on the wrath to come. John never mentioned the intermediate state. To him, what happens at death is eschatologically insignificant. Judgment will happen when the Judge returns.

Traditionalists have bought into the unbiblical concept of immortal souls, and must do something with those souls in the intermediate state. Thus, they highjack passages like these, and make them serve another purpose. For them, the wrath of God is not something that Christ brings with him, it is something that the wicked go to. In so doing, major elements of the text have to be explained away, because they do not fit the new referent.

1. John taught that the wrath is coming from God. Traditionalists teach that God’s wrath is something that souls go to.

2. John taught that the wrath will accompany the Messiah when he returns. Traditionalists teach that God’s wrath is currently ongoing, and is experienced immediately after death.

3. John taught that the subjects of the wrath will be destroyed by fire (burned up). Traditionalists teach that the subjects are immortal souls, who cannot be destroyed, and therefore must continue to suffer eternally.

4. John taught that the masters of the orchard and wheat farms had complete control over their dominions. They had unproductive elements which they intended to remove by destruction, and nothing could stop them. They would put an end to the problems. Traditionalists teach that God’s wrath is a process that cannot ever end. It will never stop tormenting the lost because it cannot.

Rob Bell questioned how God could be a winner in such circumstances.[8] He was right to do so. The traditionalist doctrine of hell makes God’s wrath the end. John taught that the Messiah’s wrath would be necessary, but the purpose was different. Wrath is necessary to make room for eternal peace and love. In the traditionalist approach, God’s wrath never makes an end of sin. It is eternally affected by it.

the purpose of the wrath to come

These snapshots from John the Baptist’s ministry teach of a wrath which will accomplish the greater purpose of establishing a world without evil and sin, where love and righteousness will reign eternally. They envision a harvest that will outlast the judgment. They see fruit trees productive forever, and wheat gathered safely into the barn forever. The burning fires that remove the impediments in this vision are inevitable, and they cannot be put out until they accomplish this vision of forever. But the fires are not the purpose. They will be unquenchable until they accomplish the purpose.

If this is not so, then the coming wrath serves absolutely no purpose. Today we live in a world where good and evil already coexist. There are productive trees, and hypocritical trees. There is wheat, and there is chaff. Both exist together, so God’s glory is limited by the unholy combination. The traditionalist teaching is that God’s wrath will merely separate the unrighteous, but that they will continue to live eternally in the same universe as the righteous. God’s universe will be eternally marred by the existence of this blight, and his wrath will not be able to change that. The God who once saw all creation and pronounced it “very good” will never be able to say that again.

Conditionalists suggest a different scenario. we suggest that John’s description of hell is much more realistic. Hell is a tool God uses for eliminating the undesirable elements, and that is all. The fire is real, and it does what fires do. It destroys, and makes way for something better, something indestructible. God’s love will win, not because he eventually pulls people out of hell, but because after hell has served its purpose, there will be no need for wrath. The Christ whose wrath will destroy the old things will make “all things new.”[9]

[1] Matthew 3:7 ESV.

[2] Luke 3:7 ESV.

[3] Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9.

[4] Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17.

[5] Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17.

[6] John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), 121.

[7] Matthew 3:12; Mark 9:43; Luke 3:17.

[8] Rob Bell, LOVE WINS: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. (Robert H. Bell, Jr. Trust, 2011). See my review here: http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2011/featured-article/review-of-love-wins-by-rob-bell/

[9] Revelation 21:5.

clarifying evangelical conditionalism

The process of theological debate requires a constant stating and restating of one’s position so that all parties are aware of where each other stands. If this does not happen, we run the risk of misrepresenting each other in the conversation. Some of my recent articles were presented in hopes of accurately defining the position of evangelical conditionalism.[1] This is another attempt to clarify what evangelical conditionalists believe.

1. Evangelical Conditionalists believe that only Jesus can save sinners.

Many in the theological debate wrongly conclude that anyone who challenges the traditionalist teaching on hell must be a theological liberal. In reality, conditionalists are usually quite conservative in their view of God, the Bible, and especially salvation. We believe that there is only one way to salvation, and his name is Jesus Christ. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”[2] Other religions, or inspired human effort might help people change their ways, but they are not the way back into a relationship with the Father. Only Jesus is the Way. Other religions, or inspired human effort might come to some aspects of the truth, but only Jesus is the Truth himself. Other religions, or inspired human effort may improve someone’s quality of life, but they can never impart eternal life. Only Jesus can do that.

At this juncture, traditionalists might argue that this is a point of essential agreement between themselves and conditionalists. Indeed it is. Yet we challenge our traditionalist brothers and sisters to embrace that final aspect of John 14:6 in its entirety. Traditionalism teaches that all human beings are born with a soul which has immortality regardless of whether that soul has accepted Christ or not. Thus, that immortal soul has no need for Jesus, and is in no danger of losing eternal life. Their destiny is to live forever whether or not they have come to Christ. Christ does not mean exclusive life to them, but life in a better location.

Conditionalists, on the other hand, believe and teach what we call life only in Christ. We see life not as an innate possession, but as a potential possession. The difference is Christ. Instead of trusting in an inborn quality in our nature, we trust in Christ. Our hope is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Christ is our life.

2. Evangelical Conditionalists believe that only God has immortality.

Although conditionalism is usually defined as an anthropological

tenant, it has just as rightful a place among the doctrines of theology proper. At the heart of our teaching is what Paul declared about God: that he “alone has immortality.”[3] That is, if there were a box in which all the beings of this universe who could not die were placed, it would be occupied by the LORD alone. No created being – not even the angels in heaven – share that attribute with him, for since they owe their existence and life to God, they cannot claim immortality.

Human beings (even human souls) are just as much created beings as the angels, and therefore share their mortality. The hope being immortal is just that: it is a hope. The Bible never speaks of human immortality this side of the resurrection at Christ’s return. Human immortality is a promise. We possess it only in that potential form. It is the inheritance of the saints.

3. Evangelical Conditionalists believe that only the Saved will Live Forever.

Biblical eschatology presents a series of prophesied events that will take place simultaneously with – or be initiated by – Christ’s second coming. At the end of that stream of events there will be an ultimate consummation of all things. The Judgment Day will be one of those events, but it too will have an end – “the second death.”[4] After this, Jesus will recreate heaven and earth for our eternal habitation and his eternal glory.[5]

Eternity is an exclusive club, and non-members are not allowed. Those whose names are not listed in the Lamb’s book of life will have been destroyed (soul and body) in hell.[6] That would make it impossible for them to participate in eternity. Traditionalists teach that God is obligated to keep human souls alive forever because he made them immortal. The Bible does not teach that. Traditionalists teach that God will torment these souls for eternity. The Bible teaches that those in hell will be tormented as punishment for their particular sins, some with few stripes, others with many.[7] That reflects the justice that was prescribed in the Old Testament law.[8] God is just. His justice does not require torturing people for eternity for the sins of a few years. But even if one could justify punishing people forever, it would still require immortality, which the Bible is clear that sinners do not have.

Another point in which traditionalists and conditionalists disagree is that most traditionalists insist that punishment in hell begins the moment the sinner dies. Conditionalists place reward and punishment at the point in time that the Bible does. The Bible says “the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”[9] Both destinies begin at the second coming of Christ. Neither the believer’s eternal life nor the damnation of hell begin at death. Instead, death is a period of unconscious sleep for both. For traditionalists, hell begins at death, is interrupted by an unnecessary second judgment, and then resumes again.

Conditionalists love the message that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life..”[10] We do not choose to redefine that message – by changing the reward to something else besides eternal life. Immortal existence in God’s recreated universe is OK with us. We do not have to go to our reward at death. We prefer to wait for our reward to come to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Only after he returns will eternal life be meaningful.

Conditionalists believe that this present world consists of haves and have nots. The Bible says “that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”[11] Only the saved will live forever. The lost will be … well… lost.

[1] http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2012/featured-article/defining-conditionalism-conditional-immortality/ and http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2012/featured-article/what-is-an-evangelical/ and http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2011/featured-article/the-logic-of-conditionalism/

[2] John 14:6 ESV.

[3] 1 Timothy 6:16.

[4] Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8.

[5] Revelation 21:1-2.

[6] Matthew 10:28; Revelation 20:15.

[7] Luke 12:48.

[8] Deuteronomy 25:3.

[9] John 5:28-29 KJV.

[10] John 3:16 ESV.

[11] 1 John 5:11-12 ESV.