“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,
If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
Well, this is an interesting passage. Why is God judging His people? Didn’t Jesus die on the cross so that those who believed in Him would escape God’s judgment?
I have written a solid page of discussion on this passage that made perfect sense in my head, but made no sense once it hit the paper. So allow me to showcase my computer skills by cutting and pasting part of the explanation of this passage from the excellent resource, “Hard Sayings of the Bible”.
“In this passage, then, Peter has three ways of looking at persecution. First, it is a test of faith, showing if the commitment of the professed Christian is genuine or not (1 Peter 4:12). Second, it is an identification with the sufferings of Christ, which will not only result in glory in the future, but leads to the Spirit of glory resting upon them now (1 Peter 4:13-14). Finally, it is a discipline or judgment, which shows that they are in fact God’s family and purifies them to live more in the character of the family.
The final judgment has begun, but it has begun with the purification of God’s church, God’s people, just as happened in the Old Testament. It will be consummated, however, not in condemnation for his people—they are his family and will be saved after being purified—but in terrible conclusive judgments upon unbelievers, which Jesus described so graphically (for example, Matthew 24-25) and Revelation pictures in visions (Rev. 15-16; Rev. 20).
I still do not like the idea of judgment, but my suffering does not necessarily mean that I am especially sinful. Since I am committed to Christ, the persecution I suffer is a sign that I am part of the household of God. He, as a good father, is purifying his family for our good. It is a sign of belonging. I may not enjoy the experience, but I can rejoice that I am among those facing judgment now, being purified in preparation for heaven, rather than among those who will face the full force of divine judgment later.”
Speaking of divine judgment, Rob Bell (the guy from the Nooma videos and the book Velvet Elvis) has a new book coming out called, “Love Wins: A book about Heaven, Hell and the fate of every person who ever lived.” I have been a Rob Bell fan…up until this book.
Without going into too much detail, this book teaches universalism – the teaching that everyone goes to heaven. While I wish that were true, the bible does not teach it. If you would like to read a review of the book, you can visit the site below:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/
Bell has descended into a liberal theology that distorts the truth of God’s gospel and will damage the faith of many believers. Typically I would say, “Read it and judge for yourself.” In this instance, I don’t believe there is any benefit in even reading it. If you choose to read it, read the review first, and then look up his biblical references and read them in context – which you should do with any Christian book you read anyway.
So yeah, I hope I haven’t piqued your interest so much that you run right out and purchase the book. Universalism sounds good, but the bible does not teach it, and that makes it heresy. And I don’t want you to stumble into heretical teaching because it’s a popular and reputable (at least till now) teacher. Bad theology is very dangerous to even the most knowledgeable and devout Christian…
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