The 6 elementary teachings from Hebrews 6 were written for disciples of Jesus and not something you would want to talk about to an unbeliever. As disciples we believe the Bible is the living word of God, and every word in it is true but unbelievers will not accept it’s truth. Jesus’ teachings will help his disciples to mature in having a united knowledge and understanding about Him and his will for us to obey.
To understand and believe in God’s truth Solomon’s proverb teaches we must fear God.
Proverbs 9: 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
People in this world and some in churches do not fear God which makes it impossible for them to understand the wisdom and knowledge that comes from His word because they have no fear in obeying God’s will that is found in it.
The last elementary teaching is “Eternal Judgment”. This teaches why we should fear God. Paul says God commands the world to repent because of his Son’s eternal judgment that has been set to come.
Acts 17: 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the
divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design
and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
A day has been set when Jesus will judge this world and his disciples need to understand and believe in His eternal judgment and be repentant, so not to perish with those who do not fear God.
There are pastors that preach fire and brimstone sermons which is about Jesus’ final judgment when he will judge unbelievers for what they have done and send them to the lake of fire. Sermons of the eternal judgment put the fear of God in the heart of the listener so that they repent to God’s grace and be faithful to Jesus as their Lord. Is it wrong to put this kind of fear of God in the heart of a believer?
Jesus said this:
Matthew 10: 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus said we should fear God who can destroy not only the body but also the soul in hell.
I never heard any pastor teach God’s eternal judgment at the 2 church I attended. But teaching of the eternal judgment is one of the elementary teachings which we need to understand so that we can mature to understand more solid spiritual teachings.
I think pastors do not teach God’s eternal judgment is because they are afraid church members may turn away from them and may leave the church. I know this is true when I shared Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25, and someone left the church because of that. I have found that people prefer a church where the pastor teaches from the Bible or from their own personal experiences about life applicable lesson. A pastor who can keep the listeners attention by interjecting funny quirks or jokes or worldly factual subject.
They do like pastors that uses Scripture to admonish, correct or train in righteousness, which Scripture is for to know the will of God.
2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,
A pastor is the shepherd of Jesus’ sheep, responsible to protect and help them get home to their Father by teaching them useful Scripture that will keep the sheep safe and not get lost. Pastors teaching is not to draw the sheep to follow them, so they do not leave the church. A pastor just wants to be a family member of Jesus’ flock who has been given a spiritual gift to care for his brothers, and sisters teaching them how to love the way Jesus has loved them. Teaching the sheep to only hear and recognize the voice of Jesus by knowing and obeying His will from Scripture and Jesus’ will is to know his eternal judgment.
In Revelations 20, Jesus’ eternal judgment will be for those whose name are not written in the book of life.
Revelations 20: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the final eternal judgment of those who have not died in Christ and bodies where not resurrected in the gathering of the saints. This is the resurrection of people’s spirit rising to face judgment by Jesus. This is like the rich man’s spirit in Jesus’ story in Luke 16 who was suffering in the grave waiting to stand before Jesus sitting on his white throne and be judged by him. The throne is white because Jesus’ eternal judgment will be pure and just.
Their name will not be found written in the book of life and they will be thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire was prepared by God for the devil, beast, anti-Christ and all the fallen angels.
Matthew 25: 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Revelations 20: 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Our Father never wanted this lake of fire to be a place for his children that he loved from the beginning, but it was the only place he could send those who were condemned for refusing to love and believe in his Son that he sent to save them.
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, thatwhoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
This is Jesus’ eternal judgment for those who do not believe in God’s one and only Son. Jesus will also judge those who call him Lord to see if their faith is genuine by how they loved obeying him. Those whose faith is genuine will be called his elect, his chosen, his Father’s children who will resurrect and gathered when Jesus comes with his angels to bring them home to his Father before His eternal judgment.
Be safe in Jesus,
Ps. Glenn