ROMANS 11:11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Acts 13:46-48 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He has no pleasure in their rejection and denial of Him and their resulting destiny – eternal hell. He withholds His wrath and anger for the single purpose that they would turn from their wicked ways and live – eternal heaven. The wicked surely know they are wicked. They choose to do acts that are against culture and society’s morals. They lie, cheat, hurt, kill, cause harm, steal, overpower, hate, cause fear, destroy, etc….., These people absolutely know they are wicked and they choose to live this way for some reason. They serve only one person – self- and they honor only Satan, knowingly or unknowingly. Their wickedness and all the harm they have caused are not unseen or unknown by God. We know these people by their acts of wickedness and destruction and arrogance. It is clear to see, and yet, God has withheld punishment to them and gives warning after warning to turn back from their wicked ways. It is easy for us to say they get what they deserve when they face the judgment of God. Yes, we agree that God is just and right in the punishment of eternal Hell for them.
There is another type of wickedness that is can be easily perceived by us. It is the wickedness of self-worth, self-reliance, self-honor, self-centered indulgence, boasting, and arrogance. It includes self-pride, greed, and more want of what the world has to offer than things of God. They may cause harm and some deceit but it is all within the laws of man. Their actions serve only themselves. Their plans serve only to advance their own plans and purpose in life. The world may even honor the accomplishments of such people and give them praise for how much they have acquired or the power they have obtained. In the eyes of the world, it may even seem as they have done everything right. We may have a hard time agreeing these people deserve the same punishment (eternal Hell) as those who outwardly do vile and hurtful things to others.
Then there is the other type of wickedness that is no seen at all by the naked eye. It is disguised and hidden deep within the heart and soul. They do good things, they help others, they say encouraging words, they live in peace with others, they are kind, they are good employees or are good to their employees, they give of their time for others, they to not lie or cheat, they live content and within their means, they may or may not attend church, they believe there is a God, and they believe there was a Jesus Christ. They have not and do not purposefully harm or do bad to another person. They live humbly and without any appearance of pride. They don’t boast and are not arrogant. But, deep within their heart and soul, they have not seen the need for forgiveness of sin. They judge themselves worthy of eternal life (heaven) by living good and upright lives. Herein lies the problem. The wicked know they are sinning, but these people are clueless. These good people think they are worthy of heaven by what they do or do not do. I think it is harder for these people to see the need for forgiveness of sin than the wicked. By all outward appearances, they do seem worthy of something better than the same judgment given to the wicked, eternal Hell.
All three of these types of people fall short of eternal life. There is only one way to eternal life, belief in/on Jesus Christ. This belief encompasses complete humble acknowledgment and awareness of sin-nature and repents and turns away from it by a surrender of self-reliance. In this turning away there is a desire and seeking of forgiveness that results in a belief in/on Jesus Christ that relies on faith, trust, and reliance in Him alone. They became fully aware of the need for belief in/on Jesus Christ and how foolish all of their good works were in providing eternal life to their soul. Their eyes were opened and now they understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the completeness of Christ. The life they formally lived was revealed as worthless in comparison and their humble surrender, trust, reliance, faith, and obedience made perfect sense in the light of this understanding and wisdom given by God.
God’s Word makes it very clear that all three types of people are wicked and will perish if they do not believe in, rely on, trust in, and cling to Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Without complete trust and reliance in/on Jesus Christ, all will be judged wicked and will perish into eternal Hell.
