How does God view the human race?
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
The world has countless ways of classifying people:
rich and poor,
educated and uneducated,
successful and unsuccessful,
religious and irreligious,
moral and immoral.But Scripture repeatedly cuts through all of these temporary distinctions and presents mankind according to two great spiritual and eternal categories.
There are those who belong to God -- and those who do not. There are those who have been saved by grace -- and those who remain in their natural state of sin and condemnation. Scripture does not contain any other spiritual categories. Before God, every person belongs to one category or the other.
Consider these fifteen solemn biblical contrasts.
1. Those who are in Christ -- those who are outside of Christ
Romans 8:1, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:12-13, "remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."
There is no more important dividing line in all eternity than this: Are you in Christ, or are you outside of Christ?
Those who are in Him have no condemnation, while those outside of Him remain separated from God.
Jesus is not merely one refuge among many -- He is the only refuge from the wrath to come.2. Those who have eternal life -- those who do not have eternal life
John 3:36, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him."
1 John 5:11-12, "And this is that testimony: God has given 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."
The language of Scripture is absolute and unmistakable.
The one who has the Son has life; the one who does not have the Son does not have life.
There are no additional categories between possessing eternal life and remaining under the wrath of God.3. Those who are born of God -- those who are of the world
1 John 5:19, "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one."
The human race is not spiritually neutral.
There are those who are "of God," and there is a world lying under the power of the evil one.
The decisive issue is not merely where a person was born, what religion he professes, or what family raised him; but whether he has been born of God.4. Those who walk in the light -- those who walk in darkness
1 John 1:6-7, "If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
Ephesians 5:8, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."
The gospel does not merely give a sinner a new creed -- it gives him a new life.
Those who belong to Jesus have been brought from darkness into light.
The person who continues to walk in darkness gives evidence that he remains in spiritual darkness.5. Those who are spiritually alive -- those who are spiritually dead
Ephesians 2:1-5, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!"
Colossians 2:13, "When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses."
The sinner by nature is not merely spiritually weak or slightly sick -- he is spiritually dead!
Salvation is therefore not self-improvement but resurrection.
Dead sinners do not raise themselves; God makes them alive.6. Those who are justified -- those who are condemned
Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:18, "So then, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness resulted in justification and life for all men."
John 3:18, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
Every person stands before God either justified or condemned.
There is no neutral ground at the bar of divine justice.
The justified sinner stands accepted because of Jesus; the unbeliever remains condemned because he has not believed in God's Son.7. Those who are righteous -- those who are wicked
Psalm 1:5-6, "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Malachi 3:18, "So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
God sees a distinction that the world often attempts to erase.
The righteous are not righteous because of their own merit, but because God has graciously provided righteousness in His Son.
The wicked remain under sin because they have not been brought to saving faith in Jesus.8. Those who are wise -- those who are fools
Proverbs 10:23-32, "The fool delights in folly, but a man of understanding revels in wisdom. What the wicked man dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the storm passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but folly is the delight of fools. The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright, but destruction awaits those who practice evil. The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land. From the mouth of the righteous flows wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse."
Matthew 7:24-27, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
The world measures wisdom by education, intellect, accomplishment, and sophistication.
God measures true wisdom by one's response to His truth.
The wisest man on earth who rejects God's truth is a fool before Heaven, while the truly wise person hears Jesus and builds his entire eternity upon His Word.9. Those who enter by the narrow gate -- those who enter by the wide gate
Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Jesus leaves no room for the popular idea that all religious roads ultimately lead to Heaven.
There are only two gates,only two roads, and only two destinations.
The broad road is crowded and easy, but it ends in destruction; the narrow road is difficult and comparatively lonely, but it leads to life.10. Those who are friends of God -- those who are enemies of God
James 2:23, "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called a friend of God."
Romans 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!"
There is no such thing as a spiritually neutral relationship with God.
Every sinner is either reconciled to God through Jesus, or remains His enemy.
What a miracle of grace that those who were once His enemies, can be made friends of God through the death of His Son.11. Those who are saved -- those who are lost
Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
John 3:18, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
Jesus did not come merely to improve decent people -- He came to save the lost.
Salvation presupposes our desperate condition: we are sinners who cannot save ourselves.
The glory of the gospel is that the Son of Man came seeking those who were hopelessly lost.12. Those who are sheep -- those who are goats
Matthew 25:31-33, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left."
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.'"
Matthew 25:46, "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
At the final judgment, there will be an absolute separation.
The Shepherd knows His sheep, and on that great day He will publicly distinguish them from the goats.
One group will enter eternal life; the other will enter eternal punishment.13. Those who are children of God -- those who are children of the devil
1 John 3:10, "By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
John 8:44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies."
These are startling words, but they are the words of Scripture.
Humanity is divided into two spiritual families -- the children of God and the children of the devil.
The ultimate question is therefore not merely, "What religion do I profess?" but, "Whose child am I?"14. Those who are vessels of mercy -- those who are vessels of wrath
Romans 9:22-24, "What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory -- including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?"
Here we stand upon holy ground and behold the sovereignty of God in salvation and judgment.
The salvation of God's people is rooted in His mercy and gracious purpose, while His judgment upon sinners is perfectly righteous.
No redeemed sinner can boast, for mercy is mercy, precisely because it is undeserved.15. Those saved by God's glorious grace and mercy -- those condemned by His perfect holiness and justice
Ephesians 2:4-9, "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."
Romans 9:22-23, "What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory."
Here we see the two great revelations of God's character in the eternal destiny of mankind.
The salvation of the redeemed magnifies His immeasurable grace and mercy, while the condemnation of the wicked displays His perfect holiness and justice.
Every sinner who enters Heaven, will enter solely through sovereign grace and the righteousness of Jesus.TWO CLASSES -- TWO DESTINIES
The testimony of Scripture is overwhelming: from the standpoint of eternity, there are ultimately only two categories of people.
Saved -- lost.
Sheep -- goats.
Children of God -- children of the devil.
In Christ -- outside of Christ.
Possessors of eternal life -- those remaining under wrath.
Spiritually alive -- spiritually dead.
Justified -- condemned.
Righteous -- wicked.
Wise -- fools.
Those on the narrow way -- those on the broad way.
Friends of God -- enemies of God.
Vessels of mercy -- vessels of wrath.
There are no additional categories.This truth ought to awaken both the deepest humility and the most earnest self-examination. It is not enough to have Christian parents, attend church, know Bible verses, profess Christianity, admire Jesus, or live a respectable moral life. The great question is whether God has brought us from death to life, from darkness to light, from condemnation to justification, and from rebellion to reconciliation through Jesus.
The world asks, "What kind of person are you?"
Scripture asks a far more searching question:
"Whose are you?"
Do you belong to Jesus?
Have you been born again?
Do you possess eternal life?
Are you walking in the light?
Have you fled from the wrath to come and taken refuge in Jesus?There are only two roads, and every person is traveling upon one of them.
There are only two gates, and every person is approaching one of them.
There are only two destinations, and every person is moving toward one of them.And when the Son of Man comes in His glory, the distinction that men so often blur will become eternally and unmistakably clear.
Then there will be no confusion.
No disguises.
No religious professions to hide behind.
No second opportunity.
No additional categories.
Only the saved and the lost.
Only the sheep and the goats.
Only the children of God and the children of the devil.And only two eternal destinies: Heaven or Hell.