How do you know if you're a coward? The Bible says that the cowardly will be cast into an eternal lake of fire. So to says its important to understand what that means would be an understatement.
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” - Jesus in Rev 21.6-8
I was aware of the obvious sins in the above passage. Unbelieving – I know that you have to believe in Christ to have salvation (Jn 3.16, Rom 10.9-10). Vile – I understand sin separates us from God & makes us filthy in His sight (Isa 59.2-3, 64.6). Murderers – I realize murder violates the 6th Commandment & that anger & hatred are just as bad (Ex 20.13, Mt 5.21-22, 1 Jn 3.15). Sexually immoral – Any sexual activity outside Biblical marriage breaks the 7th Commandment & Jesus revealed that this includes mere lust (Ex 20.14, Mt 5.27-28). Magic arts – Intrigue with such demonic activity is certainly problematic (Dt 18.10-14). Idolaters – Elevating anything to the place of God in our hearts is idolatry & is prohibited by the 2nd Commandment (Ex 20.4-6). Liars – Lying is completely contrary to the God of all truth & His 9th Commandment (Ex 20.16, Jn 4.24, 14.6). But what is this about being cowardly? Why is it sinful?
At first, it seemed strange but not unreasonable that cowardly would be included in the above list. This was because my understanding of the word cowardly was limited to a basic dictionary definition regarding lack of courage. It would take a plunge into Scripture to better understand what Jesus means here in Revelation 21.
This word for cowardly & its variants are always used in a negative sense (Mk 4.40, 2 Tim 1.7, Jn 14.27). In other words, its not good to have & usually results from a lack faith in God & what He's doing. But the way it's used in our key Revelation passage has to do with more than just someone's wavering faith. It's much more serious. It has to do with one's response to who God is & one's own sinful condition. I'll attempt to give you a flavor of this sort of cowardice. Do you think you're a coward? Are you ready to find out?
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” - Jesus in Rev 21.6-8
I was aware of the obvious sins in the above passage. Unbelieving – I know that you have to believe in Christ to have salvation (Jn 3.16, Rom 10.9-10). Vile – I understand sin separates us from God & makes us filthy in His sight (Isa 59.2-3, 64.6). Murderers – I realize murder violates the 6th Commandment & that anger & hatred are just as bad (Ex 20.13, Mt 5.21-22, 1 Jn 3.15). Sexually immoral – Any sexual activity outside Biblical marriage breaks the 7th Commandment & Jesus revealed that this includes mere lust (Ex 20.14, Mt 5.27-28). Magic arts – Intrigue with such demonic activity is certainly problematic (Dt 18.10-14). Idolaters – Elevating anything to the place of God in our hearts is idolatry & is prohibited by the 2nd Commandment (Ex 20.4-6). Liars – Lying is completely contrary to the God of all truth & His 9th Commandment (Ex 20.16, Jn 4.24, 14.6). But what is this about being cowardly? Why is it sinful?
At first, it seemed strange but not unreasonable that cowardly would be included in the above list. This was because my understanding of the word cowardly was limited to a basic dictionary definition regarding lack of courage. It would take a plunge into Scripture to better understand what Jesus means here in Revelation 21.
This word for cowardly & its variants are always used in a negative sense (Mk 4.40, 2 Tim 1.7, Jn 14.27). In other words, its not good to have & usually results from a lack faith in God & what He's doing. But the way it's used in our key Revelation passage has to do with more than just someone's wavering faith. It's much more serious. It has to do with one's response to who God is & one's own sinful condition. I'll attempt to give you a flavor of this sort of cowardice. Do you think you're a coward? Are you ready to find out?
God is the immense Creator of the vast universe & all that is in it. He is all-powerful, eternal & unstoppable. There is nothing you can possibly think of that can compare to Him. He is all-knowing, perfectly pure & blindingly holy. He emanates all that is absolutely true, right & just. He is overwhelmingly brilliant, radiant & glorious. His splendor & majesty are beyond expression or comprehension. And when His Holy Spirit first seeks you out, your heart surely quivers for half a beat. And it is in that very moment that you will find out if you are a coward.
The discomfort of soul reveals that you are small & unworthy; that you fail to measure up to His consuming & holy presence. Under this weighty feeling, you even sense guilt & fear that punishment is at hand. Nothing & no one else matters. In this moment you are left with only 2 options. And if you flinch & let your mind take you somewhere else more comfortable, if you try to imagine God differently than He truly is, if you seek out a distracting thought, if you find reason for delay, if you ignore the work of conviction by the Holy Spirit of God Almighty, you are most certainly a coward. |
The unworthy discomfort is your conscience ratting you out for all your past wicked thoughts & actions in light of God's all-seeing knowledge. Your guilt & fear confirm the indictment of your sinful condition in the face of God's justice – a warning to your soul. For God's great wrath is as tremendous as anything else of His. And if you fail to face Him, your cowardly heart will run from Him. It may run to some distraction; it may run to complacency or scoffing; it may run to fleeting religion; it may run to more sin – but there you run in vain. Yet God may mercifully hunt you down for another round, but each time you run, you run further from His mercy. To be sure, God’s mercy is deep, but it is bound by the dangerous shore of His absolute & holy justice. And if you run all the way to the end of your life, mercy will not be there. Then judgment will come.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment – Heb 9.27
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. - Heb 10.31
For anyone who thinks you can approach God flippantly or that He will just accept & embrace you without dealing with your sin – He will not. If you believe religion or good deeds will cover your sin – they will not. If you imagine you will simply waltz into heaven after you die – you will not. If you believe you can live a life of sin & casually slip into the home of righteousness – you cannot. If you think that either another chance or empty oblivion await you – they do not. God's great & mighty justice will have it's way with you. And the eternal wrath of the eternal God will perpetually consume & punish you forever & ever. You will go to the everlasting lake of fire prepared for the devil & his demons. There will be weeping & gnashing of teeth in torturous fire & continual darkness. You will be forever separated from the God you were running from when your first death was over. Thus, you will continue in your second death.
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. - Heb 10.26-27
You have offended a holy & righteous God, the Maker of heaven & earth, by assaulting Him with your sin. You cannot climb heaven's fence or break through its wall by any means of your own choosing. You cannot enter by religion, piety, nice thoughts, or any other thing you may feel good about. There is but one gate & it's heavily fortified against all forms of pride & vain self-reliance. It is the one way, the one option that is opposite cowardice. There is no other.
There is only one way to satisfy His consuming wrath against your sin, to wash away the guilt of your offense & bring you into right standing before your Maker. Instead of running from God, you can fall before Him in total humility, relying only on His great mercy which has sought you out – knowing that He has both the power & reason to punish you, yet realizing that same power is able to sustain you in His presence. His terms are simple to understand, yet difficult to comprehend. In order to spare your life, but not contradict His own justice, He had to make a way & when God makes a way, it is dependable, completely sufficient & permanent.
By now, you have heard of Jesus Christ. It was this Christ who punctuated humanity through a virgin birth, being both the One True God & a man. Because of His deity, He was able to live a perfect life without ever sinning. Yet, He gave Himself over to sinful men who killed Him – in their cowardice they wanted to avoid God too. But God is life & more powerful than death, so Christ over-powered death & was resurrected just as He planned. Why? He did it for you.
Instead of you being eternally punished for all your momentary sins, the eternal Christ was punished in a moment on the cross – the sinless One crucified for the sinner. He was sacrificed in your place to make peace with God after your hostile sins against Him in thought & deed & complacency. And if this wasn't enough, on top of paying the price for your sin, He gives you a clean heart & His very own righteousness – a permanently perfect standing with God. What are His terms for attaining this?
Instead of running from God in cowardice, run to Him – falling at His mercy, confessing you've sinned against Him, believing that Christ took the punishment of your own sin & trusting that it is only by His perfect life that you can enter His presence. In doing this, you will be set free – free from sin, free from hell, free from wondering if you'll ever be good enough & free from cowardice. If you have been on the yellow path of cowardice, turn around at once!
Instead of being punished by God's holy wrath, you will be pursued by His holy love. Instead of fleeing from His rich mercy, you will be flooded by His abundant grace. Instead of entering eternal death, you will cross over into eternal life. Instead of living unconcerned as God's enemy, you will know Him as a perfect Heavenly Father. Instead of being condemned, you will be forgiven. Instead of struggling in slavery to sin, you will run free in God's truth. Instead of being burdened by religion, you will be lifted up into a relationship with your Savior – Jesus Christ.
Friends, do not run away from God! Do not be a coward! Cast yourself at His feet. Fall upon His mercy & trust in Christ who blazed the only path to heaven & is the only means of admittance.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Jesus in Mt 7.13-14
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. - Ps 34.18
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - Jesus in Jn 10.9-10
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. - Rom 5.6, 8-10
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. - Jesus in Jn 3.16-18
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Heb 4.16
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? - Heb 10.29
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - Jn 14.6
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment – Heb 9.27
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. - Heb 10.31
For anyone who thinks you can approach God flippantly or that He will just accept & embrace you without dealing with your sin – He will not. If you believe religion or good deeds will cover your sin – they will not. If you imagine you will simply waltz into heaven after you die – you will not. If you believe you can live a life of sin & casually slip into the home of righteousness – you cannot. If you think that either another chance or empty oblivion await you – they do not. God's great & mighty justice will have it's way with you. And the eternal wrath of the eternal God will perpetually consume & punish you forever & ever. You will go to the everlasting lake of fire prepared for the devil & his demons. There will be weeping & gnashing of teeth in torturous fire & continual darkness. You will be forever separated from the God you were running from when your first death was over. Thus, you will continue in your second death.
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. - Heb 10.26-27
You have offended a holy & righteous God, the Maker of heaven & earth, by assaulting Him with your sin. You cannot climb heaven's fence or break through its wall by any means of your own choosing. You cannot enter by religion, piety, nice thoughts, or any other thing you may feel good about. There is but one gate & it's heavily fortified against all forms of pride & vain self-reliance. It is the one way, the one option that is opposite cowardice. There is no other.
There is only one way to satisfy His consuming wrath against your sin, to wash away the guilt of your offense & bring you into right standing before your Maker. Instead of running from God, you can fall before Him in total humility, relying only on His great mercy which has sought you out – knowing that He has both the power & reason to punish you, yet realizing that same power is able to sustain you in His presence. His terms are simple to understand, yet difficult to comprehend. In order to spare your life, but not contradict His own justice, He had to make a way & when God makes a way, it is dependable, completely sufficient & permanent.
By now, you have heard of Jesus Christ. It was this Christ who punctuated humanity through a virgin birth, being both the One True God & a man. Because of His deity, He was able to live a perfect life without ever sinning. Yet, He gave Himself over to sinful men who killed Him – in their cowardice they wanted to avoid God too. But God is life & more powerful than death, so Christ over-powered death & was resurrected just as He planned. Why? He did it for you.
Instead of you being eternally punished for all your momentary sins, the eternal Christ was punished in a moment on the cross – the sinless One crucified for the sinner. He was sacrificed in your place to make peace with God after your hostile sins against Him in thought & deed & complacency. And if this wasn't enough, on top of paying the price for your sin, He gives you a clean heart & His very own righteousness – a permanently perfect standing with God. What are His terms for attaining this?
Instead of running from God in cowardice, run to Him – falling at His mercy, confessing you've sinned against Him, believing that Christ took the punishment of your own sin & trusting that it is only by His perfect life that you can enter His presence. In doing this, you will be set free – free from sin, free from hell, free from wondering if you'll ever be good enough & free from cowardice. If you have been on the yellow path of cowardice, turn around at once!
Instead of being punished by God's holy wrath, you will be pursued by His holy love. Instead of fleeing from His rich mercy, you will be flooded by His abundant grace. Instead of entering eternal death, you will cross over into eternal life. Instead of living unconcerned as God's enemy, you will know Him as a perfect Heavenly Father. Instead of being condemned, you will be forgiven. Instead of struggling in slavery to sin, you will run free in God's truth. Instead of being burdened by religion, you will be lifted up into a relationship with your Savior – Jesus Christ.
Friends, do not run away from God! Do not be a coward! Cast yourself at His feet. Fall upon His mercy & trust in Christ who blazed the only path to heaven & is the only means of admittance.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Jesus in Mt 7.13-14
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. - Ps 34.18
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - Jesus in Jn 10.9-10
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. - Rom 5.6, 8-10
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. - Jesus in Jn 3.16-18
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Heb 4.16
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? - Heb 10.29
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - Jn 14.6