{"id":3446,"date":"2017-10-25T00:58:12","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T00:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=3446"},"modified":"2017-10-25T00:58:12","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T00:58:12","slug":"liable-to-the-hell-of-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/liable-to-the-hell-of-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Liable to the Hell of Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2026whoever says, \u2018You fool!\u2019 will be liable to the hell of fire.\u201d + Matthew 5v22b<\/em><\/p>\n

As a kid this verse terrified me. I thought that if I simply called someone a \u201cfool\u201d then I would go to hell. My paranoia over this verse haunted my mind every hour of the day that simply by thinking about it so much I ended up calling someone a \u201cfool.\u201d I thought I was going to hell. Turns out that\u2019s not exactly what this verse is saying, but it\u2019s not exactly not saying that either. As a kid, my problem was that I approached this verse as if it were a math equation (me + \u201cfool\u201d = hell). Well, it\u2019s not a math equation.<\/p>\n

To rightly understand a verse in the Bible you must interpret it within its context. The greater context you have, the greater understanding. I guess that was another one of my problems \u2013 I had no context. Let\u2019s back up and start in verse 21 of Matthew 5:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have heard that it was said to those of old, \u2018You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.\u2019 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, \u2018You fool!\u2019 will be liable to the hell of fire.\u201d + Matthew 5v21-22<\/em><\/p>\n

So Jesus isn\u2019t giving us a math equation. He\u2019s telling us something about sin. When Jesus says, \u201cYou have heard that it was said,\u201d He is referring to the law \u2013 the Ten Commandments. He is essentially saying, \u201cYou have heard the law.\u201d Then He quotes it, \u201cYou shall not murder.\u201d Jesus is saying that everyone knows if you commit murder, you will face judgment. But He doesn\u2019t stop there. He ups the ante. He says, \u201cBut I say to you\u2026\u201d Jesus says not only is murder liable to judgment, but anger, insults, and name calling are also. The Pharisees listening to Jesus prided themselves in their pristine (or so they thought) law keeping. Then Jesus comes along and says \u201cGreat. But have you called your brother a fool?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus is telling us that what makes us guilty and worthy of judgment from a perfect and holy God is not just the breaking of the Ten Commandments or our outward actions, but the condition and attitude of our hearts. Jesus is revealing to us that sin is more than just the things we do but it is also the things we say and think. Jesus is revealing to us all that we are all law breakers, even if we haven\u2019t broken the law. He is revealing that there is \u201cno one righteous; no, not one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are we liable to hellfire simply for the things we say and think? Yes. But it\u2019s not a math equation because the gospel doesn\u2019t fit into one. Let\u2019s zoom out for greater context.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.\u201d + Matthew 5v20<\/em><\/p>\n

The scribes and Pharisees were very righteous people, outwardly. Jesus says we need a righteousness that exceeds theirs to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees were better at keeping the law than anyone of us will ever be. Yet, their righteousness isn\u2019t enough (as we saw in verse 21-22), we need a righteousness that exceeds theirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.\u201d + Matthew 5v17<\/em><\/p>\n

There it is; there is our righteousness. Jesus came not to do away with the law that haunted me as a child and just forgive me willy-nilly; He came to fulfill it. Jesus never broke the law outwardly or inwardly. He kept it perfectly. This is how he fulfilled the Law. Jesus didn\u2019t do this for Himself, He did this for His people. He did this to not just fulfill the Law, but also to fulfill the Prophets, who spoke of one who would come and bear the sins of His people on His back. They spoke of one who would \u201cmake many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities\u201d (Isaiah 53v11b). Jesus died taking the judgment for my sins, and giving me his perfect law-keeping righteousness. This is the greatest solace and peace for those haunted by their sin.<\/p>\n

When I was tortured by this verse as a kid, it did me good. Though I had a limited understanding of this verse at the time, the Holy Spirit was using it to convict my heart and mind that I was a sinner worthy of the flames of hell. It is not until we know that we are sinners worthy of judgment that we can know the soothing sweetness of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. If your conscience is hijacked with terror over your sin and the consequences, look to Christ crucified. Look to the one takes away the sins of the world. Look to the one who can make you to be accounted as righteous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2026whoever says, \u2018You fool!\u2019 will be liable to the hell of fire.\u201d + Matthew 5v22b As a kid this verse terrified me. I thought that if I simply called someone a \u201cfool\u201d then I would go to hell. My paranoia over this verse haunted my mind every hour of the day that simply by thinking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,32],"tags":[78,274,500,557,562,602,603,619,625,678,679,699,707,730,743,765,803,840,994,1014,1056,1114,1144],"class_list":{"0":"post-3446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-faith","8":"category-theology","9":"tag-78","10":"tag-christ","11":"tag-fire","12":"tag-god","13":"tag-gospel","14":"tag-hell","15":"tag-help","16":"tag-hope","17":"tag-how","18":"tag-jenkins","19":"tag-jesus","20":"tag-joshua","21":"tag-judgment","22":"tag-law","23":"tag-liable","24":"tag-lord","25":"tag-matthew","26":"tag-mount","27":"tag-prophets","28":"tag-rags","29":"tag-riches","30":"tag-sermon","31":"tag-sin","32":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/10\/10-commandments-42.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3611,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-propitiation-for-the-sins-of-the-whole-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":3446,"position":0},"title":"A Propitiation for the Sins of the Whole World?","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. 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In other words \u2013 are you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Christ\"","block_context":{"text":"Christ","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/christ\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/light_in_dark.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3640,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/children-of-the-devil-and-children-of-god-commentary-on-1-john-34-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":3446,"position":2},"title":"Children of the Devil and Children of God: Commentary on 1 John 3:4-10","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"October 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 Last week as we were in the first three verses of chapter 3, I briefly mentioned the fact that not all people are God's children; as the text of course talked about how Christians are God's children. 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