The Danger Of Damnation In Sincere Religion

All followers of Christ need to be reminded that religion is a subtly dangerous cover-up for spiritual deadness. We go to church, we attend small group, we read the Bible, we go through the motions, we check off the boxes, but if we're not careful, we can miss the point altogether. In all our efforts at moral renewal, we only cover up the curse of sin that lies at the core of who we are. That's why we must ask ourselves some probing questions: Is there life inside me? Is there inner transformation? Is my heart being changed so that I desire Christ more than I desire the things of this world? Is there love and affection for Christ at the root of my obedience? Is Christianity a matter of duty for me or is it a matter of delight? Is holiness being joyfully cultivated in my heart? The answer to these questions was a clear "no" in the case of the scribes and Pharisees.306

Matthew 23:29-36

In this last section of Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces His seventh and final woe. In verse 29 Jesus refers to the "tombs of the prophets." Monuments were often erected to Israel's prophets, as if to imply that the present generation would have never done what the previous generation did to these prophets, that is, persecute them and put them to death (v. 30). But Jesus told the current Jewish leadership that they were doing the very same thing that their disobedient fathers did. In essence, the scribes and Pharisees had murdered God's messengers. They were the sons of murderers in the Old Testament, and they would show this in the days ahead when they would murder Christian missionaries. Jesus said that He would send "prophets, sages, and scribes," and that the scribes and Pharisees would "crucify... flog... and hound" them (v. 34). This is exactly what we see unfold in the lives of disciples and missionaries of Christ who spread the gospel in the book of Acts.

The Jewish religious leaders in the book of Acts were always at the heels of Christians who were proclaiming the gospel.49 Then in Matthew 23:35, Jesus gives a climactic overview of how, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, God's people had murdered the messengers He sent. The time period from Abel to Zechariah covers the span from the first to the last recorded murders of righteous people in the Old Testament.50 The blood of all these prophets and messengers would be on the hands of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 35), for they were about to murder the promised Messiah. The culmination of Israel's opposition to God and His Word was evident in the Jewish generation of Jesus' day.

In a matter of days, the Jewish leaders would incite the crowds to cry out for the crucifixion of the Messiah, leading them to shout, "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt 27:25). Those who called for Jesus' crucifixion filled up the full measure of their fathers' sin (v. 32), and God would tolerate it no more. We've seen this kind of language in Scripture before: in Genesis 15:12-16 God said He would delay His307 wrath for 400 years—four generations—until the sins of the Amorites were complete. When the iniquity of the Amorites had reached its full measure, God brought His wrath on them. That same principle was applied at different points to different nations in Scripture, but until now it had not been applied to the people of Israel. Jesus was now pronouncing "woe" (condemnation) on these Jewish leaders.

It's easy to read these condemnations from Jesus and shake our heads at the scribes and Pharisees. However, the questions that we've raised in this chapter are, as you may have already gathered, not as foreign to us as we would like to think. As we come to the climax of these condemnations of the scribes and Pharisees, as well as of the crowds who called for the crucifixion of the Messiah, we come face to face with a frightening conclusion: We are they.

We too have hearts that would murder the Messiah, and to think anything different is to flatter ourselves in the same way these scribes and Pharisees did.

The old Negro spiritual asks, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" And the answer is, "Yes, I was there." Not as a spectator, but as a participant, a guilty participant—plotting, scheming, betraying, bargaining, and handing Jesus over to be crucified. John Stott said, "Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading to repentance)" (Stott, The Cross of Christ, 59-60). Along the same lines, the great Scottish hymn-writer Horatius Bonar wrote the following:

Twas I that shed the sacred blood; I nailed him to the tree;

I crucified the Christ of God; I joined the mockery.

Of all that shouting multitude, I feel that I am one;

And in that din of voices rude I recognize my own.

Around the cross the throng I see, Mocking the Sufferer's groan;

Yet still my voice it seems to be, As if I mocked alone.

(Bonar, "I See the Crowd in Pilate's Hall")

We have all rebelled against God, turning from Him and from His Word. This is the same God who has been supremely revealed in His308 One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, and we have rejected Him outright. Therefore, no matter how sincere we are, no matter how hard we try, no matter what we do, we have hearts that warrant the wrath and condemnation of God. These final verses of Matthew 23, while applicable to the people of Israel in Jesus' day, also have particular application to each of us.

Matthew 23:37-39

Jesus announced to Jerusalem that their rejection of Him would lead to the inevitable certainty of judgment. This sobering judgment is certain for us too if we persist in our rebellion against God's Messiah. Regardless of how things seem and the consensus of those around us, the condemnation of sinners is imminent. This was true for most of the people in Jerusalem in Jesus' day, for in these verses the audience has broadened from the scribes and the Pharisees to the people who followed their lead. All of them would experience the wrath of God. The temple, which is the "house" Jesus referred to in verse 38, would be utterly desolated within a matter of years.51 The Jews in that day experienced divine judgment, and while we are in a different context at a different time in history, the condemnation of sinners is still imminent today.

With God's just and righteous judgment as the backdrop, we need to be reminded of the good news of the gospel. The salvation of sinners is possible. Jesus called out to those who rejected Him, saying, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem!... How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!" (v. 37). Hear, then, the patient and merciful pleas of the Son of God. Salvation is possible for all who come to Him, so do not resist Him. Come to Jesus today in repentance and faith, and you will, by the grace of God, be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

So far we've seen that while the condemnation of sinners is imminent, the salvation of sinners is possible. We can also be assured that the exaltation of Jesus is guaranteed. His people would not see Him again until they said, "He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!" (v. 39). Jesus will come back as the reigning Lord, and every knee309 will bow (Phil 2:9-11). The question is, when Jesus returns, will you see Him coming as your consuming Judge or your welcomed King?

In light of the truths in this passage, I believe it is appropriate to apply this text to two groups of people. The first group is church leaders, or more specifically, pastors. Such individuals receive the severest of warnings from Jesus, just as Israel's leaders had received the sternest warnings from God in the Old Testament. God's most furious wrath is reserved for those who claim to be His servants, that is, those in positions of leadership, who deceive and mislead God's people away from God's glory (Matt 18:6; see also 2 Pet 2).

In our churches there is a special need for right doctrine and godly living among our elders.52 Therefore, let us lead with integrity from God's Word as the only source of authority for what we believe and how we behave. Hypocrisy is to be avoided at all costs; God's Word should be clear from our lips and clear in our lives. The church must be guided by the truth and not our traditions. Scripture is to be the bright sun around which everything in our lives and everything in our churches revolves.

Elders also need to be aware that they do not rule the church, but rather they are ruled by Christ. Therefore, let us lead by submission to God's Son as our chief Shepherd and the coming King. Christ is our "chief Shepherd" (1 Pet 5:4), and this is His church, not ours. We are accountable to Him for how we shepherd His body (Heb 13:17). So let us love Christ and let us lead His church to be ready for the day when He returns to claim His people fully and finally.

This passage can also be applied in our own lives as members of the church who are not in leadership. There are three takeaways in this regard. First and foremost, let us humbly hide under the shelter of Christ's mercy. We need the mercy of Christ, and this is the primary thing the scribes and Pharisees failed to grasp. The recognition of our need for mercy is what separates true religion that brings glory to God from sincere religion that warrants wrath from God.310

Second, let us wisely walk in surrender to Christ's authority. This involves understanding His Word rightly. At root, the woes Jesus pronounced revealed a fundamental failure to discern the meaning of God's Word. However, God has not left us alone to figure out how to honor and obey Him. We are not wandering in the dark. He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, and He has provided His Spirit to guide us, so we must read and study the Word, not in attempts to twist it according to our tastes, but in surrender to it as His truth. We also walk in surrender to Christ by desiring His worship wholeheartedly. Let us refuse to live for anything else but the glory of Christ in our own lives.

Third, let us passionately proclaim the supremacy of Christ's glory. In this chapter we not only see Christ's condemnation pronounced on sinners, but also His compassion expressed for sinners. Jesus longed for Jerusalem's salvation, and Luke's Gospel even records that Jesus wept over the beloved city (19:41). We too should feel compelled to reach out to sinners in need.

Today there are literally billions of people in various places in the world who are giving themselves to sincere religion, and they genuinely believe they are honoring God (or whatever gods they worship). But they are deceived and they are headed to eternal damnation. From the wealthiest of the wealthy to the poorest of the poor, to every tribe, tongue, and clan in Africa, and to every other people group on the planet, let's give our lives and our churches to passionately proclaiming the supremacy of Christ's glory. Such a King deserves so much more than outward religion.