More Tolerable for Sodom

No one seems to like the notion of a god that judges. However, in the Old and New Testament, this is exactly the kind of god we have presented to us. In the Old Testament for example, God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their gross disdain for God and His design in creation, especially as it related to the proper sexual roles of men and women. Throughout the rest of the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah are held up as the chief example of a sinful people that was judged by God.

This is all the more frightening when you consider Jesus’ reference to Sodom and Gomorrah in Matthew 10:14-15. The context is that He is giving His disciples instructions for going and proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom of God, just as he as commanded modern day disciples to do the same. “And,” He says, “whoever does not receive you, or heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, than for that city.” Certainly, with the advent of Christ, God’s final word, we have a way to escape the impending judgement we all deserve. That’s the good news. However, if that final word from God is rejected, it only leaves people more accountable before God, and therefore more liable to His judgement.

If having heard of Christ and the forgiveness that He offers, you reject His pardon, then according to Jesus, it will be more tolerable for a resident of Sodom and Gomorrah than for you at the judgment seat of Almighty God.

Something to think about from “The Kingdom Perspective.”