3)
This is matched up with the example of Eli the high priest and his sons, also priests. He admonished his sons for their depredations, which cause the congregants themselves to sin, but they did not repent. They ignored him and kept up their arrogant sinning ways. He did not discipline his sons properly to keep them straight under his teachings; and as a result, the Lord told him through a prophet that his lineage would be cut off from the Levitical priesthood. Many would be slaughtered by the Philistines. Worse yet, the Ark of the Covenant would be held hostage by the invading armies of Philistine. When that happened, that caused Eli to drop off his chair, breaking his neck, and he died. His sons Hophni and Phinehas died. His pregnant daughter-in-law was devastated by the news of the deaths of her family members, which cause her to go into labor. She died after giving birth to Phineas’s first child, Ichabod. Tragedy struck Israel and its inhabitants because of the sins of her people and the lawlessness of her leaders.
1 Samuel 2:12-36, 4:1-22.
Action and reaction. Cause and effect. Boomerang. God will not allow His name to go long offended.
God is no respecter of persons. David, a man of God, knew that; but his tolerance of sin in his family was like that of Eli. Maybe he forgot, maybe he didn't, but God didn't lose David. However, he sent prophets to his house after the affair with Bathsheba and then his committing the murder of her husband Urias. Nathan the prophet said to David that the sword would not depart from his house.
Antinomianism, or lawlessness, or serial iniquity is a very serious matter. It teaches that there are no consequences for sin. It teaches that one does not have to repent from sin. It teaches that we are loved by God, accepted by God, cherished by God and that He knows our hearts. All of this is true – YES, IT IS TRUE. But God wants us to repent and become holy, because He is holy. But now people are learning to say no to repentance, instead of saying no to sin by way of God’s lovely grace.
This was also epitomized by a movement in the 1970s as the "love gospel" movement. The love gospel was yet another teaching of lawlessness where people would practice their Christianity by loving one another but not admonishing each other when they sinning. Alberto Rivera, former Jesuit priest and born-again Christian, said the love gospel was about accepting everyone into the churches but not caring about how they were living. No holiness encouragement, no repentance for sins, no teaching about sanctification by the Holy Spirit, not using His grace, or anything like that.
And the lawlessness teaching came up again in a reality show about a group of church ministers who, although they did good works, did not give proper credit to Jesus Christ. Taking the credit away from God for good to come from serving Him and His people is no small matter.
Because of this antinomian teaching, because of hypergrace, because of compromising with sin, because of living lawlessly, because of embracing iniquity according to Romans 1:20-32, because of refusing to repent by instruction of some – NOT ALL -- preachers and teachers and other church leaders who themselves are compromised by sin and abominations, there will be a lot of very upset people who want to get into heaven but can’t. Because there is unrepented or unforgiven sin in their lives. Jesus was not messing around when He said not everyone is going to heaven because of unrepented or unforgiven sin – unrepented or unforgiven sin destroys our communications with God, it destroys our relationship with God.
When Jesus comes to rapture the church, and I have sin, I will not be in heaven. We don't know when Jesus will return. This is why I must be ready. If I offend someone, I apologize to them. If I was offended by someone, I forgive them. The keys of the kingdom, binding and loosing are powerful. Christianity=repentance. Many Christians will not enter heaven not only because of unrepentance, but also because of unforgiveness. As long as we are living and breathing still, we need to forgive others or we will not be forgiven.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.