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2 Peter 2:21
21 For [gar] it had been [en] better [kreitton] for them [autos] not [me] to have known [epiginosko] the way [hodos] of righteousness [dikaiosune], than [e], after they have known [epiginosko] it, to turn [epistrepho] from [ek] the holy [hagios] commandment [entole] delivered [paradidomi] unto them [autos]. KJV-Interlinear
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. NASB
First a couple of review points. Peter is speaking to believers, not unbelievers.
When he speaks of life being better without Christ, he is not referring to a comparison between unbelievers and believers. Going to the Lake of Fire is never, under any circumstances, better than heaven.
The comparison here is between ignorance and knowledge of Bible doctrine.
There are five classes of people as far as eternity goes. The first and second class belongs to unbelievers, namely those who are knowledgeable of, or ignorant of God. The dividing line here is between those who have reached the age of responsibility, and those who have not.
The people who have not reached the age of responsibility belongs to infants, babies, children under the age wherein they know the difference between right and wrong, of God and rejecting God. That age can vary in different cultures, perhaps between the ages of eight or ten to even the upper teens. Likewise, there are folks that are born with various genetic or mental defects that prevent their assimilation of knowledge.
And then there are those who grow up, become aware of God, and make a conscious rejection of Him.
As for those who make a conscious rejection of Christ, the Lake of Fire is their destiny. As for those who do not grow up, as it were, they are saved automatically when they die before they have any chance of knowing the issues of life. This principle we studied when we studied Davids’ loss of his first born child. The child died in infancy, and yet David stated that he would see the infant in heaven one day.
This group of folks go directly to heaven and there they will receive their just reward, as only God can determine. They do not have to live in this unfair world, and do not have to go through the sufferings that the rest of us do.
The third and fourth and fifth classes of people are believers. They all go to heaven because they have all believed in Christ. The difference between these three is their relative spiritual growth. Some will have no spiritual growth, some will have some spiritual growth, and the last group will advance to spiritual maturity.
The first group goes to heaven but receive no ‘extra’ reward. The second group goes to heaven but receive only a partial portion of their ‘extra’ reward. The last group, the mature believers, go to heaven and they not only receive their full ‘extra’ reward but they receive a portion of the reward that the others forfeited. You will need to review the Parables of Christ for this study.
Now, as for those who advance in their spiritual life, then regress backwards in their spiritual growth by turning back to their former sinful state, they get hammered in several ways.
First, from their own decision standpoint, it is more difficult to return to God, when you have become disillusioned and fallen off of the spiritual path. That is an attitude that is difficult to overcome. Second, when life gets tough and you overcome it partially by your first advance in doctrine, then fall away, then life just gets tougher.
This does not mean that God disciplines you more and more, because there are lots of folks out there, who lead sin nature driven lives and their lives are more or less prosperous, as far as this world is concerned. But by living a spiritually dysfunctional life, you are setting a pattern that leads to the forfeiture of your eternal rewards.
Eternal rewards are measured by the phrase, ‘exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything you can think or ask.’ In other words these rewards are so vast and great that they are beyond your imagination.
The infant child who dies will be better off in heaven, than the adult believer who had turned against God and doctrine. The brand new believer, who has not had enough time to advance in their spiritual life, will be far better off than the long-term believer who has turned against God and doctrine.
Don’t feel sorry for someone who had died while young in life. They may very well be far better off than you, assuming that you constantly ride the fence of indecision or of being convinced or persuaded with regard to doctrine.
Far too often people allow second guessing to enter into their learning mode. ‘I don’t believe that.’ ‘Where does it say that?’ ‘I don’t agree with that.’
When people should take themselves less seriously, and simply continue their studies with an open mind, then God will unveil the truth for them, and all things become clear. But time and patience solve that one, not logic or attitude. Those who seek proof, often find that they can never be convinced.
Stubbornness is your worst enemy and humility is your best ally, when it comes to spiritual growth.
What is at stake? Your entire eternal future and the content of that future.
The difference between the Lake of Fire and heaven, is infinite. The difference between the reward for zero spiritual production and mature spiritual production, is infinite.
If before you were born into this life, you could have done something that would insure you vast wealth and prosperity in this life, you would have made those arrangements for yourself. But none of us had that chance or opportunity. However, we do now have that opportunity to insure for ourselves, a phenomenal eternal life in heaven, by merely learning doctrine and growing up to spiritual maturity.
Being alive in this world is wonderful, but being alive and being a billionaire would be better, wouldn’t it?
So, what of eternity in heaven. Being in heaven will be phenomenal for us all, but God has rewards waiting for each one of us. And these rewards are tied to your spiritual production in this life. We do not know what the specifics of these rewards are, but ‘beyond imagination,’ makes for a staggering blessing. Compare that to getting nothing and there you have a vast contrast.
So now, will you be the fool, and get all righteous about your eternity, or will you be wise and embrace a wonderful gift that you really don’t deserve, but will receive just by growing up into a responsible spiritually mature believer?
