MacArthur said, “It is a tragedy for anyone to go to Hell,” my thoughts
Though I’ve made many errors with my improper use of vocabulary. But the older I get in my Christian walk, the more I realize how serious our words matter. Especially when it comes to theology, doctrine, soteriology, and more importantly, theology proper. Only by the grace of God so go I. Let’s make dogmatic theology great again.
Some of my Facebook friends are posting and sharing this MacArthur meme like popcorn.
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Though I agree with the last two sentences, I find the first portion surprisingly Arminian (or, Calminian). I do not believe “It is a tragedy for anyone to go to Hell.” The justice of God (Iustitia Dei) is not tragic, and His justice will be done. I believe that before the foundation of the world, God sovereignly decreed the salvation of His elect by His grace, and they will be in heaven, while the non-elect will be dispatched to Hell.
However, if I were to sinfully tell people they were saved because they did this or that, but then went to Hell, that would be my tragic mishandling of theology or soteriology.
People don’t send themselves to Hell. It is God who gives them over to a reprobate mind (Rom 1:28), and it is the Lord who will cast non-saved sinners into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14-15). Either way, God will be glorified.
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:14-15
This word “cast” is the Greek word ballō (Strong’s #906). It is a primary verb which means to throw, to throw down, to cast out, to thrust. And “in various applications, more or less violent or intense.”
When the Lord granted me salvation and repentance, He changed my mind about who He is and who I am. There’s nothing good about me except the goodness of God and the righteousness of Christ. And the only thing I deserve is death, judgment, and hellfire. Had I gone to Hell, that would not have been tragic; that would have been receiving the justice of Almighty God that I deserve. Only by the grace of God did He choose to save the wretched man I am.
If you’re interested in further examining this word “cast” in the Greek, which is executed by the Lord, my BDAG Lexicon in the comments below is certainly more comprehensive than my mind. Without the many hyperlinks, of course. ⬇️
The Christian Post article on SBC’s motion to ban female pastors fails with over 60% support (and my remarks)
Praise report on our Art of Marriage seminar
Video of alleged Prostitute telling me “I already accepted Jesus” (unbiblical soteriology)
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Bill Rhetts
An ordinary sinner saved by an Extraordinary Savior. Radically saved, and radically changed, by a Radical God. For more details, see the above 'About me' tab.
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βάλλω fut. βαλῶ; 2 aor. ἔβαλον, 3 pl. ἔβαλον Lk 23:34 (Ps 21:19); Ac 16:23 and ἔβαλαν Ac 16:37 (B-D-F §81, 3; Mlt-H. 208); pf. βέβληκα (on this form s. lit. in LfgrE s.v. βάλλω col. 25). Pass.: 1 fut. βληθήσομαι; 1 aor. ἐβλήθην; pf. βέβλημαι; plpf. ἐβεβλήμην (Hom.+) gener. to put someth. into motion by throwing, used from the time of Hom. either with a suggestion of force or in a gentler sense; opp. of ἁμαρτάνω ‘miss the mark’.
① to cause to move from one location to another through use of forceful motion, throw
ⓐ w. simple obj. scatter seed on the ground (Diod S 1, 36, 4; Ps 125:6 v.l. [ARahlfs, Psalmi cum Odis ’31]) Mk 4:26; 1 Cl 24:5; AcPlCor 2:26; in a simile, of the body τὸ σῶμα … βληθέν vs. 27; εἰς κῆπον Lk 13:19; cast lots (Ps 21:19; 1 Ch 25:8 al.; Jos., Ant. 6, 61) Mt 27:35; Mk 15:24; Lk 23:34; J 19:24; B 6:6.
ⓑ throw τινί τι Mt 15:26; Mk 7:27. τὶ ἔμπροσθέν τινος Mt 7:6 (β.=throw something before animals: Aesop, Fab. 275b H.//158 P.//163 H.). τὶ ἀπό τινος throw someth. away (fr. someone) Mt 5:29f; 18:8f (Teles p. 60, 2 ἀποβάλλω of the eye). τὶ ἔκ τινος: ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὀπίσω τινός spew water out of the mouth after someone Rv 12:15f; β. ἔξω = ἐκβάλλειν throw out J 12:31 v.l.; 2 Cl 7:4; s. ἐκβάλλω 1. Of worthless salt Mt 5:13; Lk 14:35; of bad fish throw away Mt 13:48 (cp. Κυπρ. I p. 44 no. 43 κόπρια βάλλειν probably = throw refuse away); τὶ ἐπί τινα: throw stones at somebody J 8:7, 59 (cp. Sir 22:20; 27:25; Jos., Vi. 303); in a vision of the future dust on one’s head Rv 18:19; as an expression of protest τὶ εἴς τι dust into the air Ac 22:23 (D εἰς τ. οὐρανόν toward the sky); cast, throw nets into the lake Mt 4:18; J 21:6; cp. vs. 7; a fishhook Mt 17:27 (cp. Is 19:8). Pass., into the sea, lake Mt 13:47; Mk 9:42; βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν throw yourself into the sea Mt 21:21; Mk 11:23.—Throw into the fire (Jos., Ant. 10, 95 and 215) Mt 3:10; Mk 9:22; Lk 3:9; J 15:6; into Gehenna Mt 5:29; 18:9b; 2 Cl 5:4; into the stove Mt 6:30; 13:42, 50 (cp. Da 3:21); Lk 12:28; 2 Cl 8:2. β. ἑαυτὸν κάτω throw oneself down Mt 4:6; Lk 4:9 (cp. schol. on Apollon. Rhod. 4, 1212–14a εἰς τὸν κρημνὸν ἑαυτὸν ἔβαλε; Jos., Bell. 4, 28).—Rv 8:7f; 12:4, 9 (schol. on Apollon. Rhod. 4, 57; 28 p. 264, 18 of throwing out of heaven ἐκβληθέντα κατελθεῖν εἰς Ἅιδου), 13; 14:19; 18:21; 19:20; 20:3, 10, 14f; thrown into a grave AcPlCor 2:32 (cp. τὰ νεκρούμενα καὶ εἰς γῆν βαλλόμενα Just., A I, 18, 6).—Of physical disability βεβλημένος lying (Jos., Bell. 1, 629) ἐπὶ κλίνης β. Mt 9:2; cp. Mk 7:30. Throw on a sickbed Rv 2:22. Pass. abs. (Conon [I B.C./I A.D.] 26 Fgm. 1, 17 Jac. βαλλομένη θνήσκει) lie on a sickbed (cp. Babrius 103, 4 κάμνων ἐβέβλητο [ἔκειτο L-P.]) Mt 8:6, 14. ἐβέβλητο πρὸς τὸν πυλῶνα he lay before the door Lk 16:20 (ἐβέβλητο as Aesop, Fab. 284 H.; Jos., Ant. 9, 209; Field, Notes 70).—Fig. εἰς ἀθυμίαν β. τινά plunge someone into despondency 1 Cl 46:9.
ⓒ to cause or to let fall down, let fall of a tree dropping its fruit Rv 6:13; throw down 18:21a, to destruction ibid. b.
② to force out of or into a place, throw (away), drive out, expel ἐβλήθη ἔξω he is (the aor. emphasizes the certainty of the result, and is gnomic [B-D-F §333; Rob. 836f; s. Hdb. ad loc.]) thrown away/out, i.e. expelled fr. the fellowship J 15:6. drive out into the desert B 7:8; throw into prison Mt 18:30; Rv 2:10 (Epict. 1, 1, 24; 1, 12, 23; 1, 29, 6 al.; PTebt 567 [53/54 A.D.]). Pass. be thrown into the lions’ den 1 Cl 45:6 (cp. Da 6:25 Theod. v.l.; Bel 31 Theod. v.l.); εἰς τὸ στάδιον AcPl Ha 4, 13. Fig. love drives out fear 1J 4:18.
③ to put or place someth. in a location, put, place, apply, lay, bring
ⓐ w. simple obj. κόπρια β. put manure on, apply m. Lk 13:8 (POxy 934, 9 μὴ οὖν ἀμελήσῃς τοῦ βαλεῖν τὴν κόπρον).
ⓑ w. indication of the place to which τὶ εἴς τι: put money into the temple treasury Mk 12:41–44; Lk 21:1–4 (in the context Mk 12:43f; Lk 21:3f suggest sacrifical offering by the widow); τὰ βαλλόμενα contributions (s. γλωσσόκομον and cp. 2 Ch 24:10) J 12:6; put a finger into an ear when healing Mk 7:33; difft. J 20:25, 27 (exx. from medical lit. in Rydbeck 158f); to determine virginal purity by digital exploration GJs 19:3; put a sword into the scabbard J 18:11; place bits into mouths Js 3:3; εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν take into the pool J 5:7; cp. Ox 840, 33f; πολλὰ θηρία εἰς τὸν Παῦλον many animals let loose against Paul AcPl Ha 5, 4f (here β. suggests the rush of the animals); β. εἰς τὴν καρδίαν put into the heart J 13:2 (cp. Od. 1, 201; 14, 269; Pind., O. 13, 16 [21] πολλὰ δʼ ἐν καρδίαις ἔβαλον; schol. on Pind., P. 4, 133; Plut., Timol. 237 [3, 2]; Herm. Wr. 6, 4 θεῷ τῷ εἰς νοῦν μοι βαλόντι). Of liquids: pour (Epict. 4, 13, 12; PLond III, 1177, 46 p. 182 [113 A.D.]; Judg 6:19 B) wine into skins Mt 9:17; Lk 5:37f; water into a basin (TestAbr B 3 p. 107, 18 [Stone p. 62] βάλε ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῆς λεκάνης ἵνα νίψωμεν τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ξένου [cp. TestAbr A 3 p. 80, 1 [Stone p. 8] ἔνεγκέ μοι ἐπὶ τῆς λ.]; Vi. Aesopi W 61 p. 92, 29f P. βάλε ὕδωρ εἰς τ. λεκάνην καὶ νίψον μου τοὺς πόδας; PGM 4, 224; 7, 319 βαλὼν εἰς αὐτὸ [the basin] ὕδωρ) J 13:5; wormwood in honey Hm 5, 1, 5; ointment on the body Mt 26:12.—βάρος ἐπί τινα put a burden on some one Rv 2:24. δρέπανον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν swing the sickle on the earth as on a harvest field Rv 14:19. Cp. ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὰς χείρας J 7:44 v.l. (s. ἐπιβάλλω 1b). Lay down crowns (wreaths) before the throne Rv 4:10.
ⓒ other usage ῥίζας β. send forth roots, take root like a tree, fig. (Polemon, Decl. 2, 54 ὦ ῥίζας ἐξ ἀρετῆς βαλλόμενος) 1 Cl 39:8 (Job 5:3).
④ to bring about a change in state or condition, εἰρήνην, μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν bring peace, the sword on earth Mt 10:34 (Jos., Ant. 1, 98 ὀργὴν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν βαλεῖν); χάριν ἐπʼ αὐτήν God showed her (Mary) favor GJs 7:3. τὶ ἐνώπιόν τινος: σκάνδαλον place a stumbling-block Rv 2:14.
⑤ to entrust money to a banker for interest, deposit money (τί τινι as Quint. Smyrn. 12, 250 in a difft. context) w. the bankers (to earn interest; cp. Aristoxenus, Fgm. 59 τὸ βαλλόμενον κέρμα; so also Diog. L. 2, 20) Mt 25:27.
⑥ to move down suddenly and rapidly, rush down, intr. (Hom.; Epict. 2, 20, 10; 4, 10, 29; POslo 45, 2; En 18:6 ὄρη … εἰς νότον βάλλοντα ‘in a southern direction’. Cp. Rdm.2 23; 28f; Rob. 799; JStahl, RhM 66, 1911, 626ff) ἔβαλεν ἄνεμος a storm rushed down Ac 27:14. (s. Warnecke 36 n. 9).—B. 673. Schmidt, Syn. III 150–66. DELG. M-M. TW.
[William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 163–164.]