Yesterday we observed Biblical Sexuality Sunday in solidarity with Christians across North America against the recent attacks on Christ’s church from godless governments. We looked at the story of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 19, emphasizing how Christians who passively tolerate such evil in society will be greatly compromised by sin and suffer loss. If you are following along with our Wellspring 2023 Bible reading plan, you will have noticed the city of Sodom was brought up again by Jesus in Matthew 11.

“Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. Woe to you!….And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” -Matthew 11:20,23-24

It’s interesting that when Christians today talk about living as Jesus did, they don’t include that part about cursing entire cities (“Woe to you!”) and telling them they are going to hell (“You will be brought down to Hades”). Here Jesus is pronouncing God’s judgment on cities because of the mighty works He had done in them. They saw the Messiah and they saw the miraculous proof that He was the Messiah and they still did not repent. Such is the blinding effect of man’s love affair with sin (2 Cor 4:3-4). And because of that, Jesus says that things will be worse for them on the day of Judgment than for the land of Sodom, implying that there are degrees of punishment in hell. We remember what Sodom deserved and what Sodom received. How can it be that Capernaum will get worse condemnation on judgment day than Sodom? As John MacArthur points out, “there is no record that the people of that city ever mocked or ridiculed Jesus, ran him out of town, or threatened his life. Yet the sin of that city—indifference to Christ—was worse than Sodom’s gross wickedness.”

Because Capernaum experienced far greater revelation than Sodom regarding Christ and the gospel, they were far more accountable and far more guilty for their rejection and indifference. To which we must ask, how much more accountable and guilty is our nation for its indifference to Christ and for its outright blasphemy? We have been given an even greater revelation than Capernaum. We live in the church age with the complete canon of Scripture and a full understanding of the cross, in a nation with churches in every city and Bibles in most homes, with a legacy of Christendom handed down to us from the Puritans and our founding fathers. What would Jesus say to America today? “O America, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to hell…it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Sodom than for you.”

May God be gracious to grant us repentance so that this is not the final word spoken over our nation. And be faithful to Him saints, no matter what comes!


In Christ,

Pastor Bryan