The Danger And Misery Of The Wicked, Inferred From The Difficulty With Which The Righteous Are Saved.

Adapted From A Sermon By

Philip Doddridge

And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

(1 Peter 4:18)

This morning we come to the second part of Philip Doddridge's sermon on 1 Peter 4:18: And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Today we will consider The Danger And Misery Of The Wicked, Inferred From The Difficulty With Which The Righteous Are Saved.

Among all the striking passages of the Old Testament history, few prove as profoundly stirring and impactful as the account detailing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the deliverance of righteous Lot. This good man, residing among the inhabitants, found his righteous spirit tormented by their scandalous behavior. A just God, unwilling to include him in the retribution inflicted upon his incorrigible neighbors, issued a specific directive to the angels dispatched to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He instructed them to bring him out in safety before they proceeded to carry out the destruction of the city.

The good man held a firm belief in the condemnation of that Divine retribution, which he had long perceived as imminent; and undoubtedly, he expressed profound gratitude for the benevolent admonition bestowed upon him. Nevertheless, it is not recorded that he hastened his departure from this accursed place with the urgency that might reasonably have been anticipated. So great was his attachment to certain kin residing there, or so deep his concern for the material possessions he was compelled to abandon, that he tarried in Sodom until, as the sacred chronicler relates, the angel seized him; and the Lord, in His mercy, delivered him from the city. (Genesis 19:16)

He was solemnly charged to escape for his life and to flee to the mountain, without permitting even the briefest pause that might arise from glancing back upon the dwelling he had abandoned. And the good man himself was so deeply affected by a keen sense of his peril that he cried out to his rescuer, declaring that should he endeavor to reach the mountain, disaster would befall him, and he would perish; thus, he earnestly implored that Zoar might be preserved from the widespread devastation, so that he might find refuge there. Such is the broken language of his fear: "Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!" (Genesis 19:20)

His request was graciously granted, he hurriedly escaped there with a trembling eagerness, ultimately attaining the sanctuary in safety. Yet one of his small band, perhaps the most cherished, met her demise along the way. His wife, overcome by curiosity, dared to glance backward; consequently, she was transformed into a pillar of salt: (Genesis 19:26) she was struck lifeless on the spot and remained upright, where perhaps a portion of the sulfurous deluge engulfed and encrusted her; or she was, as it were, consumed by a fiery salting, erected as a fearsome testament to divine wrath for generations to come. With such difficulty did Lot escape, drawn out of the city by a merciful violence, hastening across the plain, trembling and breathless; and perhaps envisioning, in each fleeting moment of his flight, that the Lord’s fire pursued him, with only a slender margin separating him from ruin—a dread likely heightened by the injunction against looking back, which might otherwise have reassured him that this particular fear was groundless.

And when he reached Zoar with what was left of his broken and lonely family, he did not feel safe there; instead, as the historian clearly tells us, he left Zoar and lived in the mountain because he was afraid to stay in Zoar. (Genesis 19:30) But how much worse was the fate of those awful people he left behind? The light of the rising sun was blocked by a thick cloud that covered them in endless darkness. It soon released its deadly load, pouring down on them in a flood of fire.

Who can describe the fear and shock of those miserable wrongdoers when they saw the storm closing in around them; when they heard the roar of strange thunder; when they saw the flash of terrifying lightning, and perhaps felt the ground shaking under them as it prepared to unleash a storehouse of fiery torrents from its depths? How awful it was to watch! How much worse to feel! In what frantic disarray did they run when God began to rain down His attack on them; and when they felt the first scorching drops of that burning shower, how desperately did they search for the nearest shelter—only to quickly realize that no refuge availed them, as they saw the hail shatter their false shelters and the flood of fire sweep away their hiding places. (Isaiah 28:17)

Some of them might perhaps cry out to the idols of Sodom; but they could not save them, for their temples were ablaze amidst this widespread inferno. Others, might, overwhelmed by their intense fear, invoke the God of Lot; but if they did, there was no one to save them. If they called upon the Lord, he did not answer them; and then perhaps, in a few moments more, they were cursing his unrelenting severity; and like those unfortunate souls, who are mentioned in the Revelations,(Revelation 16:9) being tormented with great heat, they cursed the name of God, who had power over those plagues.

How did they twist and contort their bodies when they sensed the burning sulfur consuming their insides! How did they fill the air with their screams and cries when the old and young, the respected and the unknown, the wealthy and the destitute, men and women alike, suffered in that fire! This continued until they finally breathed out their last and descended to that lake eternally ablaze with fire and brimstone, where they realized, and still realize, that the initial blows of divine justice, though agonizing, were the least intense.

And so in this account presented to us, we find a vivid depiction of the great difficulty with which the righteous escape, as well as the terror and confusion that overwhelm the wicked when they find themselves subject to the wrath of an incensed God, who unleashes upon them the full force of his fury. This serves as a solemn illustration of the words of the text.

The apostle Peter informs us that when God reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them with such a dreadful destruction, he established them as a warning to those who would later live in wickedness.(2 Peter 2:6) Similarly, Jude states that they are presented as an example, "undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."(Jude 7)

It is a terrifying example, one that might cause our ears to ring as we contemplate it and stir our hearts to profound sympathy for those unfortunate beings who remain vulnerable to a similar fate. No, rather, to a judgment even more severe. For our blessed Redeemer has declared concerning those who perish despite hearing the gospel: "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 11:23, 24) And so he declares elsewhere regarding all who spurn the invitations of his grace, including those who witnessed his earthly ministry.

We now continue the sermon we began two Sundays ago. Having examined the principles upon which the Apostle bases his argument—that the righteous scarcely are saved; or, that good men meet with a great deal of difficulty in their way to heaven;—We now turn to the conclusion he derives from this: that wicked men are indeed in a very dangerous and perilous state. He conveys this in those striking words, What will become of the ungodly and the sinner? We will now,

I. Briefly clarify whom we should consider as the "ungodly" and "sinner."

II. Interpret the meaning of that poignant question, "What will become of them?" as it conveys their great peril and distress.

III. Illustrate how this conclusion stems from its underlying principle: the hardships the righteous face in attaining salvation. And then,

IV. Close with some practical insights.

I. We begin by considering who is meant by the ungodly and the sinner. Clearly, there’s a sense in which everyone can be called ungodly and sinners, since we have all been foolish and disobedient at some point, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But here, those labeled ungodly and sinners are set against the righteous mentioned earlier in the verse—that is, good men, righteous in the gospel sense, justified by Christ’s righteousness and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts. This contrast makes it evident that the term ungodly and sinner includes everyone not counted among the righteous.

It’s true that those whose lives have been notoriously corrupt are often called sinners with special emphasis. This man was a sinner, the Pharisee says, implying someone living a blatantly immoral life. And perhaps the word here specifically points to such people, especially those who persecute the Christian faith—as if to say, if God allows his own children and followers to face so much hardship and suffering, let our arrogant enemies not gloat. The time will come when God will call them to account for their bloodshed and deliver a punishment fitting their crimes. Clearly, the extent of any man’s danger and suffering corresponds to the depth of his wickedness.(Romans 2:6)

Nevertheless, the term should not be limited only to persecutors or the most infamous and outrageous offenders. It must also include everyone who has not experienced a true, transformative conversion and embraced a life shaped by divine influence. In scripture, those who are not righteous are often labeled wicked.(2 Thessalonians 3:2) The broad warnings in God’s word target all such people. And so may every unconverted sinner recognize that these grave matters apply to him and not dodge the truth just because he has not committed some notorious crime. In the second place,

II. We will consider the meaning of that poignant question, "What will become of them? In this question, the apostle seems to either suggest or directly state three things: that God’s justice will pursue sinful people, that they will not be able to hide from its reach, and that when it finally overtakes them, its weight will be unbearable for them.

1. This question from the apostle assumes that divine justice will pursue sinful individuals. Wicked men now commit offenses, and God appears to take no notice of them; lightning does not strike them; the ground does not split open to engulf them; the heavens do not unleash a storm of fire upon their homes; instead, their lives proceed with calm and success. These acts they commit, and God remains silent; thus, they are quick to assume that he is entirely like them. However, the apostle here effectively assures them otherwise, declaring that a time will come when judgment will align with righteousness,(Psalm 94:14) and God will seek them out to hold them accountable for their wrongs. This is the clear basis of the question, What will become of them? It suggests that such danger will surround them, that harm is destined for them.

2. The question also assumes that wicked men will not manage to escape that search which God makes for them, nor hide from his divine scrutiny. What will become of the wicked? Or, as the original could be translated, Where shall he show his face? It portrays him in utter panic, searching for the most hidden refuge. It is as though the text declares, Let him flee wherever he chooses, yet the moment he emerges in a new place, the eye of God will find him, spotting him as clearly as in the place he abandoned; so that he might echo David’s words, Where shall I go from your Spirit?(Psalm 139:7)

3. The question may also suggest that when sinners are overtaken by divine justice, they shall find themselves unable to oppose or withstand it; instead, they shall be completely overwhelmed and ruined by it.

What will become of them? These words carry a striking weight. It is as though he declared, Poor souls! I find myself moved for them, even though they oppose God and his people, even though they seek to destroy us; yet when I consider their ultimate fate, a sense of human pity stirs within me (what will become of them? I know divine justice will overtake them), and I search for any possible solace for them; but, sadly, I see them as utterly without comfort or aid. What will become of them? Or, as Job puts it, what then will they do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what will they answer him?(Job 31:14)

The words clearly convey that an angry God will pursue and find them; when he moves against them, they will be powerless to resist his wrath. This encompasses the entire scope of divine justice toward them, in this life and beyond, though it especially highlights that dreadful moment scripture describes as a day of wrath and the unveiling of God’s righteous judgment. Scripture’s consistent message makes this evident; every warning in God’s word supports this when viewed alongside his perfect nature. God has declared he will punish sinners; thus, his truth compels him to seek them out for justice; his all-seeing knowledge will locate them wherever they hide; and his boundless power ensures that, when unleashed for their ruin, nothing can oppose or survive it. The boldest man on earth, the most defiant devil in hell, must yield and collapse under his crushing judgment. This explains the meaning of the question, What will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

III. We now turn to explore the strength of the conclusion drawn from the earlier part of the verse, namely, how it follows that, because the righteous are saved with difficulty, wicked men face a truly perilous situation. Other scriptures seem to point in this direction. Consider the proverbial saying, If these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?(Luke 23:31) Or the declaration, "Behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished?"(Jeremiah 25:29) Or again, "If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it"—that is, those most confident of their exemption—"will you go unpunished?"(Jeremiah 49:12) And though these scriptures are not entirely parallel to this in the text it is very obvious that there is a considerable resemblance. The principles on which this argument is built are evident from natural understanding, yet greatly clarified by divine revelation.

1. We may deduce the fairness of this conclusion from our natural understanding of the Divine Being. We naturally reason that God possesses complete integrity and perfection in his nature; and so, holiness appears pleasing, while sin seems repugnant, in his sight. He loves himself with a supreme affection, and he must approve and love others to the degree to which they resemble him, and disapprove and abhor them in proportion to the degree in which they are unlike him.

Now, good men have, to a significant extent, been reshaped into the likeness of his holiness, whereas wicked men mirror the devil, his great enemy, whose nature stands in direct opposition to his own. Consequently, he must favor good men and detest the wicked, as the Psalmist’s natural reasoning declares, "The Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds," and "The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked." (Psalm 11:5, 7) If he permits those whom natural insight tells us he loves to pass through so many trials, the wicked must expect something a great deal worse.

2. This reasoning finds even more support in the revelation of his word, where he has proclaimed his love for the righteous and his hatred of the wicked in the most striking terms. It is not merely stated, as in the passage already mentioned, that the Lord loves the righteous, but that he takes pleasure in his saints.(Psalm 147:11, 149:4) He describes them as his treasures and his children. "They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him."(Malachi 3:7) "I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."(2 Corinthians 6:18) Even more tender and affectionate, the Lord will rejoice over his people; "He will exult over you with loud singing,"(Zephaniah3:17) "as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride."(Isaiah 62:5)

On the other hand, scripture declares that God is angry with the wicked every day and that his soul hates them. (Psalm 7:11, 11:5) To convey his profound disgust for sin, he portrays it as a crushing burden, describing himself as weighed down by it, like a cart laden with sheaves, (Amos 2:18 NKJV) overburdened and on the verge of collapse. Now, imagine God proclaiming his love for the righteous and his contempt for the wicked in such striking terms; then consider whether he will permit the wicked to escape punishment, when he subjects his own people to so many trials and guides them along so difficult a path.

IV. We close with some practical insights on this important and sobering truth.

1. Let us commit to earnestly examining ourselves to determine whether we stand among the wicked and ungodly. This inquiry will not prove equally challenging for everyone. Some, upon a brief reflection, must admit they belong to this group, recognizing themselves as sinners in the most flagrant sense, aware of shameful acts that wholly contradict any claim to faith. However, others must not hastily assume they are secure; for, understand this, you are just as surely counted among the ungodly if you live as though God has no place in your world, if you have never recognized your need for the Lord Jesus Christ, nor entrusted your soul to him; if you refuse to confront your deepest flaws and surrender them as an offering to God; if you are unwilling to abandon your earthly pursuits, deny your own desires, and follow Christ at any cost.

The greatest challenge in this self-examination will confront those who have felt serious convictions and made sincere resolutions, yet have frequently failed to uphold them. To you, I will plainly state that you must not expect to settle this matter with a single reflection; you will need to revisit the question repeatedly. In the meantime, strive diligently to subdue your flaws and grow steadily in grace; as you do, you will discover that the assurance of grace strengthens in proportion to your progress.

And it is generally safer to judge oneself too strictly than too leniently. If a man concludes that he has thus far been wicked and ungodly, yet now relies wholeheartedly on our blessed Redeemer’s sacred gospel and surrenders his soul to God in his covenant, he will find safety; renewing these commitments will not harm him, even if he has already done so with genuine sincerity. However, mistakenly believing he is in a state of grace when he is not can lead to devastating consequences, potentially resulting in his eternal ruin.

2. What a source of dread this offers to all unconverted sinners. If you stand in this group, convicted by your own consciences, solemnly consider: How will you face God when he arrives to enact his judgments upon you? If such a moment came in this life, how would you endure? Yet, above all, how will you stand on that great and terrifying day of the Lord? The scene before us is so awesome that we must dwell upon it. Envision that hour; picture in your mind that solemn spectacle: picture hearing the trumpet’s deafening blast, shaking the earth’s core, tearing open tombs, and rousing the dead; imagine yourselves rising from your graves, lifting your eyes to the heavens in awe; behold the Lord Jesus Christ descending in a cloud, attended by countless angels, and seated upon a throne of awful judgment. What will you do on this fearsome day? Will you dare refuse to face his tribunal? Will you seek to defend your actions there? Do you have anything to offer to delay the judgment? Or can you withstand the sentence’s execution?

i) Will you refuse to obey the summons and stand before this fearsome tribunal? When he commands, Come forth and present yourself at my judgment seat, that you may face trial for an eternal destiny, will you dare say, I will not come? Would you challenge him, who could dispatch a legion of demons to drag you before him in trembling fear? You cannot hope to resist his will by force, nor would it be wiser to imagine escaping his gaze. In vain would you search for the most hidden refuge. He might address you as in the words of Amos: not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape. If you dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take you; if you climb up to heaven, from there I will bring you down. If you hide yourself on the top of Carmel, from there I will search you out and take you; and if you hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite you.(Amos 9:1-3) And so, you clearly see that his eye will find you, his hand will reach you, wherever you may try to hide from him. It is undeniable, then, that you must obey the call and appear before his formidable tribunal. And,

ii) Will you justify your own actions there? Will you assert the blamelessness of your conduct? No, you would try in vain to defend it before those around you. No one who has known you closely and spoken with you could fail to testify against you, citing some offense—though it may escape human laws—that rightly invites divine judgment. How, then, will you face God when the book is opened,(Revelation 20:12) the record of his all-knowing sight and of your own conscience; when he confronts you and arrays your sins clearly before you?(Psalm 50:21) Guilt will silence and overwhelm you; as for any claim of innocence, you will stand speechless.

iii) What will you present to stop the judgment? Will you claim that you are his creatures? He will rightly respond that you have made yourselves unworthy of his kindness; you have placed yourselves in such a state that it is just for him who created you to withhold mercy, and for him who formed you to grant no favor; (Isaiah 27:11) indeed, that he should punish you more severely because you were his creatures, and thus bound by such great duties of gratitude and obedience. Will you appeal to the mercy of the gospel covenant? You will appeal to that in vain. The gospel indeed proclaimed salvation, but it offered life only to the repentant and the believer; as you will be shown to be unrepentant and unbelieving, all those promises of grace will deepen your guilt, plunging you into a severe punishment proportional to the abundance of that grace you have scorned. You will then see so clearly the emptiness of these defenses that you will lack the boldness to even raise them, while the sentence you face convicts, silences, and condemns you.

iv) Can you endure the fulfillment of your sentence? To answer this, carefully consider what that sentence entails. You are familiar with it; you have heard it many times, yet you listen and read with indifference. "Then the King will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."(Matthew 25:41) You read these words with detachment and carelessness, moving swiftly to the rest of the passage. But, it will be an entirely different matter when this prophecy actually comes to pass. When you hear the King declare these words, when you behold the royal majesty in which he appears and hear him utter those terrible words, you will then understand what it means to be cast out from him—from him whose presence brings joy and glory, light and rapture to the heavenly realms.

You will understand what it means to be marked as the target of his curse; the flames of hell will seem utterly terrifying when you see them blazing around you and the abyss gaping wide to swallow you; an existence alongside demons will feel truly horrific when you behold them with your own eyes and directly experience their malice and cruelty—the cunning with which they devise torments and the fury with which they unleash them.

In such a moment, it will cut to the depths of your soul to hear the King declare to you, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Thus, the apostle John portrays the sentence of that day as so terrifying that it shatters the resolve of even the most defiant sinners, casting them not only into shock but into ruin. "The kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"(Revelation 6:15-17)

How vivid is this depiction! It shows these wretched souls so overwhelmed with dread of such a catastrophic fate that they would rather be crushed by a mountain than face it; in such complete despair of receiving mercy from their Judge that they believe it more likely to sway lifeless nature, pleading with mountains and rocks to show them pity. Reflect on this, you who ignore God, lest he shatter you with none to save you. For if the righteous are saved only with difficulty, where will you, the ungodly and the sinner, stand?

3. What reason you have to feel compassion for the plight of poor unconverted sinners! We have heard their state described, and I hope you have listened carefully and with horror. These matters deserve your serious thought. Think about it: look at the unconverted sinners around you, those you believe to be in that state, and ask yourself, Must they face God? Must they be called, judged, and punished by Him? Must they endure such terror and bewilderment? Poor souls, what can be done to help them? I wish I could help open their eyes and save them from such a dreadful end!

Perhaps you will say, I am having difficulty working this out. However, strive to keep these feelings strong in your hearts; then love and compassion will discover ways to act that, without such strong feelings, you would not have imagined or would have rejected as impossible. At the very least, approach God and sincerely present their situation to Him; earnestly ask that He guide you in what you should do to aid their salvation and grant you wisdom and courage to act. And seriously consider that the more we understand the terror of standing before God, and the more we ourselves are affected with it, the greater is our fault if we fail to do everything possible for the rescue and assistance of those who face such immense danger.

4. What cause have we to feel grateful if there is any reason to hope that God has delivered us from so dreadful a condition. We must all stand before God and take part in the solemnity of that awful day we have just considered. We could all have faced this day with terror, for we have all gathered enough guilt to burden our conscience with stings and provoke God’s judgment against us. We are not looking around with hopeless eyes, crying out in the torment of our souls, Where shall we go? Instead, we face this day with calm and peace; indeed, we may even face it with hope. Christians are described in God’s word as people who love the appearing of Christ;(2 Timothy 4:8) who anticipate it, who hasten it.(2 Peter 3:12) And surely there is much cause for them to love it, for He will appear not to deal with sin(Hebrews 9:28) but to bring them full salvation. He will openly acknowledge them as His brothers and friends, place a crown of glory upon their heads, and say to them, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."(Matthew 25:34)

Let us praise the divine grace that has revealed such wonderful possibilities and has given us a share in their joy and comfort. To conclude, in the words of the apostle, "since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."(2 Corinthians 7:1)