John 19:10-11 Degrees of Sin and the Lake of Fire

10: Then said Pilate to him Speakest thou not unto me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you and have power to release you 11: Iesous answered You could have no power at all against me except it were given you from above therefore they that delivered me to you have the greater sin[1]

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[1] There is only one sin that can consign a person to the Lake of Fire (which Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 25, and Revelation chapter 20 speaks of as the second death), and that is the sin of unbelief, in rejecting Jesus the only Christ as Messiah. But beyond the sin of unbelief and the penalty of eternal condemnation, Jesus clearly speaks of degrees of sin and condemnation.  What this consists of, we cannot speculate. But, in this verse, there is no mistaking that Jesus spoke of greater sin (and elsewhere in the gospels, he spoke of greater condemnation). The same applies to reward. Eternal life is granted to those who believe. And beyond that, Paul wrote of rewards for how believers build upon the foundation of Christ.

Luke Chapter 16

    1: And he said also to his disciples There was a certain rich man who had a steward and the same was accused to him that he had wasted his goods [misappropriated funds and/or mismanaged resources] 2: And he called him and said to him How is it that I hear this of you give an account of your stewardship[1] for you may be no longer steward 3: Then the steward said within himself What shall I do for my lord takes away from me the stewardship[2] I cannot dig[3] to beg I am ashamed[4] 4: I am resolved what to do that when I am put out of the stewardship they may receive me into their houses[5] 5: So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him and said to the first How much do you owe  to my lord 6: And he said An hundred measures of oil And he said unto him Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty 7: Then said he to another And how much do you owe And he said n hundred measures of wheat And he said to him Take your bill and write eighty 8: And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light 9: And I say to you Make to yourselves friends of the riches of unrighteousness that when you fail they may receive you in to everlasting habitations 10: They who are faithful in that which is least are faithful also in much and they who are unjust in the least are unjust also in much 11: If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous riches who will commit to your trust the true 12: And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's who shall give you that which is your own 13: No servants can serve two masters for either they will hate the one and love the other or else they will hold to the one and despise the other You cannot serve God and riches 14: And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him 15: And he said to them You are they who justify yourselves before people but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among anthropos is abomination in the sight of God 16: The law and the prophets were until John since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every one presses into it 17: And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail^{Galatians 3:24/Hebrews 10:1} 18: Whoever sends away his wife and marries another commits adultery and whoever marrieth her that is sent away from her husband commits adultery[6] 19: There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day 20: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus[7] who was laid at his [the rich man’s] gate full of sores 21: And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and licked his sores 22: And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom[8] the rich man also died and was buried 23: And in hades he lifted up his eyes being in torments[9] and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom 24: And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame[10] 25: But Abraham said Son remember that you in your lifetime received your good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and you are tormented 26: And besides all this between us and you there is a great chasm permanently established so that they who would pass from here to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from there[11] 27: Then he said I ask you then father that you would send him to my father's house 28: For I have five brothers that he may testify to them lest they also come into this place of torment[12] 29: Abraham said to him They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them[13] 30: And he said No, father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent 31: And he said to him If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead

Special Features of the HHBC

The basis of this commentary is the Received Text (Textus Receptus) of the NT and the Ben Chayyim Masoretic text of the OT as found in the Original *Strong’s Concordance, 1894, by James Strong, and compared diligently with the work of respected scholars.

The AV is followed where the language and sense of the translation is clear to the modern reader.

Where a Hebrew or Greek word would serve better than an attempt at translation, the original word is left untranslated, in italics, with the *Strong’s Greek [G] or Hebrew [H] reference number notated beside it.

The words of Jesus are in bold print

Cross-references are noted in line with the text

There is no punctuation in the scripture text

Brackets [ ] indicate alternate rendering or commentary

*20^th Century editions of this work, such as, The New Updated Strong’s, and, The Strongest Strong’s, are not referenced in the HHBT as they do not relate to the Textus Receptus or the Ben Chayyim Masoretic Text this commentary is based upon.

List of Untranslated Words in the HHBT                                     

Anthropos G444 usually referring to a human being either female or male: Sometimes referring to angels who are always identified as males.

Hades G86 The nether world; the realm of the dead; the lower regions  

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[1] Turn over your books and explain the state of my finances!

[2] The only way I am able to make a living

[3] A reference to being unable to physically perform manual labor?

[4] Begging was an option for him, which indicates that he did have a physical handicap of some kind which would qualify him to beg legally. We see an example of this in the story of Blind Bartemaeus, who, in a moment of great faith in Jesus’ ability and willingness to give him sight, threw off his [begger’s] cloak [which showed his legal right to panhandle for a living] when Jesus summoned him and asked what it was he wanted. 

[5] Continue to do business with me

[6] The habit among Jewish men in antiquity was to repudiate their wives [for most any reason they chose regardless of how minor] without divorcing them in order to avoid paying divorce settlements. So Jesus pointed out the obvious that it would be adultery to marry another in that case, as all parties would already be married to someone else. God condemned this practice under the Old Covenant as well through the prophet Malachi (Malachi 2:14-17). This statement of Christ also serves to condemn the practice of polygamy and is backed up by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:2.

[7] This parable is a true story. We know this because Jesus gave the personal name of Lazarus as he revealed the after-life experiences of two real men.

[8] Lazarus’ poverty did not earn him the comfort of eternal paradise, but rather his righteous faith towards God.

[9] It was not wealth which condemned the rich man to eternal torments, but rather a lack of faith towards God

[10] The torment of Hades is real as will be the flames of the Lake of Fire. Jesus spoke of this more than any other. Though this awful punishment was not intended for humans, many will be condemned to it. Matthew 25:41, 46, Revelation 20:15

[11] Acknowledging the sovereignty of God in sending any messenger he chooses for his good purposes, this statement of Abraham’s puts to rest any notion that the dead can be summoned at the will of those with familiar spirits (a practice forbidden to believers) to visit those living on earth, although familiar spirits can and do imitate the dearly departed.

[12] The rich man, self-centered and unbelieving in his earthly life of privilege, becomes evangelical in his zeal to win his family over to God, and this after his own opportunity to serve God with faith and humility—and win souls—is over. Although there is no hope left for him, he is tormented over what he knows is in store for family members he still cares about even in his own wretched condition. His eternal lot is not only to be tormented by flames [of Hades and later the Lake of Fire] and regrets over his own wasted life but also wasted opportunities to influence loved ones still on earth with the hope of eternal life.  It is tragic that after a lifetime of catering to wealth and influence—to the exclusion of God with all his own hope gone—the only thing this formerly rich man cares about, aside from personal relief, is being a soul winner.   

[13] Jesus is speaking here of the scriptures which contain the inspired words of God through Moses and the Prophets (later through the Apostles). Simply reading these has power to save if read with faith, humility, and obedience.