Aaron, Miriam, and liberal Christians

An interesting scenario is found in Numbers 12. Aaron and Miriam, unhappy about Moses' choice of a wife, decided they were just as authoritative as he was, saying "Has the Lord indeed spoken through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" So God calls the three to the tabernacle of meeting, and in only a few words, He puts Aaron and Miriam in their place by pointing out that while He speaks through other prophets, He does not interact with them in the same way as He does with Moses. He spoke face to face with Moses, and Moses even "sees the form of the Lord". God then left the tabernacle, leaving a little "gift" for Miriam, who was now a leper and had to wait outside the camp for 7 days.

There are no active prophets today (Hebrews 1:1-2), so we can't oppose them, but we do have something like it: Scripture. And just like in Moses' day, there are those who think their beliefs and practices are just as authoritative as scripture. The idea that God's word allows man to know God's will is seen as simply arrogant. But Just as the Lord heard Aaron and Miriam opposing Moses, so also does He hear those who would speak against His word.

Truthfully, I think Miriam got lucky. 7 days outside the camp with a skin disease that was going to heal doesn't seem especially great, but at the same time, God could have done far worse. In Numbers 16, we even see that He's not exactly shy about making the earth itself swallow those who rebel against Him. For a Christian, wrath is off the table. If you are truly saved, which requires remarkably little effort on our part, you aren't going to Hell for elevating your own opinions. But do not assume that God can't touch you. There are multiple ways in which He can deal with the proud, both in this life, and in the next.

In this life, those who exalt themselves have a number of problems they can encounter. Obviously, failing to obey God can result in disastrous consequences. Few of God's commands are free of consequences for breaking them. Liars risk being ostracised. The sexually immoral risk damage to their bodies. Gluttons throw their nutrient intake out of whack. Lazy people end up in poverty. Thieves, murderers, these and the like end up in prison or worse. Even lacking all of these consequences, the appearance of unHoliness may result in being disfellowshipped, which Paul both commands us to do and compares to being given over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5). Long story short, it's not a good idea to assume that freedom from wrath is freedom to sin.

But even after death, wrath is not the only option. Just as on earth, there are two ways to deal with sin: Punishment and lack of reward. Let's have a look at 1 Corinthians 3. The relevant passage starts at verse 9, but I'm going to start at verse 11: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

That final verse tells us that this clearly isn't the same as losing salvation (believers in conditional security take note), but a loss can be suffered. So let's imagine, for example, someone who opposes a Creation ministry. Theistic Evolutionists can still be Christians, but it cannot be denied that scripture does not support their view in any capacity. But Theistic Evolutionists are a classic example of those who don't care. As Aaron and Miriam insisted that they were equal to Moses, so also do Theistic Evolutionists believe "science" (which Evolution is not) is equal to, and even judge over the scriptures. So Theistic Evolutionists frequently attempt to get in the way of creation ministries, insisting that it's not worth focusing on. On the day of judgement, this will be burned up like hay.

Thus we have a lot to learn from Aaron and Miriam. Though God will not punish Christians with Holy wrath, which He instead levied on Christ on the cross (thank you Lord Jesus), there is no reason to feel comfortable in a flimsy treatment of God's word.