Studies

Fire Insurance

• Have you ever thought what it would be like to own a holiday cottage in the mountains ?
• I?ve got good news for you ? you?ve just been left a luxury mountain retreat by a wealthy relative whom you?d forgotten ever existed. Your ?cottage? is actually a very large furnished house, with a thatch roof, that has only just been completed. It stands all alone on a ridge and the view is spectacular ? you can see forever. It is the perfect place to escape the pressures of the world.
• Can you see any snags ?any dangers ?
  [ Lightning, Fire ]
• What will you do to protect your precious new home?
  [Lightning conductors, Insurance]
• Will any insurance company do ? In choosing a company, what would you be looking for ?
  [ Good solid reputation, a record of paying out on claims ]
• Will any policy do ? In choosing a policy, what would you be looking for ?
  [Complete cover, clear conditions, everything in writing, reasonable premium ]
• How careful would you be to comply with every condition spelled out in the policy ?
• How would you react if your insurance broker told you not to bother complying with some of the more inconvenient conditions, like regularly fire-proofing the thatch ?
• Would you consider firing him ?
• This is a very precious house. Would you consider saving on the premiums and taking some or all of the risk yourself ?
• Seriously, now ? Is this how you would really protect a valuable property against fire ?
• As responsible people, that?s how we protect ourselves against fire in this life. How are we protecting ourselves against the fire of hell, "where the fire never goes out" Mk.9:43 ?

Amos 4: 13.
Let?s look at God?s Fire Insurance Policy, his Terms and Premiums.

John 14: 1-6.
Q: What does Jesus mean by ?many rooms? ? A place for ?many people with different policies? or a place for ?many different people covered by the same policy? ?

John 14: 23-27.
Q: Like all insurance policies, God is offering us the benefit of ?Peace of Mind? here on earth, but what is the premium we must pay ?
A: Obedience to his teaching

John 15: 1-10.
Q: What is Jesus teaching here ? What does he mean by ?bear much fruit? ?

John 17: 20-23.
This is part of the longest prayer in the Bible, prayed with his disciples after the Last Supper.
Q: What is his main theme ? Does it sound like he is offering a number of different policies.. one tailor-made for every need.. whatever you feel comfortable with ?

Matthew 7: 21-23.
Q: What?s Jesus warning us about here ?
A: You have to ?Walk the Talk?, do what he commands. Belief alone is simply not enough.
So you can?t just pay your annual premiums. You also have to regularly fire-proof the thatch !

Galatians 1: 1-10.
Q: What is Paul warning us about here ?
A: Don?t listen to any broker telling you not to worry about the fine print in God?s fire insurance policy?. Or adding a few clauses of his own. Check it out for yourself.

Revelation 22: 18-19.
This is John?s Final Warning in the Bible?Don?t add anything and don?t leave anything out. Your insurance against eternal fire depends on it.

Q: So what have we learned from this discussion ?
A: If we want peace of mind in this life, and confidence that we will make it to Heaven after we die, we had better get to know what the Bible really says about our salvation. Relying on what you?ve heard others saying, however well qualified they may sound, could be a fatal mistake, a mistake with some very unpleasant long-term consequences.