Luke 12:47–48

Christendom has taken the place of Christian privilege, so God will judge it on that ground. It is "that servant." Men had no heart or faith for Christ's coming, so they were glad to think it was put off… They said in their heart, "My master is delaying his coming." The wish gave birth to the thought, and once men feel like that they easily find reasons to justify it.

First comes the case of the servant who knew his master's will, did not get himself ready, and did not act according to that will. He will be beaten with many stripes. The greater the light, the greater the responsibility. Where a man has the light, he has no excuse at all for disobedience. In fact, not doing the will that has been made known is a refusal to obey. In other words, it is rebellion.

That servant — the Lord means the one He has just spoken of — knew his Lord's will and did not prepare himself, that is, for his Lord who was coming, and did not act according to His will. He will be beaten with many stripes. Of the other man it is not said that he failed to prepare himself, because he was never in that position at all. It says he "committed things worthy of stripes." He acted wickedly out of his natural heart, as a pagan might, and will be beaten with few stripes.

God will not judge the Gentile on the same ground as the Jew, nor the Jew on the same ground as the Christian in name only. He will deal with each on his own distinct ground, according to his light and privilege. There will be the few stripes and the many stripes, as in Luke 12… The Judge of all the earth will do right, but man is responsible, and his responsibility matches the light and advantage given to him. The distinctions are exact, and no one will ever be condemned for despising and refusing advantages that were never within his reach.

The place and the length of punishment do not vary for any of the lost. Eternity in the lake of fire is the portion of all who die in their sins. Yet the Saviour speaks of "few stripes" and "many stripes," which shows degrees of severity in what God inflicts. No people on earth carry heavier responsibility than those who live in Great Britain.

Being baptized, and calling on the Lord's name in outward profession, will not lighten the burden of the hypocrites in the day of judgment. On the contrary, it will bring far more severity on them… An idea spread, perhaps everywhere after the first century or two, that although all who died in sin would be judged, the baptized would have a far better place in hell than the unbaptized. That was the teaching of the early church writers. Scripture is flatly against it.

He does not want the cold service of the apprentice or the slave. He wants the loving heart-service of His chosen friends… And here, dear friends, shall we not say that our self-willed hearts need the warning of Luke 12:47?

God's ways of grace are not as our ways. In righteousness, the servant who knew his master's will, but did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. In grace, the Lord Jesus, Who knew the will of God, and did it to the full, received in Himself the stroke of God's wrath — and by His stripes we are healed.