The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Christ’s Great Parable of the Lost Opportunity

I. Problem Text (Luke 16:19-31): Parable-Fable of Dives and Lazarus

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is often cited as the chief cornerstone in support of the postulate of man’s inherent immortality and the endless duration of the incorrigibly wicked in sin and misery. It is frequently invoked to silence all dissent or question as to Immortal-Soulism. It is persistently set forth as proving beyond all peradventure that the souls of both the godly and the ungodly continue to live on uninterruptedly after death, separate from the body—but which, as we shall presently see, is simply Plato’s contention that death is identical with life, only in another sphere. This Platonic concept presents retribution as beginning immediately upon entering the state of death. CFF1 234.1

The parable depicts Lazarus as already safely in “Abraham’s bosom,” and Dives as already suffering the tormenting flames of “hell”—and all this before the resurrection, and prior to the judgment. It is alleged that the portrayal establishes three things: (1) That the dead are all keenly conscious; (2) that the souls of all men are immortal; and (3) that upon leaving this world all men go at once either into a state of blessed joy forever or to unchangeable Eternal Torment. That is the common contention based on this passage. CFF1 234.2

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is the only passage in the New Testament in which a person, said to be in hades, is supposedly suffering the torments of the eternal flames of Hell. That in itself is so startling as to warrant special care in checking the recital from all angles. Is this an exception to the general rule? Does this constitute determining evidence? The case necessitates careful investigation, not only of all key expressions of the text, in their context, but of ascertaining contemporary backgrounds and side lights that have a bearing thereon. CFF1 234.3

Picture 1: The Work of Jesus:
In Public Teaching, in Healing the Sick of Body and Soul, and in Personal Counseling, Christ Set Forth the Way of Life He Came to Restore.
Page 235

1. CLEARLY ONE OF CHRIST’S MANY PARABLES

To begin with, Christ uttered some forty or fifty major parables to illustrate God’s mercy and justice, the plan of salvation, the reception or rejection of truth, the transformation of character, prayer, humility, the utilizing of present opportunities, relation to fellow men, His own return, the final judgment, and eternal reward—and especially the kingdom of Heaven. It was His characteristic form of teaching in the latter part of His ministry. That the story of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable has been widely recognized across the centuries. But not by all. CFF1 235.1

Even on the basis of such an identical beginning, in this next recital of the rich man and Lazarus—“There was a certain rich man ...” (Luke 16:19-31)—we might make bold to say that in such a sequence this story would likewise logically be a parable, unless proof were forthcoming to the contrary. All three are recorded in succession by the same writer (Luke), and he is obviously using the same expression in the same parabolic sense. CFF1 236.1

2. UTTERED WHEN JEWS DERIDED HIS TEACHINGS

As noted, Jesus had just presented the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:12), as stressing the principle that the use of present opportunities determines future destiny. Christ was not condoning the unethical schemes of the unjust steward, only emphasizing his foresight and applying the principle of preparation for the life to come. But the Pharisees had refused to accept His teachings. Now He presses the point that man’s future destiny is settled forever in this present life. But “the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him” (Luke 16:14). CFF1 237.1

But because they openly scoffed at Him, Christ gives them a parable based on one of their own well-known beliefs. Many expositors believe that, for one thing, it was designed to show to the proud, self-righteous Pharisees, to whom high religious privileges had been accorded, how completely their condition and that of the despised Gentiles would later be reversed. The rich man of the narrative erred in thinking that salvation is based on Abrahamic descent rather than on character. Understood in this light, it will be seen to be strikingly prophetic—fulfilled to the very letter. But the lesson is deeper and very important. Let us first search into Christ’s extensive and intensive use of parables. CFF1 237.2