Types, classes, groups, kinds, of people are some of the ways people classify people. But what does God say? In this post then we look at the Bible and each kind of people God describes in it, and their eternal destiny.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

Here is our Bible quotation of focus in this post: “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD [God] of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” Malachi 3:17, 18.

Now, to answer a question that you may already have, What does “Malachi 3:17, 18” mean? It is an example of Bible notation, in that, it is a way of referencing the Bible which is a collection of books. As it is, each book in the Bible consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. For example, the Bible notation “Malachi 3:17, 18” refers to the book of Malachi, the 3^rd chapter, and the 17^th and 18th verses of Chapter 3.

Who or What is God?

I have mentioned God, But who or what is God? Well, on reading the Bible, you will find that “God” (Genesis 1:1) and “the Godhead” (Acts 17:29) are interchangeable names in the Bible for a divine Family made up of three Persons. So, God is a Person or, rather, Persons, and not a thing or things.

And God describes Himself in the Bible by saying that He is “God, that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. That is to say, each of the three members of the Godhead has a character of love that is identical to the character of the others. In fact, this love is the only definition of true love in the universe.

And, No, there are not three Gods! Why? Because the members of the Godhead never contradict each other at any time, that is, we can say that they speak with one voice. For there has never been nor ever will be any disagreement or contention among them. Therefore, we can say, “there is one God.” Mark 12:32.

Furthermore, each Person in the Godhead, the divine Family, is “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.” Hebrews 7:3.

And the names of these three Persons in the Godhead are “the Father” (Matthew 11:27), “the Son” (Psalm 2:12) also called Christ (Matthew 1:1), and “the Holy Spirit.” Psalm 51:11.

OK, with this understanding of who God is, a related question is, Who is Jesus? The name Jesus was given to Christ when He was born as a baby boy on earth over 2,000 years ago.

God is Constantly Speaking to Humanity

The human race began when God created the first human pair, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. Both then had a character of love just like God’s character.

However, both Adam and Eve yielded to the temptations of an angel named Satan and they fell into sin, which is evil and wrongdoing. As a result, the character of Adam and Eve became one of selfishness just like that of Satan.

For Satan, who initially had a character of love like God’s, rebelled against God in heaven and, therefore, sinned. Moreover, Satan caused some the other angels to join him in the sin of rebellion against God. Hence, Satan and his “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) were cast out of heaven by God pending God’s Judgment Day.

Note though, that all of the human race as descendants of Adam and Eve have inherited their disposition to sin. Hence, the whole human race are sinners too. And God says, “The wages of sin is [eternal] death [which is to be annihilated by God]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

So, God is interested in saving the human race to eternal life with Him. Hence, God is constantly supernaturally “speaking” to every human being instructing them about God’s ways of love.

But people respond differently to God’s speaking and, therefore, there has developed among the human race more than one kind of people.

That is, “God hath dealt to every man [every person] the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3) to believe the truth about God and His ways of love. And it is the individual’s response to this offered gift of faith by God that determines to which kind of people they belong and, therefore, their eternal destiny. Now everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Each Kind of People Belong to One of Two Classes of People

Here again is our Bible quotation of focus in this post: “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD [God] of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” Malachi 3:17, 18.

This indicates that each kind of people in the world belong to one of only two classes of people, where each class can be broken down into two or more kinds of people. The two classes are those that serve God and those that do not serve God. It is as simple as that.

One class, those who serve God, will be saved by God to eternal life, while the other class, those who do not serve God, will be annihilated by God.

What does it mean to serve God? It means to cooperate with God in God’s seeking to save you and all others to eternal life.

The Kind of People Who Serve God: The Righteous (The Wise)

Now, God says, “Whoso [Whosoever] keepeth…[God’s] law [of love] is a wise son [or daughter].” Proverbs 28:7.

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament [of the sky]; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

Thus, we see that the wise, that is, the righteous, are the kind of people who shall be saved by God to eternal life.

The Kind of People Who Are Justified but Not Yet Sanctified

We come now to the justified who are the kind of people that have gone through two stages so that they reach the milestone of being justified.

First of all, they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9. In other words, they have turned away from all their sins.

What are idols? They are the people and the things to which we have given our whole love and affection instead of fixing our love and affection on God.

Second of all, the justified are the kind of people who are like a man named Abraham. For God says of Abraham, “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed [credited, ascribed] unto him for righteousness: and he [Abraham] was called the Friend of God.” James 2:23.

So, this kind of people, like Abraham, are justified as a result of their “repentance [their deep remorse and sorrow for their own sins] toward God, and [their] faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21.

That is, God declared this kind of people righteous because (1) God had forgiven their past sins by accepting the sacrificial death of Christ in place of the individual’s death for their own sins, and (2) God had enabled them to stop sinning. For their character was changed from selfishness to love when “the love of God…[was] shed abroad [poured] in…[their] hearts by the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit].” Romans 5:5.

Thus, the justified, who have not yet been sanctified, are the kind of people who serve God. Note that, instantaneously on being justified, this kind of people enter the School of Christ where they are to go on to perfection.

That is, this kind of people are tested by God to see if they will overcome all temptations to sin and, hence, reach the final milestone of sanctification which qualifies them to receive eternal life from God.

In order to be sanctified then “they [the kind of people] which have believed in God…[must] be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men [to every human being].” Titus 3:8.

Essentially then, the justified but not yet sanctified, are the kind of people whose spiritual ears have been opened and they are in the School of Christ, striving for perfection so that they may become sanctified.

The Kind of People Who are Sanctified

We who have been sanctified are among the kind of people who have “cleanse[d] ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh [of the lower nature] and spirit [and mind], perfecting holiness in the fear of [in the reverence for] God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1.

Of this kind of people, God says, “Some of you [were like the wicked]: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the [Holy] Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11.

If so, you then are the kind of people such that “God hath…chosen you to salvation [to be saved to eternal life] through sanctification of the [Holy] Spirit and belief of the truth [from God].” 2 Thessalonians 2:13.

In essence, this kind of people whose spiritual ears have been opened and who have overcome all temptations to sin, serve God. Therefore, they will be saved by God to eternal life with Him, for sanctification is the second and final milestone that marks a complete change of heart from selfishness to perfect love.

The Kind of People Who Do Not Serve God: The Wicked

The kind of people who have neither been justified nor sanctified, God calls the wicked. For they are in the natural condition of every human being, in that, their “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. This kind of people do not serve God.

The Simple Kind of People for Whom There is Hope

The wicked, that is, every human being in their natural condition, start out as the kind of people whom God calls simple.

For God says, I God “beheld…the simple ones, [who] I [God] discerned…[to be the kind of people] void of understanding.” Proverbs 7:7. Why? Because “the simple [are the kind of people that] believeth every word [spoken by the wicked].” Proverbs 14:15.

Essentially, the simple kind of people are those whose spiritual ears have never been opened to hear and obey God’s voice speaking to them. They do not serve God.

But, as long as the simple kind of people have not become fixed in their evil ways, there is hope that they might be saved by God to eternal life.

How is there hope? Well, God says, “The entrance of…[God’s] words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple [kind of people].” Psalm 119:130. And “the law of the LORD [God’s law of love] is perfect, converting the soul [from selfishness to perfect love through the work of God]: the testimony of the LORD [God about how to be saved to eternal life] is sure, making wise the simple [kind of people].” Psalm 19:7.

The Backslidden Kind of People for Whom There is Hope

If the justified turn away from God to return to their evil ways, they are said to be a backslidden kind of people.

To this kind of people, God says, “Return [to me, God], thou backsliding…[people], saith the LORD [God]; and I [God] will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [God] am merciful, saith the LORD [God], and I [God] will not keep anger for ever.” Jeremiah 3:12.

“Turn [to me, who am God], O backsliding children [people], saith the LORD [God]; for I am married unto you: and…I [God] will bring you to Zion [to heaven].” Jeremiah 3:14.

“Return [to me, God], ye backsliding children, and I [God] will heal your backslidings.” Jeremiah 3:22. “I [God] will heal their backsliding, I [God] will love them freely.” Hosea 14:4.

In essence then, as long as this backslidden kind of people have not become fixed in their evil ways, God holds out to them the hope of their being saved to eternal life with Him. How? They must begin again by becoming justified once more and then go on to perfection.

The Kind of People for Whom There is No Hope: The Fool

The kind of people who become fixed in their evil ways, God calls fools. For God says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none [among this kind of people] that doeth good.” Psalm 14:1.

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26), and “a fool hath no delight in understanding [the truth from God about how to be saved to eternal life], but that his heart may discover itself.” Proverbs 18:12.

“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes [blows] into a fool.” Proverbs 17:10. For “it is as sport to a fool to do mischief [to do wickeness].” Proverbs 10:23.

“Though thou shouldest bray [pound] a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.” Proverbs 27:22.

Fools are the kind of people “having eyes full of [spiritual] adultery [with Satan], and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling [alluring, enticing] unstable souls [people]: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children [people].” 2 Peter 2:14.

Here we see then the spiritual condition of the kind of people whom God calls fools and, hence, they will be annihilated by God.

The Simple Kind of People for Whom There is No Hope

Now, God says, “The turning away of the simple [kind of people from God’s words to them] shall slay them [shall lead to eternal death (annihilation)].” Proverbs 1:32.

“Whoso [Whosoever] despiseth …[God’s] word shall be destroyed [annihilated].” Proverbs 13:13.

“He that refuseth instruction [from God] despiseth his own soul [his own self].” Proverbs 15:32. In other words, “He that despiseth his [God’s] ways [of love] shall die [eternally].” Proverbs 19:16.

The simple kind of people then are those whose spiritual ears have never been opened because they have resisted God until they have become fixed in their evil ways. This kind of people will be annihilated by God for they are fools in God’s eyes.

The Justified Who Have Backslidden and for Whom There is No Hope

As regards the justified, there are some of whom God says, They have “forsaken me [God], having loved this present [evil] world.” 2 Timothy :10.

“My people are bent to backsliding from me [God].” Hosea 11:7. “This [kind of] people…[are] slidden back by a perpetual backsliding. They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return [to me, God].” Jeremiah 8:5.

Essentially, this kind of people were once justified, in that, their spiritual ears had been opened and they were obedient to God’s law of love. However, this kind of people have turned again to sin, so that they have become fixed in the ways of evil. Hence, there is no hope for them to be saved to eternal life for they are fools in God’s eyes.

The Sanctified Who Have Backslidden and for Whom There is No Hope

The sanctified are a special kind of people, “for it is impossible for those [the sanctified] who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift [of love from God poured into their hearts], and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit], and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away [from God], to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God [Jesus Christ Himself] afresh, and put him [Christ] to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6.

So then, these kind of people are they whose ears were once opened so that they became sanctified, but who have turned to willful sin, and they have become fixed in the ways of evil. Their backsliding is incurable. Hence, there is no hope for them for they are fools in God’s eyes.

God’s Attitude Toward Each Kind of People

Now, God says, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I [God] have no pleasure in the death of the wicked [kind of people]; but that the wicked [kind of people] turn from his way and live [eternally]: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die [eternally (be annihilated)]?” Ezekiel 33:11.

“When I [God] shall say to the righteous [kind of people], that he shall surely live [eternally]; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity [sin], all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity [sin] that he hath committed, he shall die [eternally (be annihilated)] for it.” Ezekiel 33:13.

“Again, when I [God] say unto the wicked [kind of people], Thou shalt surely die [eternally (be annihilated)]; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the wicked [kind of people]…walk in the statutes of [eternal] life, without committing iniquity [sin]; he shall surely live [eternally], he shall not die [eternally (be annihilated)]. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live [eternally].” Ezekiel 33:14-16.

Conclusion

We have seen in this post that each kind of people either serve God or they do not serve God.

My appeal to you is this: “See that ye refuse not him [God] that speaketh. For if they [the Jews] escaped not who refused him [God] that spake on earth [to ancient Israel from Mount Sinai, for that rebellious generation died in their sins in the wilderness], much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him [God] that speaketh from heaven.” Hebrews 12:25.

So, God says, “Behold, I [God] stand at the door [of your heart], and knock: if any man [any person] hear my voice, and open the door [of their heart to me, God], I [God] will come in to him, and will sup [dine] with him, and he with me [God].” Revelation 3:20.

In other words, “As many [people] as received him [God], to them [that is, to this kind of people,] gave he [God] power to become the sons [and daughters] of God, even to them that believe on his [God’s] name.” John 1:12. And all who are the sons and daughters of God, that is, children who are like God in character, will God save to eternal life with Him.

The Bible Teaches Us How to Obtain Eternal Life from God

“In the beginning was the Word [Christ], and the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word [Christ] was made flesh [was born as a baby boy named Jesus], and dwelt among us [human beings], (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father).” John 1:14. Thus, Christ, whose “name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13) is the One who gave the whole Bible to humanity, from the Bible’s beginning to its end. Further, “God is love.” (1 John 4:8), which is to say, Christ is love.

And every one of you as a human being are to “lay apart [put away] all filthiness and superfluity [abundance] of naughtiness [of wickedness], and receive with meekness the engrafted [the implanted] word [from God, which is the Bible and], which is able to save your souls [from annihilation by God as the penalty for sin].” James 1:21. For the word of God, the Bible, being implanted in us means that “the love of God is shed abroad [is poured] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [the Holy Spirit] which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5. So then, “love is of God; and every one [every human being] that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7. This is known as “justification” (Romans 4:25) which is accomplished by our repentance, that is, our deep sorrow for our sins and the gift of faith from God, which when exercised to believe God’s promise of forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sin brings us the gift of love from God. Note that everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Immediately upon our justification, God tests our character to see if we will successfully resist all temptation to sin. Our success depends on our exercising faith in Christ’s keeping power through the Holy Spirit and, hence, we become sanctified (made holy) and thus receive eternal life from God.

And this is life eternal [everlasting life], that they [as human beings] might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent [to the earth as a Deliverer from sin].” John 17:3. Thus, when the whole Bible makes our character a character of perfect love, it means that we know God and, hence, we will receive eternal life from God.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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