#293 2 Chronicles 7:14 Part 1

June 11, 2017

Program #294 “2 Chronicles
7:14 – Pt. 1” – 6/11/2017– Synopsis

Program #295 “2 Chronicles
7:14 – Pt. 2” – 6/18/2017– Synopsis

When Solomon dedicated the new temple, God spoke to him the words we find in 2 Chronicles 7:14

“If My people, who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This was not a new truth but a repeating of God’s previously ratified covenant with Israel. If you obey my law, you will be blessed; if you disobey, you will be cursed (Deuteronomy 28-30). Additionally, after national disobedience God offers the opportunity of repentance and restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1-6). 2 Chronicles 7:14 is Deuteronomy 30:1-6.

Keep in mind that the Jewish people were never able to keep the law, and God doesn’t grade on a curve. There has never been a nation on earth that could fully obey the law of God and, hence, reap the blessing of the covenant. However, we should not completely write off the application of this text to Gentile nations today. There appears to be a general promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that God grants temporal grace to nations that obey Him, such as Nineveh.

Our main concern should be the wrongheaded interpretation that 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a promise that if the minority of Christians in a nation are obedient, they can save the entire nation. This is an evangelical heresy that must be silenced because, among other errors, it contradicts God’s plan for the church at the end of this age.

Scripture References: 2 Chronicles 7:14; Ezekiel 14:14; Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:11, 15:1; Deuteronomy 28-30:6; Hebrews 7:19; Galatians 3:12; Proverbs 14:34; Psalm 33:12; Jeremiah 44:16-18; Acts 17, 26:20; Ephesians 1:3; I Peter 2:1; 1 Timothy 3:12; Hosea 7:14; Jeremiah 3:10; Jeremiah 34:15-17