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Luke 16 records the account of a rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus. Both the rich man and Lazarus die. The rich man is in hell, bearing the agony of fire. But off in the distance, he sees Abraham with Lazarus the beggar by his side. The rich man asks Abraham to have Lazarus come to his aid. Abraham’s response in Luke 16:25-26 (ESV) states:
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.
The great chasm, or great gulf as other Bible versions call it, refers to that space that separates where Lazarus is with Abraham, and where the rich man is. That space is impassable, meaning that it cannot be passed by those on either side.
So, how does the idea of a great chasm that cannot be crossed apply to us?
As believers, there should be a great chasm separating who we are today from who we were before accepting Jesus Christ as Savior.
Scripture tells us that we are to be holy, so there should be a great chasm between the lives we live now separated unto God, and the sinful lives we had before we were rescued by Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV) states: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Scripture also tells us that we are to meditate on God’s Word, so there should be a great chasm between the way we live now relying on God’s Word to live this Christian life, and the self-centered and worldly way we lived before we were rescued by Jesus Christ. Joshua 1:8 (ESV) states: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
The great chasm between our lives before we accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, and the lives we live today must be something we guard at all costs. Why? Unlike the great chasm that Abraham talked about in Luke 16:26, that neither side could cross, ours is different. Ours is not impassable. We could, if we do not hold firm against the temptations of the flesh and the world, return to ways of living that were common to our sinful past.
Romans 8:14 (ESV) states: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
On our own, we do not have the capacity to consistently resist the temptation to return to old sinful ways of living. On our own, we do not have the capacity to consistently live in a way where the space between our old lives and our new lives in Christ gets wider and wider. Where we now live to glorify God and God only. For that to happen, we need the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit makes this kind of overcoming life possible.
1 Peter 2:21 (ESV) states: For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domains.
