Scriptural warnings may address a class of offenders in general terms. Some theologians infer that every member of that class must undergo the stated punishment. The response uses the distinction between a general threat and pardon of particular persons, considering whether the general expression has a justified exception.
One text may threaten an offense, while another establishes that Allah may forgive some people guilty of non-shirk sins. To reconcile them, interpreters examine conditions and the precise scope of each text.
This is interpretation of a general statement, not a denial that the warning is serious.