Last week, we wrote about how God is the ultimate Judge and how the final day when all human beings are judged plays out much like a courtroom scene. I specifically wrote about the comparison between a present day bench trial and the judgment of our God. In that "trial", only what God thinks will matter and no matter how many witnesses or jury members we each have for or against us will make a difference. The Judge determines the eternal placement of each individual based on what He KNOWS about the individual. That's not to say that the evidence doesn't matter at all. We'll see here how God looks at both the evidence of a person's life and everything else He knows about the person, including the individual's relationship with Jesus Christ or lack thereof, his response to the Holy Spirit, and the deeds that go hand-in-hand with his faith. When we stand before God on Judgment Day and He considers all these things, it will be time for the FINAL verdict of our lives!
Let's take a look first at the evidence for the verdict and the sentence that will be handed down by the Judge. If you read Revelation 20 and 21, you'll see the end of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet, followed by the judging of all of the dead, followed by a beautiful picture of what the new heaven and earth will be like once sin and evil are removed completely and forever. Right in the middle of that beautiful picture is Revelation 21:8, a verse that ought to stop us in our tracks for at least a moment. "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death". Wow! Let me ask you, readers. Has anyone out there ever told a lie? Have you ever struggled with unbelief? Have you ever placed something else before God, which would make that thing an idol? Have you ever been a coward, denying Christ the way the Apostle Peter originally did in order to preserve self? But it doesn't end there. Jesus was clear in comparing actual murder to just being angry against another person without cause (Matthew 5:21-22). He was also clear that looking at another lustfully is the same as actually committing adultery (Matthew 5:27-28), so that pretty much checks off sexual immorality for most of us. Even practicing magic arts is something few can deny when we think about all of the superstitions, horoscopes, and psychics that exist today. So, my point is that we can all look at that list in Revelation 21:8 and say that we are guilty not just of one of those things, but most if not all of them. And that would mean that based on evidence, we would all be judged guilty and sentenced to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Fortunately, followers of Jesus Christ are not presented to God on the day of judgment as ones who have committed these despicable actions. If you have been reading my blogs for awhile, you know that one of my favorite passages in the Bible is the one where Paul talks about the supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1. In that passage, Paul explains that Christ is the "image of the invisible God" (v. 15), and explains why he has supremacy in everything. Paul also explains that "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" (v. 19). This doesn't mean that God and Christ are two separate beings, but rather that Christ was the human form of "God's fullness". It is this reality that makes what Paul writes to the Christians in Colosse in verses 21-23 even more phenomenal. "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel". So let's think about what this means for us on Judgment Day. Based on the evidence of our actions, we'd be presented before God as cowards, murderers, liars, unbelievers, those who practice magic arts, vile, and sexually immoral. But God, the Judge, knowing that ahead of time, made a plan to rescue us in a way that still did not compromise His holiness and just judgment. He allowed His fullness to dwell in the person of Jesus Christ, who then reconciled us with the Judge by paying our deserved penalty on the cross. Because we have been reconciled, we will be presented to the Judge as holy, without blemish, and free from accusation. So, Judgment Day looks completely different for those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Rather than being presented as any or all of the things in Revelation 21:8 and being sentenced as such, we are presented as if we've never done a thing wrong.
With all that said, there is still another part to it. I told you at the beginning of the post that we would see how God looks at BOTH evidence and His knowledge of what Christ did for us as just described in Colossians. Even Paul's declaration of how we are presented as holy before the Judge came with a condition. Verse 23 says "if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel". James tells us throughout his letter about the importance of our deeds matching our faith. Jesus himself, talking to disciples (aka "believers"), spoke about the separation that will occur on Judgment Day that will be just like the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). The separation is very clearly determined by how the individual responds to the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, those that need clothes, the sick, and those in prison. So even though he's talking to those who have already made the decision to leave everything else and follow him, their deeds still carry great weight on Judgment Day!
Friends, God did not reconcile us to him just so that things would be different for us at Judgment Day. He did it so we can LIVE differently! His grace doesn't make it so that we don't have to live the right way, it transforms us so that we CAN live the right way! Scripture is clear that we can be reconciled to the Judge and escape the judgment we deserve because of our deeds and evil behavior by trusting that Christ has done this work, but Scripture is also clear that our actions in response to what he has done also matter at Judgment Day. I don't know how this messes with your theological presuppositions, but I know it messes with mine. I would love to believe that my actions post-salvation just don't matter at all, because I know how much I struggle. But I cannot deny what Scripture says. Let's remember that God's grace grants us freedom from that struggle. It allows us to pursue godliness without living with the fear that failing will cause us to be sentenced to eternal torment on the day of our judgment. So that means there is really only one question each of us needs to look in the mirror and ask. Are you pursuing godliness?
14 comments:
Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Perhaps some of what you struggle with comes from your understanding about the "Last Days". Read Hebrews 1:2. Since Christ's advent, we are in the Last Days. This may help reconicle your theology to your eschatology.
Dean,
I don't know what you are struggling with in Logan's writing. I think in it he is clear and would agree that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Unless you are inferring that a Christ-followers does not need to live out their faith in Jesus Christ. Is that your concern? I'm just trying to understand your point. Thanks.
Logan said ...
Even Paul's declaration of how we are presented as holy before the Judge came with a condition. Verse 23 says "if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel". James tells us throughout his letter about the importance of our deeds matching our faith. Jesus himself, talking to disciples (aka "believers"), spoke about the separation that will occur on Judgment Day that will be just like the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). The separation is very clearly determined by how the individual responds to the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, those that need clothes, the sick, and those in prison. So even though he's talking to those who have already made the decision to leave everything else and follow him, their deeds still carry great weight on Judgment Day!
If my deeds "carried" any weight on Judgement Day... I would be lost. Thankfully it is not my deeds, but those of Jesus that "carries" the weight (using Logan's wording).
If we believe our work has anything to do with our salvation, then we embrace the fact that we assist God in some way in such work.
So are we saved by His grace alone, or not?
Dean,
What do you think Jesus means by the following text found in Matthew 7?
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
How do you interpret this text? Thank you.
Dean,
What do you think Jesus means by the following text found in Matthew 7?
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
How do you interpret this text? Thank you.
Well, now I'm confused... What does Matthew Chapter 7 have anything to do with our discussion?
Perhaps it would be better if you make your point using your suggested texts..
However, Matthew Chapter 7 should not be taken out of context. It's speaks of relationships, the horizontal perspective of how we treat one another...
you know, the second part of the Great Commandment ...
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength ... and love your neighbot as yourself.
This part of Matthew has nothing to do with salvation.
But I will be happy to exegete the texts with you, if you like ...
Matthew 7:12 speaks of the relationships I mentioned a moment ago. If you take 7:13 and apply it to salvation, you are taking it out of context.
So I have a question for you ... in Matthew 7:21 please tell me your understanding on "the kingdom of heaven"?
Dean,
I specifically worded it the way I did for a reason. I mentioned in the original blog that it messes with our thological presuppositions. We want to believe that our deeds don't matter at all for the exact reason that you mentioned - we would be lost if it all came down to our deeds. However, we cannot deny the Scriptures that speak of the importance of our faith in action, such as Matthew 25:31-46 from my original blog post, and the ones JD70 mentioned in the comment above. The reason I worded it as our deeds "carry great weight on Judgment Day" is because it is important to leave the interpretation of these passages up to each individual believer. Because you and I are not the Judge, we cannot decide who gets heaven and who gets hell based on their deeds or any other factors. In saying that the deeds "carry great weight", I'm not saying they are the determining factor of judgment, because as you said we would all be lost then. But I simply wanted to present the Scriptures as I did that talk about the need for our faith to be accompanied by action. It seems like you made the jump from what I was actually saying to indicating that I am claiming we are saved by works. I don't believe that's what I said if you take it literally.
As far as your question at the end, I would say the answer to what you literally asked is "no". I believe in free will. I recognize some don't even believe in that, and maybe you're in that group. Regardless, I still count you a brother in Christ. However, let's look at Ephesians 2:8-9 and see how I believe it is commonly misinterpreted. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no one can boast". Many want to stop after "for it is by grace you have been saved". But let me ask you something. Can me offering you $100 make you take it? There is a receiving part of it. God showed grace to the entire world through the act of Jesus on the cross, yet many have rejected it. So if grace alone is how God saved us, then truly NONE would perish. So, faith is a big part of it. We could say that the WORK of salvation is accomplished solely by God's grace, but we must accept that work to truly be saved. I suspect most Christians would agree. Now here is where I think many will disagree with me. Accepting God's grace through faith is not something we just do intellectually or emotionally. "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26). I'm not talking about the deeds pre-salvation. James is writing to believers here about the importance of faith in action. I believe James and Jesus were both talking about the deeds of believers POST-salvation. We can SAY we accept Christ's work on the cross to save us, but Romans 10:9 also indicates that we must "believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead". Why would Paul, in that verse, separate what we SAY from what we BELIEVE? I think it's because, as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. We use words to confess, but our actions are a far greater indication of what we truly believe.
Here is where I think you and I would agree. I fully understand the danger of the concept of works-centered salvation and the need to stay away from it at all costs. Here is how I believe that does not contradict what I said earlier. Faith itself is a gift from God (as Ephesians 2 says), as are all of the works we are able to do thrugh faith and because of grace. In our own power and flesh, we are not able to do the truly good works of God. But once we have accepted that grace by faith, the grace doesn't just prevent us from being judged, it also allows us to pursue a life of godliness WITHOUT FEAR OF FAILURE. That doesn't mean we are doomed the first time we mess up. It means that even our mess-ups propel us forward toward a life of godliness. And I believe that on the Day of Judgment, what we confess will not be all that is important. What we "believe in our hearts" will absolutely matter, and the pursuit of godliness is the best indiaction of what we believe in our hearts. :)
Dean,
Let's be clear, I am not Logan.
The reason I bring up Matthew 7 is because it is clear that this is about living out God's good and right ways here on earth. Loving your neighbor , if you will, as God loves us. You made the statement that this text has nothing to do with salvation. Are you certain about that? At one time I might have agreed with you but there is one little problem.
It is this, It is clear that the WAY to LIFE (JESUS) is not only going through a narrow gate but also walking the narrow path. They are linked my friend. It does not say walk the broad path and then go through the narrow gate, it is clear that the broad path is connected to the wide gate, which leads to destruction.
Jesus is also very clear that there will be MANY who will stand before Him on judgement day who believed they were going to be in heaven and he tells them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers."
JESUS will say this to people who say this, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
It comes down to if you are doing the will of the Father in heaven. Or do we just ignore this part? I'm not being difficult, I am asking a question. BTW - This is not works based salvation. This is realizing that we need to hear and obey God's voice and leading.
Logan wrote,
"What we "believe in our hearts" will absolutely matter, and the pursuit of godliness is the best indication of what we believe in our hearts."
As the old saying goes, "What's in the well, comes up in the bucket."
Logan said ...
Here is where I think you and I would agree. I fully understand the danger of the concept of works-centered salvation and the need to stay away from it at all costs. Here is how I believe that does not contradict what I said earlier. Faith itself is a gift from God (as Ephesians 2 says), as are all of the works we are able to do thrugh faith and because of grace. In our own power and flesh, we are not able to do the truly good works of God. But once we have accepted that grace by faith, the grace doesn't just prevent us from being judged, it also allows us to pursue a life of godliness WITHOUT FEAR OF FAILURE. That doesn't mean we are doomed the first time we mess up. It means that even our mess-ups propel us forward toward a life of godliness. And I believe that on the Day of Judgment, what we confess will not be all that is important. What we "believe in our hearts" will absolutely matter, and the pursuit of godliness is the best indiaction of what we believe in our hearts. :)
I absolutely agree with what you have said!!
Logan said,
It seems like you made the jump from what I was actually saying to indicating that I am claiming we are saved by works. I don't believe that's what I said if you take it literally.
Logan,
I'm not sure where you get this ...?? I would say that our other blogger here took this conversation to a place we shouldn't go.
I embrace (using my language) of Law and Gospel, and keeping the tension between the two. You cannot remove one from the other.
However, to suggest then that Matthew Chapter 7 speaks of salvation does NOT align with what you just stated. The Matthew texts have been taken out of context ... and do NOT speak of issues of salvation.
But I would be happy to discuss this further.
However, my initial point was only to say that the Last Days are NOW, as the Hebrews text indicates.
Good, we agree! Yay.
Re: Matthew 7, let us save that discussion for another time. Shall we?
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