2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As I mentioned in yesterday’s message, we have been called by God to holy living, because God is holy. The next section of the passage on this topic reveals to us how this call is made possible for us to answer. We have been given a wonderful gift by Jesus Christ, God’s Son. 1 PET 1: 17-21, “You call Him Father, when you pray to God, Who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for Him. For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, Who was like lamb without defect or flaw. He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from death and gave Him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.”
When it comes to talking about the issue of judgment, there is often some confusion about this with salvation. The work of our salvation was accomplished by Christ’s death on the cross in the past [between 29-33 AD]. That was an act of God’s sovereignty as we see in 1 PET 1: 20-21, which speaks of the pre-creation council’s decision in heaven. Our response to it for salvation had to be our repentance and coming to faith in Him. Once we did that, we were saved! HB 2: 4, “And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’ “ RO 1: 17, “For the Gospel reveals how God puts people right with Himself; it is through faith from beginning to end. As the Scriptures [HB 2:4 & GA 3: 11] say, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’” GA 3: 11, “Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the Scriptures [RO 1: 17 & HB 2: 4] say, ‘Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’ “ That’s what we know about what faith does for us. Now, let’s look at the issue of judgment, another feature of God’s sovereignty.
We are given a glimpse of the judgment that will come in MT 19: 28, “Jesus said to them [His disciples], ‘You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.’ “ 1 COR 3: 7-15, “The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God Who matters, because He makes the plant grow. There is no difference between the man who plants and the man who waters; God will reward each one according to the work he has done. For we are partners working together for God, and you are God’s field. You are also God’s building. Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and another man is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For God has already place Jesus Christ as the one and only Foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show it’s real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burned up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire.
Paul used the metaphor of a race and its judge sitting on the bema seat (a raised rock to allow him a good view) in 1 COR 9: 23-25 to shed light on the judgment of the redeemed. “All this I do for the Gospel’s sake in order to share in its blessing. Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.” 2 COR 5: 10, “For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judge by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad, in his bodily life.” That’s God’s sovereignty. Our response to it is the deeds we use our free agency given to us by Him to do. EPH 2: 8-10, “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus, He has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.” How very blessed we are that our Lord is always righteous and that He has equipped us to have faith and to carry out of life of good deeds which is a living sacrifice of service to Him which is pleasing and acceptable to Him [see RO 12: 1]!
PRAYER: O Lord, You saw to our salvation by offering Your Son on the cross as a propitiation for the sins of the world. Then, You invited us to repent and come to faith in Him. The moment we did that, You deemed us acceptable, and we were saved. What a great gift, one so undeserved by its recipients! In the future, You will bring us to the judgment of the redeemed. You have given the authority to Jesus Christ to carry out that judgment and thus, blessed us by making our Judge One Who is so righteous. That is Your sovereign decision. Our responsibility to respond to that decision is to choose not to waste such a heart-felt Sacrifice as You have made. We are to choose righteous attitudes and actions, to serve You by bringing others to faith, and to act in accordance with Your teachings at all times. You have gifted us not only with Christ and His Atonement, You have also given us the Holy Spirit to help us understand Your commands and put them into place in our lives. Thank You, Dearest Father, for these and all the other gifts You give us. We dedicate ourselves to being “winners” in that race in which Christ sits on the bema seat. We adore, worship, praise, honor, and glorify You. In Christ’s name, amen.
Peter (the apostle) speaks of what we can anticipate in heaven in 1 PET 1: 22-25 to conclude his remarks about our call to holy living. That will be tomorrow’s subject. Reading these wonderful Scriptures encourages me to accept God’s call to holy living. It is my hope that it is doing the same for you. Our Abba loves us so much that He is our greatest cheerleader in the race to eternal joy and fellowship with Him. I look forward to the Day when we will all be deemed “winners,” because of His love for us. Peter (my husband) and I send you our love too.
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn