2003-07-11
Good Morning Cherished Ones,
You are cherished both by God and by me. This morning, I’m led to look at the question: will it be the same for all in the Kingdom? We gain insight into this issue from Christ’s words in MT 5: 19, “So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches other to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven.” Just as there is the judgment of the lost, there is also a judgment of the saints. This latter judgment, an accounting of believers, doesn’t mean that God stops loving each one who believes in Him. It means that a righteous and fair accounting of one’s life on earth is taken into account in deciding one’s reward. The same is done in the judgment of the lost in deciding the extent of his punishment.
Let’s see what the Scriptures tell us about the judgment of the saints. RO 14: 10b, “…All of us will stand before God to be judged by Him.” 2 COR 5: 10, “For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad, in his bodily life.” We gain further insight from Paul’s words in 1 COR 3: 9b-15 on the judgment of the saints. “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 placed 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 straw, hay, and stubble. 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 its real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burnt up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire.”
What can we conclude so far? 1) Our Lord is always just and righteous in His judgments. We know from passages like DN 7: 13-14, HE 1: 4-13, JN 5: 27, and others that Christ has the authority from God to judge. 2) The reward a believer receives in the Kingdom of Heaven will be affected by the way he lives his life on earth, even though all believers will, indeed, be saved. 3) We have been given clear-cut impetus to allow Christ’s leadership and modeling to define how we live our lives. 4) God is loving and compassionate in the judgment of those who love and worship Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your throne as sinners with imperfections. And yet, through Your grace, You have given us faith in Christ and His Atonement to open the way for our salvation. Moreover, through the Scriptures, You make it clear what lifestyle is Your will for us. You want us to live as close to Christ’s model as we can. You have taken people who could not be recognized as potential believers by other people and brought them to faith. My own life is certainly an example of that. I spent my youth rejecting You by showing no interest in You. Little did I know that You, the God of my ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would lead me through synagogues, deliver me from time spent in a cult, and bring me into faith in Your Son. You loved me enough to carry me to the place where I would dedicate my life and my career to serving You full-time. To You, belongs the glory for this! As I think about it, Dearest Abba, You loved me right from the beginning, because You created me with a heart that could eventually learn from my life’s circumstances to love You with the rich, warm love I have for You now. You wanted me to see, from the inside, several Christian denominations before You made me keenly aware of the privilege I have of being a Messianic Jew, who has been called by You to serve in a Lutheran congregation. You lifted the veil from my eyes and allowed me to know that Jesus Christ [in Hebrew, Yeshua HaMessiach Adonai] is my personal Savior, my Messiah. Paul described servants of the new covenant in 2 COR 3: 13-14, “We are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face so that the people of Israel would not see the brightness fade and disappear. Their minds, indeed, were closed and to this very day their minds are covered with the same veil as they read the books of the old covenant. The veil is removed only when a person is joined to Christ.” I thank You for the faith You gave me and for the ministry that is my life’s work. You have placed me with other believers who make me a better person by the example of how they live out their faith. You guide and allow me to serve many people for You. My story is only one out of countless stories, many far more important than mine. But each one of them reveals Your patience, love, and compassion for Your people, the community of believers who are commissioned to carry the message of salvation and peace (which is the Gospel) to others. You are to be forever praised, worshiped, adored, and thanked. In Christ’s name, amen.
The question I’ve written about today is important enough for me to spend more time on it. So, the Lord leads me to continue on the subject of the judgment of the saints in next week’s message. GN 1: 27 reminds us that we were created in God’s image. We also know that Satan interfered tremendously with that when he deceived Adam and Eve into committing the original sin [GN 3: 1-6]. However, through Christ’s atoning work on the cross and our faith in Him, we learn in 2 COR 5; 17 that we are “new creations” when joined with Him. COL 3 :10 allows us to know how that works. “…This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of Himself.” As believers, we are so very privileged to belong to the Body of Christ. We can experience God’s love for us every day of our lives, as we serve Him and enjoy His fellowship. The God we adore is an awesome God!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn