Judgment Day

Judgment day is coming and I am not talking about those who are unsaved, as one might expect.  No, judgment day is coming for all Christians when we will stand before the Lord and account for our works as believers.

Will our works withstand the test of fire as gold, silver, and precious stones or will they be burned up as wood, hay, and stubble?  Will we experience loss or receive rewards?

In his book, "He That Hath Ears," Gary T. Whipple writes that wood represents the world and hay is cut down grass, which represents the flesh. Stubble is an emblem of Satan. Gold is an emblem of deity (the Father), silver is an emblem of redemption (the Son), and precious stones are an emblem of power (the Holy Spirit).

Where does your heart lie?  
What motivates you each day?  
What idols have taken precedence over your life?  
Whom do you toil for?
Whose will are you following?  

I ask these questions knowing full well that I often fall short on many accounts.  Some days I am a wise virgin.  Other days I foolishly neglect to stock up on oil.  Or remain cautiously silent when I should be shouting "People get ready... Jesus is coming."

Time is short.  What shall we do with it?  

Seek first His kingdom.

I Never Knew You

Lately I have been thinking about what author David Biven terms “the difficult words of Jesus” (if you are interested in Hebraic gems that help illuminate the Gospels, read his book).  I am talking about Scripture passages that people tend to gloss over because they cannot make sense of them.

Matthew 7:21-23 is an example.  Jesus says:

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Some commentaries suggest that this passage refers to Christians who were never really saved, which I believe is blaspheme!  For Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us: 

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Once a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved they cannot become unsaved, can they?  That would imply that Jesus “took His free gift back.”  Others state that Jesus was talking to unbelievers.  But unbelievers would never utter the words, “Lord, Lord.” 

The reason this passages does not line up for many is because it refers to soul salvation, not spirit salvation.  When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the free gift of spirit salvation and eternal life.  What we do with this gift determines whether we will receive a reward (Revelation 22:12) when we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ or loss. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

If our works are deemed to be of gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:10-15), we will receive a reward, which I believe is the salvation of our soul that Paul writes of in Philippians 2:12 (another “difficult” Scripture passage):

¹²Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  ¹³For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (KJV)

Here Paul must be talking about soul salvation, which we do need to work out with fear and trembling before we appear before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  I believe what is at stake is whether we will rule and reign with Christ during His 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom (Romans 8:17, 2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 20:4).  The types in Scripture (see my earlier post on Entering the Land) suggest that believers who do not receive soul salvation will be on the outside looking in.  They will have eternal life, but will not be able to enter the Millennial Kingdom.

 

When you are able to distinguish between spirit salvation (the free gift) and soul salvation (a reward based upon our works), then Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23 finally begin to make sense. 

Quoteworthy: Reward

"But even a casual study of the Word of God reveals that a new horizon now opens on the redeemed soul.  If life is by faith, reward is consequent on works done after faith.  For Scripture regards each saved soul as a runner racing, an athlete wrestling, a warrior fighting, a farmer sowing, a mason building, a fugitive flying, a besieger storming; and all this strenuous intensity rests on a fundamental of revelation —" that God is, and that He is a Rewarder " (Heb. 11:6).  "With many disciples the eyes are yet blinded to this mystery of rewards, which is an open mystery of the Word.  It must be an imputed righteousness whereby we enter; but having thus entered by faith, our works determine our relative rank, place, reward" (Dr. A. T. Pierson).  Calvin, though seeing this truth but dimly, has packed into a sentence the Scripture doctrine of reward :—" There is no nconsistency in saying that God rewards good works, provided we understand that, nevertheless, men obtain eternal life gratuitously."

Nor is there any doubt that this is a truth for the Church of God.  "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each [disciple] according as his work is" (Rev. 22:12).  To whom is this said?  I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things (or the churches."  Too often, as Dr. A. J. Gordon says, "just as the Legalist resents the doctrine that good works can have no part in effecting our forgiveness, so the Evangelical recoils from the idea that they can constitute any ground for our recompense."  But Paul says :—" He that planteth and he that watereth are one "— in standing and redemption —"but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labour "1 Cor. 3:8), So also he balances the double-edged recompense.  "Servants, obey…knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For" — on the other hand —" he that doeth wrong shall received again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons" Col. 3:24  It is thus a that concerns us.  In the words of Dr. Eadie :—"The Christian doctrine of reward is too often lost sight of or kept in abeyance, as if it were not perfectly consistent with the freest bestowment of heavenly glory."

From "The Judgment Seat of Christ" by D.M Panton

Tested Against Body, Soul, and Spirit

While studying the book of Matthew, I came upon an interesting commentary by the late Ray Stedman.  He wrote about the three parts or levels of man — body, soul, and spirit — and that Jesus was tested against all three by Satan.

The Body — Matthew 4:1-4:

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus had not eaten for 40 days and nights and He must have been starving.  Stedman questions whether we would have had such fortitude? 

The Soul — Matthew 4:5-7:

⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Here Satan tries to attack by appealing to Jesus’ ego and pride.  Jesus proved Himself true and steadfast.  I shudder when I think of the times when Satan has appealed to my ego and pride — and how easily I was deceived.

The Spirit — Matthew 4:8-11:

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Here Stedman writes that the spirit is always looking for something to worship.  That the spirit of man craves to find someone or something to idolize and follow.  Perhaps this explains why so many believers today are being deceived by false prophets and man-driven church leaders.

Instead of hearing about kingdom truths, and “seeking first the kingdom,” church pews are overflowing with people who are hearing about having their best lives now.  And instead of learning about what it means to store up treasures in heaven, believers are hearing sermons about getting out of debt!

What is so heartbreaking is that they have no idea that their greatest debt will be the incredible loss that they will suffer when they come before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.