Tag Archives: Good Works

Before your head hits the pillow

Is There Judgment for the Saved?

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

There will come a day of judgment, of that you can be sure.  God will come to judge the living and the dead.  Acts 17:31 tells us, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”  The person who will do the judging at the end of time is Jesus, the one who was raised from the dead.

Many are aware of final judgment.  They know that all those who have not believed in Jesus Christ will be condemned but those who have will live eternally with God.

I also believe that once you are saved, NOTHING can snatch you from God’s hands.  You may stray and you may wander, but you will never fall out of grace.  But what about the people who accept Jesus as their Savior but have little to show for that commitment?  Will they still enter heaven?  Don’t we need to do more than just say we believe?

The Bible says that there will be two separate judgments.  Believers will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Romans 14:12 tells us that everyone will give an account of himself to God. I Corinthians 3:11-15 speaks of giving account.  The works that we do on this earth will either be pure and good, they will be either gold and silver. Or what we do on this earth will be like hay or stubble.  The fine things we do are compared to gold and silver that could withstand a fire, these good deeds will withstand the fire and will show of the man or woman’s work on behalf of God.

Other’s works on earth will be like hay and stubble and will be consumed by the fire.  Their works were not good enough to endure the fire.  So why is this important?  It is important because it tells us that what we do here on earth DOES matter to our heavenly Father.  We can either work diligently for God each day or we can coast by.  But know this, if you coast by, you will not only be losing blessings here on earth, but you will be forfeiting heavenly rewards.

There will be judgment for the saved.  It will NOT be a judgment to determine salvation, for if you believe in Christ as you Savior, you will be saved.  But this will be a judgment of our deeds and our thoughts while living on this earth.  I Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”  Yes God will bring to light EVERYTHING we have said and done.  I don’t believe that God will bring our sins in front of everyone, but I do believe that He will make them all real in our own hearts so that we can fully understand the blessing of His sacrifice.

Then Jesus will look at those things we have done for Him.  He will look at our thoughts, at our words, at our actions.  He will look at everything that we have done for Him.  And then believers will be rewarded based on the good works they have done.

I will never do good works to achieve reward, but understanding that our good works are important enough for Jesus to judge at the end of time makes me want to please Him all the more.  It DOES matter what I do.  It DOES matter who I care for and how I spend my life.  It DOES matter if I take the time to visit the elderly woman at the nursing home who gets no visitors. It DOES matter if I try to make the Christmas of those in need a bit brighter.  It DOES matter if I remember to pray for those in need.

Each of these things matter not only to the person I am helping, but they matter to God.  He wants to see us in service.  He tells us in Matthew 25:37-40   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Yes, the saved will be judged.  We will be judged on our obedience and service, and we will be rewarded accordingly.    Remember that while we are here we are laborers together with God.  We are actually His field and His building (I Corinthians 3:9).  We are not working alone, we are working WITH God.  What a great thought.  What we do here we don’t do alone, we do this WITH God.  He is our foreman!

Let’s spend our time here on earth faithfully serving Him.  Let’s be hard working laborers.   Let’s work so that what it is that we do will be like fine silver and gold.  Let us work to make sure that what we do has lasting impact!  And then let’s be eager to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Before your head hits the pillow

Don’t Be Deceived Part 2

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

Don’t Be Deceived Part 2

Last night I wrote about not being deceived about where our salvation comes from.  There is NO salvation apart from believing faith in Jesus Christ. NONE!  We cannot be deceived by the world who wants to say that as long as we live a “good” life we will go to heaven.

Our salvation does not come from anything we do, it only comes from the grace of God.  But let’s not be deceived about this either.  Once we come to the Lord, we do not have credence to live in any way we wish.  We cannot merely say, “I am saved and nothing can separate me from God so I can live any way that I wish.”  When we come to know Christ our lives and our actions must show that transformation.

The book of James is very convicting.  It says in James 2:14-17 that our faith cannot be divorced from good works, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

If your life is not showing good works then is your faith real?  That is a question each person must ask.

James 1:26 says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”  A person who professes belief in Christ but continues in his ungodly ways deceives his heart about his true conversion.

In Matthew 12:33-37 Jesus warns with these words, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

God expects transformation when He gives grace.  He expects action. He expects compassion for those in need and He expects us to alter our sinful ways.  James 3:11 tells us, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?”

If you are truly saved you will WANT to do good works.  You will want to bridle your tongue!  Your life must be a testament of your redemption.  Your life must become each day more and more like Christ.

If you believe you are saved but continue in unrepentant sin, you are deceiving yourself.  How can you be thankful for the sacrifice of Christ and continue using profane language?  How can you be overjoyed about your redemption and continue doing things that you know are wrong?

Let’s not be deceived.  Good works will not save us, but a lack of good works testifies to our salvation or our attitude about our salvation.  This does not mean that we will not slip, because we will.  This does not mean that sin might creep into a corner of our life, because it could.  But this does mean that every day we must work to become more and more like Jesus.

We must desire to care for those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  We must look for opportunities to put our faith into action.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”  James 1:27.

So don’t be deceived in this either.  A true believing faith will be followed by good works.  A true believing faith will be followed by a transformed life.  Don’t be deceived.

 

Before your head hits the pillow

Are You Heaven Bound?

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Early this morning I posted a meme that made comments about what would NOT get you into heaven and what WOULD get you into heaven.  The comments that ensued were interesting.  Very rarely have I posted anything that caused this much conversation.

First let me say that no meme or no single post that I place on this page will contain in it all of Biblical doctrine.  I post memes and writings that I hope will challenge you, encourage you, teach you, bring your joy, or make you think.  This one certainly did many of those things.

But since this little meme caused such a stir, I thought that I should write about this topic tonight.  So here goes.

Good works will NOT get you into heaven.  You can be the best philanthropist who ever lived and it will not help you walk through the gates of heaven.  Only trust in Jesus as your Savior will do that.  But we must know that good works are a requirement in the life of a Christian. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” And James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Faith and trust in Jesus DEMANDS good works, for to this we were created.

Merely being baptized will not get you into heaven.  Many are baptized as children.  Just because your parents baptized you does not mean you gain automatic entrance into heaven.  Others were baptized as adults and I would say it is fair to assume that even some who are baptized as adults do not really know Jesus as their Savior.  So baptism in and of itself will NOT get you into heaven.  But that does not mean that baptism is unimportant. Mark 16:16 says,”Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  Baptism or profession of one’s faith is an outward expression of an inward commitment to the Lord.  This passage however, should not be construed to say that if a person is not physically baptized that they cannot be saved.  The second part of Mark 16:16 says that whoever does not BELIEVE will be condemned.  If you are a true believe then you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it is this baptism that is necessary for salvation.  No one can believe without the Holy Spirit working in their lives.

Attending church, mass, or Sunday school will not get us into heaven.  For many people sit in church pews or at mass every week who have not met and believed in their hearts in the risen Savior.  But does that mean that worshiping together is not important?  Quite the contrary.  Hebrew 10:24-25 speaks of this when it tells us this, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  So, although going to church will not save us, we are instructed to assemble together to stimulate one another to love each other and to reach out to those in need.

Giving money and doing charity work will not get us into heaven.  No matter how much you do or how much you give you will never be able to give enough to gain entrance into heaven.   Only trust in Jesus as your Savior will do that.  But does that mean tithing and charity work are unimportant.  No, not at all!  2 Corinthians 9:7 instructs us, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” That is giving of our time, our treasure, and our talents.

Will taking communion get you to heaven? NO!  Only believing in Jesus as your Savior can do that!  But I Corinthians 11:26 says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” So although taking communion will not save us it does play a vital part in reminding us of the immense sacrifice that was given to pay the debt for our sins.

Will belonging to a particular denomination or political party get you into heaven?  Absolutely NOT!!  No denomination, political party, or friendship is without stain, without sin.  Each party has its flaws and each denomination has its flaws.  Let’s not get so high and mighty about our affiliations that we start feeling better of ourselves just because of who we associate with.  Only faith and trust in Jesus Christ can bring about salvation which gives us the reward of eternity in heaven.

And positive thinking will not get us into heaven.  Many of today’s modern churches will teach and preach the power of positive thinking.  This positive thinking can NEVER get us into heaven.  But God loves us and God created us in His image so we should not fail to see ourselves in that way.  If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are not only created in the image of the Almighty God, but we are also now called children of God!  What a blessing that is.

So nothing listed in the grouping of what will get you into heaven is bad, but rather most are good, and even commanded.  But none of them alone with get you into heaven.

There is ONLY ONE WAY to heaven.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:31.  John 14:6 further states, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

And Acts 4:12 says this about Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So what will get you into heaven?  Only faith and trust that Jesus Christ, God Himself, came to earth, lived among men, never sinned, was tortured and sent to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, for the sins of all who believe in Him.  And that three days later, He rose from the grave and smashed death to smithereens.  He now reigns at the right hand of God the Father and will one day return to earth to bring about a new heaven and a new earth where we will live eternally with Him in Glory!  WOW!! What a Savior!!