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None at all.Īnd this brings us back to the judgment or bema seat. I hope you can now see that the religious caricature of Judgment Day – the one where God tallies up your good and bad deeds or plays a videotape showing all your secret sins – has no basis in scripture. If you reject life, what are you left with? (Deu 30:19)Įveryone gets a choice and Jesus wants you to choose life. I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. To do evil in a religious sense is to break the rules, but to do evil in a Biblical sense is to harm yourself by “thrusting away the word of God” (ie: Jesus) (Acts 13:46), “suppressing the truth” (ditto) (Rom 1:18), and “trampling the Son of God underfoot” (Heb 10:29). He turns away (Heb 12:25) and goes astray (2 Pet 2:15). He denies the Lord (Jude 1:4) and judges himself unworthy of life (Acts 13:46). It’s the preacher who cries “Lord, Lord” while fleecing the sheep and prostituting the love of God (Matt 7:21-23).Īn evil doer does something. This includes the religious person who studies the scriptures that testify of Jesus yet refuses to come to him (John 5:39-40). An evildoer is someone who rejects Christ (John 3:36). Not so, said Jesus, the friend of sinners. “It’s filthy, degenerate sinners,” says the moralizing preacher. It’s diving into the quicksand when you could be resting on the rock. The evil work is refusing “to come to me to have life” (v.40). Note that this has nothing to do with punishment, for apart from Christ we are dead already. They’d rather hear whatever bad news they’ve bought into and as a result they are missing out on the good stuff. Those “who have done evil” meaning, those who jam their fingers in their ears and refuse to hear the good things God has to say.
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The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. In the final analysis, there is only one choice or work that matters: God is not counting the good and bad things you have done (although our actions surely have consequences). Jesus has good news for us – “God loves you!” – and those who hear or hearken to these words will live (v.25).ĭo you see? At the end of the day you are not judged on your resume or reputation. Those who have “done what is good” meaning, those who “hear and believe” (v.24). That’s a broad overview, but we can get a clearer understanding of Paul’s words about being rewarded for doing good or bad by reading what Jesus says here:ĭo not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. All good work flows from trusting Jesus (John 5:24) all useless work flows from trusting self (Jer 17:5-6). So what are the good and bad things Paul is referring to? These are the useful or useless choices we make, the worthwhile or worthless works.You only get an inheritance when someone dies and Someone did. There is no good thing you can do to inherit an inheritance. “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” asked the rich young ruler.So who gets wrath? Those who don’t want grace. Actually, righteousness is for the sinner. “Yes, wrath is for the sinner,” says the hellfire preacher. Righteousness leads to eternal life, wrath leads to death. Righteousness is a gift, but death is a wage. Everyone receives something from the Lord, either life or death (John 3:16), righteousness or wrath (Rom 1:17-18).Some bow in adoration and some bow grudgingly, but all will recognize that Jesus is Lord.
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Every single one of us will bow the knee (Rom 14:11). This includes babies who died young and unreached tribes. How will we be judged and what are the good and bad things that are judged? Let scripture interpret scripture and the following becomes clear: It’s the age-old religion of bookkeeping, which Christ came to end.įor we must all appear before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. You may have heard a line like this, but it’s not in the Bible. But if your bad works outweigh the good, you’ll be toast.” If your good works outweigh your bad, you’ll be safe. “One day you will stand before the judgement seat, the books will be opened, and there will be a reckoning.