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A Virtuous Life in an Idolatrous World

By Darren Middleton — 4 months ago

While there is no quick fix for immorality. No singular or simplistic response that will eradicate the influence of the plethora of cultural idols that shape our imaginations and calibrate our desires, forming in us a distorted vision of the good life. There is an answer. It’s not new. It’s not quick. It’s not glamorous or perhaps exciting, but God’s answer is the gracious gospel call to a virtuous life in a covenant community. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 that “…being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves…” Perhaps it seems too simple, too obvious, but the starting point of a virtuous life is the local church.

The Church Is Still the Answer
All too often we hear of platformed evangelicals who have succumb to the “schemes of the devil” and the disordered “desires of the flesh” living as if they were unaware that the “passions of the flesh… wage war against your soul” (Eph. 6:11, 2John 2:16, 1Pet. 2:11). Inevitably, blogs are written, situations dissected, and reflections offered.
However, it may be a good time to reflect on the broader issue of sanctification, and the call of a plodding virtuous community life for every single disciple of Christ. The truth is, we all struggle with idolatry. In Colossians 3:5-6 we’re exhorted to ‘Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.’
Paul warns us about the pull and power of disordered desires that not only want, but actively pursue sexual pleasure, power, possessions and/or consumption. He describes these as “earthly” and ‘idolatrous’ things that we want more than God, even if they are good things, like work, family or sex. Calvin described these desires as ‘inordinate desires’, where we want good things too much, and those desires become disordered desires recalibrate our loves so we willingly or neglectfully disobey God.
We often see these disordered desires prevalent in young Christian girls who date non-Christian boys, and young Christian boys who ask and pressure girls for inappropriate or even explicit photos on Snap Chat. These disordered desires are evident in widespread immorality, ubiquitous pornography, as well as the endless stupidity and triviality that is consumed in alarming daily doses of death scrolling and streaming media. They are evident in the married men who break almost every single commandment in an illicit affair, seemingly oblivious to the truck load of pain they will inevitably dump on their family, friends and church community. Then there are the ‘acceptable’ sins of greed and pride that redirect the good of work from provision and service to careerism and materialism. Not all such sins will get publicly dissected and discussed, but they are prevalent in almost every congregation in Australia, weakening and undermining gospel communities and their witness.
Augustine in his famous book ‘City of God’ pictured the spiritual battle between the two spiritual forces, the city of man (flesh) and the city of God (spirit).
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Quit Playing Games With Sin

By Jacob Crouch — 4 months ago

The devil doesn’t want you to think that way about sin. He doesn’t want you to know about the “deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13). He wants you to hide your sin. He wants you to secretly love your sin. He definitely doesn’t want you to kill it. He wants to convince you that all will be well if you just cut back on sin. He’s going to hide from you that sin is crouching at the door. He’s going to let you get away with sin and stop opposing you while you persist in sin. He wants to lull you to sleep. He loves a good hypocrite.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… Colossians 3:5
When God calls you to deal with your sin, He has very specific instructions. He doesn’t tell you to maim sin. He doesn’t tell you to wound sin grievously. He doesn’t tell you to lock sin in a box and never look at it again. He tells you to kill it. We’ve got to quit playing games with sin.
The Games We Play
What are the games we play with sin? We hide sin from others in order to appear better than we are. We put sin away for a while and only entertain it in certain seasons. We disguise sin as a virtue. We dress it up in new clothes and call it by a new name so as to persist in it respectably. But these are the games that must stop if anyone is ever to see the Lord (Heb 12:14).
Sin Will Kill You
Sin is dangerous. Sin does not have light consequences. Before we come to Christ, we come to an understanding that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). John writes that the one who makes a practice of sinning has not been born of God (1 John 3:9).
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Autonomous Man: Battling the Tyranny of Selfism

By Nate Schill — 4 months ago

To battle the spirit of selfism, individuals must repent of their pride-filled selves. The apostle Peter exhorts that it is high time to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6). Only those individuals truly “under God” (His governance) as saved by and submitted to Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit can embrace a complete identity built on the gospel of His grace (Matt. 7:24–25; John 3:3–6).

The Emergence of Autonomous Man
The worldview of human beings is ultimately built on one of two foundations: either man’s word or God’s Word. Christians understand there is no other true foundation than Jesus Christ and the importance of building spiritual fruit by His grace (1 Cor. 3:11–15). Yet, by cultivating the self-exalting ideas of mankind apart from God’s authority, the “autonomous man” emerges, naturally desiring to become an authority unto himself. As the definition goes, the autonomous man believes and attempts to demonstrate that he can govern himself without acknowledging the Creator God. Instead, his worldview becomes one of selfism, fueled by postmodern thinking, and affecting his personal and public spheres of influence. As individuals look to the subjective self for answers to issues of morality, identity (including race, gender, and sexual orientation), and politics, the biblical God and Holy Scriptures are suppressed as the true means of objective, ultimate authority. This essay will examine the tyranny of selfism and how the so-called autonomous man cannot save himself. Rather, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ and His selfless demonstration of love that saves sinners.
Selfism and the Real Me
To further understand selfism, twentieth-century apologist Cornelius Van Til rightly highlighted the heart behind the notion of “fallen man.” He wrote, “[T]hrough the fall of Adam man has set aside the law of his Creator and therewith has become a law to himself.”[1] Van Til’s reasoning for man’s pursuit of self-governance included his “carnal mind” leading to death, whereby the spiritually minded man experiences life and peace (Rom. 8:6). Theologian and professor Carl Trueman helpfully defines the self as “expressive individualism,” or the “deeper notion of where the ‘real me’ is to be found, how that shapes my view of life, and in what the fulfillment or happiness of that ‘real me’ consists.”[2] To extend the connection to the level of autonomy, Trueman continues, “The modern self assumes the authority of inner feelings and sees authenticity as defined by the ability to give social expression to the same.”[3]
Restated simply, selfism believes that as long as an individual’s behavior on theoutside is consistent with the individual’s feelings on the inside, then that individual is therefore an authentic person, demonstrating self-governance. However, allowing emotions to lead an individual’s behavior at the expense of truth’s anchor marks the beginnings of all types of sabotage, as Joe Rigney has brilliantly written in his discerning book on leadership.[4] Historically, selfism was arguably the fuel that sparked the sexual revolution, which has accelerated since the 1960’s counter-cultural revolution, or what Os Guinness has rightly termed “optimistic humanism.”[5] The chain reaction from selfism’s lie of “making a lifestyle choice” has curved in upon itself, causing tyranny to rule man’s identity—an identity idolized and affirmed through sexual desire. Selfism tyrannizes identity and biblical sexuality.
The subjective nature of pursuing personal autonomy for definitive answers about identity sharply conflicts with the authority of God’s Word. In Jeremiah 17:9, the LORD God says, “The heart is deceitful about all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” This passage indicates that individuals cannot discern their own internal motives. External sources of objective authority are necessary, namely, God’s Word (Ps. 119:105) and His Spirit (Rom. 8:27). So then, if we cannot trust our motives, how can we govern them?
Selfism’s Tyranny on Culture
Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor offered an insightful analysis of the modern secular age and the culture of emotion-based authenticity. He saw it as the normative modern conception of selfism in the West, where individuals realize their humanity on the “inside” rather than surrendering it to some “outside” source (society, tradition, religion, etc.). He wrote, “Each one of us has his/her own way of realizing our humanity, and . . . it is important to find and live out one’s own, as against surrendering to conformity with a model imposed on us from the outside.”[6]
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The Church at Election Time

By Kevin DeYoung — 4 months ago

I believe Christians would do well to get informed and vote. And yet, I am hard pressed to find scriptural warrant for thinking Christians must vote as a matter of obedience to Christ. By conducting voter registration in the church we are communicating, “This is what Christians should do.” Voting is generally a good thing, but I have no biblical authority to say a Christian must vote (would we exercise church discipline on someone who didn’t?), nor do I think that voting is such a necessary expression of the fruit of the Spirit that it is the church’s responsibility to get people registered.

I have always been interested in politics. I studied religion and political science in college. I continue to read consistently in economics, sociology, politics, and current events. As a pastor, I hope the members of my church are well-informed and engaged in the political process. As Christians, we should take seriously our responsibility to be salt and light in a world that is often rotten and dark.
And yet, I believe pastors must be careful how they lead their churches in our politically polarized culture. I know there are good brothers and sisters who may disagree with these principles and their practical implications. But at the very least, pastors must disciple their leaders and their congregations in thinking through these matters wisely and theologically.
Let me mention two things I do as a pastor and three things I do not do.
As a pastor, I pray publicly for leaders and for controversial issues. We are commanded to pray for the governing authorities, whether we agree with them, like them, or trust them (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Likewise, I think it’s appropriate to include some current events in the weekly pastoral prayer. Over the past few years, I’ve included items related to Ferguson, Charlottesville, the police shootings in Dallas, the presidential election, gay marriage, Roe v. Wade, the anniversary of MLK’s assassination, and dozens of events that could be construed as “political.” I trust, however, that the prayers were not political in the worst sense of that word. I take pains to be sure that everything I pray for has scriptural warrant. During an election season, pastors should pray that God would work through the political process to give us godly leaders who are marked by ability, prudence, honesty, courage, humility, and compassion.
As a pastor, I speak to controversial issues as they arise from the text of Scripture. In preaching on Exodus 21, I talked about the history of slavery and the evils of it in our country. Later in the chapter I talked about the evil of abortion. In chapter 22, I talked about the biblical definition of justice. I also talked about the biblical understanding of the sojourner and how Christians are to love the stranger and the alien (and how this does not automatically translate into a given immigration policy). All of these touched on political topics. I didn’t mention a candidate, a political party, or advocate for any specific policy or legislation. I simply spoke to issues that were manifestly in the text. We cannot teach the whole counsel of God without venturing once in a while into difficult territory that may be unpopular in our cultural context.
As a pastor, I do not provide voter guides for the congregation. I know there are other pastors who advocate the practice, but in my experience even non-partisan voter guides are never completely non-partisan. In 2016 I saw a non-partisan voter guide from the Family Research Council and another one from Sojourners. Both guides were designed to inform Christians about the important issues facing us in the election and how to think about those issues from a Christian perspective. Not surprisingly, the two guides talked about very different issues and presented the Christian view in very different ways. Only a die-hard Republican could think the FRC guide was non-partisan. Only a die-hard Democrat could think the Sojourners guide was non-partisan.
Granted, other guides are less didactic and more informational. Many non-partisan guides ask the candidates a series of questions and then record where they stand on the key issues. But even here, the guides I’ve seen over the years all have a definite angle. If you have only 12 questions to ask the candidates, what you ask says a lot about what issues you think are important, and the wording of each question usually reflects certain priorities. In short, I don’t believe non-partisan voter guides are actually non-partisan.
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Christ’s Work in the ‘Heavenly Places’

By Jeff Brannon — 4 months ago

Paul’s teaching on “the heavenly places” in Ephesians reminds us of important truths. Jesus’s reign at God’s right hand in heaven is foundational for God’s purpose to make all things right in heaven and on earth (1:20–23). On account of their union with Christ, believers have been blessed with every blessing of the Spirit (1:3) and have been made alive in Christ (2:5) and seated with Christ in the heavenly places (2:6).

Pastors love to preach from Ephesians, where Paul weds rich theology and Christian living. But one of the most perplexing statements is “in the heavenly places,” which Paul repeats throughout the letter (1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). Presented with this enigmatic phrase, pastors may wish they could ignore it.
Unlocking this expression requires us to square it within the context of Ephesians and in light of Paul’s theology. We’ll discover that Paul’s teaching on “the heavenly places” emphasizes Christ’s reign in heaven (1:20), a doctrine that has incredible implications for how believers have been blessed in Christ (1:3; 2:6) and how they should understand their role in waging spiritual warfare (3:10; 6:12).
Heavenly Blessing
At the beginning of Paul’s outburst of praise in Ephesians 1:3–14, he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3). The three prepositional phrases—“in Christ,” “with every spiritual blessing,” and “in the heavenly places”—prove essential for determining the passage’s meaning. The phrase “in Christ” highlights that believers have received blessing because they’re united to Christ through faith. The word “spiritual” in “every spiritual blessing” refers to the Holy Spirit.
The phrase “in the heavenly places” refers to the blessing’s source. The God of heaven has blessed Christians with every blessing of the Spirit through faith in Christ, but these blessings await their consummation when Christ returns.
In Ephesians 1:20, Paul writes that God “raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” Jesus is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20–23), and he reigns at God’s right hand “in the heavenly places” over the church and all evil powers (Eph. 1:20–23). Christ’s heavenly reign represents a significant step in uniting all things in heaven and has implications for God’s plan to make all things right on earth.
Seated with Christ in the Heavenly Places
In Ephesians 2:6, Paul writes that God “raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The difficulty is that Christians are not physically seated with Christ in the heavenly places. From the passage’s context and Paul’s theological outlook, three important salvation realities can be deduced from this verse.
First, whereas Jesus has been bodily raised from the dead (1:20), Christians have been spiritually (of the Holy Spirit) raised from the dead (2:4–6).
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Circumstantial Evidence: A Lesson from Gideon

By Michael Kelley — 4 months ago

The Lord is with you, mighty warrior? Now that is a shocking statement. It is shocking because Gideon was not a mighty warrior. He was threshing wheat, a common and necessary practice, but the usual practice of threshing wheat was to cut the stalks and then beat them with a rod. You would then discard the straw and then toss the mixture up into the air. The wind would catch the chaff and blow it away and the heavier grains would fall to the ground. But Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites that he was doing an “outside activity” while hiding in a sheltered vat that was used for pressing grapes. Mighty warrior indeed.

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help (Judges 6:1-6).
I’ve never known what it was like to live in fear. Not really.
I’m not familiar with the feeling of waking up on a daily basis and immediately looking over my shoulder or wondering what violence I’d have to run from. I’ve not experienced the anxiety that comes with raising children in a truly dangerous environment and worrying whether or not they will be safe playing outside. But those were the times for the children of Israel in Judges 6.
And what a terrible time it must have been. The Midianites were actually distant relatives of the Jews; they were the descendants of Abraham and his second wife. They had grown into a semi-nomadic people in western Arabia and became part of a confederation of desert peoples who periodically would cross over the Jordan to pillage and wreak havoc on the Israelites. Just when the freshly seeded crops were sprouting, they would invade and destroy. They were so fierce that the Israelites lived looking over their shoulders, knowing that they might look across the river and see the Midianites coming. They were so afraid that they actually hollowed out caves in the mountainside to hide in.
This was life for Israel for seven years. For seven years their crops and animals were destroyed. For seven years invading peoples oppressed them and caused them to run. And you can imagine the effect both economically and psychologically.
Verse 6 expresses it best because the word there for “impoverished” is literally translated “made small.”
The Midianites made the Israelites small in emotion, courage and prosperity, so much so that they finally cried out to the Lord for help.
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The Doctrine of Humanity and a Pastor’s Ministry

By Andreas Kostenberger — 4 months ago

Fast-forward millennia of human history, with God’s promise of sending a redeemer gradually taking shape (see Gen. 3:15) through a series of covenants and promises, and we arrive at Jesus. Jesus is at the very heart of history. As Paul writes, though Jesus “was in the form of God,” he was “born in the likeness of men,” “and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him” (Phil. 2:6–9). Jesus was the perfect human who came to redeem us to restore us to God’s original image.

Who are we as humans? You’ll be surprised how many different answers people give to this deceptively simple question. In part, the reason for the diversity of answers is that who we are as humans is part of a larger set of questions. These relate to the origin of the universe and the larger reality in which we find ourselves. For Christians, the doctrine of humanity is an important part of what we believe, yet we seldom reflect on it. The following discussion aims to shed light on this vital question and to provide a general framework for further reflection. How does the doctrine of humanity relate to a pastor’s ministry?
Why the Doctrine of Humanity Matters
It is self-evident that the answer to the question “Who are we as humans?” has great existential significance for all people, Christian or not. We all face a cluster of undeniable realities: We are born into this world by the choice of others. We are frail and finite; we find evil not only around us but even inside us. And we know that one day we will all die. Here are seven truths pastors will do well to teach their congregations. In this way, they will equip them to live their lives more fully in keeping with biblical teaching.
7 Truths to Teach about the Doctrine of Humanity
The following seven truths to teach about humanity follow a salvation-historical pattern. The first four relate to the way God created humanity in its unfallen state. The fifth pertains to humanity’s rebellion against God and the implications of the fall. And truths six and seven relate to Jesus’ taking on human nature (except for sin) to restore us to a right relationship with our Creator and to show us how to live.
1. God Created Humanity in His Image and Likeness
After creating the stars and the sky, fish, birds, and other animals, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” and so he did (Gen. 1:26–27). Humanity is uniquely made in God’s image and likeness. As God’s creatures, we share in his family likeness! Later on in the Genesis narrative, we read, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Gen. 5:3). Like father, like son. We’re not gods, but we were made to reflect God in the way we live and relate to each other.
2. God Created Humanity Male and Female
Until recently, this truth was almost universally affirmed. Yet once people no longer believe in a transcendent Creator, it is only a matter of time before humans come to believe that gender, like many other aspects of our existence, is self-chosen, even contrary to biological birth sex. However, such a notion clearly contradicts the biblical affirmation that “male and female [God] created them” (Gen. 1:27).
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A La Carte (October 22)

By Tim Challies — 4 months ago

The Lord be with you and bless you today, my friends.
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of Paul Tripp’s most important books along with a book by Stanley Gale and a few other choice picks.
(Yesterday on the blog: Are You Scattering Bad Seed?)

“Well, let’s start with the absolutely glorious news about the judgment that we will not face. I mean, the accomplishment of Christ in dying for us and rising for us can be stated positively and negatively. Positively, he died to ‘bring us to God.’ The enjoyment of the presence of God forever is the positive achievement of the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.”

Kevin DeYoung answers a common question. “Many Christians hold to the mistaken notion that every sin is the same in God’s eyes. Some Christians embrace this conviction by way of a misguided theological calculation: ‘If every sin deserves eternal judgment, then every sin must be equally heinous.’ Others promote the idea for apologetic reasons: ‘Don’t worry, friend, your sins are no worse than anyone else’s sins.’ Still others believe in the equality of every sin out of a genuine sense of humility: ‘Who am I to think that my sins are less vile than anyone else’s sins?’”

This is quite an article from Jake Meador. “There is a simplicity about Tolkien’s moral vision that is refreshing. Certainly, there are times when the answer to the right course of action is not altogether plain, and wisdom and prudence are needed to help one see the right way. But if honour compels one toward a certain action, come what may, then nothing else matters—at least not for Tolkien.”

Eric Geiger: “At the same time, there are some marketplace leadership insights (even ones that are widely accepted as wise) that don’t translate fully and should not be applied to a local ministry context. The ministry leader is wise to look at all learnings from the marketplace through the lens of God’s Word and His heart for His Church. Here are four common marketplace leadership sayings that don’t fully apply in local church ministry.”

Randi Singleton shares some lessons learned from infertility. “My journey through infertility left me tattered, beaten, and unsure how to navigate life. The grief associated with infertility can be difficult to define. Simply put, it’s the sorrow of a future that may never come to be—grief before grief happens, if that makes sense. There were countless moments that made my heart ache and my chest tighten, but one in particular stands out—a moment when I couldn’t help but think that there had to be another way. I remember feeling so confused and even angry at Jesus for allowing so much pain. This particular experience happened during Christmas, a time when everything feels amplified.”

Matthew Lee Anderson has a long and thoughtful article about the new book The Widening of God’s Mercy.

Young Christians should be relentless in finding ways into the lives, homes, and prayers of older saints so they can see how the Christian life is lived, so they can ask honest questions, so they can learn by observation.

There is never a holy sigh, never a tear we shed, which is lost.
—Richard Sibbes

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What Future Judgment Will Christians Face?

By John Piper — 4 months ago

Audio Transcript

What future judgment will Christians face? The apostle Paul, writing to a church of believers, said to them, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). To Christians he said that. And he included himself — “we must all appear”! In another place, he interrogated Christians by asking them, “Why do you despise your brother?” Despising other believers is ridiculous. Why? “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God,” again speaking of believers and including himself here — “we will all” (Romans 14:10). Those pointed texts arrest our attention and cause us to think about a future judgment to come for Christians. So, no surprise, come loads of questions to us about these and other texts, like this email from a listener named Mae: “Pastor John, can you explain what kind of judgments Christians will face when Jesus returns?”

Well, let’s start with the absolutely glorious news about the judgment that we will not face. I mean, the accomplishment of Christ in dying for us and rising for us can be stated positively and negatively. Positively, he died to “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The enjoyment of the presence of God forever is the positive achievement of the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.

No Longer Under Wrath

But the New Testament reminds us over and over again that we can state the good news negatively as well as positively — namely, we do not come under the wrath of God. He achieved a negative thing. This is not going to happen. Christ bore our sins. We won’t be punished for them. John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has [that’s now] eternal [that’s forever] life. He does not come into judgment” — whoa — “but has passed from death to life.” What a verse.

That doesn’t mean we don’t go to court in the last day. It means we won’t be condemned in court in the last day. We’re already acquitted, and the court will prove it. Romans 8:1: “There is . . . now” — and forever — “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Or Romans 8:33: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” There will be no successful charge against us at the judgment — none. First John 3:14: “We know that we have passed out of death into life.”

“If we are believing in Jesus, his death was our death. His punishment was our punishment.”

So, the judgment of wrath and punishment and final death are passed. They’re over for us. Jesus endured all of that for us if we are in Christ. If we are believing in him, united to him, his death was our death. His punishment was our punishment. God’s wrath was exhausted on him toward us. Therefore, Paul exults (with the verse I go to sleep on almost every night), “God has not destined us for wrath” — sweet — “but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” I love those two verses. That’s 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10.

How God Judges Christians

So, if there is a judgment that will not condemn Christians, what other kind of judgment is there for us? That’s what’s being asked, I think. There is a dimension to the judgment that does not call into question our eternal life but determines what varieties of blessing or reward we will enjoy in the age to come.

And I know this can be disturbing to some people because “varieties of rewards” sounds like some people are going to be happy and others are not. But it’s plain from the Bible: there will be no unhappiness in heaven — none — no unhappiness in the age to come. Everyone will be as happy as he can be — all tears wiped away in the presence of the all-satisfying God (Revelation 21:4). But some people will evidently have greater capacities for happiness or greater avenues of happiness. Now, why do we think that? Why do we talk like that? We talk like that because the Bible teaches that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and we will be rewarded differently, yet everybody will be perfectly happy. That’s why we talk like that.

Remember Jesus’s parable? For example, the king goes away and then he returns, and he gives different rewards to those who invested his money differently. This is Luke 19:16–19. The first servant came to him, saying, “Lord, your mina . . .” Now, a mina is one hundred drachmas, and a drachma is about the price of a sheep. “Your mina has made ten minas more.” And he said to him, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.” And a second came to him saying, “‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’” Now, that’s a picture, I think, of differing rewards in the last day of how we stewarded our lives for Christ in this world.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” So, the judgment will take into account our heart motivations, not just our outward deeds themselves.

In Ephesians 6:8, Paul says one of the most amazing things about the final judgment for believers. He says, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.” In other words, every single large or tiny good thing you have ever done as a Christian, whether any other human knows about it or not, will come back to you for good at the last day. “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.” What a great incentive not to worry about who sees us in what we do or what rewards we get in this life. Everything’s written down, and God will make sure that any good deed we’ve ever done, seen or unseen, will be properly rewarded.

God’s Response to Our Evil

Then in 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” And that last word, “evil” — whoa! What does that mean? The new question that text raises is, What does Paul mean when he talks about us receiving what is due for evil things we’ve done? Now, if our sins are forgiven, which they are, and we’re acquitted in the court of heaven, which we are, does this mean there will be punishment to Christians for sins they’ve done? That doesn’t make sense, right? No, it doesn’t mean that.

I think Paul explains what he means in 1 Corinthians 3:11–15. It’s a very familiar text, but let me suggest this angle on it.

No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day [that is, the day of judgment] will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

What I think Paul meant when he said in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “each one [will] receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” — what he meant was that the way one receives evil is by having his bad deeds burned up, meaning, he loses the reward he would have received if he had acted otherwise. This is not viewed by Paul as punishment but as loss of reward. It’s not owing to God’s wrath against his child. Mark that: It’s not owing to God’s wrath against his child. It is simply a fact that it would be unfitting for God to reward the sins of his children. They know that, we know that, Paul knew that.

Now, mark this: True Christians, when that happens — when some of their life is burned up because it was worthless — when that happens, true Christians will not begrudge God for this loss. They will rejoice in the grace that they do receive, and their cup of blessing will be full.

So, that’s my sketch of the coming judgment. We will not enter into condemnation or punishment, but we will receive varieties of blessing, varieties of reward, different avenues of joy, different sizes of cups — but every cup full.

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Wallpaper: Greatly Delights

By TFL — 4 months ago

October 21, 2024

“Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!” Psalm 112:1

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