Christ Conversation/Q&A Sunday Conversation/Sunday, April 10, 2016 I know that the only reason we are in a right relationship with God is because Jesus's righteousness has been imputed to us as believers. Because of His sin offering, we can stand before God pure and blameless. But yet the Bible clearly states that we will all be held to account for what we've done (good and bad) on earth. How do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory facts? When we talk about being held accountable for our actions on earth, we are talking about eternal life and heaven. There are about 25 references in the New Testament regarding rewards for those that follow Christ; rewards that seem to be in heaven. Yet rarely is this topic discussed. The Questioner has the first part of the question completely correct. We are justified before God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us in a divine exchange: see Romans 3:20, 28; 4:20-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21. We understand that our works, of good deeds, do not put us into right standing before God. However, what are works do is confirm that we are chosen of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. The great reformer, Martin Luther, taught that we are justified through faith alone. Yet he expanded that understanding to say that it is a faith that is not alone. True faith will express itself in a life of obedience to Jesus. Certainly Jesus taught this in John 14:15 - “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Like the apostle Paul, we understand that even our obedience originates in grace: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” – 1 Corinthians 15:10 Regarding our works, Paul wrote: “For 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.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10. Also see Romans 14:10. Jesus Himself tells us that He comes to render to every person according to their works (Revelation 22:12). Well before such a time, Jesus instructed us to store up treasures in heaven by what we do now (Matthew 6:19-21). What happened to my security in Christ if I am to be judged for the works I have done? Works of both good and evil? I think in this there is a lack of distinguishing between judgement and condemnation. Believers will not be condemned for their sins or their bad deeds. Their bad deeds, however, will be judged, examined. To me, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 speak well to this question: According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For 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 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. To be judged on bad deeds does not evil deeds. The Greek for bad (2 Cor 5:10) is not a word meaning moral evil, for which kakos or poneros would have been used; rather it is the word phaulos – meaning worthless or useless. Similarly, Jesus tells us that we will be judged on our words, or more specifically, words that have no return, thoughtless and without profit. (Matthew 12:36)
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