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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We do many things for many different motives. Some Believers will have works that appear to have great purposes and intentions – but they were built on a foundation that was not centered on Christ. Like wood and hay – those works will burn off and loss will occur. Lastly, if it seems that some people who have greater works in Christ will receive greater reward in heaven—and others less—how would that impact our joy and happiness in heaven? Are there different levels of reward in heaven? First, what we experience in heaven is devoid of comparison as we think of it. Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Heaven (or the New Jerusalem) is not a place where we can take the jealousies of this life and carry them into the very dwelling place of God and His people. Our joy and happiness will not be based on the rewards given us in contrast to the rewards given others. On this I refer you to Jonathan Edwards. From, The Portion of the Righteous. December 1740. On Romans 2:10, But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good. There are different degrees of happiness and glory in heaven. As there are degrees among the angels, viz. thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers; so there are degrees among the saints. In heaven are many mansions, and of different degrees of dignity. The glory of the saints above will be in some proportion to their eminency in holiness and good works here. Christ will reward all according to their works. He that gained ten pounds was made ruler over ten cities, and he that gained five pounds over five cities. Luke 19:17; 2 Cor. 9:6, "He that soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." And the apostle Paul tells us that, as one star differs from another star in glory, so also it shall be in the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. 15:41. Christ tells us that he who gives a cup of cold water unto a disciple in the name of a disciple, shall in no wise lose his reward. But this could not be true, if a person should have no greater reward for doing many good works than if he did but few. It will be no damp to the happiness of those who have lower degrees of happiness and glory, that there are others advanced in glory above them. For all shall be perfectly happy, every one shall be perfectly satisfied. Every vessel that is cast into this ocean of happiness is full, though there are some vessels far larger than others. And there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society.
Those who are not so high in glory as other, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness. Their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it. They will see it to be fit that they that have been most eminent in works of righteousness should be most highly exalted in glory. And they will rejoice in having that done, that is fittest to be done. There will be a perfect harmony in that society; those that are most happy will also be most holy, and all will be both perfectly holy and perfectly happy. But yet there will be different degrees of both holiness and happiness according to the measure of each one's capacity, and therefore those that are lowest in glory will have the greatest love to those that are highest in happiness, because they will see most of the image of God in them. And having the greatest love to them, they will rejoice to see them the most happy and the highest in glory. And so, on the other hand, those that are highest in glory, as they will be the most lovely, so they will be fullest of love. As they will excel in happiness, they will proportionally excel in divine benevolence and love to others, and will have more love to God and to the saints than those that are lower in holiness and happiness. And besides, those that will excel in glory will also excel in humility. 2|Page
Here in this world, those that are above others are the objects of envy, because that others conceive of them as being lifted up with it. But in heaven it will not be so, but those saints in heaven who excel in happiness will also in holiness, and consequently in humility. The saints in heaven are more humble than the saints on earth, and still the higher we go among them the greater humility there is. The highest orders of saints, who know most of God, see most of the distinction between God and them, and consequently are
comparatively least in their own eyes, and so are more humble. The exaltation of some in heaven above the rest will be so far from diminishing the perfect happiness and joy of the rest who are inferior, that they will be the happier for it. Such will be the union in their society that they will be partakers of each other's happiness. Then will be fulfilled in its perfection that which is declared in 1 Cor. 12:26, "If one of the members be honoured all the members rejoice with it."
So, yes, not on the basis of what Edwards says, but on the basis of Scripture, I believe there are differing rewards in heaven. Those rewards are based upon the actions in our life now, deeds and words that are firmly planted on the foundation of Jesus Christ. These are rewards to those in heaven and do not establish the means by which anyone enters heaven. Those who draw near to God now; those who enjoy God and His ways now; those who delight in being rooted in Christ Jesus for all their actions will enjoy God in heaven. John Bunyan puts it simply in two quotes:
“Whatever good thing you do for Him, if done according to the Word, is laid up for you as treasures in chests and coffers, to be brought out to be rewarded before both men and angels, to your eternal comfort.” “He who is most in the bosom of God, and who so acts for him here, he is the man who will be best able to enjoy most of God in the kingdom of heaven.”
________________________________________ The following was a set of three thoughts submitted by one person: 1. I’ve been thinking about God and referring to God as 'Daddy' (I heard this reference again last night during a prayer service). Honestly it bothers me but I'm not sure why. 2. I hear people referring to the love God has for mankind as 'unconditional.' This bothers me too. 3. Being humble AND being confident. There seems to be a link between these. I used to think of these things as opposites. I admired those who were humble but believed that I needed to hold on to a feeling of confidence (especially at work). Now I am beginning to see that these things are actually related and aspects of the same thing. I suspect that I saw them as opposites because my confidence wasn't deep and wasn't secure. Let me address 1 and 2 together because I believe they come from a similar attitude: a certain casualness regarding God that is perceived as being open hearted and intimate. DADDY The instance of ‘daddy’ most likely finds its origin from Galatians 4:6 and a very similar passage in Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (ESV) Often you will hear people say this is the equivalent of saying, “Daddy! Father!” But is it? Paul, using the picture of Roman laws regarding adoption, takes adoption to a level heretofore impossible to imagine: it is the work of the Holy Spirit that so transforms us that we are not only ‘legally’ adopted – we are intrinsically changed as a son or daughter of God – out of which, by the Spirit, we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 3|Page
Roman adoption was nearly always the adoption of a grown man, not a child. The Greek text does not have the word, “son” in it. It seems translations are split on this inclusion of ‘sons.’
Some with reference to childhood or sons = NIV; NLT; ESV; NASB Some without reference to childhood or sons = KJV; ISV; NET; ASV; WEB; YLT
While I see nothing wrong with the inclusion of ‘sons’ I do think it lends itself to a more modern usage of adoption— mostly of children—and therefore shapes the discussion to unnecessarily mean ‘Daddy!’ I will simply quote from Philip Ryken’s book, When You Pray (pg 57-58): “To call God ‘Abba, Father’ is to speak to him with reverence as well as confidence. Abba does not mean ‘Daddy.’ To prove this point, the Oxford linguist James Barr wrote an article for the Journal of Theological Studies called ‘Abba isn’t “Daddy”.’ What Barr discovered was that abba was not merely a word used by young children. It was also the word that Jewish children used for their parents after they were fully grown. Abba was a mature, yet affectionate way for adults to speak to their fathers.” “The New Testament is careful not to be too casual in the way it addresses God. The Aramaic word abba appears three times in the New Testament (Mark 14:36;
Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). In each case it is followed immediately by the Greek word pater. Pater is not the Greek word for ‘Daddy.’ The Greek language has a word for ‘Daddy’ – the word pappas – but that is not the word the New Testament uses to translate abba. Instead, in order to make sure that our intimacy with God does not become an excuse for immaturity, it says, ‘abba, pater.” “The best way to translate abba is “Dear Father,” or even “Dearest Father.” That phrase captures both the warm confidence and the deep reverence that we have for our Father in heaven. It expresses our intimacy with God, while preserving his dignity. When we pray, therefore, we are to say, ‘Our dear Father in heaven.’”
I think your uncomfortableness with a sort of casual use of “Daddy” is understandable. I share the same thought. But I also think it is something that I would not challenge in someone (not that you did!). It’s a difference that is personal and not an essential. In the essentials, unity. In the nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity. GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE As to God’s love being unconditional, I think it is a matter of more importance. I still think it comes from a casual usage concerning God’s love – and saying that God loves us unconditionally is so ubiquitous that is seems wrong to reflect a different opinion. When I hear someone say something like, “God loves us unconditionally, no matter what we do or where we are,” I always hope that they have not thought through the real implications of what they are saying. I think this for at least two reasons: 1. Scripture itself. a. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things God hates. Among them are a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers. Who and one are not just things but people. b. Psalm 11:5 lets us know that God hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Even if you argue that Psalms is poetry, thus should not be taken so literally, you have to at least admit that this verse cannot nearly be speaking of loving people that do violence and are wicked. c. There are too many passages to quote about God being angry about what we are doing. It seems God actually cares about where we are and what we do! Here is only a small sampling: Psalm 85:5; Isaiah 47:6; Zechariah 1:15; Ephesians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 4|Page
2. The real demands and obligations of love. All love relationships have conditions. Submission to and preference of one another is essential to love. Even in the life of the Trinity there is a mutual submission and self-giving in love. How could love occur or be practiced without these conditions? When I said I loved my wife and took vows committing myself to her, we set conditions: we were exclusively given to one another – all other were out of this kind of intimacy; we were to show authentic respect for each other, honoring each other – no one else would receive the same deferential treatment we were obligated to give to one another; health or wealth would not dictate our commitments to each other. These expectations, these obligations do not create love, they reflect love and find their grounding in love. What the apostle Peter writes is true: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) And James, the brother of the Lord, records, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20) Love is gracious and merciful and often expressed in the kindness of overlooking and not reacting to hurts done to us. Love moves a person to go after the wandering one and bring them back. But even a cursory reading of James and Peter reveals that a relationship in God bears conditions and obligations. From the beginning God set conditions on the people He loved: they were free to eat of any tree in the garden EXCEPT . . Disobedience to the EXCEPT led to expulsion from the garden and curses of hard labor, relational disunity, spiritual death, environmental rebellion and painful childbirth! It would even lead to the death of Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15). This was not unconditional! If God’s love to us was unconditional, the call to repent and exercise faith in God? Unconditional love makes the cross useless if you regard the cross more than simply a moral example or a picture of the depths of God’s love. While the cross is a picture of God’s immense love, it is because the sacrificial love of God met the conditions of righteousness and justice while becoming the means of forgiveness and mercy. Take one of the most well-known passages in Scripture: John 3:16 and throw in verses 17-19 as well: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” God is love, so it’s right that this most famous passage begins with love as the motivation for sending Christ. This love was the same motivation that compelled the apostle Paul to preach the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:11-15). It is God’s love for the world and you can claim that this love is unconditional. But what of its consequences? God’s unconditional love is not the kind that simply let’s sin proceed. God’s unconditional love does not ignore the rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is a conditional response: whosever believes. Without believing in Christ, there is no opportunity to reciprocate the love of the Father. God’s love will not save you from condemnation and judgment. There is a degree of unconditional love that is true, I think: God loves all who are in His Son without condition. The apostle John wrote:
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In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:9-12) We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21) There are heavy words here: we might live; propitiation for our sins; lair; commandment; must. Again, God loves all who are in His Son without condition. As seen above, however, God’s love for us and our responding love requires other conditions: loving one another and not hating a brother or sister. Jesus made it clear that if we loved him we would keep his commandments. (John 14:15) God loved me without condition when He chose me in His Son before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). I had fulfilled nothing. Indeed, my coming to faith was by God’s grace and appointed by God: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48) God loved me without condition when He regenerated me apart from any merit or effort on my part: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13) This love preceded my love for Him and was based solely in Him. That is love without condition. HUMILITY AND CONFIDENCE Lastly: your observations about confidence and humility are insightful and show you are gaining wisdom. The text that always speaks to me about confidence and humility is John 13. Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. The act in itself is one of extreme humility, especially considering the cultural practices at the time. Jesus does this humble washing even as He is fully secure and confident who He is and how He fits into God’s timing and purpose. Simply go to John 13 and look at the mention of Jesus knowing:
Jesus knew His hour had come Jesus knows the Father has given all things into His hands Jesus knows He had come from the Father and was returning to the Father Jesus even knew the one who would betray Him Jesus knows whom He has chosen
Knowing these things, being fully confident of these things, Jesus lays aside His outer garments and ties a towel around His waist and begins the humble task of washing feet. Later, Peter who initially was so averse to Jesus doing this would use this very imagery and write: Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (1 Peter 5:5b-6) Even in the world of entrepreneurship, humility helps! In a Forbes magazine column titled Humility: The Secret to Confident Leadership, Ryan Westwood wrote: 6|Page
In a recently published study, Professor Bradley Owens and colleagues found that narcissists, or individuals with a “grandiose yet fragile sense of self as well as a preoccupation with success and demands for admiration,” can be effective leaders by “practicing humility,” or implementing “self-less” practices that ameliorate the negative effects of narcissism. While this study focuses on the negative effects of narcissism, Owens et al. (2015) also found some potentially positive elements of narcissism, such as vision, boldness, persistence through challenges, and very high confidence—critical characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. This study shows that practicing humility helps temper the more toxic aspects of narcissism, enabling these potentially productive aspects to enhance the leader’s effectiveness. (Forbes, February 5, 2015) Now, Jesus was not a narcissist seeking to “temper the more toxic aspects of narcissism” through acts of humility! The point is that even the most self-focused, self-promoting, self-loving person needs humility to become authentically successful. Jesus was, at His very core, supremely confident of who He was and what He was doing. Yet humble in His ministry and person. The apostle Paul said it better than anyone could ever hope to: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being 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 and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
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