“Revealed by Fire” – The Christian’s Reward or Loss
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 2
Promises and Conditions............................................................................................ 9
Inheritance (Reward) in the Old
Testament........................................................... 12
Merited
and Lost Inheritance (Reward)........................................................................................................... 13
Summary
of Old Testament Inheritance (Reward)...................................................................................... 16
Inheritance (Reward) in the New
Testament......................................................... 17
Summary
of New Testament Inheritance (Reward)..................................................................................... 20
Parables – Reward &
Disinheritance...................................................................... 21
The
Minas - Luke 19: 9-27.................................................................................................................................... 21
The
Talents – Mt. 25:14-30.................................................................................................................................. 26
The
Banquets - Mt. 22:1-14, Mt. 8:10-12, Lk. 13:22-30.............................................................................. 27
Summary
of parables........................................................................................................................................... 34
Believer’s Judgment................................................................................................... 34
How
will we be judged?....................................................................................................................................... 34
Negative
judgment................................................................................................................................................. 35
Eternal life...................................................................................................................... 38
Rewards......................................................................................................................... 40
Confession of Sin........................................................................................................ 41
Conclusion.................................................................................................................... 42
Scripture
index………………………………………….………………………….…44
End
notes ………………………………………………
…………………………...46
Listing
of Christian Rewards/Judgment Verses ……………………………..49
“Revealed by Fire” – The Christian’s
Reward or Loss[1]
After I become a believer, will there
be any consequences in heaven as a result of how I live my life on earth? It
seems like there should be some consequences, but isn’t heaven going to be the
same for everyone? After I receive eternal life, why should I be sold out for
the Lord here, if it doesn’t matter when I get there? It even says in Jn 5:24 that believers will not come unto judgment, so why should I
worry about how I live my life? What is
my motivation for living as a committed disciple of Jesus Christ now if there
are no negative consequences in eternity if I don’t?
However, it also says in Rev. 22:12, speaking to
believers, that He is coming quickly, and He is going to reward everyone
according to what they have done. And Paul, speaking to believers in 2 Cor.
5:10 says that all believers must appear before the
judgment seat of Christ for an accounting of the good or bad things they have
done while in the flesh.
On one hand it appears that there is no
judgment for believers, and on the other, there clearly
is. Which is correct? They both are!
In Jn 5:24 Jesus is speaking in the context of eternal
life. The believer already has eternal
life. He has already passed from death to life.
As it relates to the eternal life of the believer, there is nothing left
to decide or judge.
There can be no such thing as a
judgment to determine whether a believer goes to heaven
or hell. God has already handed down a
legal decision. Paul called that
decision justification. The
righteousness of God has been imputed to the Christian on the sole basis of faith
alone.
This justification has nothing to do
with our works, Rom. 4:4-5: 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not
reckoned as a favor, but as what is due.5 But to the one who does not work, but
believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness.
The eternal destiny of every believer,
all who have passed out of death into life, is settled forever. In that sense, there is no judgment for a
Christian.
While there is no judgment as to the
eternal life of the believer there is a judgment where his works must be
examined, 2 Cor. 5:10. The judgment seat of Christ is a place where the
Christian’s performance comes into view.
Therefore the question of merit comes into view as well.
John is referring to judgment with respect to one’s eternal
destiny and Paul is referring to the believer’s fellowship with God. John speaks of establishing the relationship
and Paul speaks of maintaining, or the consequences of not maintaining,
fellowship in the relationship, i.e. sin in the believer’s life.
This leads to the issue at hand. How will our Christian performance be
reviewed and what are the consequences of that review?
Mt. 5:19 indicates that there will be those in the
kingdom (believers) who will be great (first) and those that will be last. What distinguishes those that are first from
those that will be last?
It is clear that the believer’s life
will be reviewed:
Rom. 14:10-12
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why
do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of God.11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every
knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then
each one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Rev. 22:12
12
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done.
2 Cor.
5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according
to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Unlike the unbelievers, who will appear
before the Great White throne judgment prior to being thrown into the lake of
fire (Rev. 20:11-15), believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ
to have their Christian life reviewed.
There clearly is an accounting of the believer’s works, but not one that
will exclude him from heaven.
It
is also clear that this review has positive and negative consequences.
Rom. 8:17
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow
heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be
glorified with Him.
Titus 3:8
8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these
things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may
be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for
men.
1 Cor.
3:12-15
12 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,13 each man’s work will become
evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and
the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.14 If any man’s work
which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.15 If any man’s
work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so
as through fire.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
11 It
is a trustworthy statement:
For if
we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;
12 If
we endure, we shall also reign with Him;
If we
deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If
we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
1 John
2:28
28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He
appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His
coming.
Mark 8:38
38
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the
glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Each man’s works will be tested at the
judgment seat of Christ. We will receive
reward or suffer loss (1Cor. 3:12-15).
The more of a believer’s work that remains, the greater the reward. The more of a believer’s work that is burned
up, the greater the loss. A person in
heaven “can” suffer loss! This truth
is shocking and is designed to motivate believers to persevere and to be
faithful out of reverent fear of God (2 Cor. 5:10-11).
It is also shocking that Christ only
gives us this lifetime to impact for eternity.
This is it, and the rest of eternity is determined by our faithfulness
and seeking after Him while in the flesh.
The degree of reward we receive will last for eternity. Likewise the degree of loss we suffer will
last for eternity.
1 Cor. 3:12-15 appears to leave open the possibility that
“all” of a believers work may be burned up.
In other words it could be possible that a believer did nothing, after
becoming a believer, that was rewardable in heaven. However even though the believer will suffer
great loss and regret, he will still be in the kingdom of God.
This truth helps answers the question
that a skeptic or even a sincere individual might ask - “You mean once I
believe in Christ I can live my life any way I want and still go to heaven”?
The gift of eternal life is free, faith in Christ, for those who find the
narrow gate (Matt 7:13), but rewards are costly (Mt. 16:24-27). Yes, you can foolishly live any way you want
to after coming to faith in Christ, but there will be consequences on earth
(discipline) and in heaven / eternity (loss).
2 Timothy 2:11-13 very clearly balances the Christian’s
certainty (assurance) with his responsibilities.
11 It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we shall also
live with Him;
Those that believed in Him for eternal
life (died with Him) will live in the kingdom with Him throughout eternity.
Equally
certain is the truth at the conclusion of the trustworthy statement.
13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
This verse clearly indicates that it is
possible for a believer to be faithless.
But, If we Christians are “faithless,” this in no way affects His
loyalty to us. Every guarantee that has
been made to us in grace would still be ours, regardless of our lack of faith
or fidelity. The gifts and calling of
God are still irrevocable (Rom. 11:29).
For Him to act otherwise toward us,
whatever form our faithlessness might take, is unthinkable. Our Lord always remains faithful to us
precisely because anything else would be an act that “denies” His own nature
and character. As the prophet said:
Isaiah
11:5
5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
But between the two pillars of
certainty, v. 11 “we shall live with Him” and v. 13 “He remains faithful”, lay
two alternatives that are fully conditional.
12
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him;
Since it is possible that we could be
“faithless,” (v. 13) it is also conceivable that we might not “endure”. But if we do not endure, neither will we
reign with Him (v. 12). He will deny us
the opportunity to reign with Him if we don’t endure.
12
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
Similarly, the failure of a believer to
endure could become a form of denial.
There is more than one way of
“denying” one’s master. The denial
could take a verbal form and involve an unwillingness to confess Him and
identify with Him before men. Jesus instructed His own disciples (believers) of
the consequences if they denied Him (Mt. 10:32-33). As in 2 Timothy 2:12, the believers in Matt 10 who denied the Lord
would also be denied by their Lord.
Denied the opportunity for a more abundant life (reigning with
Him/serving Him) in eternity, Mt. 10:39.
One could also deny Him by works that
were unsuited to a Christian’s profession, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 6:9-10,Titus 1:16. When we deny Him and are faithless we can 1)
be “disqualified for the prize”, reigning with Him (1 Cor. 9:27; 2 Timothy 2:12), 2) experience
loss of reward (1Cor. 3:15), and 3) stand
ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28) and be the
object of His shame (Mark 8:38).
In either case our denial would be
appropriately recompensed by His denial of us.
Not, of course, a rejection of our status before Him as redeemed and
justified people. That denial would
touch the question of His own faithfulness.
The truth In 2 Timothy 2:11-13 not only
points to our security but also to the consequences of an unfaithful believer’s
life.
Rom. 8:17 also parallels 2 Timothy 2:12. All believers are heirs however only those
believers that suffer or deny themselves for Christ will reign or be “joint
heirs” with Him.
Rom. 8:17
17 and
if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed
we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
If this verse is talking about
obtaining eternal life instead of rewards then it clearly states that one must
suffer to obtain eternal life. If so,
how much suffering is enough to prove that you really believed and do have
eternal life? Clearly suffering is not a
requirement to obtain eternal life, Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:5.
Even the apostle Paul was concerned
about not enduring, that is, being disqualified at the judgment seat of Christ:
1 Cor. 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but
only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.25 And everyone
who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it
to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.26 Therefore I run in
such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;27
but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached
to others, I myself should be disqualified.
Paul indicates “his” fear of the Lord, contemplating the
judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians.
2 Cor. 5:10-11
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according
to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but
we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your
consciences.
Paul knew that failure was possible,
even for an apostle. This failure or
disqualification had nothing to do with keeping him out of the kingdom of God,
but rather it had everything to do with loss at the judgment seat of
Christ.
Jesus had this to say to His disciples
(believers) about saving and losing their life as it related to rewards:
Mt. 16:24-27
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25
“For whoever wishes to save his life [psyche]
shall lose it; but whoever loses his life [psyche]
for My sake shall find it.26 “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the
whole world, and forfeits his soul [psyche]?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul [psyche]?27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His
Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his
deeds. [2]
In verse 24, Jesus identifies a
disciple as someone who denies himself certain pleasures, possessions and
earthly powers. In verse 25, He says
that if a believer wants to keep his life here (live for himself here on earth)
he will lose it there (loss of reward in heaven). But if you deny yourself here on earth (lose
your life), for His sake, you will find it (have reward in heaven). He then
summarizes in verse 26 by asking, how smart of a decision is it (for a
believer) to have the whole world here (power, possessions and pleasures) for a
lifetime and forfeit (loose) reward in heaven.
Deny yourself here for the Lord, and get it (rewards) there, or have it
here and loose some of it (rewards) there.
One choice lasts for about 70 years and one lasts for eternity. Which would you choose?
What am I (a believer) to deny myself
of? Of all that is in the world:
pleasures, possessions and power.
1 John 2:15-16,
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the
boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
John
appeals to believers to avoid the enticements of the world. He knows full well that the world possesses a
deceptive attractiveness that Christians can fall prey to. The things in the world, power, possessions
and pleasures are not from the father, but part of Satan’s world system. If we love the things of the world we are not
in fellowship with Him, if we deny ourselves from embracing and chasing after
the things of the world we can have fellowship, intimacy with Him.
When I deny myself now, I lose this
pleasure and that possession and power, and I feel a sense of loss. If I lose that part of my life now, I will
get that part of my life in heaven. If I keep that part of my life now, I’ve
lost it heaven. The part of my life that
I gain by denying myself here, or the part of my life that I lose because I
have not denied myself here, is the
opportunity to rule with Him, serve Him in eternity (2 Timothy 2:12), the abundant
life (Jn 10:10).
The danger is that, if a man does not
become a disciple, he will lose his life.
That is, he will forfeit true life now and reward in eternity. The fact that the context (Matt 16:24-26) is
referring to rewards, and not deliverance from hell is further clarified by vs
27 “will then recompense every man according to his deeds”, which is not a
salvation concept. Rather, it is a rewards concept. Compare especially 2 Cor
5:10. There, nearly identical language is used and it clearly deals with
possible rewards for people who are already eternally secure. The Lord is
motivating us to deny ourselves here for reward in eternity. He is giving us a good reason to deny
ourselves here, beyond our gratitude to Him for giving us eternal life.
The parallel passages in Mark 8:31-38 and Luke 9:23-26 focus on the negative consequences of not
denying ourselves here. He will be ashamed of us when we see Him. For those
believers that are not prepared for His coming, shame is a real possibility.
Mark 8:37-38
37
“For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him
when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Speaking to His disciples (believers)
He said that there is no adequate compensation to cover the loss of one’s life,
their own loss of reward in heaven. What
the Lord is talking about here is the loss of honor and recognition in the
glorious presence of Jesus Himself when He returns to reign. What could be more honorable than to gain His
approval in that day? And what could be
more shattering to a child of God (believer) than to become the object of his
Lord’s embarrassment and shame?
The word ashamed is used in reference
to family. We are not ashamed of people
that we have no relationship with. God is not ashamed of unbelievers, He is
ashamed of His family members that are carnal.
If He is ashamed of us, we will be ashamed of ourselves.
1 John 2:28
28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He
appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His
coming.
This experience of shame belongs to a
transformed believer. Our own shame is
experienced in proportion to our sensitivity to sin. When we have transformed bodies with no sin
nature, we will have the heightened capacity to feel holy shame over a life
badly wasted.
Satan has blinded believers to the
truth of positive and negative consequences in their Christian walk, and has
therefore taken away a powerful motivation that the Lord gave believers to seek
Him, to live a godly life. After
salvation, there are few, if any, more revolutionary truths.
Even before the fall of man, God
motivated people based on positive and negative consequences. In the garden, God did not say to Adam,
“because you love me, don’t eat from the tree of life”. Rather He gave him a motivation to obey
because of negative and positive consequences. If he ate, he would surely die,
if he didn’t he would live (Gen 2:17).
Some may feel it is selfish to do
things for God with the idea that we will “get” something in return. They think
we should do things for God because we love Him. We should do things for God because we love
Him and out of gratitude for giving us eternal life. He knows us very well and
concluded that, at least some of us (most likely all of us) needed additional
motivation. If anyone should have been capable of obeying God because he loved
Him, it was Adam, who at the time of the warning was sinless and still in the
perfection of God’s creation. If God used positive and negative consequences to
motivate a sinless man, then there is nothing selfish about a sinful man
properly responding to His command to lay up treasures in heaven.
Mt.
6:20
20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Matthew 6:20 is a command. Following, obeying a command of God can never
be selfish. God never commands a believer to be selfish. Therefore it is the will of God for a
believer to be motivated on the basis of a reward. God views selflessness here for a reward in
heaven as not selfish. If you are
selfish for this world’s kingdom He won’t give you rewards in heaven. If you are selfish and jealous for the rewards
in heaven and selfless on earth, He will give you rewards in heaven.
What could be wrong with obeying God to
accomplish “His Will”, even if we were encouraged to do this by a motivation of
positive and negative consequences? God
knows our hearts and only those things done for the correct motives will be
rewarded. A work that appears to us to
be great that is really motivated by possessions, pleasures or power will be
useless at the judgment seat.
The judgment seat will test our works and our motives to determine if
they are rewardable.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of
both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the
heart.
It is hard to argue that God does not
want us to be motivated by positive and negative consequences when we are given
clear commands, such as 1)Mt. 6:20, to “lay up
treasures in heaven, 2) 2 Timothy 2:11-13 where we are motivated to endure so that we
can rule with Him and not be denied by Him,
3) 1 Cor. 3:12-15, being prepared,
so as not to suffer loss at the judgment
seat, 4) 1 John 2:28, to remain in an
intimate fellowship (abide in Him) with Him so that we (believers) are not
ashamed when we face Him, or 4) Mark 8:38, being prepared
so that He will not be ashamed of us.
There are eternal consequences to the
believer for carnal behavior. Likewise
there are eternal consequences to Godly behavior.
God
does reward those believers who seek after Him.
Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he
who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those
who seek Him.
This passage is not talking about
unregenerate people seeking salvation-eternal life. Rather, “believing that He is”, is talking
about the kind of faith that a believer exhibits in his life that is pleasing
to God. It is the faith defined in 11:1, the assurance of things hoped for,
enduring because of the conviction of things not seen. It is faith that is confidently focused on
Him, that does not lose sight of the finish line or that is not detoured by the
cares of the world. A believer’s faith
that does not do this is not pleasing to Him.
Not only is it impossible to please Him
without keeping our eyes focused on Him, believe in Him, but it is also
impossible to please Him unless we (believers), believe that He is a rewarder
of those who seek Him. This seeking of
God is for the believer’s sanctification and should continue forever. This seeking is meant to give us fellowship,
intimacy with God. This seeking can only
come after eternal life has been received as a gift.
Eternal life is a gift. A reward is not a gift but something that you
earn. You cannot earn eternal life. If Hebrews 11:6 is talking about “obtaining”
eternal life then it is teaching that you can earn eternal life. This is
clearly not consistent with scripture.
We (eternally secure believers) can’t
please God without two things, 1) A vital faith that stays focused on Him; and
2) believing that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him! Without a seeking heart there can be no
spiritual growth.
The writer of Hebrews gives examples of
the hall of fame of “believers” who demonstrated that they believed that God is
a rewarder of those who seek Him. There
are no examples here of how unregenerate people became believers, rather how
believers lived out their faith, focused on the finish line.
Abraham obeyed because he saw the
reward, the land of promise Heb.11:8-10.
He left Ur and gave up power and wealth to live as a pilgrim in a
tent. They could have gone back, Heb.11:15,
but they were looking for the city that was prepared for them Heb.11:16. He was looking for the city which had
foundations that are built by God, Heb.11:10; 13:14. He was looking for the reward for being
faithful.
Moses said no to all that came with being part of Pharaoh’s
house, 11:24-25. He gave it all up
because he saw the reward attached to being faithful, 11:26-27.
Hebrews 11:26-27
26 considering the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king; for he endured, as
seeing Him who is unseen.
Hebrews 11 clearly teaches
rewards. It starts by telling us the
basics of pleasing Him, having fellowship with Him. Having a vital faith that sees the finish
line clearly, “believe that He is” (which would certainly include
confession of sins), and believing that He will reward us if we seek Him.
These are promises with conditions
issued to believers. The conditions are not to obtain or keep eternal life, but
promises and conditions to expand the degree of intimacy that we can have with
the Lord for eternity. We only have this
lifetime to impact forever. So much of
eternity (reward or loss) is determined by the amount of faith I have in Him,
and if I believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. What ever else we believers do for the Lord,
if we do not start here, we cannot please Him.
In the Old Testament the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants
(grants) were a reward for past faithfulness. The blessings of the
covenants (grants) were contingent on
future faithfulness. Abraham is promised the land of Israel because he obeyed God (Gen 22:16, 18; 26:5), and David is promised
dynasty because he served God with
truth, loyalty, and righteousness (1Kings 3:6; 9:4; 11:4, 6, 11, 35; 14:8; 15:3; 2
Sam 7).
In
the case of each of these covenants a relationship had been established prior
to the initiation of the covenant (grant).
In other words, Abraham and David were already believers prior to the
establishment of the covenants (grants).
David
became a believer while under the Mosaic covenant and God established His
relationship with Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia. In Acts 7:2 it says “The God of Glory appeared to Abraham
when he was in Mesopotamia.” That is
technical covenant talk for “established a relationship with”. Abraham became a believer at that point.
After the relationship was established, God induces Abraham to leave his
country and go to another land (Gen 12).
Abrahamic
and Davidic covenants were conditional covenants and the result of a previously
established relationship with God. They
were designed to be an inducement to future faithfulness.
The
Jewish “nation” had an “unconditional” relationship with God established by the
Mosaic covenant (God chose them). This
covenant also had inducements for faithful service, the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. Like Abraham, once the
relationship was established with the nation of Israel, God motivated His
people based on rewards. If they were faithful they inherited the land and
received God’s blessings.
This should not be a totally foreign
concept to us. This truth is similar to a “no-cut” contract in sports
today. Hakeem Olajuwon has a “no-cut”
contract with the Houston Rockets. He gets paid no matter how he performs. He will not be cut from the team. But his contract also has incentive clauses
to induce him to perform at a high level.
He gets bonuses in addition to his base pay for leading the league in
blocked shots, rebounding, et cetera.
In the
Old Testament, the “no-cut” contract, as applied to the “nation of Israel” is
the Mosaic Covenant, and the incentive clauses to perform are the Abrahamic and
Davidic covenants. (In O.T. times individuals within the “nation” were still
required to believe to establish a relationship) In the New Testament the no cut contract, as
applied to “individuals”, is faith in Christ (i.e. eternal life) and the incentive
clauses are the rewards given for faithful service.
Those in Israel had to be obedient to
obtain what was promised. We are
therefore alerted to the fact that the inheritance is not something which comes automatically to all who are sons
but only to those sons who are obedient (Mt. 5:9,44-45). The inheritance was something in addition to
salvation and was not equated with it.
It was obtained by victorious perseverance and obedient faith.
In
many passages of the New Testament, believers are called heirs. We are told that we will “inherit the
kingdom,” “inherit eternal life,” and the Spirit is the “earnest of our
inheritance.” Commonly, these passages have
been taken to refer to our final deliverance from hell. A severe problem develops, however, when one
carefully examines the usage of the term “inheritance” in the Old and New
Testaments. When used of Israel’s
acquisition of Canaan, it seems to refer, almost without exception, to
something which is merited or worked for.
Because this contradicts the doctrine of justification by faith alone,
many have gone to great lengths to reinterpret the obvious meaning of certain
passages.
If
we are obedient, then God promises to bless us.
The content of our obedience varies with the blessing to be
received. If the blessing is final
deliverance from hell, then the only “obedience” or “work” is that of believing
(Jn. 6:29). If, on the other hand, the
blessing is a richer spiritual life or reward in the future, the work is
faithful perseverance (2 Cor. 5:10).
The
New Testament writers frequently refer to the inheritance of the saints by
quoting passages referring to the land of Canaan in the Old Testament. How was the inheritance in the Old Testament
obtained? Was it viewed as a reward for
faithful service, something earned, or was it a free gift? Of what did it consist? Was it heaven, or was it an additional blessing
for those who were already justified?
Certainly the view of the inheritance of the New Testament was directly
informed by the Old Testament world of thought.
Inheritance
in the Old Testament was a possession.
The land of Canaan was Israel’s promised possession. The Old Testament concept of inheritance has
no implication of hereditary succession, rather the term refers only to
sanctioned and settled possession. The
fact that a son became an heir in no way guaranteed that he would obtain the
inheritance. The father had the right to
insist that the son meet the conditions of the inheritance or to give it to
another. The exodus generation was
promised an inheritance, the land of Canaan.
However, they were also warned about the possibility of losing it and
the need to obey God, fight the battle, and live by faith if they were to
obtain the inheritance, which they were promised.
The
Old Testament often presents inheritance as something that was merited. The New Testament itself, almost without
exception, presents the believer’s inheritance as something merited or earned.
The
idea of merit related to the inheritance is present in its earliest
references. Abraham is told that failure
to obey the work of circumcision will result in forfeiture of the inheritance
(Gen.17:14). Caleb will inherit the land because he
followed God “wholeheartedly” (Num.14:24).
Not
only can the inheritance be merited by obedience, it can be lost by
disobedience. Caleb and Joshua, only two
out of two million who left Egypt inherited Canaan. Certainly the majority of the two million who
obediently followed God and left Egypt were justified. Even Moses was excluded from the land of
Canaan because of his disobedience (Dt. 4:21-22). Clearly Moses will be in heaven, but he
forfeited his earthly inheritance as did the other disobedient justified people
in Israel. Not entering Canaan does not
necessarily mean one is not born again.
Even
though Israel had become God’s firstborn son (Ex. 4:22-23), the entire
wilderness generation with the exception of Caleb and Joshua forfeited the
inheritance due the firstborn. God
disinherited them, and they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
Another
generation of Israelites similarly forfeited their inheritance rights and were
sold as slaves into Babylon (Lam 5:2). Israel’s disobedience resulted in the loss of
her inheritance, the land of Canaan.
When
studying the inheritance in the Old Testament a distinction was drawn between
inhabiting the land and inheriting it.
In other words, the difference between merely living in the land and
possessing it. Abraham, for example,
inhabited the land, lived there, but he never inherited it (Heb. 11:13). He lived there, but he never owned it (Gen.
21:33; 35:27). It is therefore perfectly proper to think of
living in a land where one had no inheritance or property.
To many, when they hear the words “inheriting” the kingdom
they only think of “getting into the kingdom”.
Why should “inherit” equal “enter”?
There is no good reason. Purely
on the grounds or ordinary usage, “entering a house” or even “living there” are
not the same as “inheriting a house.”
The latter speaks of ownership in a way that the former does not.
In normal Old Testament usage an “inheritance” referred
especially to property that one owned, particularly what was passed down
through a family or a tribe (see Numbers 36:7-9, 18:20, 18:24). “Inheritance” and “property” were
often convertible ideas. To inherit was
to “own” or “possess.”
Inheritance is a multifaceted concept in the Old Testament,
and one could easily speak of people living within Israel’s territory without
their having an “inheritance” there. In the same way, there is no difficulty at
all in speaking of people who live in the kingdom of God but who do not inherit
the kingdom.
The heirs of the kingdom are its owners, not merely its
residents or citizens. Citizens are subjects of a kingdom, not its owners. All Christians will be citizens. Some will
also be owners with the King, as a joint heir (Rom. 8:17).
All
who know the Lord have Him as “their God.”
But only those who obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly, as Caleb did had an
inheritance in the land of Canaan.
All
believers have God as their inheritance, but not all have an inheritance in the
land. That inheritance is an added
blessing to the justified. The New Testament
writers often refer to the believer’s inheritance. In so doing, they embrace the imagery of
Joshua possessing Canaan or the Hebrews inheriting the land (Heb. 3 and 4).
“Abram
believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). While Abraham received justification by faith
alone, it is clear that he could only obtain the inheritance by means of
obedience. (Gen. 22:15-18)
The
inheritance in the Old Testament was offered to those who were already
justified, who would receive something in addition to heaven if they would
obey. The nation that left Egypt was
composed primarily of justified people, and inheriting Canaan was in no way
related to their acquisition of heaven.
According to the Hebrews the exodus generation as a whole was justified:
Hebrews 11:29-30
29 By faith they passed through the Red
Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they
attempted it, were drowned.30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after
they had been encircled for seven days.
Paul
also had the same view of the exodus generation.
1 Cor. 10:4-5
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were
drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.5
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid
low in the wilderness.
The
people of Israel “bowed down and worshiped” and trusted in the blood of the
Passover lamb (Ex. 12:27-29). They had by
faith crossed the Red Sea and had drunk (trusted in Jn. 4:13-14; Jn. 6:53-56) that spiritual
rock which was Christ, yet they never obtained Canaan, their inheritance,
because of their unbelief and disobedience.
Here two categories of Old Testament regenerate saints are presented:
those who inherited the land and those who did not. The inheritance (possession) was dependent
upon their obedience.
It
would not be surprising then if the New Testament writers similarly viewed the
inheritance of the saints from a two-fold perspective. All regenerate men have God as their
inheritance, or as Paul puts it, are “heirs of God” (Rom. 8:17: Gal. 4:7). That heirship is received on the basis of
faith alone in Christ alone, believing.
But there is another inheritance in the New Testament, an inheritance
which, like that of the Israelites, is merited.
They are also heirs of the kingdom and joint-heirs with the Messiah
(2Tim. 2:12; Rom 8:17).
Many
have tried to find a parallel between the inheritance of Canaan and heaven. An
inheritance which could be merited by obedience and forfeited through
disobedience is hardly a good “type” of heaven.
Both aspects are, it would seem, an embarrassment to those of the
Reformed persuasion. On the one hand,
the forfeiture of the inheritance through disobedience contradicts the doctrine
of the eternal security of the believer.
On the other hand, the works required to obtain the inheritance in the
Old Testament contradict the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Reformed theology solves the problem by
saying that all true believers will persevere, work. The problem is that this would mean there
were only two believers in the entire two million that exited Egypt, Caleb and
Joshua. Only two persevered and
therefore proved their regenerate status.
However, this fails to fit the biblical data because the writer to the
Hebrews and Paul viewed the nation as justified. If the inheritance is heaven, then all two
million Israelites perished in hell, including Moses.
Only
by allowing inheritance to mean “possession” and acknowledging that it can be
merited can the parallel drawn out by the New Testament authors be
explained. The inheritance is not
salvation in the sense of final deliverance from hell but the reward which came
to the faithful in Israel as a result of wholehearted obedience. Similarly, in the New Testament the
inheritance is a reward. Canaan does not
parallel heaven or the new earth but the rewards which the saints will enjoy
there. These are earned by faithful
obedience and may, like the inheritance of the Old Testament, be forfeited
through disobedience or a failure to persevere.
1)
There is a difference between
inheriting the land of Canaan and living there.
The former refers to ownership and the latter to mere residence.
2)
While Israel was promised the
inheritance as a nation, the condition for maintaining their inheritance right
to the land of Canaan was faith, obedience, and completion of one’s task. The promise, while national, was only applied
to the believing remnant within the nation.
Even though many within the nation were not born again, the New Testament
writers use the nation as an example (1Cor. 10:6, Gk typos) of the
experience of the born-again people of God in the New Testament.
3)
The inheritance is not to be equated
with heaven but with something additional to heaven, promised to those
believers who faithfully obey the Lord.
4)
Just as Old Testament believers
forfeited their earthly inheritance through disobedience, we can also forfeit
our future reward (inheritance) by a similar failure. Loss of inheritance, however, does not mean
loss of eternal life.
5)
Two kinds of inheritance were enjoyed
in the Old Testament. All Israelites who
had believed and were therefore regenerate had God as their inheritance but not
all inherited the land. This paves the
way for the notion that the New Testament may also teach two inheritances. We are all heirs of God, but we are not all
joint-heirs with Christ, unless we persevere to the end of life. The former refers to our salvation and the
latter to our reward.
6)
A child of Israel was both an heir of
God and an heir of Canaan by virtue of belief in God and resulting
regeneration. Yet only those believers
in Israel who were faithful would maintain their status as firstborn sons who
would actually receive what had been promised to them as an inheritance.
All believers have God as their
inheritance but not all will inherit the kingdom. Inheriting the kingdom is not to be equated
with entering it but, rather, with possessing it and ruling there. All Christians will enter the kingdom, but
not all will rule there, i.e., inherit it.
In every usage of the verb “to inherit”
in the New Testament, except 1 Cor 15:50, it includes, contextually, either the
presence or absence of some work or character quality as a condition of
obtaining or forfeiting the possession. See Mt. 19:29; Mk. 10:17; Mt. 5:5; Mt. 25:34-36; 1Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; Col 3:23-24; Heb 6:12, Heb. 11:8; 1 Pet. 3:9; Rev 21:7. In view of the
fact that works are associated with the acquisition of the inheritance, it
can’t be equated with entrance into heaven, as is so often done, without
teaching a works based salvation.
Every time eternal life is presented in
scripture as something to be obtained by a work, it is always a future
acquisition. It becomes synonymous in
these contexts with a richer experience of that life given freely at
regeneration. The point here, however,
is that “to inherit” can be used of a meritorious acquisition. There will be differences in heaven, some
first and some last (Lk 13:30), and those who are first are those who have
inherited, who have left all for Him.
Only the reference to eternal life could lead interpreters to forget
that the subject matter is discipleship, which is based on works, and not
regeneration, which is based on faith alone.
A major theme of the Sermon on the Mount
is reward. The Savior says, “Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). The subject matter is our reward in heaven:
“Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven” (Mt. 5:12). The idea of reward is repeatedly emphasized
in the Sermon, which is addressed primarily to disciples. In Mt. 5:1 disciples
equals believers. In Mt 6:2-6,18 the “you” is disciples, believers. The Greek word for rewards here is misthos,
which basically means a “payment for work done.” Jesus is speaking of the inheritance here as
a reward for a humble, trusting life.
There is no indication that all Christians have this quality of
life. In fact, it is possible for a
Christian to become “saltless” (Mt. 5:13) and be “thrown out.” True Christians can lose their saltiness,
their testimony for the Lord. When they
do, they forfeit their reward in heaven.
Furthermore, He specifically says that the believer who annuls “one of
the least of these commandments” will be in the kingdom (Mt. 5:19) but will be
“least” in contrast to the “great” in that kingdom.
Another passage which refers to the
inheritance as a reward is found in Col. 3:23-24:
Col 3:23-24
23
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;24
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It
is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
The inheritance is a reward, which is
received as “wages” for work done.
Nothing could be plainer. The
context is speaking of the return a man should receive because of his work, as
in an employer-employee relationship.
The inheritance is received as a result of work; it does not come as a
gift. The Greek antapodosis (reward)
means repayment or reward. The verb
antapodidomi (reward) never means to receive as a gift; it is always used in
the New Testament of a repayment due to an obligation.
Paul
also speaks of not “inheriting the kingdom”:
1
Cor. 6:8-10
8
On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.9 Or
do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor homosexuals,10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Here
Paul is talking to believers about the possibility of not inheriting the
kingdom. In verse 8 Paul declares that
the Corinthians are acting like adikoi. It is translated “do wrong and defraud” and here he uses the verb form adikeo just
like the non-Christians of v. 1. However, the unrighteous (adikeo) in v. 9 is
suggested by the unrighteous (adikeo) immediately preceding in v. 8, which are
believers, “you yourselves”.
It
is unlikely that the wicked of v.9 could be non-Christians because Paul says,
writing to believers, “do not be deceived,” the wicked will not inherit the
kingdom. This would be warning
Christians, “remember, non Christians don’t inherit the kingdom”. How profound! Why would Paul warn Christians
that non-Christians do not go to heaven?
There is no point to the warning if this is talking about non-Christians. Christians already know that non-Christians
don’t go to heaven! See also warnings to Christians concerning inheriting in
Mt. 25:34; 1 Cor. 15:50; Gal 5:19-21 and Eph 5:5.
We
see here that to inherit the kingdom there must be some work done, or certain
character traits, such as immorality, must be absent from our lives. The fact that such conditions are necessary
suggests that the term is not to be equated with entering the kingdom, which is
available to all freely on the basis of faith alone, but with something in
addition to entering. The very use of
the word “inherit” instead of “enter” in these passages suggests that more than
just entrance is meant.
If
inherit in 1Cor 6:8-10, Gal 5:19-21 and Eph 5:5 is equal to entering heaven then assurance of
eternal life is not possible. Reformed theology believes that inherit equals
entering heaven. They go on to qualify
that these verses address a person that habitually participates in the listed
sin. Therefore, their position is that
it is impossible for a true Christian to be habitually involved in any of the
listed sins because they would not be showing a “willingness” to obey
Christ. The problem is that there is no
definition in Scripture of what “habitual” is. Is it daily or just once a week,
once a month, once a year or once every ten years? How can a person have assurance that they are
a believer if they have to look at the frequency of their sin to confirm whether
or not they believed? What is infrequent
to one person may be frequent to another. How do they know today that the
frequency of their sin will not increase sometime in the future? If you hold to inheriting as equal to
entering heaven, you are left with the uncertainty that if any of the listed
sins appear in your life, now or in the future, you may not be a believer and
are destined for Hell. No assurance available here!
A
believer that participates in any of these sins, without confessing his sins to
receive cleansing, will suffer loss at the judgement seat of Christ. He will be
ashamed of us (Mark 38:8) and we will be ashamed of ourselves and will regret
the unfaithful lives we have lived (1 John 2:28). The unfaithful believer will also forfeit the right to serve the Lord in a
significant capacity in that kingdom at a time when that is exactly what they
will desire to do (2 Tim 2:11-13).
If
the functional equivalence of the terms “inherit the kingdom” and “inherit the
land” are accepted, then our study of inheriting the land in the Old Testament
becomes very relevant to the understanding of the term “inherit the kingdom” in
the New Testament. The land of Canaan
was an inheritance, additional blessing to those who already had eternal
life. In the Old Testament we say that
entering the land was not the same as inheriting it. There is therefore, justification in pressing
the point that inheriting the kingdom is not the same as entering the kingdom.
To
“inherit the kingdom” is a virtual synonym for “rulership in the kingdom” and
not entrance into it. To inherit a
kingdom denotes the reception of kingly authority or rulership in the
kingdom. All Saints will enter the
kingdom through faith alone (Jn 3:3), but only obedient saints who endure, who
overcome, and who perform works of righteousness will inherit it, i.e. rule
there (2 Tim. 2:12).
If all believers have this inheritance automatically then
why are they uniformly exhorted to become heirs by faithful labor when they are
already heirs? If
all saints persevere and are victorious, then exhortations and promises of
reward are pointless. An exhortation to
do something everyone does anyway to obtain a reward which all will receive
anyway is absurd.
Several
factors lead to the conclusion that it is proper in most contexts of the New
Testament to understand the inheritance of the saints as their ownership of the
coming kingdom rather than their mere residence there.
1)
As argued from the Old Testament,
Israel’s conquest of the land was achieved by spiritual obedience. After the victory they inherited. The inheritance of Canaan was a merited, earned
reward for faithful obedience.
2)
In every usage of the verb “to inherit”
except one, 1 Cor 15:50, the action implies some work of obedience necessary to
obtain the inheritance.
3)
Usage in the Old Testament, and the
common meaning of the word “inherit” in English, Hebrew, or Greek, implies a
distinction between merely being in the land of Canaan and owning it. In a similar way, by extension of thought, we
are justified in drawing a distinction between being a resident of the future
kingdom and being an owner, an heir, of that kingdom.
4)
We are explicitly told in Col 3:24 that the future inheritance comes to us as a
reward for obedience.
5)
In every instance the phrase “inherit
the kingdom” is consistent with its Old Testament analogy, “inherit the
land.” The kingdom is always (except for
1 Cor 15:50) inherited by means of works.
It is always associated with character qualities, which come from acts
of obedience. In one context specific
positive works of obedience (service to Christ’s brethren during the tribulation,[Mt
25:34-35]) are the reason for
“inheriting the kingdom.”
6)
The phrase “inherit the kingdom” is
directly borrowed from Daniel’s term “possess the kingdom” (Dan 7:22). It refers to the rulership over the kingdom
of the Son of Man given to the saints.
In the Jewish rabbinical literature this future inheritance was obtained
by works. That aspect of Jewish theology
was not changed or modified by the New Testament writers but seemingly accepted
as the above arguments show.
7)
If inherit equals entering the kingdom
then all believers are heirs and will inherit the kingdom. Why then are believers uniformly exhorted to
become heirs by faithful labor when they are already heirs? If all saints
persevere and are victorious, then exhortations and promises of reward are
pointless. An exhortation to do
something everyone does anyway to obtain a reward which all will receive anyway
is absurd. If inherit equals entering
the kingdom then assurance is not possible.
A listing of sins in 1Cor 6:8-10, Gal 5:19-21 and Eph 5:5 are identified as
prohibiting a person from inheriting the kingdom of God. What believer has not committed many in this
list? How often is enough to disqualify you, or prove that you never really
believed? With the interpretation of
“inheriting equaling entering” you cannot have assurance that you have eternal
life.
The Christian’s judgment, which the New
Testament writers refer to so often, is a theme found in the teachings of
Jesus. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who
first taught His disciples the reality of Christian accountability.
As discussed in Mark 8:38 and 1 John 2:28 there will be shame at the judgment seat of
Christ. But there is more to be avoided
than just shame at His coming, as alluded to in Mt. 16:24-27. For this reason the Lord told several vivid
parables designed to bring the day of Christian judgment graphically before our
minds. One of the clearest is the
parable of the ten minas, Luke 19: 9-27.
The parable of the minas was told in
the household of Zacchaeus. The
notorious “chief” tax collector had just received eternal life and in his
excitement he had announced that he was going to give half of his possessions
to the poor and pay back anyone he had defrauded four times as much. In part
this parable is designed to encourage him in his decision.
Zacchaeus’ decision to give away his
money had nothing to do with obtaining eternal life (Lk 19:8). When Jesus announced that Zacchaeus had
eternal life He did not even mention that he gave away his money.
Luke 19:9
9 And
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is
a son of Abraham.
The earliest Christian readers for whom
Luke was writing understood Jesus’ words quite well. After all Paul also wrote:
Galatians
3:7
7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who
are sons of Abraham.
What our Lord meant was that salvation
had come to Zacchaeus precisely because he was now truly a son of Abraham by
faith. Like anyone else, he had been
saved by the kind of justifying faith of which Abraham was the great prototype.
Jesus knew that Zacchaeus needed new
incentives for his fledgling Christian life.
Zacchaeus was rich and had much personal power. There was probably no one else in Jericho who
could rival him in his capacity to exercise influence and authority. His stature in the city was about to be
diminished by a redistribution of his personal wealth. May he regret this as a rash decision
someday? Jesus wanted to make sure that
he did not. Zacchaeus had great
influence over one city, Jericho, but the Lord’s parable motivated Zacchaeus to
aim for ten cities.
Zacchaeus was evidently motivated by
the desire for power. There is nothing
wrong with man’s desire to possess power, insofar as this drive is properly
focused on God’s purposes in creation.
In fact, man was created for the exercise of power.
Genesis 1:26
26
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Zacchaeus had previously sought power
in a way that reflected his sinful condition.
Now he must learn to seek it as a high and holy ambition, which was
focused on the world to come.
Another
reason that Jesus told this parable to those at Zac’s house was because He knew that many of them
that followed Him thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear
immediately. (Luke 19:11)
This
was a mistake. A period of time would
elapse before the time for God’s reign on earth. The future King, our Lord
Himself, would soon depart and go back to heaven, and only after that would He
return to rule. Of Him it could be said:
Luke 19:12 12
He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a
kingdom for himself, and then return. (Christ’s death, ascension &
subsequent return).
This procedure was familiar to His
hearers. A man of noble birth might go
to Rome, the center of imperial power, and seek
approval for some claim to client kingship in a distant province. It was a process much like this that Herod
the Great secured recognition as king of Judea.
Jesus would carry His case to a throne
that was higher than Caesar’s. There, God would say to Him:
Psalm 110:1 Sit at My right
hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.
His
enemies were doomed. Their efforts to
frustrate His claims (Luke 19:14) could only
end in their own destruction (Luke 19:27). The citizens of verse 14 were the
nation of Israel that rejected Him, “We do not want this man to reign over
us”. These enemies in verse 14 are in
contrast to His slaves (servants) in verse 13.
It
was clear that His enemies would be dealt with, but what about His
servants? This is the central point of
the parable. The period of time between
the departure of the Nobleman and His return could be used to the servant’s
advantage. It was a time for investment. More than that, it was a time for investment
directly related to the coming kingdom of God.
Zacchaeus needed to hear the parable at this crucial moment in his life
as did everyone else in the audience.
What
was there to invest? For each servant he
gave money, something Zacchaeus would
appreciate. It was no
insignificant piece of money. A mina was
an amount which an ordinary working man might accumulate only after about three
months of labor. Yet, in light of the
potential return, a mina was not very
much after all.
Luke 19:13
13 “And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten
minas, and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back.’ (second coming)
Each
servant received the same amount, one mina.
This suggests that our Lord was thinking of the one thing all His
servants have in common: their life’s potential. What ever may be their
differences in aptitude or situation, all had a life that could be invested
with all its potentialities for Him. The
echoes of His great saying about saving or losing one’s life are thus not
difficult to detect in the background of this story.
But though each of the ten servants
began with the same amount, they do not all end with the same amount. This became evident on the day of accounting.
Luke 19:15
15 “And it came about that when he
returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he
had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business
they had done.
There
is no mistaking here the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is a judgment of servants which, in this
parable, is set in sharp contrast to the later judgment of enemies. The enemies of the King are slain (19:27);
none of the servants are!
It
is not hard to see the death of these enemies as a reference to the Judgment of
the Great White Throne, which terminates in “the second death” for the
unjustified (Rev 20:11-15). But this
judgment is removed by a thousand years from the return of the King. No believer in Christ need fear such a
judgment. It is something into which
believers cannot come (John 5:24).
But
the day of accounting for servants is clearly another thing. Their use of their life, the investment of
their mina, must be reviewed. And all do
not fare equally well!
The
first servant has invested his mina with
remarkable profit. Its value has
increased 1,000 percent. He now has ten
minas to present to his Lord (Luke 19:16).
His
reward is according to his work (Rev. 22:12). The King replies:
Luke 19:17
17 “And he said to him, ‘Well done,
good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in
authority over ten cities.’
This
was some compensation! For the prudent
investment of a sum entrusted to him, this diligent servant is elevated to a
role of high authority in the new King’s domain. He receives ten cities!
Zacchaeus
and the others would not have missed this.
If Zacchaeus invested his life and its resources as well as his initial
commitments suggested he might, he could actually share the power of God’s
coming kingdom. And he could share it on
a scale that was commensurate with his own dedication to the King.
The
second servant, however, has used his life’s potential less well. Still, he has earned a significant return on
his Lord’s investment. He has earned
five minas. To him, therefore, the King
replies:
Luke 19:19
19 “And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five
cities.’
An
interesting response! There is no “well
done” as there had been for the first servant.
There had been no explicit reproof either. And there was a significant reward. Clearly, this servant was a ‘middle man”,
half-hearted, whose life merited neither unqualified praise nor sweeping
rebuke.
This
man will grasp and understand what he left on the table by not serving the Lord
more faithfully. And while he is allowed
to reign with Christ, he is not allowed to do as much for the Lord as the more
faithful servant is. The degree of service provided implies the degree of
intimacy enjoyed.
The
final servant had done nothing with his mina, except wrap it in a cloth and
hide it (19:20). His excuse was his fear
that the king was an exacting man (19:21).
The Lord allows the servant’s own words to judge him. If he really felt
that way, then he should have at least banked the money—then the king would
have received his money back with interest
(19:22-23). The implication was
that the servant did not really expect the king to be that exacting when he
came back. He was more focused on his
own life, rather than the king’s return, so he did not bother with the king’s
business.
Then
the Master speaks these sobering words to those standing around Him.
Luke 19:24-26
24 “And he said to the bystanders,
‘Take the mina away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’25
“And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’26 “I tell you, that
to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have,
even what he does have shall be taken away.
This
servant was not allowed to reign over any cities for the Lord. Those servants who had been faithful were
given even more opportunity to serve the King.
Enduring / faithfulness allowed these servants to serve Him in a
significant capacity. Not enduring
resulted in the Lord denying the unfaithful servant to serve Him in the
kingdom. Those witnessing this in essence said, “Lord is this fair, the others
are already reigning over cities, why shouldn’t this servant get some?”
The
Lord will deny His unfaithful servants from reigning / serving with Him in the
kingdom.
2 Timothy 2:12
If we endure, we shall also reign with
Him;If we deny Him, He also will deny us”.
Yet,
this unfaithful servant will still be in the kingdom.
2 Timothy 2:13
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful;
for He cannot deny Himself.
This servant (believer) will be in the
kingdom, because:
2 Timothy 2:11
For if we died with Him, we shall also
live with Him;
The
slothful servant had nothing to show for the opportunity he had been
given. So even that opportunity had been
taken away from him. A kingdom had come
where the possibilities for serving the King were richer and more varied than
anything one had ever done before. The
man who had served well could now serve his Master more fully in the
kingdom. The unfaithful servant found
that same door closed.
All
three individuals in this parable are servants, all three looked for the coming
of their master, but only two are rewarded.
The third will be in the kingdom, but will not reign there. The third will be limited in his ability to
serve the Lord in eternity, and therefore the degree of intimacy that he has
with the Lord will also be limited.
It
would be embarrassing, but even more than that. When we see Him, our old sin
nature, which supplies our excuses for not serving Him more now, will have been
removed and we will want to be able to serve Him in a significant capacity. In
that moment when a servant of Christ might long more genuinely than ever for
the chance to do something significant for His Savior, the golden portal into
such service might be barred. The Lord
allows those who are the most faithful to Him here to serve Him in the greatest
capacity there. That implies a greater
intimacy, and we will desire that intimacy in eternity. The slothful Christian
in this parable was face to face with the Master who loved him, and whom he had
failed. The cost in wasted potential was
staggering. This parable gave Zacchaeus, and us, a reason to be faithful.
The
parable of the minas is concerned about the one thing that all of the Lord’s
servants have in common: their life’s potential. Each believer has a life that can be invested
for the Lord, regardless of their abilities.
What are they going to do for the Lord with their life?
But
what about differing abilities? We
didn’t have any choice over what our personality was going to be or how
intelligent we would be. Some are
smarter and have greater abilities than others.
That is the sovereign will of God, it’s His choice.
A parable similar to the “minas” is the
“talents”. Here the Lord addresses our
different abilities.
Mt. 25:14-15
14 “For it is just like a man about to
go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to
them.15 “And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one,
each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
As
in the previous parable the master went away and came back to settle up with
those whom he had entrusted (judgment seat of Christ). The servant that he had given five talents
returned five more talents and the servant that he had given two talents had
returned two more talents (Matt 25: 16-17).
Notice
that each of these servants received the exact same commendation.
Mt. 25:21 & 23
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and
faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge
of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’
Each
servant doubled what had been given to him.
A two talent person who takes his ability and doubles it, obtains the
same reward that a five talent person gets when he doubles his. Our ability is not the issue with God. The amount of ability we have was His
sovereign decision. We don’t have control over that. But what is important is what we do with the
ability we have been given. A half
talent person that is faithful can hear the same words from the Lord that a ten
talent person that is faithful hears.
As
in the previous parable the servant who obtained no return on what the Lord had
entrusted him with, suffered loss and missed opportunity to serve, Matt
25:24-30.
The final consequence of protracted
carnality is forfeiture of reward and rebuke when the King returns to establish
His rule, Matt 25:26-29. No tragedy could be greater than for the Christian,
saved by grace and given unlimited possibilities, to forfeit all of this and
fail to participate in the future reign of the servant kings. The loss of
reward at the judgment seat of Christ is often referred to but rarely
specifically defined:
2
Cor. 5:10
For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be
recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad
That there are negative consequences at the judgment seat of
Christ is usually glossed over, and then a somewhat nebulous reference to
crowns is alluded to in popular presentations. But there are negative
consequences too! This is what the apostle Paul referred to when he said:
1 Cor 3:14-15
14
If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a
reward.15 If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself
shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
It is certainly better for us to deal
with our sin now, rather than then.
In the parable of the wedding banquet
in Mt 22: 1-14, a disinheritance is in view, that is, it is a parable about a
believer being limited in their participation in the kingdom. Jesus describes this lamentable fact in His
parable of the unprepared wedding guest. The parable says nothing about those
who are not truly Christians being at this wedding banquet. Those who are not
truly Christians will never enter the kingdom at all much less be present at a
banquet in the kingdom. Rather, it
describes the varying responses different Christians have to the command of
their Master. The parable teaches that the unfaithful Christian will be limited
in their ability to serve the Lord in eternity and therefore not experience the
full joy and light as those who are prepared, that is those who persevered in
faithfulness, those who were properly dressed. It will become painfully evident
that there are those who are regenerate slaves (believers) who do not persevere
in their efforts to be properly attired, who do not persevere in good works.
The parable describes a great banquet,
and the Lord invites all of His servants to attend. The invitation to attend is
to be understood as an invitation to national Israel to accept Christ as
Messiah. Yet some paid no attention at all to this offer:
Mt.
22:5
But they paid no attention and went
their way, one to his own farm and one to his business
Even more shocking, some of the people
of God (Israel) actually murdered
believers:
Mt.
22:6
And the rest seized his slaves and
mistreated them and killed them
God sent many of His servants (the
prophets) to His people Israel. They responded by killing His messengers.
The
King concludes that many among His people Israel were not worthy to attend the
wedding feast. So He opens up the invitation to all, not just those who are
descended from Abraham:
Mt. 22:8-10
The wedding is ready, but those who
were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, as many as you
find there, invite to the wedding feast. And those slaves went out into the
streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good and the
wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
Salvation
is offered to all--Jew and Gentile, good and bad--and many apparently respond,
are saved, and are present at a wedding banquet. After the feast begins,
however, the King notes that there is one who entered who should not be near
the center of the celebration:
Mt. 22:11-12
But when the King came in to look over
the dinner guests, He saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and He
said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?"
And he was speechless
What
is the indispensable wedding garment?
The answer lies in its function: for sharing a wedding feast. We are not
here in a court of law standing before a judge. Instead, we are in the palace
of a King at a wedding feast. The garment consists then not of the imputed
rightness of Christ but of deeds suitable to qualify us to participate
intimately in the Kings banquet. In
Isaiah 61:10 righteousness is compared to a robe. The
garment is not that worn by a criminal being counted righteous but of a bridegroom
and bride dressing themselves for a wedding.
The nature of the
garment is made explicitly clear in Rev. 19:7-8: "Let us
rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has
come and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her to clothe
herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the “righteous
acts of the saints.”
These
practical righteous acts (Rev. 15:4) refer not to the act of the Son of God
in declaring us righteous (justification).
They refer instead to our faithfulness in this life. This practical
righteousness, this habitual doing of good deeds, is the fine linen with which
the bride is clothed at her marriage. Imputed righteousness is “put on” the
believer by God. The garment, however, must be put on by the believer himself.
What
the friend at the wedding banquet lacked was not justification but a life of
righteous acts. He was a “friend” and a "servant" of his Master, had
responded to the invitation (v.10), and had believed in Him. His failure was to
persevere in a life of works. The consequences are terrible:
Mt.
22:13-14
Then
the King said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the
outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For
many are called, but few are chosen
Several questions are raised by this
striking warning. Is the servant a saved man? To what does the "darkness
outside" refer? What is the meaning of ''weeping and gnashing of
teeth''?
Is
the servant a saved man?
The basis for believing this man is saved is that (1) he responded to the
invitation to salvation (22:10), and (2) he was in the kingdom at a banquet.
According to Jesus one cannot enter the kingdom unless one is born again (Jn.
3:3). Since this man has entered the
kingdom, it seems justifiable to conclude he is regenerated. In addition, (3) the man is addressed as a
"friend" by the Lord.
It seems that the major reason for
denying this man's regeneration is that he apparently did not persevere in a
life of good works! Since that is the subject in question, it is not a reason
to doubt this man’s salvation. Because
those of a reformed persuasion do not believe that a true Christian can ever
lose salvation and because they interpret "outer darkness" and
"weeping and gnashing of teeth" as descriptions of hell, they
conclude, theologically, that this man could not have been saved. Their
Arminian brethren, however, may be forgiven for smiling and saying, "This
is precisely the point! By what kind of logic can you conclude that the man was
not saved to begin with just because he was not saved in the end?" Aminians say, of course he had it, but he
lost it.
What
is the "darkness outside"? The man is said to be bound "hand
and foot" and then cast into "outer darkness." Whatever the
illustration of binding pictures, it must imply a limitation in the believers
ability to be active for his Lord.
The key phrase in Greek is to skotos to
exsoteron, simply translated
"the outside (or outer) darkness." If there is anything to be made of
the word order, it would be that the adjective is specifying the kind or
location of the darkness. It is not general darkness; it is darkness which is
outside. In this discussion we are choosing to render the phrase as "the
darkness outside," rather than "outer darkness," for two
reasons. One is to keep this specifying aspect before us. The second regards
the connotation of the phrase "the outer darkness." Because it has
come to be so strongly associated with judgment in hell, it makes objective
consideration of this passage more difficult. By using the phrase "the
darkness outside," we are freed from traditional usage that might color
our thinking to see what the phrase means in context. When we do that, it
becomes highly probable that this phrase simply refers to the darkness outside
the relative light of the banquet hall.
"Darkness"
(skotos) can refer to simple physical darkness (Lk. 23:44-45). The notion of
“judgment” is not part of the semantic value of the word. It certainly can and
does refer to the judgment of hell elsewhere, but those meanings are due to
context, not the intrinsic meaning of the word.
Only
Christ uses the term, and it is found only in Matthew (8:12; 22:13; 25:30). The
region in view is simply outside some other region, contiguous to it. In two of
the references a house of feasting is in view. In these passages the King comes
into the banquet hall, and the guests are cast out of it. In the ancient Near
East such festivity normally took place at night. The banquet hall is
brilliantly lit up, but by contrast, the gardens around them are in black
darkness. All that is meant is "darkness which is without, outside the
house."
The
parable is a metaphor. No literal darkness or location is intended. There is no
“Protestant purgatory” here. Rather the dark area is a metaphor for exclusion
from the full joy of the metochoi (the companions of Christ, faithful
believers). The binding of the hands and feet is a metaphor for exclusion from
the activity of reigning with Messiah, and the joy and light are metaphors for
the joy they unite with their King and receive their rewards (cf. Heb. 1:8-9).
In
Mt. 8:12 we are told that it is the "sons of the
kingdom" who will be cast outside this joyful banquet. The phrase
"sons of the kingdom" refers elsewhere in Matthew's gospel to true
believers--the "wheat" in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Mt.
13:38).
Yet
there are sons, and there are "sons indeed." All are sons by faith in
Christ, but Matthew uses the term in some places in the sense of "sons
indeed," when he says we must perform good works in order to become
"sons of God" (Mt. 5:9, 44-45).
There
is evidently a difference between being a son of God and being publicly
revealed as such, i.e., “called” a son.
Those who are peacemakers and who love their enemies are not only sons,
but “sons indeed.”
This
very distinction is implied at the beginning of the Lord's parable about a
feast in heaven in Mt. 8:10-12. Marveling at the
"great faith" of the centurion, He says, "Assuredly, I say to
you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Mt.
8:10). Now, our Lord did find faith in Israel. Indeed, thousands believed in
Him, many superficially, but nevertheless genuinely. What dismayed Him was
that, in comparison with the Gentile centurion, there was rarely an instance of
“great faith.” There will be those in the kingdom who have shown great faith in
contrast to those who, like many in Israel, showed only nominal faith. The latter are the “sons of the kingdom,”
truly saved Israelites, who of all people should have demonstrated the great
faith which the Lord found only outside of the covenant people in the life of
the Gentile centurion. These are the sons of the kingdom who will be cast into
the darkness outside of the wedding banquet.
A
similar truth is taught in the parallel passage in Lk. 13:22-30. Two scenes are
presented here. These two events are in
response to the question posed in v. 23, “Lord, are there just a few who are
being saved?”
The
first scene is presented in vv. 24-28. Here is the fateful destiny of those who
had not found the narrow door. These
people were basing their eternal destiny on something other than the narrow
gate of faith alone in Christ alone. Maybe it was works-based or maybe it was
Christ plus works, but in either case they did not believe the gospel. They
apply for entrance into the kingdom, and they are shut out, the Lord's words
ringing in their ears, "I do not know you." As a result these
unregenerate "workers of iniquity," like the unfaithful Christian,
will experience profound regret, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 28). The
difference of course is that the unfaithful believer is at the judgement seat
of Christ on his way to the kingdom and the unbeliever is at the great white
throne on his way to Hell. This experience of regret occurs as these unsaved
people observe Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom. They
have, to their eternal shame, been cast out of it! Unlike the parable in Mt.
8:12, we are not at a
wedding feast, and there is no darkness outside the banquet hall. They are not
even in the kingdom.
But
in Lk. 13:29 the scene changes. The tares and the goats have been shut out of
the kingdom. What of those remaining? They will now gather at the wedding
banquet. “And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and
will recline at table in the kingdom of God." There will be a great
multitude of saved people (wheat), who will gather from all over the world.
Here the Lord refers to people who are not only in the kingdom, but they
recline at the table in the kingdom. The
phrase rendered "recline at the table" (Gk. anaklithesontai) is a
technical term referring to reclining at a banquet (Arndt and Gingrich). In the
former scene we were "in the kingdom," but here we are, now at the
“table.” In the former experience of the nonbeliever, weeping and gnashing his
teeth is described. Here we are
concerned with rankings within the
kingdom. The Lord summarizes the second scene by saying, "And indeed there
are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." (v.
13:30) This phrase is a common expression found elsewhere in the Gospels of
rankings among believers based upon their servanthood in this life. This seems
to establish that the wedding feast of Mt. 8:11-12 is parallel with the wedding
feast of Luke 13:24-28. There is a difference between being “in the
kingdom” (v. 29) and being “at the table” (v.29) in the kingdom.
So in answer to the original question,
“Are there just a few who are being saved?” The Lord says that there is a great
multitude which are being saved. But many who think they are saved are not (vv.
24-28, they think they can earn it), and among that great multitude of saved
people some will be last, and some will be first (vv. 29-30).
Matthew, therefore, leads us to imagine
a great feast of rejoicing, that is, a picture of those believers allowed to
serve Him in a significant manner in eternity because of their faithfulness.
This joyful banquet is portrayed by the Lord as occurring in the evening in a
brightly lit banquet hall. Outside the banquet where the shining lights of the
feast are not present, a relative physical darkness prevails that evening. This
darkness is not literal, but is a metaphor for the exclusion of the carnal
Christian from the reign of the metochoi, being limited in their ability to
serve Him. It is not the darkness of hell.
What
is the meaning of "weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Those Christians who are not "sons indeed," who lack wedding garments
at the wedding banquet, will not only be excluded from the full joy of the
banquet but will also experience profound regret, "wailing and gnashing of
teeth." This phrase does not refer to the experience of the unsaved in
hell in this passage. It speaks instead of the grief experienced by a true
Christian over a wasted life. It must be remembered that this is a parable and
contains figures of speech. There is no literal "wailing and gnashing of
teeth," just as there will be no literal binding and casting. Rather,
these Oriental symbols evoke ideas of a severe rebuke followed by profound
regret. These believers will experience great grief (“wailing”) and will be
angry with themselves, or despairing, because of their wasted lives (“gnashing
of teeth”). They will be ashamed of
themselves, 1 Jn 2:28.
The Orientals were much more expressive
of grief, and strong images were used to portray it. The Hebrews did not
restrain themselves (as modern Occidentals characteristically do) from
expressing emotion through weeping.
In fact, it was customary to hire professional mourners at a
burial. The poetic symbolism of the book
of Lamentations illustrates this Oriental characteristic. Special clothing was
often used. A black garment made of goats hair, coarse in nature and similar to
a grain sack, was called a sackcloth (Gen. 37:34; Jer. 6:26). Rending the
garments by tearing them from top to bottom was a universal sign among the
Hebrews signifying grief and distress. Gregory says, "The capacity of the
Hebrew for tears is immense, though the psalmist probably is using hyperbole
when he speaks of flooding his bed every night with tears." Loud
cries are frequently associated with weeping as a sign of grief (Ruth 1:9; 2
Sam. 13:36), "Alas, alas" (Amos 5:16). Accompanying these cries is
the characteristic action of beating the breast. The sprinkling of ashes, dust,
or dirt upon oneself and then wallowing in it was a common way to express grief
over a personal tragedy (2 Sam. 1:2; 13:19, 31;
Ezek. 27:30; Est. 4:1-3).
The point is simply that the Oriental was much more
emotional and demonstrative regarding grief and regret. Strong phrases like "weeping and
gnashing of teeth" portray extreme pictures to the Western mind which
cause us to equate them with meanings such as "hell," when all that
is meant is strong regret.
The phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is
found seven times in the New Testament. Even though it is used on three
occasions of the experience of the unregenerate in hell (Matt 13:42,50; Lk
13:28), it is also used on four occasions of the regenerate in the
kingdom (Mt. 8:12;22:13;24:48-51;25:30).
The notions of heaven or hell are simply not part of the semantic value of the
words. The fact that the nonbeliever can experience profound regret in hell in
no way implies that the true Christian cannot experience profound regret in the
kingdom (there will be no remorse in kingdom). We are repeatedly told that when
the Lord comes, He will reward us “good and bad” (2 Cor. 5:10) and that some
may draw back in shame at His coming (1 Jn. 2:28). Some Christians are going to be saved
"but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor. 3:15). It seems that these verses adequately
explain the experience of profound regret for the unfaithful Christian, which
Matthew calls "weeping and gnashing of teeth."
This
use of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Mt. 8:12;22:13;24:48-51;25:30,
is completely different from the tares, the sons of the evil one (Mt. 13:38), being cast into
the furnace of fire, hell, where there will also be weeping and gnashing of
teeth (Mt. 13:42). There is no furnace of fire here (in Mt. 8:12;22:13;24:48-51;25:30).
These are two distinct pictures and distinct meanings must be sought.
It
is not to the unregenerate that this fate occurs (weeping and gnashing) but to
"sons” of the kingdom (Mt. 8:12), who are the
"wheat", (believers, Mt. 13:38), to whom the
calling naturally belongs. This man in Mt. 22:11-12 is a "friend" who
had accepted the invitation and had taken his place. It is the personal slaves
of the Lord of the house who are asked to value their rich privileges lest they
lose them and fall under his displeasure. The apostles regularly call
themselves slaves. It was to his own bond-servants (not Satan's!) that the Lord
had entrusted his talents (Mt 25:14).
The
term “his own” (sheep) is used in Jn
10:3,4 and no one questions that those sheep belong
to Him. It should also be clear that
“his own” slaves (servants) in Mt. 25:14 (parable of the talents) also belong
to Him (believers). Including the one that did not multiply his talent and
suffered loss.
What
is clear from these parables (minas, talents and banquets) is that the judgment
of two kinds of servants (believers) is contrasted. The faithful servants
experience commendation, promotion and access to joy. The unfaithful servants experience “some
degree” of condemnation, demotion, and exclusion from joy. The former reign joyfully with the King and
the latter does not (2Timothy 2:12).
The
more we are allowed to serve the Lord in eternity the closer to Him we will
be. The closer to Him that we are the
greater our intimacy with Him will be. The degree of service provided implies
the degree of intimacy enjoyed. That degree of service we are allowed to
provide to Him, and therefore our intimacy with Him, is contingent on how
faithful we are to Him while we are in the flesh.
Even
though the unfaithful servant suffers loss, he himself shall be saved, yet so
as through fire (1 Cor. 3:15). If we
believers are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (2Tim
2:13). Nevertheless the loss is
real. There are consequences in heaven
to the believer that lives an unfaithful life.
We will be judged according to our
deeds, our faithfulness, and our words.
1) Deeds.
1
Cor. 3:13
13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will
show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test
the quality of each man’s work.
Our deeds must be in accordance with
the scripture, “run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Cor 9:24, 2 Tim
2:5). They must also emerge from a
motivation to bring honor to God (Hebrews 4:12).
2) Faithfulness.
Mt.
25:23
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many
things; enter into the joy of your master.’
A faithful man is of high value to
God. God will not judge us only on the
basis of our success but on the basis of our faithfulness. We may not all be successful, but we all can
be faithful. Mt. 24:45; Lk. 16:10; 1Cor
4:2; Rev 2:10.
3) Our words.
Mt. 12:36-37
36 “And I say to you, that every
careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day
of judgment.37 “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you
shall be condemned.”
The scripture has much to say regarding
the tongue and the impact of our words.
Control of the tongue is presented as evidence of depth of character in
the books of James and Proverbs. Those
who succeed in taming it God will reward greatly.
Will a believer face negative
consequences in eternity as the result of living an unfaithful life? If not, why deny myself for the Lord here, if
it doesn’t matter when I get there? If Christ is truly the satisfaction for
sin, and has therefore satisfied the justice of God, why then do believers
still have to satisfy that justice by undergoing more penalties? What form will
this negative judgment take?
The parables talk about a direct rebuke
and loss of opportunity to serve Him in the millenium and eternity. It is not appropriate to build theology based
solely on a parable, so we should compare what other non-parable scripture has
to say about this judgment.
We know from Mark 8:38 that our Lord will be ashamed of those
unfaithful believers who are ashamed of Him.
We know that unfaithful believers will be ashamed of themselves and
shrink away at His coming (1 John 2:28). At the judgment seat it is clear that we can
suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:15). It is also
clear that “only” those faithful believers that endure to the end will be
allowed to reign with, serve Him (2 Tim. 2:12).
The “regret” implied in the parables by
the usage of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” sums up the first part of the
negative judgment. The Lord may very
well rebuke unfaithful believers directly, but at a minimum it is clear that
when unfaithful believers see Him face to face, they will comprehend what they
have forfeited by their unfaithful lives and they will be one of their own
harshest critics. At that moment when
unfaithful believers stand before Him, absent their old sin nature that
supplies excuses justifying unfaithfulness, they will be ashamed of themselves,
they will regret their wasted life (1 John 2:28).
Secondly, after being examined by the Word of God (Heb 4:12)
at the judgment seat, the unfaithful believer will suffer loss (1Cor.
3:15). That loss will be the opportunity
to serve Him in a significant capacity in eternity (2Tim. 2:12). Once in heaven, serving Him in a significant
capacity throughout eternity is exactly what we will long to do. The reality of this loss will be stunning in
light of missed opportunity to serve their Lord in a more significant capacity
in eternity. A believer’s faithfulness
while in the flesh will seal their capacity to serve Him in eternity.
That is, they will
be limited in the degree of intimacy they will be allowed to have with the Lord
in eternity at a time when that is exactly what they will desire to enjoy. There are negative consequences because of unfaithfulness.
Scripture says that a child of God does not come under
judgment, Jn 3:18; 5:24. We are forever beyond condemnation (Col
2:10), accepted in Christ (1 Cor 1:30; Eph 1:6; Col 2:10; Heb 10:14), and loved
as Christ is loved Jn 17:23. But
scripture also says that God does judge us when we become carnal and He does
remember our sin (Jn 13:8, 1 Jn 1:9, Jn 15:10, Rom 2:7, Rev. 22:12).
Apparently, true Christians, due to their sin, can “have no
part” (Jn 13:8-if they do not wash their feet, confess their sins) with Christ,
can be unforgiven, and can be outside of His love. There are many other passages in addition to
these. We are told that we will reap
what we sow, Gal 6:7.
We have been warned that there is no sacrificial protection from
judgment in time (Heb 10:26) for willful sin. Paul tells us that at the judgment seat of
Christ we will be rewarded for both the good and the bad things we have done (2
Cor 5:10). For the persistently carnal
Christian a dreadful experience awaits him at the last day. He will suffer the loss of everything but
will be saved as through fire, he will still be in the kingdom (1 Cor 3:15).
In addition, we have Christ’s stern warning to the wicked servant
(believer) that he would be weeping and gnashing his teeth (Matt. 25:30), that
is that there are consequences for unfaithfulness.
The intent of the atonement is to completely satisfy the
justice of God in a specific sense. The
atonement has freed God to unconditionally accept those who believe. The atonement of Christ actually satisfied
the justice of God in the sense that it removed any restraints on His love and
justice. He is freed by the satisfaction
of Christ to throw the bars of heaven open, but He is not obligated to extend
the benefits of this atonement to all men apart from faith.
Believers have two kinds of relationships with God: eternal
and temporal. Believers are forever safe
and secure in His family, but our fellowship with our father can vary depending
upon our behavior (sin). With God our
eternal relationship is secure and unchanging because it depends upon Him, it
was secured by the atonement. But our
temporal fellowship is variable because it depends upon us. We don’t get kicked out of the family, but
there are consequences to the believer who is carnal. We must confess our sins and walk daily in
the light of His Word. The atonement opens the door to God but does not remove
consequences of sin for those who are eternally in His family.
Thus, in Jn 5:24 when we are assured that we will not come into
judgment and yet in 2 Cor. 5:10 we do, the resolution is that John is
referring to judgment with respect to one’s eternal destiny, and Paul is
referring to the believer’s fellowship with God. John speaks of establishing the relationship
and Paul speaks of maintaining, or the consequences of not maintaining,
fellowship in the relationship with God, i.e. sin in the believer’s life.
So, what is the purpose of a negative judgment against the
believer at the judgment seat of Christ?
Throughout the scripture God uses warnings of negative consequences in
the future to motivate us toward sanctification in time. But still, why punish the believer? For two reasons: 1) He warned him, and He
must honor his Word; and 2) Justice requires that sin be punished. God must punish the carnal Christian, or He
is not just and fair.
Scripture speaks in a threefold sense of the judgment of
believers, as sinners, as children, and as servants. As sinners we were judged at the cross. There the sentence of damnation was fully
executed upon our Substitute. As
children, we are judged in the present.
It is a penalty (1Cor 11:32), but its purpose is to advance our
sanctification (Heb 12:10).
Finally, we are judged as servants in the future at the judgment seat of
Christ. Here believers can suffer
damage. Our reward could be
minimal. Our loss could be great.
We are forever perfectly accepted in Christ and perfectly
loved. However, God does not approve of
our sin, and we can lose our fellowship in time and be limited in serving Him
(intimacy with Him) in eternity, if we persist in unfaithfulness.
The negative consequences for the believers at the judgment
seat of Christ may be viewed as the final chastisement, which the Lord has
ordained for His people. The
anticipation of negative chastisements serves to keep us humble, to pursue
faithful lives, and to live spiritually in the present. While the negative consequences are a
punishment for an unfaithful life, their main purpose is to effect
sanctification now.
Finally, God’s motive in these future chastisements is
merciful and loving. It is His desire
that all His children enjoy the fullness of co-heirship with His Son in the
final destiny of man. He knows more than
anyone how grieved we will be to miss out on the reign of Christ’s metocoi in
the coming kingdom. He, more than
anyone, wants us to have the richest possible experience of heaven. We
are specifically told that “the Lord disciplines those whom He loves” (Heb 12:4)
The Lord’s feeling for those who suffer loss will be similar
to His grief over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37-38).
The Father’s heart weeps with the full knowledge of what His child is
about to undergo and to forfeit.
The judgment seat of Christ will be a time of great regret
for some. We will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7). There will be for some a time of profound
sorrow. How long will this regret last?
Perhaps it will last just as long as the judgment seat, however, they
will still miss the joy of the fellowship of the metochoi, and they will forfeit
the right to “reign with Him” in the thousand-year kingdom to follow. There
will be missed opportunity to serve
their Lord.
There is nothing in scripture to indicate that differences
in authority and intimacy with Christ during the millenium will be any
different in eternity future after the millenium. Again, if the consequences of our
unfaithfulness don’t last throughout eternity then why deny ourselves now? Even though the consequence of our
unfaithfulness, limited service to Him and limited intimacy with Him, will
remain, we will still be with the Lord.
It has been said that everyone’s cup will be full, but the cups will be
of different sizes.
We need to sufficiently explain the great future joy of
sharing in the coming messianic partnership, and the danger of forfeiting this
inheritance. The judgment seat of Christ
should have great significance in the believer’s life.
In the Old Testament the inheritance
promised to Israel was linked with a reward for faithfulness. So also in the
Christian life every child of God is an heir (Gal. 4:7) of many
blessings which will be shared by all His children. But for the mature sons
(Heb 2:10), there is a special inheritance/possession reserved in heaven ready
to be revealed when Christ comes (1 Peter 1:4-5,9). In
fact, to drive this point home to the Hebrew Christians the author uses the
word eripoi esin (possession) in Heb 10:39.
By faith these Christians can possess their life, how they lived their
life on earth, for eternity. The
faithful lives they have lived on earth will count for eternity, i.e., they
will receive a reward by being allowed to serve the Lord in a significant
capacity in eternity because of their faithfulness on earth.
Eternal life is viewed in Scripture as
both a gift and a reward. It is a gift
to be shared by every believer in Christ.
Eternal life is not a static concept; it is dynamic. All people, believers and unbelievers alike,
exist forever. The question is not one
of quantity, but quality. Believers will
enjoy a quality of life that is described as “eternal life.” But the quality of this life can also
increase in accordance with one’s faithfulness. That is the message to
Peter and the disciples in Mt 19:27-30, who are
encouraged to give up everything in order to “inherit” eternal life. It is the message to the Galatian believers
in Gal 6:8, who are encouraged
to sow after the spirit instead of the flesh, that they might “reap” eternal
life. And it is the same message given
by Timothy to his readers when he encouraged them to do good by sharing their
wealth so they might “lay hold” on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:12)
This does not mean these faithful
believers earn their way to heaven by keeping the law and self sacrifice. Eternal life is portrayed in scripture as a
dynamic, expanding concept. It is the
same message we offer a new Christian who has received the free gift of eternal
life and begins to enjoy his new life in Christ. He might ask, “Is this as good as it gets?”
Our answer would be, “No, good as it is , it can get even better.” “How?” he might wonder. Answer: Unreserved giving reaps unmeasured
living – to give is to live. We all
received our initial installment of eternal life as a completely free gift when
we believed. But future installments are
in proportion to our faith (Heb 11:6). As we believe, so shall it be done unto
us. We reap what we sow. We can reap an expanding eternal life
dependant on what we sow.
Eternal
life is a dynamic relationship with Christ Himself. Jesus taught us when He said:
John 17:3
3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.
He
explained elsewhere that his life was intended to grow and become more abundant
(Jn 10:10). But growth is not automatic; it is
conditioned upon our responses. Only by
continuing in doing good does that spiritual life imparted at regeneration grow
to maturity and earn a reward. This is
what the apostle Paul referred to when he challenged Timothy (a believer) to
“take hold of eternal life”:
1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal
life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence
of many witnesses.
Possessing
eternal life is one thing, but “taking hold” of it is another. The former is static; the latter is
dynamic. The former depends upon God;
the latter depends upon us. The former
comes through faith alone; “taking hold” requires faith plus obedience (1Tim. 6:14). Eternal life is not only the gift of
regeneration but “life indeed” (1Tim. 6:19) which is cultivated by faith and
acts of obedience.
Eternal
life is fundamentally a quality of life in relationship to God. It is important to note that in every place
where eternal life is presented as something which can be obtained by works, it
is contextually always describing a future acquisition (Rom 2:5-13, Gal 6:8, Jn 12:25-26, Mt.
19:29). This future acquisition is the dynamic expanding part of eternal life
contingent on our faithfulness while on earth. Conversely, whenever eternal
life is described as something in the present, it is obtained by faith alone
(Jn 3:16, Jn 5:24, Jn 6:40).
In
Gal. 6:8, for example, eternal life is something earned by the sower. If this passage is speaking of final
salvation from hell, then salvation is based on works. A man reaps what he sows. If we sow to please the Spirit, we will reap
(future tense) eternal life. Paul calls
it a harvest “if we do not give up.” An
expanding eternal life is earned by sowing to the Spirit and persevering to the
end. It is what we get if we do good
works. There is nothing here about the inevitability of this reaping. It depends on us.
Restated,
whenever eternal life is viewed as a reward in the New Testament, it is
presented as something to be acquired in the future. But when it is presented as a gift, it is
something acquired in the present. No
one can receive it as a reward, i.e., experience it to a more abundant degree
(Jn 10:10), until he has
first received eternal life freely as a gift.
Faithfulness is our duty.
That God should reward us for our work is not an obligation on His part,
for we have only done what we should do (Luke 17:10). Yet the scriptures repeatedly hold out
eternal rewards as a central motivation in Christian living (Col 3:23-25;Heb
6:10-12; Heb 11:26).
Colossians 3:23-25
23 Whatever you do, do your work
heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;24 knowing that from the Lord you
will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you
serve.25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which
he has done, and that without partiality.
Hebrews 6:10-12
10 For God is not unjust so as to
forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having
ministered and in still ministering to the saints.11 And we desire that each
one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope
until the end,12 that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who
through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 11:26
26 considering the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
At least five separate facets of the reward for faithful
believers is described in the New Testament.
1) The
prize to the overcomers. Rev 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:26; 3:5; 3:12; 3:21;
21:7.
In every reference to the overcomer in the Revelation, he is one who is
a victor in battle. The central theme of
the entire book is to exhort the saints to persevere and to be victorious. If all saints persevere and are victorious,
then exhortations and promises of reward are pointless. An exhortation to do something everyone does
anyway to obtain a reward which all will receive anyway is absurd.
2) A
special class of resurrection. These are the
believers who have been faithful to their Master to the final hour and will
hear Him say, “Well done!” Lk. 19:17.
3) Co-reigning
with Christ. If we endure we will reign with Him,
2Tim.2:12. 1Cor. 6:1-3, Rom. 8:17, Mt. 19;27-28, Lk. 22:28-30, Mt. 5:19. The degree of service provided
implies the degree of intimacy enjoyed.
4) Treasures
in Heaven. It is
proper that God have some system for compensating those followers of His who
are willing to make unusual sacrifices.
He promises them an enhanced inheritance in the kingdom, i.e. treasure
in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21, 1Tim. 6:17-19, Lk 12:32-33).
5) Praise
and Honor from Christ. Paul spoke of this in 1 Peter 1:6-7.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if
necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,7 that the proof of your
faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by
fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
Jesus Christ; The believer that adds the
virtues of 2 Peter 1:5-9 will be welcomed “richly” into the kingdom (2
Peter 1:10-11). This is unlike a
believer saved only as one escaping through the flames (1Cor. 3:15).
There
is one thing that every believer must do before they can lay up any
treasures/rewards in heaven. The
believer must be in fellowship with God.
Any work that we perform while we are not in fellowship with God will be
burnt up at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
Work that we do without the proper motives, indicating that we are out
of fellowship with Him, will not last. At the judgment seat we will be judged
by the Word of God and it will know the thoughts and intentions of our heart
(Hebrews 4:12). The things we try to do for God
while we are controlled by the old sin nature (the flesh) will not please God,
will not be rewardable. (Rom.8:5-8, vs 8, and those who are in the flesh cannot
please God, 1 Cor 3:3, vs 3, for you are still fleshly. For since there is
jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking
like mere men?). If we want to be effective for God and lay up treasures in
heaven we must employ the method God provided for believers to have fellowship
with Him. Confession of our sins to God
enables us to have a vital relationship with Him (1 John 1:9). Confession is agreeing with God about your
sin, naming them to Him, being honest with Him about your sin. Honesty with God
about our sin allows us to have fellowship with Him, to be walking in the light
as He is in the light.
1
John 1:7-9
7 but if we walk in the light as He
Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.8 If we say that we have no sin, we are
deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
If a believer hopes to lay up treasures/rewards in heaven,
then he must stay in fellowship with Him by utilizing confession of sins.
The Lord also referred to this
fellowship forgiveness when He said to Peter, "If I do not wash you, you
have no part with Me" (Jn. 13:8). He is talking
here to Peter, a believer, and tells him that if He does not wash his feet he
has no part with Him, i.e. no fellowship. Peter told the Lord to wash him all
over if that was the case. To this Jesus replied, "He who has bathed
(believed) needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean" (Jn.
13:10). The forgiveness
related to restoration of fellowship is parallel in thought with the cleansing
of the feet of the already bathed, regenerate man. If we do not confess our sins we do not have
fellowship with God, in that sense we have no part with Him (Jn. 13:8). But we can be completely cleaned, have
restored fellowship if we wash our feet, that is, if we confess our sins (Jn.
13:10).
Motivating believers on the basis of positive and negative
consequences is clearly taught in scripture.
God motivates us much like we motivate our own children to be obedient,
through positive consequences when they obey and negative consequences when
they disobey.
Unfaithful believers will face two negative consequences. First, when they stand before our Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, He will be ashamed of them (Mark 8:38). At that judgement seat they will also be ashamed of themselves (1 John 2:28) and will regret the unfaithful lives they have lived (Matt. 25:30). Our own shame is experienced in proportion to our sensitivity to sin. When we have transformed bodies with no sin nature, we will have a heightened capacity to feel holy shame over a life badly wasted. Secondly, the unfaithful believer will suffer loss (1 Cor 3:12-15). They will be limited in their ability to serve the Lord in eternity (2 Tim. 2:12). That is, limited in the degree of intimacy they will be allowed to have with the Lord in eternity at a time when that is exactly what they will desire to enjoy.
The greater our faithfulness to Him on earth, the greater
our opportunity to serve Him in eternity, therefore the greater our intimacy
with Him in eternity. To maximize our intimacy with Him in eternity we need to
maximize our faithfulness to Him on earth. The degree to which we are faithful
to Him on earth will be the degree to which we will have “life” (eternal life)
more abundantly (Jn 10:10), intimacy with
Him.
CEO’s of any large organization surround themselves with a
few people who have proven they will be faithful to carry out their plans and
directions. Those who are serving the
CEO, in his inner circle, have greater contact and therefore greater fellowship
and intimacy with the CEO than the other people in the organization.
Likewise, only faithful believers are allowed to provide the
greatest service to the Lord in eternity and therefore have the greatest
intimacy with Him in eternity. The
degree of service provided implies the degree of intimacy enjoyed. What we will desire in eternity is to serve
Him, to be close to Him, to have intimacy with Him.
Rewards/treasures in heaven equal then the degree of
intimacy that we are allowed to have with Him in eternity. That intimacy comes through being allowed to
serve Him in eternity, and the degree to which we are allowed to serve Him in
eternity is contingent upon how faithful we have been to Him while we are on
earth.
Man’s life on this earth does have ultimate
significance. There can be no greater
purpose than to live our lives in such a way that the One before whom we will
one day give an account will say, “Well done!”
History is moving toward the final destiny of man, the inheritance. Those believers faithful to Him, to the end
of life, will share in that great inheritance. They will be allowed to do what
everyone in the kingdom will desire to do. That is to serve their Lord in a
significant capacity and experience a degree of intimacy with Him commensurate
with the extent of their servant role.
That privilege will be reserved only for those faithful believers.
It would be prudent then that a believer prepare himself by
focusing on becoming a faithful disciple of our Lord, who endures to the end. All
believers have the Holy Spirit residing in them. The problem of being spiritual is not getting
more of the Spirit, but allowing the Spirit to get more of us. The following would be one way for believers
to prepare themselves for eternity.
1) Ephesians 4:30.