1 Peter 4:16-17 NLT
[16]”But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! [17] For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?”
Judgment? What is Peter talking about? I thought that God’s children will never come under God’s judgment. Yes…and no!
Yes, the Bible is clear that those who believe in Jesus will not be judged.
John 3:18 NLT
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”
Romans 8:1 NLT
[1]” So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
However, there is a fearsome judgment for unbelievers.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 NLT
[7] “And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.”
The Bible does not say that unbelievers will be judged on their behaviour but on their refusal to obey the gospel. All sinful behaviour flows from unbelief and disobedience. It’s the heart, not behaviour, that brings the judgement of God.
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
[9] “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
So, here’s our gem for today. We may not like this one – perhaps it’s a black pearl! However, we need to examine it because we will discover its beauty when we understand its worth.
Unlike unbelievers who will be judged for their unbelief, believers will be judged for their words and actions. Why? Jesus said that what we say and do are the fruit of what is in our hearts.
Matthew 7:17, 20 NLT
[17] “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit….
[20] Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Imagine if God had never warned us in His Word that He will also judge the members of His household! What if we blissfully enter heaven thinking we will participate in all its glories and blessings only to find that we disqualify because we failed to read the small print.
This DOES NOT MEAN that our good works will get us to heaven. Let’s put that one to rest once and for all time. We are saved by grace and grace alone.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
[8] “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
However, salvation has a powerful effect on every true believer’s life.
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
[10] “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.“
Our changed lives should and must produce changed behaviour.
James 1:23-24 NLT
[23] “For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. [24] You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”
James 2:14, 17 NLT
[14] “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?…
[17]” So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
So, faith that doesn’t produce a changed heart… from selfishness to self-less service… isn’t real faith.
James 2:19 NLT
[19] “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”
James 2:21-22, 24 NLT
[21] “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete…
[24] So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”
What are the good works that God has prepared for us to do? There are so many examples of an array of good works that it is difficult to categorise them. Let’s put them all together under the category of ‘fruit’ since fruit is the result of the root.
If we are rooted in Jesus, our fruit will identify our root. Paul gives us the nine-flavoured fruit which epitomises our three-way relationships, i.e., our relationship with God, with others and, strangely enough, with ourselves.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
[22] “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
- Love, joy, peace
Since Jesus left us the legacy of His own nature, when we remain in Him, we respond to that legacy by the love, joy, and peace in our own hearts as we fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit moment by moment. We will become aware of any disturbance in our fellowship when we lose the awareness of His love, joy, and peace inside us.
- Patience, kindness, goodness
These are the evidence of our roots in Jesus that we show to the people we connect with around us. Whatever we do that is flavoured with Jesus’ character shows the nature of the tree. To confess to be a believer and to treat others harshly and unkindly, negates our confession.
- Faithfulness, meekness, self-control
Jesus counted these qualities in us of great importance. FAITHFULNESS to who we are and what we have been called to do is the fruit that prepares us for the ‘crown of righteousness’ that Paul eagerly anticipated. Even as he urged Timothy to be faithful…
2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5, 7-8 NLT
[1] “I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: [2] Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching…
[5] But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”
So he testified to his own hope…
[7] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”
MEEKNESS is the fruit of God’s patient work in us. Through many trials and tests, He has collapsed and tamed our rebellious hearts and brought them under His control to do His will by His grace. Meekness submits to authority under God on every level.
SELF-CONTROL is the most difficult fruit to grow. Self-control is the one flavour of our fruit that tames and overcomes our ungodly desires and allows our new nature to develop and flourish. Unless we choose to submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading throughout every day, we will lose the battle to live as overcomers. We will ignore God’s grace and give way to self. Our fruit will become unpalatable and there will be no glory to God.
There is one more consideration as we examine the judgment of believers… the tongue. God will judge our behaviour by examining our hearts. God knows what is in our hearts.
Jeremiah 17:10 NLT
[10] “But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
However, how can we know what is in our hearts? Jesus said that our words and actions which flow from what is in our hearts, will tell us.
Luke 6:45 NLT
[45] “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
As shocking as this may be to us, it will be our words that God will judge. Our words are a dead giveaway of what’s inside.
Proverbs 18:21 NLT
[21]” The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”
Proverbs 18:21 NIV
[21] “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
God will not need a list of offences to judge, just one charge…
Matthew 12:35-37 NLT
[35] A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. [36] And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. [37] The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
The words we speak reveals all.
What we think about God comes out in our words of doubt and fear. We inadvertently expose our unbelief by what we say. How? By repeatedly rehearsing our adversities!
We show our attitude to people by our criticism, gossip, judgment – that superior attitude that Jesus hates. We fly above others, puffed up by the unspoken notion that we are better than they; we wouldn’t do what they are doing; we won’t fail like they are failing…the ‘Peter balloon’ that will bring us crashing down!
We expose our opinion about ourselves when we speak words like “I can’t… I am not… I wish I was…” and even words like “You are so clever… talented… blessed. You pray such beautiful prayers (as if God is impressed by words)…God will answer your prayers (but not mine). You are this, that, or the other thing…”
Since we speak what we think, let’s change out thinking by renewing our minds, then our hearts will think God’s thoughts and our mouths will speak God’s words.
Romans 12:2 NLT
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Let’s pray David’s prayer with sincere hearts…
Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
[23]”Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”