It’s all on His shoulders!

Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV
[25] “…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [26] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, [27] and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Jude 1:24-25 NLT
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. [25] All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”

Do you ever think about the moment when you come face to face with Jesus? What will He say to you? What will He do?

I do! Often! I yearn for that reassurance that there will be nothing in me that will cause Him to turn me away. I dread hearing those words,”Go away from me! I never knew you!”

Is there anything in me that can disqualify me from being in the presence of Jesus forever? Yes, there is, but for one glorious fact. Acceptance or rejection, in the end, doesn’t depend on me.

Wow! Think about that! I would have no hope of eternal salvation if it depended on me. Even in the New Covenant era, it is impossible for me to live a perfectly sinless life. Not even God’s grace can save me from sinning…all the time.

So, what hope do I have of being perfect enough to enter God’s presence?

Apart from God’s grace that saved me from eternal punishment, I have His promise of eternal perfection because He is doing the work in me.

Our two Scriptures and many more should be enough to reassure us that, if we do what He requires of us, He will do in us what He requires for our perfection.

What does He require of us? John tells us that there are only two laws in the New Covenant.

These laws are a summary of all the regulations of the Old Covenant.

1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”

The difference lies in the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. As those who have been supernaturally born into God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus, we have God Himself indwelling us. He directs our lives into His will as we learn to obey Him.

Since faith in Jesus and obedience to His commandments are conditions for discipleship, the assurance that we will receive a welcome into His kingdom goes hand in hand with our obedience to  Him as His disciples.

Does this mean that we can be lost if we fail to meet His conditions? It seems that disobedience disqualifies us from taking part in His kingdom. Like disobedient children who lose their participation in family life but not their status as sons or daughters, can we forfeit our role in God’s kingdom if we don’t keep Jesus’ commandments?

Some believe that there is a difference between being saved and being a disciple. Are there two categories of believers?

There are Scriptures that seem to confirm this thought.

The story of the prodigal son is the story of a wayward son who returned to a forgiving father. He remained a son in the far country but only enjoyed his privileges as a son when he returned home.

“Entering the Kingdom of God is a synonym for salvation. However, for those who take up the mantle of discipleship and remain committed, they will inherit the Kingdom of God. The saved will enter, but disciples will inherit. John 3:3–5.”
(https//:freegrace.in)

Then there are Scriptures that contradict this thought.

1 John 3:7-10 NLT
[7] “Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. [8] But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. [9] Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning because they are children of God. [10] So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.”

Is there a difference between being saved and being a disciple of Jesus?

All evidence in the New Testament points to two facts.

1. We are saved from sin, past present, and future, by grace, through faith in Jesus. This involves a supernatural transformation…

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
[17] “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”

…and a transfer from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:13-14 NIV
[13] “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

2. We have received citizenship in the realm of God’s kingdom and enjoy all the privileges and carry the responsibilities of that kingdom. We are representatives of God’s kingdom on earth. Our lives are to reflect the character and nature of our King.

To live in the kingdom of darkness and in the kingdom of light at the same time is an anomaly. It is impossible, therefore, to be both children of darkness and children of light.

Ephesians 5:8-11 NIV
[8] “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord. [11] Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Paul adamantly defends the truth that God’s children will live in the light. Righteousness is both a guft and the fruit of salvation. We cannot practice sin and live in the light at the same time.

Now, let’s come back to our initial inquiry. Can I be sure of a grand welcome into God’s kingdom when I die?

I have this reassurance for several reasons…

1. I have peace with God through faith in Jesus.

Romans 5:1 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

2. I know that I am God’s child because I have the witness of God’s Spirit…

Romans 8:15-16 NIV
[15] “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

3. I know that I am a disciple of Jesus because my life is directed towards obedience to Him, not perfectly but purposefully.

4. God has promised to finish what He began.

Philippians 1:6 NLT
[6] “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

So, in the end, I can have absolute confidence in God’s promise that, as I work out His life in me, so He is working in me to accomplish His will.

Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
[12b] “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”