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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Christian and Judgment, #3
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
It is clear from the writings of Paul and Peter that we must not sin, and if we persist in our sinning we stand in danger of being denied entrance into the Kingdom of God. We Christians are judged, and judged more strictly than the people of the world because more grace has been entrusted to us.
Speaking to "the churches of Galatia":
"They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
If such is the case, what, then, did Jesus mean by His statements recorded in John 3:18 and John 5:24?
The Lord Jesus meant what He said. When an individual "hears" the Word of Jesus and believes in God, the person at that time is resurrected spiritually. He has passed out of spiritual death into eternal life—the Life that the Lord Jesus Is.
Christ has the authority and power to judge as He will and to give eternal life to whomever He will:
. . . so the Son quickeneth [makes alive] whom he will. (John 5:21)
. . . hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)
. . . The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25)
. . . so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (John 5:26)
And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, . . . . (John 5:27)
Notice that what we are talking about is not directed toward when we die physically or with escaping Hell and going to Heaven. It has to do with now, with our present state of being; in particular with our relationship to God.
We have for so long thought of dying and going to Heaven as the goal of redemption that it is almost impossible to perceive the directness and simplicity of what is being stated here. The goal of redemption is eternal life, not residence in Heaven. Eternal life and Heaven are two different issues, with eternal life being an issue of the New Testament and going to Heaven being an issue of our traditions.
Jesus, the Judge, the Author of life, approaches a human being and speaks to him or her. If the individual responds in faith he becomes alive with eternal life. If the person spends the remainder of his days obeying Christ he remains free from condemnation. He already has passed out of death into life and Christ has assumed his obligations before God. All of this remains true provided the believer continues to abide in Christ and obey Him.
Not only is John 5:24 speaking of our condition now rather than of what happens to us when we die physically, but in addition it is referring to a continuing process rather than to a profession of faith we make at some point in time.
John 5:24 is not a ticket to Heaven, it is the program of redemption. We continue hearing Christ, we continue being free from condemnation, we continue passing from death to eternal life as the Lord Jesus judges our worldliness, lusts, and self-seeking and destroys these bondages from our personality.
To be continued.