I am always hearing this line trotted out; “what would happen to you if God came now and you were not doing his will… why you might be thrown in hell!”
OK if this is true then God is extremely fickle, short sighted and unjust. Let’s look at an example to see what I mean, and then YOU make up your mind along with Bible study as to wether this kind of whimsical God is the one described in The Bible.
Imagine I and three friends are about to cross the road. One of us is considering what work he will be doing for the lord that day. The other did a good days work for the Lord yesterday but has slipped into sin this morning and struggling with it. The other has been backslidden for sometime – several weeks in fact but still loves the Lord and is actively seeking his guidance. Then there is me – sinful old me, a new Christian tossed about by the world, who has one good fruitful day serving the Lord, then another I am battling the flesh, and the next I may have overcome that but another problem rears its head and today my faith is weak.
We begin to cross and suddenly all three of us see an oncoming juggernaught is about to hit us. All of us are run over and killed but just before we are, seeing our lives coming to an end, and having the need for a saviour crystallise as never before as we are about to face death, we all earnestly try and utter out the words; “father please forgive us for our sins and save us in Jesus so we can go to heaven.”
The problem is, one of us gets the full sentence out (he is furthest away from the truck). The other gets half of the sentence out, the other gets two words out, and me – the nearest to the truck didn’t get a change to get any worlds out.
So according to the teaching; “make sure you are doing God’s work when he comes or we may not go to heaven” is actually quite a cruel one. Let’s be serious for a minute and ask a serious question; what would a worldly judge do in this situation?
Would he say only the first one makes it to heaven? I’e the one that was doing God’s work and prayed before his life was taken. Or would he a a judge be just and say; ok – let’s have a look at these people’s lives individually and ask, did they love truth?, did they love God? What works did they do and how much of their lives did they give up to serve? They all had problems walking towards God’s city but were they facing God or had any of them turned their backs on Christ and become withered and so dry that no water was able to revive them? In other words despite their failings and very different degrees of service to God, had they obeyed Jesus’ command to “stay in the vine.”? The answer would be; non of them. They would all go to heaven as far as I can tell from The Bible!
All of Us Are Doing or Not Doing God’s Work to one Degree of Another
This means there are times when we do a lot, a little, not much at all – when we sick or have real problems perhaps non of the work we are called to. God knows this is how life is and THIS is why we are not saved by works; “lest any man may boast”! But we ARE rewarded accordingly to your works and quite rightly. Some Christians choose to live their lives pretty much as they did before they came to know and accept God’s sacrifice – others give up their previously entire selfish lifestyles!
So lets not manipulate our brothers and sisters with trite teachings like this. If a worldly judge would not be fickle and do this… imagine how much more just our heavenly father will be towards us in fairly weighing our love for the truth of Christ’s sacrifice and his teachings for salvation, and our works and deeds good and bad for rewards when we do get to heaven.
