This morning we looked at the subject of God’s judgment. When we read verses about God repaying people ‘according to what they have done’ (see Prov 24:12, also Rom 2:6-11, Ps 62:12, Rev 20:13), it can lead us to feel very fearful about judgment, which we largely associate with ideas of punishment more than reward. Passages such as Deuteronomy 28 make it clear that there were blessings and curses promised for obedience and disobedience, and we can easily end up thinking that it’s all down to us – how well we live, how good we are. The problem with that kind of thinking is that we are never good enough! Rom 3:23 makes it plain that we have all sinned and missed God’s mark, following the law perfectly has only ever been achieved by Jesus (see Rom 3:10-25, Isaiah 64:6-7). God’s plan of salvation relied on God’s own righteousness (see Isaiah 59:16-17) and we are saved only through God’s grace and faith (see Eph 2:8-9).
If we wish to avoid condemnation in God’s final judgment at the great white throne, we must respond to His free gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus (see John 3:17, 36). What God is looking for is a faith response to Jesus which is then outworked in our daily lives.
Eph 2:10 makes it plain that good works will follow on from salvation, and that there is a judgment to come for believers which is more like an ‘awards’ ceremony than a place of punishment (see 1 Cor 3:10-14, 2 Cor 5:10). John assures us that God is love and therefore we do not need to fear punishment (see 1 John 4:16-18). Paul spoke confidently about the crown of righteousness awaiting him from the righteous Judge. (2 Tim 4:8) God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Heb 11:6) He has promised us a rich inheritance as a reward for faithfulness and obedience. (Col 3:24) Paul gives us a simple rule of thumb for how to live: ‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.’ (Eph 6:7-8) May we all serve the Lord wholeheartedly and wait patiently for His abundant rewards.
