There seems to be great concern on the part of some Christians that somebody is going to sneak into Heaven who has no right to be there, as if any of us do. I don’t know what they’re worried about. I heard a big fisherman is guarding the gate.
Anyway, if you say “Salvation is a gift,” or “Once saved, always saved,” people exclaim, “Faith without works is dead!” Well, of course it is, but that in no way negates the former two points. When we put our trust in Christ’s gift of salvation, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any consequences or rebuke from God if we sin.
God promises to rebuke His children when they disobey. Revelation 3:19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” In fact, the redeemed will sometimes experience a very harsh rebuke from God, but not eternal damnation like the lost.
As seen in the case of King David, the consequences of our sin can be devastating and last for the rest of our lives. This correction isn’t because life is a game where if we break the rules, He takes away our points, but because God loves us and wants us to fulfill our potential.
When we became Christians, the Holy Spirit gave us a new nature, but until Jesus returns, our old, fleshly nature still exists. Because of this, every day, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must choose to follow our new godly nature: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6). That’s why Paul said to “crucify our flesh” (Galatians 5:24).
As Christians, we should have a healthy fear of God’s discipline, the temporal consequences of sin, and the loss of eternal rewards, but not of Hell. As the Bible says, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
We Christians were never good enough to get into Heaven, and we will never be good enough to stay out of Hell. Our redemption is entirely thanks to the gift of eternal life that we accepted from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 3:5 says,
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” However, if we remain stagnant in our sins, we will never grow into the people God created us to be.
Jesus paid a heavy price so that we can have the privilege of this growth process. He could have made obedient robots, but He gave us free will because He wanted love and a family. The issue of free will is important because it speaks to the character of God.
Jesus traveled all the way down here from Heaven and became a man, not only to sacrifice His life for us but also to share our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16). He really does feel our pain. Reverence for God is vital, but I wonder if we sometimes hyperfocus on reverence as a way to keep God at arm’s length. However, the Bible says that God wants a close relationship with us (Proverbs 18:24).
The consequences of our earthly choices go beyond this world. The Bible says there is a Bema Seat judgment, not to sentence us to Heaven or Hell, but for rewards. So, some Christians will probably walk away with a tiny treat bag, while others will receive “A new car!” Okay, I know it’s crowns, but you get my point.
Speaking of points, my main point is that Hell is the ultimate punishment for unredeemed sin, but sin, by its nature, has an array of consequences even for Christians.
Because God loves us, He rebukes us to help us avoid those consequences and to help us mature and become more like Christ. Keep in mind, though, the crowns of reward I just mentioned will be cast at Jesus’ feet, because any good thing we do is only by the grace of the Almighty God.
Finally, because we love God and our neighbor, we should never condone sin, but assessing the salvation of others is a perilous business because we are venturing into God’s territory. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
Will there be sloppy Christians in Heaven? Yes, some Christians will wish they had done more with the life God gave them. Yet, standing next to the perfection of Jesus, we will all look very puny indeed. In light of that, none of us has any reason to boast or submit performance reviews to God about our neighbors.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
“Yes, some Christians will wish they had done more with the life God gave them.” Explain yourself on this point. “…the life that God gave them” are you speaking of one’s spiritual life, mortal life or how they lived their life. I understand differences. Personally many would not see me as a devout Christian b/c I do not regularly attend religious services, study the bible, etc. However I believe I live a good Christian life. As for how I lived my life I live within the 10 Commandments, I treat others well, attempt to treat others as I would want to be treated. Do I fail, yes, I am mortal and failure is what makes us repent. As for my mortal life, I worked hard, raised a family, volunteered in many causes and gave my time. So tell me what part of my all encompassing life will keep me out of heaven so that I will say. “I wish I had done more with the life God gave me?”
A doctrine that says certain people's actions are excused because of who they are - believers, or members of a certain race or ethnic background, or historical events that affected their ancestors - is an invitation to commit all kinds of heinous acts.