Bow, Willingly

“⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)

Someday, we don’t know when, everyone will bow before Jesus Christ as LORD. There is no escaping the bowing. It will take place. The question really is whether we do so willingly or as a point of process. James MacDonald writes, “In fact, compared to what Jesus Christ has already done throughout history, including the creation of the universe itself, getting all of the people from this tiny planet in our little solar system to bow before Him will be a nonissue.” My reaction to that sentence was “WOW!” I had not thought of it that way. Bowing before Jesus as LORD is going to happen and there is nothing that will get in the way to stop it.

When we choose to wait for judgment to bow we do so beggingly in an attempt to escape eternal condemnation in Hell. This will not work out well. Our choice had already been made. We only have this one life to choose Jesus Christ as LORD. Once we leave this life, we are subject to the consequences of our choice and that is condemnation.

“²⁷And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” – Hebrews 9:27 (ESV)

But, we can escape eternal condemnation. We can choose Jesus Christ as LORD of our life. We do so in the everyday decisions that we make. It starts with accepting Jesus as the bringer of salvation and that He died so that I would not have to as a result of my sin. Then we choose to follow His teaching as we wander in this world.

We only have this life to choose Jesus Christ as LORD. We have a finite amount of time to bow to His authority willingly. Someday, although we do not know when, all will face the judgment of Jesus Christ as LORD and will bow before Him. Those of us who missed our one earthly life opportunity will bow and beg for an escape (to which it is too late). Those of us who have chosen to bow before Him in this world by giving our lives in service to Jesus Christ as LORD will inherit the kingdom of Heaven and reign with Jesus for eternity.

How will you bow? Are you looking for the way out to avoid bowing at all? What if you accepted Jesus Christ as LORD willingly and choose to follow Him in this world so that you can avoid eternal condemnation as you cannot escape bowing before Him at the judgment day?

When We Die

When our lives come to an end here in this world, what happens? Well, we go to be with Christ. But we go to be with Him in spirit until the second coming. Our bodies stay behind and we make our way to the intermediate Heaven or Hell, based on our faith in Christ.

We will be there with Christ awaiting the second coming to accompany Him in battle and then once the battle is won, Heaven will come down and we will be rewarded with our room in the New Heaven.

Well, at death we find ourselves in either Heaven or Hell, is that the end of it from a judgment point of view. Not exactly. This is only the first judgment and is solely reliant on our faith in Christ as our savior and Lord. Our acceptance that He died so that we did not have to determines whether we will get Heaven or Hell in this first judgment.

There is a final judgment, although the timing of it is constantly debated. This final judgment is where we are held to account for the works done in this world. No, our works do not determine our salvation, that is done through our faith and got us to Heaven or Hell in the first judgment. But, we are held to account for the works we performed once we arrive.

These works determine our reward. I like to think of it this way. I have already received the acknowledgment from the teacher that I completed the work. Now I get to go back to the desk of the teacher to collect the gold stars for the quality of the work performed. The neatness of the work gets one star. The help I provided my peers gets another star. The cheering on of the others in class gets another star.

The same holds true for those in Hell. The final judgment accounts for all the ways that we failed in this world. The way we snickered when watching the elderly struggle crossing the street. The actions we took to end someone’s life. The hatred we displayed at people of faith. All will be judged and counted out.

So, when we die in this world a few things happen. Our spirit will leave our body. We will be separated by our faith to the intermediate Heaven or Hell. We will worship and prepare for battle. We are reunited with our bodies at the second coming of Christ. We are ushered into the New Heaven or Hell once the battle is complete. We will receive final judgment as to our works and those will count for the rewards received.

What is your view of what happens when you die? Are you of the opinion that everything is just, well over at that point? How would your approach to this life change, knowing that there is more to it than just the ending of life in this world?

The Wicked Will Not Be There

Will not be where? In heaven. I know there is a lot to unpack with regard to who will be in heaven and who are the wicked that will not be there. There are a lot of items to discuss and a lot of questions to answer. Where I do believe that the answers are found in God’s Word, I am going to only address the wicked, and will only scratch the surface for those with lots of questions.

“⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

⁶for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.”

— Psalm 1:5-6 (ESV)

First thing here is that we find the wicked, well they will not be in heaven. They will be somewhere, but their time has come and they reap what they sow, wickedness. They are not granted life everlasting in heaven with Christ. So, just who are the wicked. That is a great question.

“Wicked – 1: morally very bad: EVIL” – Merriam-Webster Online

So, they are the very bad, or evil individuals. But what does that mean. Well, again, there is a lot to it, but what I believe to be the thing is that there is a conscious effort of them to inflict harm, whether physical or emotional or social or cultural or in any other sense to others. In short, as the definition above notes, morally very bad people. These are those who are only “happy” when others are experiencing hardship and likely that hardship is the doing of the wicked person.

But what about the second part of verse 5 above you ask. “Sinners” will not be there either. Aren’t we all sinners all the time? Well, yes we are sinners and do not deserve the gift of eternal life in heaven. But, we have been saved by grace through our acceptance of the gift of salvation. We are sinners, Just that we are working to not be active. Think of alcoholics. They are always alcoholics, but when they have gotten “on the wagon” they are not active are are identified as a recovering alcoholic, but an alcoholic none the less. We are recovering sinners but sinners none the less. The sinners that are referenced in verse 5 above are not recovering and have not accepted the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.

All wicked are sinners, but not all sinners are wicked. The thing is that sinners are still separated from God and will be dealt with in the same fashion as the wicked. Both will be eternally separated from God as they will not be in heaven with those who have accepted the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.

What is your view of the wicked and sinners? Are your thoughts that they will just go through a different more harshly regulated gate to heaven? What if you were to reconcile that they had every opportunity to accept the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus and will not be there at all?

Confidence for the Day of Judgment

Tears of joy is what should come when being judged. You see, when I abide in and follow the commands of the LORD, I am on the right side of judgment.

“¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” – 1 John 4:16-17 (ESV)

It is with confidence that I enter each day. I know that I am with the LORD and He is with me. I know that I am working for Him and all the actions I take for the LORD are in line with His Will. Knowing that I am adhering to God’s Law and that His Law is greater than man’s law, I am confident in those actions. Therefore, any judgment that come from my actions are of no consequence as my actions would be considered righteous and I should be joyous in knowing that I have done the LORD’s Work.

Now we come to the judgment day. When I have taken on the actions of the LORD daily, I know that I have been righteous in my actions and on that day will be held to account for them. Again, I should be joyous in knowing that I have done the LORD’s Work and that He will reward me. I also will not be surprised where I am held to account on that day for where I was not adhering to the LORD’s Will and again be joyous knowing that I have been open to again having them read out.

Confidence is provided by God for all that I have done. Whether those actions are for or against the LORD, I am to be held to account and should know that all will be read out. I come to the judgment day knowing that all is known and my joy of being there should be evident in my tears. Not tears of fear and anguish, but tears of joy for the heavenly reward.

What does your confidence level look like? Are you worried about what may be found out or about the punishment to come? What if you had the confidence in the LORD that you have done all that you were to do and that now it is time to be rewarded on that judgment day?

Steadfast and Faithful, Evidence of Righteousness

“⁴Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. ⁵This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” – 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (ESV)

The people of the church of the Thessalonians were sticking to the LORD. These people were under persecution for their following of Christ and Paul was fast to recognize it. He wanted them to know that they were not unnoticed. They were recognized to be righteous in their actions and their faith.

I know, I am reading into things a bit here as the righteous reference was to the judgment of God. I will not claim to know that the people were righteous. I simply see that their acts of faith and steadfastness are evidence of righteousness. They held to the LORD under all sorts of persecution and affliction and suffering. And, as you read on further in the passage, they are rewarded for it with the destruction of those persecuting them. Yet, they do not follow the LORD for their persecutors to be destroyed, they follow Him for the reward of heaven and communion with Him.

I have to let this be a lesson to me. I have to love the LORD and do His work, not for what I would receive here in this world, but it is what I am to do thanks to the grace He afforded me through His death. I have to give evidence to the LORD for his declaration of righteousness. I have to be steadfast and faithful through all, the good times and the persecution. The LORD will see my dedication to Him and ensure that I am given relief. He will judge my actions according to my heart. I will be rewarded with glory in heaven.

What evidence do you present of your dedication to the LORD? Are you hoping that you have taken a few actions to show it? What if you were steadfast and faithful always as your evidence of righteousness to the LORD?

God’s Righteous Judgment

Only God can judge and His judgment is righteous.

“⁵But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” – Romans 2:5 (ESV)

I am not in a position to judge as I am a sinner. I may be a recovering sinner saved by grace through my acceptance of the death of Jesus for me, but I am still a sinner. This disqualifies me from judging others. It is not my place to judge anyway. I am not in the position of being above all. I am only a follower of Christ and a servant to Him.

God is above all things and therefore is the only one in the position to judge. He is righteous and therefore can and does render righteous judgment. He determines those who are righteous from those who are not, and in that determination or judgment, provides what they deserve. For the righteous He provides eternal life and for the other, wrath and fury.

“⁶He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” – Romans 2:6-8 (ESV)

God is the one who will judge the person, which is different than what we see here in this world. When someone is brought before a judge for actions done in this world, the judge has been given authority to render a decision on the actions of the person as relates to the law of man, not to judge the person themselves. The law of man is vastly different than the law of God. One may be in line with the law of God, which is above the law of man, yet being in line with the law of God may conflict with the law of man and will be judged accordingly. If the action is against the law of man, then the judge in this world will judge, but God will judge according to the action in relation to His law and will ultimately judge the person.

It is fascinating to me when looking at God’s Word with an open heart for His revelations in me. I am thankful for all of the insight He provides for me and the comfort of those insights. I know that I am cared for by the LORD as I walk this world for Him. I know that I may go against the law of man at times as I do the work of the LORD. He will protect me and judge me on my work for Him and as long as I have done His work, my transgression with the law of man is of no consequence to the righteous judgment of the LORD.

Where are you looking for judgment? Are you looking to be right in the eyes of man? What if you focused your attention on the law of God and sought His righteous judgment?

Mercy Not Judgment

I have increasingly witnessed in this world a lean toward special privilege for certain people. Whether it is for the rich, the physically disadvantaged, or the socially constructed. There seems to be a leaning to giving preferential treatment to grant them certain things that others may not be granted. Is this not judgment or showing partiality? I believe it is just that, judging them based on a characteristic that others may not be privy and being partial to that characteristic.

James speaks to this judgment and partiality in the first passage found in chapter two of his letter. He make the case against by simply speaking to the idea of granting a seat in an assemble to one wearing “fine clothing” and asking the one in “shabby clothing” to stand against the wall. This is judging or showing partiality based on status and not treating everyone equally.

“¹³For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” — James 2:13 (ESV)

He then speaks to this judgment in relation to providing mercy. Here James makes the case for simply providing mercy to all and that provides the equality that is warranted in the situation.

I have to remember that it is not about forcing things to create equality. In fact, by forcing things, I am showing partiality to the one over the other in a reverse situation. By granting the seat to the one in “shabby clothing” over the one in “fine clothing” I am creating the judgment and partiality on the reverse basis. I have to conscious of simply providing the seat to the one who is there and directing the other to the wall to stand. I am to provide mercy regardless of who and only in regard to the circumstance.

Mercy: a fortunate circumstance. Merriam-Webster Online

The above is one of the defined meanings of mercy. The fortunate circumstance James was referring to is who arrived first to get the seat in the assembly. That is the person to receive the seat and not based on what or how they are dressed. Yes, there is certainly more to the definition of mercy, yet it seems to me that this one gets overlooked in favor of the others. I believe we should be holding to the full and complete definition and not simply picking and choosing.

James indicates that we are to lean on the side of mercy and leave the judgment to God. When I am doing so, equality is realized as we err on the side of the immediate situation and not something that was generated due to someone’s station in life.

When have you judged as opposed to providing mercy? Have you every looked at the situation and granted someone something based on who they were and not on the situation itself? What if you were to look at and provide equal treatment of all through mercy in all situations as opposed to judging the individual?