Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today – when our salvation story starts with separation from God because of my sin, then it is easy to believe that my sin can ultimately separate me from God into eternity, but this is not the story. Sin has been punished, once and for all, it has no voice. So what does my life lived here mean in terms of consequences in the future eternity of then? It’s not entry it’s rewards.
2 Corinthians 5:10 TPT
[10] For one day we will all be openly revealed before Christ on his throne so that each of us will be duly recompensed for our actions done in life, whether good or worthless.
Observation
There is a day for everyone, “all”, will come face to face with “Christ on his throne.” Maybe this is the day when in Romans 14:11 where it is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ This will not be a day of judgement of sin, for all sin has already been judged in Jesus. Sin has no voice in our righteousness with God story as Jesus has closed the law book, released forgiveness and defeated sin. It’s silenced without voice or place in our righteousness story. Yes it has a place in how our life plays out story; for sin carries in its seed consequences, we all know that, when you plant sin you grow the harvest of pain, loss, death. But this is not God’s judgement, or God’s punishment, inherent in sin is its consequences. So on this last day, we will not be judged for our sin, we will be judged upon how we invested our life. And the judgement will not be a question of who enters into the banquet table of the King, but rather the rewards, the “duly recompensed for our actions done in life, whether good or worthless.”
I’m not sure how rewards work in Heaven, above my pay grade, but that our lives lived here matter is the significant point. Not that our works have any “entry into” capacity, we do not enter because of our works and we are not sent away because of our works, rather our works here influence our rewards once entered there. Acceptance of invitation is the only determinative entrance criteria, if you want in, you get in, and the invitation stands to all at all times. The love of God and hence His invitation is not limited to the speck of time we call life here in the flesh. Love does not run out, dry up, finish up. We will not stand before his throne in the flesh, we will stand there in our eternal bodies, the invitation will be there for our acceptance, and our lives lived here will only determine our reward. Notice there is no language of punishment, punishment does not exist in the Heavenly realm, our lives lived here will not be punished there, they will only be rewarded or not.
Application
I will live life here in full confidence of my guaranteed life there, but also in awareness that life here matters, both consequentially in the life I experience here and in the rewards of there. This is why God is interested in the now way I live my life. Not to judge but to reward. Do I sow the goodness of God into my world of now? It matters in the now and it has rewards in the then. I will not let my actions have voice in my acceptance story, Jesus dealt with sins voice and it is silenced, I will never throw His loving sacrifice in the bin and give sin a voice of disqualification or any voice into my relational rightness with God. What has been dealt with I will leave dealt with.
Response
Thank you that when I stand before you I will not be sweating on a verdict of ‘in or out,’ your love has taken care of that, and my response to your love is the only determinative action. I will be rewarded, or not, for a life lived worthy of your love. Being loved, receiving your love, then being love, reflecting your love, seems to summarise the entirety of your call on my life, and accepting your love for me is the start of true life here and the guarantee of eternal life there.
Meditation
Meditate – For one day we will all be openly revealed before Christ on his throne.
Consider:
Am I living for entry or reward? For abundance in the now and reward in the then, or for my get in card?
Do I live life confident in my acceptance in Jesus plus nothing – or does my behaviour still have a voice in my relational story with God?
JOURNEY DEEPER
