Bible Studies

Part One

In 2Tim. 4:2, the Apostle Paul is telling Timothy to preach the Word in and out of season, that is, when it is likely to be well-received, and when it is going to rock the boat! The same could be said to all advancing disciples.

All born-again believers were (and are) commissioned to engage in the Great Commission, evangelizing and edifying the people in their personal periphery, as they go about their daily routines at home, work, socialization, or recreation.

Even so, Eccl. 3: 7 teaches that there is a (right) time to speak and a time to remain silent. Attempting to evangelize or to edify another soul when God has not prepared him or her to receive the information, will often prove to be counter-productive. The greatest indicator that the time is right is when inquirers come to you.

Now being the beginning of June, nearly half way from the last Christmas season and half way headed towards the next, it might be the “right” time to speak on a holiday-season issue without being called a party-pooper, a Grinch, or being bad-mouthed for raining on the parade of children caught up in the Santa Claus scenario.

Let’s turn back the clock, and consider what the focus of attention had been for centuries throughout the Christian world BEFORE Santa Claus had entered the picture. By doing so, we can be in a position to re-evaluate the “contribution” (or was it the great distraction) that the promoting of Santa Claus has become.

Could it be that children would be better off if such distractions were to have never come along, and that the spiritual significance of the birth of Christ were to be the focus of their attention? You decide.

Of course good behavior should be a part of our lives, but for what purpose, and for what end result? It could be for our safety, health, wealth, freedom, or to avoid the fear or actual consequences of disobedience. For an advancing disciple, good behavior is primarily to bring glory to God.

Jesus taught that if you love Him, you will obey Him (John 14: 15). An advancing disciple needs no further reason.

The whole idea of Santa “making a list” of all the good people (especially children) around the world, and then “rewarding” them for their good behavior by bringing them gifts on Christmas Eve, is quite different from the undeserved, unearned, GIFT that God sent to us at the First Advent, when we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8).

We come into this world with a sin nature that places all of us on God’s “naughty” list, with there being NOTHING we can do (apart from God) to have our names erased from the naughty list, and recorded in the Lamb’s Book of life (Luke 10: 20/Rev. 20: 15), listing us as a recipient of eternal life with the Rom. 8: 1 assurance of a home in Heaven.

Rev. 20: 15 tells us that anyone whose name is not found recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be tossed into what the Bible calls the lake of fire. The lake of fire is NOT a place of extermination, but a place of never-ending conscious torment where its occupants will spend all of eternity future with no opportunity of release.

One’s name (identity) is recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life the moment he or she is sealed (marked for identification) as a child of God (Eph. 4: 30). This sealing action is the work of God the Holy Spirit (not human clergy) that takes place the moment one is born-again, having made the decision to believe, when he or she was presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message (John 3: 16, 18).

No amount of good behavior has ever secured for anyone, as much as one second of eternal life or one square inch of a place in Heaven. If such things were the means to do so, even an unbeliever (who does such things) would be entitled to at least a little time and a little place in Heaven!

The only amount of time that an unbeliever will spend in Heaven takes place when he or she is called up from the Torments of Hades to appear in the Court of Heaven at the Rev. 20: 13-15 event, only to be then tossed into the lake of fire.

We do a great disservice promoting good human deeds as the means to receive DIVINE reward. There IS some compensation for deeds of human good that both believers and unbelievers alike can EARN and RECEIVE while here on Earth, but whatever such compensation is EARNED, it is all left behind when one leaves this world and enters into the eternal state, Good behavior and good deeds accomplished with human power (symbolized as wood, hay, and straw), that is produced independently of God (John 15: 5), will not be rewarded in Heaven (1Cor. 3: 15).

It will be a jaw-dropping event in Heaven for many when theysee what they thought was going to bring them reward going up in smoke (1Cor. 3: 15). Only deeds of divine good (symbolized at silver, gold, precious stones), accomplished with divine enablement (John 15:5) through the filling of the Spirit, will be rewarded at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event in Heaven.

End of Part One