In the course of your existence, this life is a relatively short and challenging piece. If you are connected to Christ through faith and baptism, then you can expect an unending time of joy, fun, awe when you leave this life. Check out my blog on eternal life, http://afterdeathsite.com, for a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about our after-death experience. Still, God does not immediately transport us out of here. We have a purpose to fulfill. That purpose is something that we can succeed at, or we can largely fail.
Judgment Day for a Christian will be an evaluation of how we carried out our purpose. It won’t be about whether we are saved or not. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:10-15:
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV)
Without the gift of forgiveness of sins that comes through Jesus, no one will have eternal life with God. We are damned without Jesus. So Jesus is like a foundation. That foundation should be built upon. So what would constitute “gold, silver and costly stones” versus “wood, hay or straw”?
Let’s start with the negative. Building a life that is covered by the blood of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit but is still largely squandered is a person who spends too much time on pursuits that God is not interested in, like entertaining yourself, or accumulating wealth. The world encourages this and our sinful nature desires it, but it is not of the Kingdom of God. You can also undermine your purpose by doing the right things for the wrong motives. If you are arrogant, self-righteous, proud, or competitive, you tap into God’s chief complaint about humanity and negate positive work. We can also minimize “our reward” by leaving things undone that were prepared for us to do.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
We are not responsible for things that were not prepared for us to do. We are judged based on the gifts given us. This passage also suggests another avenue for failure. As God’s workmanship, we can prove to be stubborn, stiff clay to work with. Our development into the resource we are meant to be can fall far short of the mark.
Notice back in the 1 Corinthians verse that even if everything a person does during life is “burned up”, if their connection to Jesus is still intact, they are saved (because we are saved by grace). But they enter eternity only as someone passing as through fire. This beats being cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, however.
That was the negative, how about the positive. What is my purpose that I may fulfill it with the gifts God has given to me? Look for your purpose in multiple areas and look at your life in a couple of ways. First, your relationship with God is part of your purpose. God values your worship (if it is from your spirit and contains truth about God). He values you speaking to Him as a Father. He values your trust in Him. He values your imitation of His qualities. He values your avoidance of sin.
He also wants you to be a good steward, which is one way to look at our life. We have time, abilities, knowledge of the Gospel, money, a body, health, a beautiful planet and more. Can we manage these things in a way that is efficient, honoring of God, and for the purposes of God’s Kingdom. God will evaluate our stewardship.
Another approach is to consider our vocations. What roles do we have, and how would God have us conduct ourselves in these roles. Are you a spouse, parent, neighbor, child, student, worker, employer, congregation member, citizen, and many more? There is a balance to be established where we don’t neglect any of our roles. There is excellence to be brought to each one using the gifts God has given us naturally, those skills we learn, and those God gives us that are of the Holy Spirit.
You can also look at your life in terms of positive impact. Have you impacted anybody positively from a spiritual standpoint? Have you shared the Gospel leading someone to faith and eternal life. That is the big one. Have you strengthened other disciples and led them to maturity, stable faith, and greater productivity?
Have you impacted people positively in the care of their physical life? Have you provided some goods or services through your career? Did you help a neighbor, stranger or family member with any physical or emotional need? Do you stand up for justice? Do you show mercy to poor?
There are so many ways to be productive, it is hard to see how people are not rewarded for something. Two critical pieces to remember, if you don’t have forgiveness for sins through Jesus, all is for naught. No amount of charity and good works can save you. Secondly, don’t let good effort be wasted through wrong attitude.
10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Luke 17:10 (ESV)
It is our duty and we are saved by grace. Because of this we shouldn’t expect reward, yet God is generous. What will the reward be? The Bible doesn’t exactly say. It probably is relationships that continue in eternity. It definitely is honor. It seems to also includes being “put in charge of much” (Matthew 25) in the New Earth. You can count on it being worth any effort.
Giving Christ 