May 21, 2009 The Day of Judgment
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalm 98; Romans 2
Scripture Focus:
Psalm 98 8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9 before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.
Romans 2:5–11 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
Observation:
Both Psalm 98 and Romans 2 speak of God’s judgment. In Psalm 98 there is a joyous anticipation of God’s judgment. You get the sense that the righteous are excited about God’s judgment because they know he’s going to straighten things out, make things fair and right.
But what if you’re on the wrong side of judgment? Romans describes both sides of judgement, where God will “render to each one according to his deeds.” Two of the bad qualities God will judge is a self-seeking attitude and disobedience to the truth.
On the positive side are those who patiently continue to do good, the opposite of self-seeking. For them God reserves eternal life.
Application:
The Day of Judgment is coming. I realize that my salvation is by grace alone through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and that I cannot earn my way into heaven, but the Bible is also very clear that those who are saved will bear the fruit of salvation.
James puts it very clearly: the things we do demonstrate whether or not we have faith.
Prayer:
Abba Father, may my words and deeds today indicate that I’ve been born again and am heaven bound. Amen!
