God Without Religion_ Can It Really Be This Simple_ - Andrew Farley [63]
So why don’t Christians go through a Revelation 20 judgment for our sins? Simple. We aren’t hell bound! Our sins are forgiven, and our sins are forgotten. We show up later in Revelation 21, and our names are in the book of life. I guess God really means what he says:
“He who believes in Him is not judged.” (John 3:18 NASB)
If we’re experiencing fear about Christ’s return, it may be that religion has told us there’ll be a heavenly movie reel of our sins spinning as everyone watches. And when the movie is over, we’re going to pay, big-time. But the reality is that there’s no movie to be played.
In his love, God destroyed the reel.
We’re Sheep, Not Goats!
Jesus’s parable about the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 also depicts a black-and-white judgment with a black-and-white result. Jesus tells the story of sheep that hear his voice, and they’re praised even for giving a cup of water in his name. Apparently, even the smallest act done in his name is an expression of him. On the other hand, the goats do not hear his voice, and they’re eternally condemned. Notice that there are only two distinct groups. There’s no gray area. Again, it’s black and white:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matt. 25:31–33)
In the verses that follow, the sheep are told to “take your inheritance” and enjoy “the kingdom prepared for you” (v. 34). They are referred to as “the righteous” (v. 37). Conversely, Jesus teaches that God will then “say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (v. 41). Not only are there two distinct groups, there are two distinct results to this judgment. And there’s no middle ground.
Jesus sums up all the events in this way: “Then they [the cursed] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (v. 46). Do you see it? The black-and-white truth is that Christians will not be judged for their sins. We’re the sheep! If we were judged for our sins, we’d have to be thrown into hell with the goats. No lesser punishment for sins will do.
Jesus died so that we’d be forgiven, so that our sins would be forgotten (yes, forgotten!), and so that we’d never face judgment for them.
Now that’s truth that sets you free!
The Mr. T Starter Set
“But we’re still going to receive fewer rewards if we don’t do a lot of good works, right?” some will ask. The rewards theology has led some to expect that there’s a heavenly point system. Our performance here on earth leads to different quantities or qualities of rewards being doled out, we might think.
For many, it’s all about jewelry. Some believe they’ll have to settle for the “Mr. T Starter Set,” while their more committed friends will receive the deluxe “Ultra Bling Kit.” (Note that some televangelists have already received this kit in advance.) Or maybe some will get only one crown, while others will get multiple crowns and have to stack them. Or we may only get one crown each, but some of us are going to get a serious neck workout since our crowns will be weighted down with so many mega-sized gems. Or maybe it all comes down to square footage—some of us will enjoy an estate in Beverly Heavens, while others are resigned to living in One-Story Purgatory across the tracks. Those are the ones who became Christians later in life or just did a whole lot of misbehaving.
This is how the rewards theology goes,