Do “Good Guys” Make it to Heaven? - Purity
919
Purity 919 12/20/2022 Purity 919 Pocast
Purity 919 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a pleasant green lawn and thick
stand of green trees in the back ground under the plain light of a midafternoon
of late summer day comes to us from yours truly and from the distant day of August 16th
2020.
With the recent snowfall in my neck of the woods I decided
that I wanted to highlight “something green” today and so I dialed my phone’s photo
archive back a ways to discover this rather bland “country suburban” scene that
I captured on Taggart Rd in “Columbiaville” NY.
Just like in Bible study, sometimes with photography “context is king”
and while “lawn lovers” might appreciate this photo for what is here, the
reason I took this photo back in 2020 is for what is “unseen” because this plot
of land was where I spent Christmas Eve for most of, if not all of, my
childhood as this plot of land was the site where my paternal grandfather’s
house stood. I believe the address was
55 Taggart Rd but when you look it up on google maps now you will see a little
unnumbered square, which is what was my Grandfather’s one car garage - which is
still standing, and you’ll notice a sizable gap in the numbered addresses on
Taggart Rd between 42 and 121.
My grandfather’s land went from just to the right of
that unnumbered square all the way to the corner of Taggart and Footbridge Rd
Extension but after his death in 1990 the house was eventually sold to the
owner of 121 who decided to expand their yard and demolish the home where I
spent many a weekend with my brothers and every Christmas Eve.
I had moved to Stuyvesant in 2020 and out of
nostalgia decided to check out my grandfather’s property and was shocked at that
empty space and how the two bushes that had lined my grandfather’s front walkway,
and had always been neatly trimmed, had grown into huge unruly mini trees!
I remembered being shocked at how time had changed so
much at my grandfather’s place. The land
and the garage was still there but he and grandmother had gone on to eternity
and because they were both gone there really was no reason anymore to visit
Taggart Rd in Columbiaville. The Christmas
Eve celebrations moved to my parent’s house and with their advancing ages, it
is unclear just how many more Christmases we will have at the Clark Family
Homestead on Green Street in Hudson.
Like I said I wanted to see “something green” today
and although a little depressing, I decided to share these scenes from a property
that has lost its significance because I wanted to set these photos “free” and
because apparently it is going to be another “long December” as I got the
unexpected news that one of my co-workers had died after his year long battle
with cancer.
Because I was recently chastised about some of the
comments I made while pondering the recent death of another friend, I am choosing
not to disclose my co-workers name because I could possibly cause additional
pain and suffering to his grieving family.
With that said, this person who is no longer with us was loved and
respected by his co-workers and because of his death the company decided to
offer us the support of counselors to assist us with our grief. For a big corporation I thought it was an
incredibly nice gesture.
However, I generally keep to myself at work and just
busy myself with my job. I have been transferred several times through out the
years to various locations and job functions and am sometimes seem to be the
last to know a lot of what is happening around me at work. Yesterday was proof of this fact as the
managers announced that “most of you already know” that our friend and co-worker
had died over the weekend. I didn’t know
and finding out in a meeting was quite a shock.
I am so out of the loop that I didn’t even know that
this co-worker was sick! In our job, people get transferred, go out on disability,
and retire quite often. The people you
see on a regular basis one day can be gone the next and unless you listen to
the grapevine you could never know where they went.
So when the managers made this kind gesture, which was
quite a shock for me, I had to ask how our co-worker died. It had been quite some time since I had seen
them and because of the nature of our job there could have been plenty of explanations
for their absence. And considering the
state of the world, an accident and, let’s face it, suicide are real possible
causes of death these days – so I had to ask and was informed of my co-worker’s
battle with cancer. So I had the odd mix
of emotions of sadness over his death, shame for not knowing he was sick, and relief that it wasn’t necessarily
unexpected and could have been a mercy given the circumstances.
To their credit, “work” gave us an hour to process
the news and gave us resources to handle our grief, but then it was “back to
reality” and our regular work responsibilities…
And even though I hadn’t seen this co-worker in over
a year, and didn’t have the closest of friendships, he went with me in my
memory and in my contemplations through out the day.
This guy was a “nice guy” – always willing to help,
never a harsh word. This guy was a “family
man” – a wife and kids. This guy was a “good worker” – a “solid tech”. This guy was a “smart guy”. I knew him primarily
from our time at Hudson Valley Community College as we were both in the same
classes for over a year getting our Associates degrees in Telecommunications as
part of a now defunct program our company had.
In those classes ,I learned that my co-worker had a good sense of humor,
seemed genuinely kind, willing to help others, was responsible, took his
studies seriously, and had some “mad math skills” as he was the “go to guy” if
you needed help with algebra or the equations we had to solve in physics. He
was also enterprising because I recall that he and his wife had started a
business to supplement their income back in our school days. By all accounts, he
was a “solid” “good guy”. He was around
my age, probably a few years younger. So
his illness and death are a tragedy.
However, because our co-worker’s time on earth is
over, I spent a good deal remembering all that I knew about him yesterday and
had to ask the “big question” – did this “smart guy, good guy, nice guy” – make
it? Did he make it to heaven?
If you consider the good vs bad ratio of his life,
there is little doubt that the “good” outweighed his “bad” by a significant
margin. In truth, I can’t think of any “bad”
when I remember our interactions in class or at work. I even believe that like most of the people
from our generation, he was “brought up” in a “religious tradition”. And having seen a few “religious tradition”
funerals in my day, I am certain that there will never be any words uttered of
speculation in regard to his final destination.
However, I remembered something in a conversation
with them that made me less certain that he was “with the angels in Heaven”.
My time with my co-worker in school was
approximately from 2012 to 2014. The program was a two year program but because
of a medical procedure, I didn’t graduate with him in 2014. After my surgery, I
went on the graduate in 2015. I was
still a pretty carnal and pretty ignorant born again Christian during this time
but I was extremely passionate about my faith and would openly talk about the
gift of grace that I had received when I put my faith in Christ alone.
I don’t recall the specifics of our conversation but
my “good guy” co-worker was pretty clear in expressing his opinion on matters
of faith. He stated openly and honestly
that “didn’t believe it in”. His opinion
was that “there is nothing” on the other side of death and although, as I have testified,
he seemed to be a relatively kind and moral
person, he didn’t claim to have faith in anything.
So, based on that conversation and what I know about
salvation through faith in Christ alone, the indication would be that, if the
gospel of Jesus Christ is true, they “didn’t make it” to heaven. Their disbelief and failure to make peace
with God through faith in Jesus would lead one to believe that when he died my
co-worker discovered that there is something on the other side of life and that
because of his unforgiven sin and independence/rebellion/rejection of God, he
would be consigned to hell.
Now, before you call me a “bad Christian” who is not
“making peace” for all of this person’s grieving family and loved ones… LISTEN –
there is hope and I am NOT SAYING THEY ARE IN HELL, okay.
I believe in freedom on speech, and I exercise it
regularly. I also believe in freedom of
thought, and usually put the two together in composing these “encouragements”. Rather than living in fear of what some may
think or say about me or of the “possible pain” that my words may bring to all
the “possible victims” , I choose to speak for the “Higher good”.
The good news about my co-worker’s situation is that
there was a lot that could have changed about his outlook on life between that
conversation in 2012-2013, and now. We
are talking almost 10 years for things to change in my co-workers outlook on life
and faith.
I know I have learned volumes of wisdom in that time
period and have grown in maturity in leaps and bounds in that time between then
and now.
Plus, let’s face it, my co-worker had the reality of
death with him from the moment the doctor’s diagnosed him with cancer and
according to the reports I heard yesterday, his suffering was significant and
apparent.
Did God use the last ten years of this man’s life,
and his battle with cancer, to bring him to a place where he could believe and
put his faith in Jesus Christ?
Well, our co-worker certainly had enough time to
consider it and it is my prayer and hope that somewhere along the line, he
surrendered to his life to God and made Jesus His Lord and Savior.
On this side of eternity, I will never know if this
person put their faith in Christ or not.
I guess I could ask… but I think I will just leave that question unasked
and assume what I know is true: that God will do what’s right. God never makes mistakes and whether or not
past friends, family, co-workers, or acquaintances make it to heaven or not, I
am assured by God’s word that they will go where they chose to go, one way or
the other.
But as for us, believe on the Lord Jesus, put your faith
in Him alone, and know and experience the peace that comes from having your
sins forgiven and from being welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom.
Our co-worker had time but the other people out
there might not. So because we know the Lord, we need to be bold and courageous
to let people know that the question of Jesus Christ is a matter of life and
death. His life, death, and resurrection
show us that He was the Son of God and God the Son. His resurrection proves
life after death and His words confirm there is a good place for those who put
their faith in Him, heaven, and place of darkness and gnashing of teeth, hell,
for those who don’t.
So keep walking and talking and God and let people
know that all can be forgiven and a new life can be found here on earth and as
it is in heaven for all who believe in Christ and who decided to walk with Him.
--------------------------------------------------------
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible
Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT2)
10 A final word: Be strong in
the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor
so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 For we are not fighting
against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the
unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil
spirits in the heavenly places.
Today’s verses confirm the evil forces of darkness are real but also
confirm that we are protected from their attacks when we are “strong in the
Lord” and put on God’s armor”.
I believe every teaching out there on spiritual warfare includes
these verses because they deliver the hard truth of demons and the good news of
our power in Christ.
I’m short on time but – the
word of God confirms God’s kingdom and the rebel kingdom of Satan and how the
evil one is currently the prince of this world.
So any advice that would lead us a way from faith in Jesus, no matter
how practical or nice it looks is actually “demonic”. So don’t follow the world’s ways, follow the
ways of the Lord and use your faith in Christ as your defense against the lies
and temptations of this world and use the word of God as a weapon to defeat the
works of the devil.
Sin and negative mind states are all the devil’s work, so resist
the devil and apply the full armor of God’s word to your life to be victorious
over the forces of darkness and our own worst enemy, our fleshly selves.
___________________________________________
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s
“Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
The
Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship
Chapter Twelve
The
Saints
The ‘ekklesia’ of Christ, the community of disciples, is no
longer subject to the rule of this world. True, it still lives in the midst of
the world. But it already has been made into one body. It is a territory with
an authority of its own, a space set apart. It is the holy church (Eph. 5:27),
the church-community of saints (1 Cor. 14:34). Its members are the saints
called by God (Rom. 1:7), sanctified in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:2), chosen and
set apart before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). The goal of their call
to follow Jesus Christ, indeed, of their being chosen before the foundation of
the world, was that they be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4). This is the reason
why Christ surrendered his body unto death, so as to present those who are his
own as holy, blameless, and irreproachable before him (Col. 1:22). The fruit of
being freed from sin by Christ’s death is that those who once surrendered their
bodies as instruments of unrighteousness are now able to use them in the
service of righteousness, as instruments of their sanctification (Rom.
6:19–22).
God alone is holy.
God is holy, both in being completely set apart from the sinful world and in
the foundation of a realm of holiness in the midst of the world. Thus, after
the Egyptians have perished, Moses and the children of Israel sing a hymn of
praise to the Lord who delivered God’s people from the slavery of the world:
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand, the
earth swallowed them. In your steadfast mercy you led the people whom you
redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.… You brought
them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O
Lord, that you made your abode, the holy place, O Lord, that your hands have
established” (Exod. 15:11ff.). God’s holiness consists in establishing a divine
dwelling place, God’s realm of holiness in the midst of the world, as the
source of both judgment and redemption (Psalm 99 et al.). It is in this realm
of holiness that the holy one enters into a relationship with God’s people.
This takes place through reconciliation, which can be attained only in holiness
(Lev. 16:16f.). God enters into a covenant with God’s people. God sets them
apart, makes them God’s possession, and vouches for this covenant. “You shall
be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2), and “I the Lord, I who
sanctify you, am holy” (Lev. 21:8)—this is the foundation on which this
covenant rests. All other laws that the people are given and asked to keep in
righteousness have the holiness of God and of God’s community as their
prerequisite and their goal.
Just as God, the holy
one, is separated from anything common, and from sin, so too is the community
of God’s holy realm. God has chosen it. God has made it the community of the
divine covenant. In this realm of holiness God has reconciled and purified it.
Now this place of holiness is the temple, which is the body of Christ. The body
of Christ thus is the fulfillment of God’s will to establish a holy community.
Set apart from world and sin to be God’s own possession, the body of Christ is
God’s realm of holiness in the world. It is the dwelling place of God and God’s
Holy Spirit.
How does this come
about? How, out of sinful human beings, does God create a community of saints
that is totally separated from sin? How can God be defended against the
accusation of being unrighteous, if God enters into a relationship with
sinners? How can the sinner be righteous and God still remain righteous?
God is justified by God; God supplies the proof
of divine righteousness. The cross of Jesus Christ works the miracle of God’s
self-justification. Now God is justified before God and before us (Rom.
3:21ff.). The goal for the sinner is to be separated from sin and yet to be
able to live before God. However, it is only through death that the sinner can
be separated from sin. The sinner’s very life is enmeshed in sin to such an
extent that deliverance from sin can be brought about for the sinners only
through their death. God can remain righteous only by killing the sinner. And
yet is the goal for the sinner to live and to be holy before God? How can this come
about?
It comes about by God
becoming human. In God’s Son, Jesus Christ, God assumes our flesh. In Christ’s
body, God carries our human flesh into death on the cross. God kills the Son of
God who bears our flesh; and with the Son, God kills everything that bears the
name of earthly flesh. Now it is evident that no one is good but the triune
God, that no one is righteous but God alone. Now, through the death of God’s
own Son, God has supplied the terrible proof of the divine righteousness (ἔνδειξις τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ, Rom. 3:26). In the judgment of wrath on the
cross, God had to deliver all of humanity unto death so that God alone would be righteous. God’s
righteousness is revealed in the death of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus
Christ is the place where God has supplied the gracious proof of God’s own
righteousness, the only place from that moment on where God’s righteousness
dwells. Whoever could participate in this death would thereby also participate
in God’s righteousness. But now Christ has assumed our flesh, and in his body has borne our sin onto the wood of the cross (1 Peter 2:24). What happened to
him happened to all of us. He took part in our life and in our dying, and thus
we came to take part in his life and his dying. If God’s righteousness required
Christ’s death as its proof, then we are with Christ at the place where God’s
righteousness dwells, at his cross, for he bore our flesh. As those who have
been killed, we thus come to take part in God’s own righteousness in Jesus’
death. God’s righteousness, which causes us sinners to die, is, in Jesus’
death, God’s righteousness for us. Since in Jesus’ death God’s righteousness is
established, and we are included in Jesus’ death, God’s righteousness is
established for us as well. God proves God’s righteousness, demonstrating “that
God alone is righteous and that God justifies the one who has faith in Jesus”
(Rom. 3:26). Thus the justification of sinners consists in God alone being righteous and sinners being
totally and utterly unrighteous, rather than in granting sinners their own
righteousness alongside that of God. Every desire to possess our own
righteousness as well cuts us off completely from being justified by God’s own,
unique righteousness. God alone is righteous. Looking at the cross, we
recognize this as the judgment which has been rendered over us as sinners.
Those who in faith see themselves included in Jesus’ death on the cross, the
place where as sinners they are condemned to die, receive God’s righteousness,
which triumphs in this very place. They are made righteous precisely as those
who neither can be nor desire to be righteous themselves, but who recognize
that God alone is righteous. For as human beings we cannot be made right and
ready before God except in recognizing that God alone is righteous and we are
sinners throughout. The question of how, as sinners, we can be righteous before
God is really the question of how, in our encounter with God, God alone can be righteous. Our
justification is grounded exclusively in God’s justifying God, “so that you
[God] may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging” (Rom. 3:4).[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship,
ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 253–256.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.