2017.10.08_Heaven which Separates the Righteous and the Wicked

The Recipients of Grace

God is the God of Justice. Justice is an absolute principle which is never affected by emotions and which even God cannot avoid. God surely does what He says. That is because He swore to keep His word by the highest authority, which is Himself.

God said to Adam, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” But Adam ate of the fruit of the tree, and as a result, brought condemnation and eternal punishment upon himself and upon all mankind. God did not want all of mankind to perish, but He could not deny or go back on His promise to Adam that if he disobeyed God, he would “surely die.”

Through the Law, God revealed to men that all mankind was destined to perish. And through the gospel, He delivered the message of salvation for all mankind. But the problem remained that God had said “You will surely die.”How could God offer a message of salvation without going back on His word? To solve this problem, God sent His own Son into the world to bear that punishment and die in the place of mankind.

According to the Law, the wages of sin is death. Regardless of the severity of the sin, anyone who has sinned cannot avoid the punishment of hell. But, by sending His only begotten Son into the world to shed His blood and die, God paid the penalty of sin for mankind. In this way, God provided salvation for mankind without compromising His justice.

Now, God wants all men to receive His grace and be saved. Those who deny that they are sinners or who present their own righteousness before God can never be saved because they are denying God’s grace and bringing judgment on themselves. Receiving grace is very easy, but it is absolutely necessary and cannot be ignored.

In order to receive grace, you must first admit that you are a sinner and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. To be baptized is to bury your old man and your status as sinner. Jesus also buried His status as a descendant of Abraham, and of David, and of a Jew from Nazareth. Baptism is not just a religious ritual. When John the Baptist expressed reluctance to baptize Jesus, He told him, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” In baptism, God’s righteousness is fulfilled. Therefore, anyone who desires grace must be baptized.

The Good Fish and the Bad Fish

Matthew 13:47-50 says, “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Today, many people claim to have received grace. But the Lord will discern whether they have received grace or not. It doesn’t matter how loudly you claim to have  received grace, if you have fear or doubt in your heart concerning your sin, you will not be regarded as one who has received grace.

It is hard for men to distinguish those who are like the good fish from those who are like the bad fish. But when the time comes, two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Ten virgins will be waiting for the bridegroom, five of them will enter the wedding banquet; the others will not. Likewise, those who truly receive grace will be clearly separated from those who only pretend to receive grace.

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:31-33)

Sheep and goats are similar in appearance, so it is difficult to distinguish between them unless you have raised them. But there is one way to easily tell them apart: Sheep eat mostly soft grass, but goats will eat anything, even plastic bags and rubber shoes. Similarly, those who have received grace are only interested in truth, while those who haven’t are more likely to listen to and believe any rumors. They will not filter out the bad things but accept everything they hear as truth, even believing lies and the whole time not recognizing that their souls are dying. It is not easy to distinguish between those who have received grace and those who have not, but God clearly knows.

Good “ICHTHYS” (ΙΧΘΥΣ) Faith

The early Christians who were severely persecuted used secret fish-like symbols to identify each other. In Greek the first letters of the words “Jesus (Ιησους) Christ (Χριστος), God’s (Θεου) Son (Υιος), Savior (Σωτηρ),” spelled out the word ‘ΙΧΘΥΣ’ (ICHTHYS), which means ‘fish’. They used that word because within it was hidden the phrase, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior”, and it was a confession of their faith. This is the justice that God revealed to mankind.

When you ask people, “Do you believe in Jesus?” they usually say, “Yes, I go to church.” But the important thing is not just going to church, but observing the justice that God has established. Our faith is about believing in the name of Jesus. By believing in His name, we have the right to become the children of God. The one who came in the name of Jesus is the Christ whom God sent to give His grace to mankind. He is the Son of God, and He Himself is God. Those who see Him as a mere man cannot enjoy the merit of the Precious Blood. His Blood is the Blood of God. He is the savior. That is the faith of Christians.

To be baptized is to accept the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s finished work. In other words, it is receiving the name of Jesus, confessing that He was sent to die for sinners, believing that He is God, believing that He is the Son of God, and knowing that He is the savior. It is through Him that we accept the grace that God gives us.

After Jesus’ resurrection, when He appeared to His disciples, He asked them for something to eat. They gave Him a piece of fish and He ate it. If you had been one of those who had received grace from Him, you would have been touched by that scene. During the forty days after the resurrection, where had the Lord been staying? Where had He slept? Had He stayed awake at night until the time of the morning dew? How had He satisfied His hunger? Had anyone brought Him any food? When He was traveling, when He was thirsty, when He was hungry, and when He was cold, who had cared for Him?

The Lord is now in heaven and at the appointed time He will return to take us to heaven with Him. Then we will be resurrected and we will meet the Lord in the air. What should we be doing until then?After His resurrection, the Lord was with the disciples for a short time and then He went away. Then the disciples went to the sea of Tiberias to catch fish. After they had fished all night and caught nothing, the Lord appeared to them and told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Then they caught so many fish that their boat was overfilled because of the large number of fish. When they came back to the land, after they recognized that it was the Lord who had told them to cast the net on the other side of the boat, the Lord welcomed them and prepared breakfast for them with some fish and bread. How they must have been touched when they heard His voice saying, “Beloved, are you hungry? Come and eat breakfast!” That is what the Lord does for us. He examines our circumstances and our situation in this manner and prepares all things for us. But what are we doing for the Lord?

Five out of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom neglected their duties and could not enter the marriage banquet. Likewise, today many people claim to have received grace, but it will be revealed in due time those who really belong to Jesus, those who really are followers of Christ, those who really are the people of God, those who really belong to the Son, and those who really trust in the savior. All those who have received grace are like builders. Some will build with gold, others with wood, and others with straw. It is crucially important that your work not be consumed when the quality of your work is tested by fire.

If indeed you have received grace from the Lord, you will be concerned for the Lord’s physical well being while He is staying on earth. ‘Does He have shelter from the rain?’, Does He have enough to eat?’ If you truly consider the Lords’ physical well being, you will not neglect the church, which is His body. What tribulations is the church going through? How are tails and hardships affecting the Lord’s body? If you are truly convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the Savior, you will consider the condition and well being of the church as much as you consider the Lord’s own struggles.

Those who have received grace are like runners who compete in a race. Many people run the race but eventually it will be evident who will receive the prize and who will not. In the end, everything will be clear about these five-Who really loved Jesus? Who really loved Christ? Who really loved God? Who really loved the Son of God? Who really loved the savior? Do not be like a bad fish that has flaws for these five elements. Be like a good fish who is filled with the whole faith.