Thursday: Responsible Assurance
Read Psalm 96:11–13. What is the reason for all creation to rejoice?
Why would anyone cry out “Judge me, O Lord” (Ps. 7:8, NKJV)? The reason is simple. Judgment means salvation: “ Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your power” (Ps. 54:1, NASB). Psalm 26 is a heartbreaking plea for justice and righteousness. David expressed marvelously the idea that God, the Judge, is always on the side of His loyal people and that His judgment is more than desirable (Pss. 26:1, 35:24, 43:1, 54:1). Judgment implies vindication.
So, does the pre-Advent judgment threaten our assurance of salvation? No, because the outcome of this judgment is certain. It is “in favor of the saints” (Dan. 7:22, NKJV). God’s work in the judgment reaffirms our forgiveness and intensifies our assurance by making our sins eternally irrelevant. Judgment is actually another manifestation of the salvation that is ours. The judgment is not the time when God decides to accept or reject us; rather, it is the time when God finalizes our choice of whether or not we have truly accepted Him, a choice revealed by our works.
For the believer, then, judgment increases assurance. To put it more radically, judgment lies at the heart of the doctrine of Christian assurance.
Read Romans 14:10–12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. How should the reality of judgment impact the way in which we live?
To exempt the righteous from judgment is not what the Bible teaches. Though the righteous are vindicated in the judgment and their sins are forever blotted out, the anticipation of the judgment encourages them to live a life of loyalty and accountability. The assurance of salvation is thus accompanied by the motivational impetus for moral behavior. Because God has done so much for us, we love Him and seek to express that love through being faithful in all that He asks of us.
A fellow believer expresses his or her fear of God and especially of the judgment. How can you help that person to understand the good news about the judgment and to develop a personal sense of assurance regarding salvation?
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One can exempt himself from judgement through loving God and living good Christian life.
One can be exempted from being comdemned in the judgement as long as he remains loyal to God. For all will be judged, for some it will be vindication for others comdemnation. Let us pledge by the grace of God that we will be faithful and loyal to Christ comes what may!
Assurance means promise, guarantee. I thank God in this lesson, for I know that I serve a master who is ready to forgive me. I rejoice in him because Judgement is in favor of his saints. So it increases assurances that we are his children. A parent knows what is best for his children.We have been promised and its a blessed assurance. John 1:12. indeed we are his children and let us learn to be faithful in our day to day life.
Everyone needs accountability. I am glad to see the judgment in the texts provided in today's lesson study! Jesus has giving us an abundant life to live, and I pray that I will live it more fully. I am also thankful for His salvation that continues to work until all is accomplished and completed. He gives us such hope for the future.
Praise the Lord! I believe this lesson has just affirmed for me why I should not view the judgement with terror. As a Christian I should welcome the judgement whilst the knowledge propels me to live a life that will stand up to scrutiny.
That being said I shouldn't judge my brother as I am in no better position than he is, we all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
When accepting Christ, I embrace His kind of love, His will, His ways AS WELL AS the work HE does by His Spirit to create in me a clean heart. As EVERYTHING I have is surrendered to Him, His righteousness is mine, He is my substitute because within myself I cannot fulfill the requirements of the law. He won't turn me away because I've made mistakes in my life. I can trust His love and forgiveness for ANY sin.
The problem comes only when sins are favored, and I refuse to consistently confess and forsake them under the power of His Spirit so they aren't overcome. If I prefer any sin, no matter how big or little over God then it's impossible to love and serve Him with my whole heart. Complete surrender and service to God is the foundation of peace.
But God will deliver us. He will keep His promise to rescue us from evil and this sin sick earth, like He delivered Israel from Egypt. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to CLEANSE US from ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. 1 John 1:8-10
Sin got humanity in this mess the first time, there can be no love of sin allowed in heaven a second time. The risk of sin rising up again is not worth taking the chance. From this earth's history, all heaven and earth have experienced the fact that sin is too costly.
So what is God's evidence that the rest of the universe can look to that will satisfy them that God can accurately choose whom (for instance the thief on the cross) to bring into the universe as "safe to save"? The 144,000. By identifying them (think sealing) prior to the time of tribulation and then (for the rest of the universe) seeing them go through that period of the worst temptation ever experienced by mankind without sinning by God's grace will be the evidence they need to know that God can be trusted in the judgment. They then will be satisfied with God's judgment that the thief on the cross will be safe to save. What a privelege it will be to be part of the 144,000.
Oh God is good all the time. God is righteous and deserves to judge.
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Thank lord for your love and your salvation towards me,i understand that i've surrender all because my personal strength is vain,don't fear the judgement because itself is a good news forto reject the burden of sinsand sufferings, entering the kingdom of our god .i berg you to pray a wide praying including me justin.