Tuesday: Religion of the Heart
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God
(Rom. 14:12).
So much of the book of Jeremiah is directed toward the nation as a whole. Time and again he talked about Israel and Judah corporately, as God’s choice vine
(Jer. 2:21, NIV), or the beloved
of the Lord (Jer. 11:15, Jer. 12:7), God’s own heritage
(Jer. 12:7-9), His vineyard
(Jer. 12:10) and His flock
(Jer. 13:17). Without doubt, in the book we get a sense of the corporate nature of the Lord’s calling to this nation.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Of course, it’s the same in the New Testament, where time and again the church is understood in a corporate sense (see Eph. 1:22, Eph. 3:10, Eph. 5:27).
Yet salvation is personal, not a corporate issue. We are not saved as package deals. As with the New Testament church, the nation of Judah was composed of individuals, and it’s here, at the level of the individual, that the real crucial issues arise. The famous text in Deuteronomy 6:5, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength
(NKJV), though spoken to the nation as a whole, is written in the singular second person. That is, the you
in each case is the singular; God is talking to each one individually. In the end, each one of us, personally, will have to give an account of ourselves to God.
We find that same thing in Jeremiah as well.
What do the following texts say about the importance of a personal, individual walk with the Lord?
Though both Testaments of the Bible talk about the corporate nature of God’s church, true faith is a matter of each person, himself or herself, making a daily surrender to the Lord, a personal choice to walk in faith and obedience.
Though there’s no question that we are each individually responsible for our own souls, how can we make sure that we are doing everything we can to uplift and encourage others? Whom do you know, right now, that you can say some kind and uplifting words to?
(23)
its true that God will judge everybody individually even the faith of Moses could not save his children, the faith of Noah could not save a nation so we should struggle to keep our hearts close to God individually
In both the Old and New Testament the chosen people of God, and ultimately those who choose Him are referred to as the Lord’s partner in marriage (Hosea 2:19). Jehovah’s main charge against the group which throughout time has taken His name is unfaithfulness to the marriage vow (Isaiah 4:1; Ezekiel 16:30).
Over and over both literal and spiritual Israel have been caught in adultery or fornication by a jealous God (Jeremiah 3:6-10; Revelation 14:8). The Lord had the prophet Hosea live out the experience to express in human terms divine hurt; but even that seem to some unreal or of little import (Hosea 1-4).
Ultimately Jehovah will get His wish. Said the apostle Paul, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).
Still some doubt the church will be marked by purity and simplicity someday, especially when the majority seem to track the hottest trend and chase the latest fad (Ephesians 5:26-27). According to scripture a remnant will be redeemed (Matthew 22:14).
The people have been so accustomed to sinning it is hard to imagine otherwise (Jeremiah 13:23). Nonetheless the faithful may trust the word of the Lord (Jude 1:24) and be numbered among those who are called chaste, being separate and separated from the harlotry of Babylon (Revelation 14:3-5).
To be found faultless each will have to take the course of the five wise virgins (Matthew 25:4-9). The faithful allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify the heart by the word of God and develop a godly character (oil) which is not transferrable between individuals. They are declared fit for the bridegroom (Matthew 25:10) and preserved a place in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-3).
In the past, the sin made by other affected others, even, their entire generation...Thank God for stating that, a soul that sineth, he shall die.. This also means that, my righteousness can never cover other people..salvation is personal. Have mercy on us, Oh Lord.
We are not better than isrieites,, we need to watch our impunities, or lather we perish like many did in the wildernes
let each individual examine his or her personal contanct with God
We need to preach this now more than ever, at the end of the day its not which church you went to or the standing of your church in the society. The hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such.
The following quote also speaks volumes with respect to how much we really need to INDIVIDUALLY seek after the way of life:
“In the struggle for eternal life, we cannot lean upon another. The bread of life must be eaten by each one. Individually we must partake of it, that soul, body, and mind may be revived and strengthened by its transforming power.” TM 385
Very true salvation is for one.
l can not be saved because my fathere's faith.
God created each and every one in His own image and as individuals. So we are individuals together in the the church; the different parts of one body talked about in the Bible. And because of that, the LORD deals with us individually according to our character or gifts He has bestowed upon us.The strength of the church is defined by individual characters, the reason why God requires us to 'carry our crosses' to Him where He promises redemption. The glory is the LORD's.