Two truths that have been set forth are Biblically evident. First, a person's works, words, and thoughts will be examined on the Day of Judgment; and second, witnesses will stand and testify against any and all excuses you may wish to offer on that dreadful day.
How many of our works, words, and thoughts will be examined on that day? I would personally like to think that all the sins I committed that have been forgiven will not be mentioned. There are even verses that seem to indicate this, such as the following:
1) Isaiah 38:17 - "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."
2) Micah 7:19 - "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
3) Psalm 103:12 - " As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
When I read these verses, it sure seems to me that my past sins that have been forgiven will be placed in places that will never be dug up again. It appears that places like "behind God's back," "in the depths of the sea," and "as far as the east is from the west," are places I won't have to worry about!
However, there are other scriptures that indicate that EVERY work, word, and thought will be brought up at the final judgment. Consider the following:
1) Matthew 12:36 - "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
2) Ecclesiastes 12:14 - " For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
So, which is it? Will we give account of all of our works, or just some of them? The fact is this: the above verses that speak of sins being removed deal with those who are saved. The verses that deal with every work being judged deal with the lost. But know this: Romans 14:12 states clearly that "...every one of us shall give account of himself to God." That is the important thing, and it affects every one of us.
Picture this: You are standing before God. The books are opened. Your works are examined, both the good and the bad. After the books (the record of your works) have been opened, God has three last witnesses that come forward. They are named in I John 5:8 -
"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."
These are God's witness that testify to every lost person in the world NOW. All of God's witnesses DEMAND a response. You will respond one way or another. You are not neutral. You are for Him or against Him. You are a sheep or a goat. You are saved or lost. No in-betweens. No fence-straddling. And when God's witnesses on the earth testify to you, you will meet them again at the Judgment.
"The Spirit" is the witness of God's Spirit, the Holy Ghost, in this world. He convicts you of your sins, letting you know that you are lost, and you need a Saviour. You may be atheistic in thought, but very few atheists (probably none of them) are really that stupid. When the atheist says in his heart that there is no God, God's Spirit has spoken to them in a still, small voice, saying, "You know better than that." When God's spirit deals with anyone about being saved, it is that person's responsibility to RESPOND to Him by yielding, turning his life over to Jesus Christ, and making Christ Lord of his life.
"The water" is the Word of God. Note Ephesians 5:26 - "That he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word." God's Word is testifying to you in this life. When you hear a gospel message, the truth presented in a blog, a gospel tract, or simply someone living the precepts of the Bible in front of you, the Word of God is testifying to you, and you will meet this witness again on the Day of Judgment.
"The blood" is the witness of the blood of Jesus Christ. When the message of His atoning blood is presented to you, you will respond one way or the other. Everyone responds to the blood of Jesus. The day that Jesus was crucified, everyone that was present on that day witnessing the execution was moved one way or another. Pilate said, "I am innocent of this blood." The Jews said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." The Judas betrayed innocent blood. One thief mocked the blood of Christ; the other was washed in the blood of Christ. But NO ONE WAS NEUTRAL. Everyone responded to the blood, and now you must do the same. Christ died to pay for your sins and appease the wrath of the Father. Will you trust His blood to save you today, or will you reject the blood of Jesus? The blood will meet you again at the Judgment.
So, there you are, standing before God. Your works have been examined. Suppose that the Father looks at you after all your deeds have undergone examination. Suppose He says this: "I am willing to put away every sin you ever committed, if you responded correctly to my three witnesses while you were living on the earth." Then, the Father calls the Spirit to testify. He asks, "Did **** respond to you correctly when you dealt with his/her heart to be saved?" Will the Spirit testify for you or against you? Then, the Father calls the water (or the Word of God) to the stand to testify. The Father asks, "Did **** respond to the Word by believing it or rejecting it?" Will the Word of God testify for you or against you? Then, the blood of Jesus will cry out. The Father's next question is simply "Did **** respond correctly to the blood of Jesus Christ?" What will the blood of Jesus testify concerning you? The Father doesn't want anyone to be cast into the lake of fire. He is willing to forgive every sin you've ever committed, but you must rightly respond to the Spirit, the water, and the blood. If you fail to do so, there's nothing else but the Father to do. One final book will be opened - the book of life. Revelation 20:15 - "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The good news is this: If you will respond right to the Spirit, the water, and the blood, every sin will be forgiven, and you will obtain eternal life in spite of anything you have said, done, or thought. The blood of Jesus Christ washes every sin! Why not respond correctly RIGHT NOW? Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, washing your sins away in His precious blood. He will save you, and He'll cast every sin into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered against you again! Be saved today!
How many of our works, words, and thoughts will be examined on that day? I would personally like to think that all the sins I committed that have been forgiven will not be mentioned. There are even verses that seem to indicate this, such as the following:
1) Isaiah 38:17 - "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."
2) Micah 7:19 - "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
3) Psalm 103:12 - " As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
When I read these verses, it sure seems to me that my past sins that have been forgiven will be placed in places that will never be dug up again. It appears that places like "behind God's back," "in the depths of the sea," and "as far as the east is from the west," are places I won't have to worry about!
However, there are other scriptures that indicate that EVERY work, word, and thought will be brought up at the final judgment. Consider the following:
1) Matthew 12:36 - "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
2) Ecclesiastes 12:14 - " For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
So, which is it? Will we give account of all of our works, or just some of them? The fact is this: the above verses that speak of sins being removed deal with those who are saved. The verses that deal with every work being judged deal with the lost. But know this: Romans 14:12 states clearly that "...every one of us shall give account of himself to God." That is the important thing, and it affects every one of us.
Picture this: You are standing before God. The books are opened. Your works are examined, both the good and the bad. After the books (the record of your works) have been opened, God has three last witnesses that come forward. They are named in I John 5:8 -
"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."
These are God's witness that testify to every lost person in the world NOW. All of God's witnesses DEMAND a response. You will respond one way or another. You are not neutral. You are for Him or against Him. You are a sheep or a goat. You are saved or lost. No in-betweens. No fence-straddling. And when God's witnesses on the earth testify to you, you will meet them again at the Judgment.
"The Spirit" is the witness of God's Spirit, the Holy Ghost, in this world. He convicts you of your sins, letting you know that you are lost, and you need a Saviour. You may be atheistic in thought, but very few atheists (probably none of them) are really that stupid. When the atheist says in his heart that there is no God, God's Spirit has spoken to them in a still, small voice, saying, "You know better than that." When God's spirit deals with anyone about being saved, it is that person's responsibility to RESPOND to Him by yielding, turning his life over to Jesus Christ, and making Christ Lord of his life.
"The water" is the Word of God. Note Ephesians 5:26 - "That he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word." God's Word is testifying to you in this life. When you hear a gospel message, the truth presented in a blog, a gospel tract, or simply someone living the precepts of the Bible in front of you, the Word of God is testifying to you, and you will meet this witness again on the Day of Judgment.
"The blood" is the witness of the blood of Jesus Christ. When the message of His atoning blood is presented to you, you will respond one way or the other. Everyone responds to the blood of Jesus. The day that Jesus was crucified, everyone that was present on that day witnessing the execution was moved one way or another. Pilate said, "I am innocent of this blood." The Jews said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." The Judas betrayed innocent blood. One thief mocked the blood of Christ; the other was washed in the blood of Christ. But NO ONE WAS NEUTRAL. Everyone responded to the blood, and now you must do the same. Christ died to pay for your sins and appease the wrath of the Father. Will you trust His blood to save you today, or will you reject the blood of Jesus? The blood will meet you again at the Judgment.
So, there you are, standing before God. Your works have been examined. Suppose that the Father looks at you after all your deeds have undergone examination. Suppose He says this: "I am willing to put away every sin you ever committed, if you responded correctly to my three witnesses while you were living on the earth." Then, the Father calls the Spirit to testify. He asks, "Did **** respond to you correctly when you dealt with his/her heart to be saved?" Will the Spirit testify for you or against you? Then, the Father calls the water (or the Word of God) to the stand to testify. The Father asks, "Did **** respond to the Word by believing it or rejecting it?" Will the Word of God testify for you or against you? Then, the blood of Jesus will cry out. The Father's next question is simply "Did **** respond correctly to the blood of Jesus Christ?" What will the blood of Jesus testify concerning you? The Father doesn't want anyone to be cast into the lake of fire. He is willing to forgive every sin you've ever committed, but you must rightly respond to the Spirit, the water, and the blood. If you fail to do so, there's nothing else but the Father to do. One final book will be opened - the book of life. Revelation 20:15 - "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The good news is this: If you will respond right to the Spirit, the water, and the blood, every sin will be forgiven, and you will obtain eternal life in spite of anything you have said, done, or thought. The blood of Jesus Christ washes every sin! Why not respond correctly RIGHT NOW? Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, washing your sins away in His precious blood. He will save you, and He'll cast every sin into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered against you again! Be saved today!
