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The Poison of Gossip – Part 1

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In a book that I read titled Resisting Gossip, the author defined sinful gossip as “bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart.” Though the sin of gossip seems pretty trivial, it is actually a sin that is both infectious and poisonous. It spiritually harms the gossiper, the one being gossiped to, and the one being gossiped about. This particular sin has the capability of ruining individual friendships as well as entire communities. It can separate close friends and it can also split churches in two. In all honesty, gossip is much like a small fire. Though it is small in its beginnings, it has the ability to set a whole forest ablaze.

Gossip is like Junk Food

Though gossip is both infectious and poisonous, we often find our sinful hearts eager to partake in this particular sin. Proverbs teaches us that our hearts are eager to participate in the sin of gossip because “the words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts” (18:8; 26:22). Choice morsels are like junk food – tidbits of unhealthy food that are easy to consume because they are so incredibly delicious.

So the words of gossip are like that bag of potato chips in our pantry, or that box of Sour Patch kids on our coffee table. We know that both potato chips and Sour Patch kids are incredibly bad for us. Whenever our eyes see them, however, it is not long before our palate begins to savor them. Self control and discipline become things of the past. And before long, our inmost parts feel the terrible consequences of such indulgence! And this is exactly how gossip is. Even though we know gossip is wicked and evil, our hearts love gossip. Gossip is delightful to the ears, rousing to the brain, and gratifying to the sinful flesh.

Who’s Guilty of Gossip?

First, the gossiper is guilty. This is clear throughout both the Old and the New Testament. The book of Proverbs constantly speaks of the evil of gossip (Prov. 11:13; 18:8; 20:19; 26:22). Throughout the Old Testament, gossip and slander are often used interchangeably. Within the New Testament, gossip is always listed within the sin lists (Ro. 1:28-32; 2 Cor. 12:20). And throughout these sin lists, gossip is always listed right next to slander. As you can see, the same sinful heart that leads to slander is the same evil heart that leads to gossip.

And secondly, the one gossiped to is guilty. Proverbs says, “Wrong doers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander” (17:4). Honestly, if wrong doers weren’t so eager to listen to gossip, then people wouldn’t gossip! In light of this, Spurgeon said, “In slander as well as robbery, the receiver is as bad as the thief. If there were not gratified hearers of ill reports, there would be an end of the trade of spreading them.” Thus, it is clear that those listening to gossip are in sin.

You May Be Gossiping If . . . .

First, you are gossiping if you are sharing inaccurate information about somebody else. So, if you are unknowingly sharing lies about somebody else then it is gossip. This means that you can genuinely believe that what you are saying is true. However, if what you are saying isn’t actually true, then you are still guilty of gossip. And if you are knowingly sharing lies about somebody else then it is slander!

Secondly, you are gossiping if you are sharing bad news about somebody else. This is when you are actually telling other people truthful things about another person that should not be told. So you are not spreading lies, but are speaking about truths that should only be known within a small inner circle of people. For example, a friend tells you that they committed sexual immorality with their fiancé. That information is to stay between the two of you. However, you, being eager to tell others, tell somebody else about it. This is gossip. And as the book of Proverbs says, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (11:13).

Thirdly, you are gossiping if you are sharing bad news for somebody else. This is when you share bad news that should exclusively be for another person. For example, you overhear that Jane is going to divorce her husband because he doesn’t make her happy anymore. The husband has no idea that his wife is going to divorce him. And even though he does not know, you begin to tell other people. Before long, he is the only one that does not know about this bad news that should have been exclusively for him. This, too, is gossip.

Different Types of Gossipers

The Grumbler

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Pr. 16:28).

The Hebrew word translated as gossip hear literally means a “grumbler or complainer.” These people gossip by grumbling. They are usually upset by something that somebody else said or did, so they seek to get other people just as upset at that person as they are. They usually cover up this type of gossip by saying, “I just need to vent,” or “I just need to get this off my chest.” Then they relentlessly spew out things about a certain person in such a way that other people will dislike them as much as they dislike them! This is the goal of the grumbler.

And make no mistake, this type of gossip has a profound impact on how others view the person they are gossiping about. Regarding this Bridges said, “The thought indulged only for a moment brings suspicion, distrust, coldness; and often it ends in the separation of chief friends.” The people we gossip to may never view the person we gossip about in a favorable manner ever again. That is a scary thought. Personally, I think that this is the type of gossip that we, as Christians, struggle with most.

The Spy

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (Pr. 11:13).

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much” (Pr. 20:19).

The Hebrew word translated as gossip here literally means “an informer or peddler of secrets.” These people are spies. They listen to each conversation, gather in a great deal of information, and then use this information to their own advantage. This is what spies do, right?

Spies accumulate vast amounts of information on both friends and foes because they know that information is power. At some point, they know that they can wield the information they have accumulated to their own advantage. This is how these gossipers are. For them, knowledge is power. They gather in as much information about people as possible so that they can share this information to whomever they want whenever they want to their own selfish advantage.

The Backstabber

This type of gossiper is the one we usually think about when we think about gossip. This is the person that desires revenge. In their desire for revenge they begin to expose falsehoods and shameful truths about a person. They spitefully do this in order to damage the other person’s reputation as much as possible.

The Chameleon

If you know what a chameleon is then you know where this is going. A chameleon is a lizard that changes colors based on its environment. Therefore, a gossiper who is a chameleon is a gossiper that gets in on gossiping about a particular person simply because other people are doing it. In fear of losing people’s approval, the chameleon jumps in with a little gossip to win people’s favor. It is important to note that the chameleon can also be identified as an individual that is being entertained or laughing at certain gossip. So, they may not verbally say anything about a person, but they are still sinfully partaking in what is being said.

The Busybody

“But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not” (1 Timothy 5:11-13).

The busybody is the person that does not have any affairs of their own, so they get involved in the affairs of others. Rather than doing something that is profitable and useful, they simply make gossiping about other people their form of entertainment.

To Be Continued!

This blog was meant to make us aware of the sin of gossip. In my next blog I will address how we can put gossip to death. My hope is that these two blogs will aid us in a living in a manner worthy of the gospel. Click here to read the next blog!

A Holy Talker for Jesus

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We get into conversations with people all throughout the day. We speak with our family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. We speak about sports, work, memories, food, what happened last week, how our day is going, and what we hope happens next week. This is simply how we live as people made in the image of God. We converse!
Here is the thing though, as Christians, we do not merely want to be in conversations with people. Rather, we want to be in profitable conversations with people.

What is the difference?

When I say merely a conversation, I am talking about the conversations I mentioned earlier. I am talking about talking with somebody about sports, work, memories, food, what happened last week, how our day is going, and what we hope happens next week. These are merely conversations.

Now, do not get me wrong, these types of conversations are not bad, but they ought not be the end for which our conversations are aimed!

Rather, the end of our conversing is to spiritually profit the hearer. A conversation that has the things of God in it, speaks about Christ, speaks about certain aspects of a Christian worldview, or other holy and profitable things! This is what we ought to be aiming for in our conversations with people.

How do we do this?

  1. You have to enter into conversations with the desire to accomplish something.
  2. You have to view yourself as responsible for the way the conversation goes. You are the rudder and the conversation is the ship. You ought to be seeking to steer and guide the conversation to a profitable end.
  3. You must be a watchman. If you are going to steer the conversation to something that is profitable then you have to look for open paths to steer it into. You have to have discernment regarding when to bring up holy things and when not to, and when to keep talking about holy things and when to stop.
  4. You have to be a good question asker. Questions direct entire conversations. So, if you want to be the one in the driver’s seat of these conversations, you must ask good questions that guide the conversation to your own end.
  5. Once you bring up holy things, make sure that it is natural to go from holy things to casual talk to holy things. So, do not be scared to talk about whatever it is that they desire to talk about! If you go from mentioning something about Christ and then back to football that is perfectly okay. Keep talking with them about football until you have another opportunity to weave the gospel in there.
  6. Do not have an authoritative or “preachy” tone. This type of tone automatically makes the other person feel as though the conversation has ended and your lecture has begun. Therefore, speak to them with the same tone and manner that you were using throughout the earlier parts of your conversation.
  7. Do this with both believers and unbelievers. Do this with believers for their edification and conformity into the image of Christ, and do this with unbelievers so that they might know and believe in Christ.
  8. Do not feel like the conversation always has to be about Jesus, only about Jesus, and filled with Jesus. You can talk about other aspects of the Christian life too (something you read in the Bible, something you read in a book, aspects of a Christian worldview, etc.).
  9. Remember that this is something that will become more natural the more often you do it. You have to work at this!

Wisdom from Spurgeon

Spurgeon, when speaking about this topic, gave an illustration that is helpful. As Spurgeon was out and about one day, he came across a man driving a very large truck with a very small package in the back of it. This looked odd to Spurgeon and made him a bit curious so he spoke to the man saying, “It looks odd to see so large a truck for such a small load.” The man turned to Spurgeon and said, “Yes, sir, it is a very odd thing; but do you know I have met with an odder thing than that this very day. I’ve been about, working and sweating all this ‘ere blessed day, and till now I haven’t met a single gentleman that looked as if he’d give me a pint of beer, till I saw you.”

Spurgeon was amazed at how easily and smoothly this man turned the conversation towards his own end…..that end being getting a pint of beer! It then occurred to Spurgeon that if he had been more eager to turn that conversation to what he was interested in, holy things, rather than allowing that man to turn that conversation to his own end, that pint of beer, he would have been able to say something profitable to him. Spurgeon, as he reflected on this, said, “If by any means we may save some, we must, like our Lord, talk at table to good purpose—yes, and on the margin of the well, and by the road, and on the seashore, and in the house, and in the field.” He then concluded, “To be a holy talker for Jesus might be almost as fruitful an office as to be a faithful preacher!” That’s a striking statement coming from a man that church history regards as the “Prince of Preachers”.

An Example

Lastly, I just want to give you an example of what this type of conversation looks like from my own life.

As I was taking out the trash the other week, I ran into my next-door neighbors while they were sitting on the back porch. We started a conversation with each other much like many other conversations you would have throughout the day. I asked, “Hey, how are you doing?” They said, “Fine, how about you?” At some point in the conversation I asked them how their schooling was going. They both are in law school so inevitably they said it was tough. I told them that I know how it is because I am getting my masters and it has been a tough semester.

This sparked their attention so they asked me, “Where are you going to school?” I told them that I was attending a seminary in Wake Forest. One of them piped up saying, “That sounds religious.” Then I began to tell them about how I was getting a theological education, and that I am currently in a class that traces out the progression of orthodox theology throughout church history. One of them mentioned that my class sounded interesting because he enjoys reading history. I then used this as an opportunity to talk about how the doctrine of the trinity that we currently espouse today as Christians was debated, argued, and settled on over many years. This allowed me to talk about many different aspects of the gospel.

The conversation then turned to their years serving in the military overseas, some of the things they saw, Islam, and many other things. I tried to hang with them the best I could until another opportunity arose for me to speak about Christ. I then decided to use Islam as an opportunity. I talked about the different views Muslims have regarding Christ, and how the Christian understanding of Christ is entirely different and historically reliable. This once again allowed me to weave the gospel into the conversation.

The conversation went on longer than this and was very enjoyable, but I tell you all this just to give you an example of how I was trying to steer this conversation to profitable ends. I enjoyed talking about their law school, time in the military, and other things that were going on in their lives, but I was intentionally seeking to navigate the waters of this conversation to a point where I could speak about Christ. Therefore, when they were talking about schooling, I brought up my schooling. When they mentioned Islam, I brought up the difference between Muslims and Christians regarding the person of Christ. This was intentional. I wanted them to hear a little bit about our Lord!

Conclusion

So, as you go throughout your day and find yourself in conversations, seek to accomplish something. Strive to steer and navigate that conversation to a profitable end. Strive to be a holy talker for Jesus! By doing this you will be able to introduce unbelievers to our resurrected Savior, to a Christian that is not super awkward talking about the Lord, and other aspects of Christianity that they have never seen. You will also be able to contribute, by the power of the Spirit, to other brothers and sisters conformity into the image of Christ our Lord.

We, Too, Shall Rise

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Easter Sunday is quickly approaching. On Resurrection Sunday Christians all over the world are going to gather together to celebrate Christ’s glorious victory over death. In light of this, I just wanted to write a blog about how our resurrection is directly tied to the resurrection of Christ. In other words, because our Lord rose from the dead, we too shall rise from the dead.

This truth is seen throughout the Bible . . . especially in 1 Corinthians 15. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul even tells us what our resurrection bodies are going to be like Christ’s resurrection body – pretty awesome! Before we get to the description of the resurrection body, let’s look at the context of this great chapter.

The Problem

Some people within Corinth were denying the bodily resurrection of Christians. They were saying that Christ had been raised from the dead, but that Christians will not be raised from the dead. This is why Paul says, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor. 15:12)?

Those in Corinth could not wrap their minds around the fact that Christians are going to receive a physical resurrection body upon the return of Christ. This was probably due to the popular belief that a person’s spirit was good, but that a person’s body was evil. If they had this mindset then receiving a physical resurrection body upon the return of Christ would not make any sence to them. They were probably thinking, “Why have a pure spirit reunited with an evil body?”

The Argument

Throughout 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is destroying this unbiblical thinking. He begins by saying that the most important aspect of his teaching ministry was that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and then resurrected bodily (1 Cor. 15:3). Then he shows the Corinthians that many people witnessed Christ’s resurrected body (1 Cor. 15:5-9). He goes on to explain to them that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised from the dead. And if Christ has not raised from the dead, then everything we do is in vain (1 Cor. 15:12-19). What a dreadful thought!

Praise God that this is not the case though. Christ most certainly rose from the dead. And because He rose from the dead, we too will rise from the dead. He is the first-fruits of the resurrection. As the first-fruits of the resurrection, Christ received His resurrected body first. Those who are in Christ will receive a similar resurrection body later on (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Then Paul pretty much says, “Since my resurrection is tied to the resurrection of Christ, I risk my life every single day for Christ’s sake” (1 Cor. 15:30-34).

The Question

At this point in Paul’s argument, he is supposing that there is going to be some wise guy among the Corinthians that will ask a question saying, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? How in the world does a rotten and decaying corpse resurrect? That would be a bit ridiculous and horrifying!” (1 Cor. 15:35). Even though these seem to be pretty legit questions to us, Paul thought differently. He basically responds saying, “You foolish person! This is not far-fetched, so quit talking like it would be! This kind of thing happens all the time. What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (1 Cor. 15:36).

A Lesson from Agriculture

Paul then begins to give the Corinthians a lesson in agriculture. He tells them to go to the farmer and watch him sow seed. The seed he sows goes into the ground, dies, begins to decay, and then, from that decay, becomes a beautiful harvest. Thus, that stock of wheat that sprouts from the ground comes from the seed you sowed. Paul’s striving to emphasize the continuity and difference of the sown seed.

There is continuity between the seed and the stock of wheat. That specific stock of wheat actually came from that specific seed you sowed! However, there is difference as well. That specific stock of wheat sure looks a lot different than the seed you sowed.

And this is how the resurrection body works. My current body is the seed, and the resurrection body is the body that will be upon the return of Christ. There will be continuity. I will be Philip. It will be this body that I am in as I am typing this blog. However, there will be a difference. My resurrection body will be way better than my current body.

A Lesson from Creation

After this, Paul tells them to look at the many different bodies that we see on a day to day basis. Look at the body of a human, the body of a fish, and the body of a bird. They all have different bodies. God does this intentionally and easily. Then Paul tells them to look at the stars in the heavens. Star differs from star in glory (1 Cor. 15:41). Some are big and some are small. Some are brighter than others.

Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that God gives different bodies for different reasons. He wants us to understand that this is how it is with the resurrection of the dead. The body that we are currently in is made for this world. However, God will give us another body upon the return of Christ. Though it will have continuity with this current body, it will also be different. The resurrection body will be made for the world that is to come. It is at this point that Paul explains how our current bodies are different than our future resurrection bodies that God is going to graciously give us – this is one of my favorite biblical passages!

1 Corinthians 15:42 “What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.”

Our current body is a perishable body. The older you get the more this verse will resonate with you. Your hair-line begins to recede, your teeth begin to decay, and your bones begin to ache. Some of us will undoubtedly be diagnosed with a terminal disease that’ll makes our body wither like a fall leaf as it approaches winter. And even those of us who are healthy will inevitably breathe our last breath and be lowered six feet beneath the surface of the earth. Our bodies will continue to perish even after we die. Worms and maggots will treat our body like a five star buffet until nothing but our bones are left. This is how God has made these earthly bodies that we have. He has sown bodies that are perishable.

However, this perishable body will be resurrected as an imperishable body. It will be a body that will never notice the beginning of a receding hair line, and it will never feel the effects of a rotting tooth. This resurrection body will have ears that never lose their capacity to hear. You will never have to hear a doctor as he gives a diagnosis for a terminal disease. This imperishable body will never see a coffin again, nor will it ever have to frequent a cemetery. It will never have to mourn at the loss of a loved one. No, God is going to give us a body that will be imperishable. And after 10,000 years of enjoying perfect fellowship with Jesus and other believers on the New Earth in this imperishable body, we will look as we first did when we rose up out of the grave. As Spurgeon puts it, “In heaven every nerve of the new body shall cry, ‘Immortality.’”

1 Corinthians 15:43 “It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.”

This body is dishonorable. Because of Adam’s sin, it has lost its state of honor and dignity. Just how dishonorable is this body? Think about this . . . God gave us this body to honor him, but we have used it to perpetually sin against him. In perpetually sinning against him, we waged war against Him with the very body he gave us. Then, while we were at enmity with him, God, in His great love for us, reconciled us to Himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And even after He justified us, adopted us, and placed His Holy Spirit in us, we still sinned against him. Then, after years and years of walking with Christ and progressively being made holy by the Spirit, we will continue to commit sins against our heavenly Father. Sadly, even up to the moment of death, we are going to be dishonoring God with some type of sin. As you can see, this body is sown in dishonor.

However, this dishonorable body is going to be raised a glorious body. Our resurrection bodies will be so glorious that we will never even conceive of sinning against our Heavenly Father or our blessed Savior. Instead of sinning, we are going to radiate with the glory of God. We are going to shine like the brightness of the sky above, like the stars in the heavens (Dn. 12:3). And like Christ said, we are going to shine like the sun in the kingdom of our father (Mt. 13:43). This dishonorable body that is destined to return to dust will one day rise up out of the grave like the morning sun in all of it brilliance. As John Newton says in his hymn:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Then when we’ve first begun.

1 Corinthians 15:43 “It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”

These bodies that God has sown are also weak. We get wearied and tired easily. We run a mile and are worn out. We put in a day’s worth of work and need to go to bed. We study for a test and we get mentally exhausted. Another aspect of this is that we seek to work hard, our bodies get tired, and we end up injuring something. We play baseball, get hit by a pitch, and end up bruising. And when we are near the end of this life, we are so weak that we cannot take care of ourselves. Other people have to tend to us. And the ultimate weakness of this body is most evident when we die, for we cannot even bury ourselves. Our family and friends must do it for us!

But these weak bodies that God has sown are going to be raised up as powerful bodies. We will be able to run miles upon miles without growing weary. We will be able to work for years upon years without growing faint. In all our endeavors, we will neither wear out nor rust out.

Our bodies will be able to do anything that our minds conceive of. If we look at the highest mountain and desire to climb it, our bodies will prove to be mighty enough to do it. If we look down into the deepest valley and desire to scale it, our bodies will prove powerful enough to do it. And after we do all that our minds conceive of, our body will be ready to go again. To a body that is raised up in power, exhaustion and fatigue will be a foreign concept.

1 Corinthians 15:44 “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

The bodies that we have now are natural bodies. They are like Adam’s body in every way. This means our bodies are made for this current earth. We could put it like this: these natural bodies we have are made for this natural realm that we are in. Though these bodies work for us here, they will not work for us in the life that is to come when we are on the New Earth.

Since this is the case, our resurrection bodies will be spiritual bodies. God will graciously give us spiritual bodies for the spiritual realm that we will be living in. Essentially, it will be like the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. Christ’s resurrection body was wonderful. He could eat and drink. He could touch and be touched. And he could also walk through walls and ascend into the heavens!

Now we do not know exactly how much our resurrection bodies will be like Christ’s resurrection body. Christ may be able to do more with his resurrection body than we will be able to do with ours. However, we do know with utmost certainty that our resurrection body will be like His to some extent.

This is the resurrection body that God has promised to his people. Therefore, if you are a child of God, this is the resurrection body that you are guaranteed by a loving God who cannot lie! With that in mind, think about this quote from Thomas Watson: “The body shall rise again; we are not so sure to rise out of our beds—as we are to rise out of our graves.”

Application

There are many ways to apply this. Paul applies this passage beautifully in 1 Corinthians 15:58 when he says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” In other words, if Christ is going to return, defeat death, and give us resurrection bodies then we should be overflowing in good works!

We can also get a good idea of how to apply this by looking at how this truth impacted Martin Luther during a significant trial he faced. Martin Luther, the German reformer, had a little 14-year-old daughter named Magdalena that he loved dearly. As a plague was making its way through Germany, Magdalena fell into its grasp. This was one of the lowest points in Luther’s life.

Watching his little 14-year-old daughter suffer from this deadly plague was hard. He was constantly petitioning God to take away her pain. And then, one day, the Lord ended her suffering by way of death. Luther’s Magdalena breathed her last breath, and she went home to be with her Heavenly Father. Her earthly father, however, was left to weep by her bedside.

Even though Luther was absolutely devastated, he still had an unshakable hope. And the unshakable hope that he had was grounded in the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. When the carpenters were nailing down the lid of Magdalena’s coffin, he screamed, “Hammer away! On doomsday she’ll rise again.” Because of Christ’s resurrection, Luther knew that Magdalena’s cold, lifeless body would one day rise up an imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual body. As you can see, the resurrection of the dead changes everything!

The Signs of a Sluggard

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Shining a Light on This Deceptive Sin

I taught some college students earlier this summer about the sin of sluggishness. I did this by going through the book of Proverbs and pointing out certain signs of a sluggard so that we, as Christians, can better determine whether we have fallen pray to the sin of laziness.

In this teaching, I separated the signs of a sluggard into two categories. The signs of a secular sluggard and the signs of a spiritual sluggard. The reason I did this is because it is possible to be a secular sluggard without being a spiritual sluggard. For example, when I was an infant in Christ, I was plowing through Scripture, evangelizing, going to Bible studies, and reading books. However, my theology and my faith had not matured to the point where I saw the importance of glorifying God in my “secular activities” like school work, baseball, weed eating ditches, etc. So, I was diligently doing the overt spiritual things, but I was a sluggard in common, everyday activities. 

Also, it is possible to be a sluggard in spiritual things but to be diligent in secular things. There are many people who are driven, work hard, and are highly successful in the common, everyday activities like schooling, vocation, working out, keeping up the yard, etc. However, these same people are sluggards in regards to overtly spiritual things like serving in the church, reading the Bible, discipling somebody, prayer, putting sin to death, pursuing righteousness, etc. 

So, with this blog I will attempt to do the same thing I did with the college students earlier this summer. I am going to point out the signs of both the secular sluggard and the spiritual sluggard seeking to bring this deceptive sin to light so that we can repent of it, put it to death, and pursue diligent labor for the Lord in the whole of life. This will lead us to adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of a twisted and idle generation.

Signs of a Secular Sluggard

First, a secular sluggard has trouble starting his work.

They look at very important tasks and consistently put them off for the sake of their own comfort and leisure. So, they know that they ought to get started on a specific task. Other people are aware that they ought to get started. Yet, it is much more pleasing to them personally to rest, watch television, listen to music, play video games, etc. This is exactly what’s being communicated in Proverbs 24:30-34.

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. 

This sluggard knows that he ought to get out and take care of his vineyard, uprooting the weeds, and rebuilding the broken-down walls, but the sluggard is more concerned about sleep. He doesn’t want to get up and go to work because present rest seems far more pleasing to him.

And you also have Proverbs 21:25:

The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 

So, the sluggard has desires just like everyone else, yet he refuses to labor to get to the point where he can satisfy his desires! 

At this point, It is important to note that the sluggard is also the person that has a really important task to do (let’s say write a paper). Yet, because they do not want to put forth the hard work of writing the paper, they assuage their consciences by becoming busybodies doing menial task that are not nearly as significant (checking email, washing dishes, cleaning the car, etc.). 

So, the sluggard is not necessarily just resting while he puts off work. The sluggard could also be busy doing other things while he puts off the main thing because the main thing is the most difficult thing! I see this type of laziness all too often in my own life. Since I am so task oriented, I am always consistently doing something. However, my sluggishness is evident in the fact that I am not always doing the task that I ought to be doing! 

Alright, so that’s the first sign of a sluggard. He has a hard time starting the work that he knows he ought to be starting!

Secondly, since the sluggard has trouble starting work, he is prone to makes excuses so that he doesn’t have to start work.

This is what the Proverbs are communicating when they say:

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” Proverbs 22:13 

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” Proverbs 26:13 

So this sluggard is saying that he will not go outside to work because there is a lion in the streets that will kill him. First off, you don’t really come across a lion in a city street! The street was a place of commerce, people, markets, city life, etc. The sluggard knows this, however, because he refuses to start work, he makes excuses to justify his laziness. Charles Bridges said:

 The sluggard always has his excuses ready to shift off any work that requires exertion. 

This makes me think about the father that gets off work and his family is waiting for him at home. When he gets home, he plops down on the chair to watch television rather than spending time with his wife and children because, “he is too tired from a long day of work.” And that’s really just an excuse he uses to keep him from doing what is most important (spending quality time investing in his wife and children). So, you may be a sluggard if you find yourself consistently making excuses about something that you know you ought to do.

Thirdly, when the sluggard actually starts to work, he has a hard time doing his work well.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. Proverbs 10:26

You see, vinegar to the teeth is a very unpleasant thing, and smoke in the eyes makes the eyes aggravated and agitated. So the proverb is teaching that those who hire a sluggard will be disappointed, agitated, and provoked. The reason for this is because a sluggard does not work hard. He simply seeks to get through the day without causing himself to much strain, weariness, or anything along those lines. 

Also, a boss can never rest when a sluggard is at work. He is always concerned. He is always worried that the sluggard won’t be doing what he is supposed to be doing, or that he won’t be doing something as well as he ought to be doing it! So, you may be a sluggard if you are at work but are never doing what you ought to be doing, or are not doing something to the caliber you ought to be doing it!

Fourthly, though the sluggard may start a task, he rarely ever finishes it.

This is why the Proverbs say:

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Proverbs 19:24

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. Proverbs 26:15

So, the idea behind these Proverbs is that the sluggard leaves things incomplete. He places his hand in a dish to get something to eat but will not finish by bringing his hand back to his mouth to enjoy it (that is a pretty pathetic sight isn’t)?! 

A sluggard simply does not persevere. He starts things without the work ethic and drive to finish them! He has ideas, dreams, cravings, and desires that he sets about to do, but he never finishes them! So, practically, you may be sluggard if you find yourself always beginning tasks but never finishing them.

Fifthly, the sluggard craves sleep to the detriment of what is important.

The proverb says:

How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6:9-11

The sluggard is consistently seen as one who sleeps when he ought to be doing something else! So, you may be a sluggard if you find yourself putting off important things for the sake of sleep, rest, and comfort.

Lastly, the sluggard always wants to reap what he did not sow!

The writer of Proverbs writes:

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. Proverbs 20:4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. Proverbs 13:4

So, the sluggard will not plow in the winter because it is too cold for him. However, he is eager to go out and reap during harvest time expecting to find something. The sluggard craves what the diligent have, however, they have nothing because they are not diligent themselves!

So, the sluggard wants a good grade on their paper or final, but they don’t put forth the effort to receive it! They want a raise at work, but they are not willing work hard enough to get the boss’s attention. They want scholarships in order to go college, but they are not willing to write and submit hard papers in order to get them. The sluggard wants to save money, but they are too lazy to maintain a budget. The sluggard simply does not like working and will not work, yet they consistently crave and desire the hard workers harvest! So, you may be a sluggard if you are always desiring to reap what you did not sow.

These are the signs of a worldly sluggard. Now, we are going to look at the signs of a spiritual sluggard. I will use the same signs but direct them towards spiritual ends!

Signs of a Spiritual Sluggard

First, the spiritual sluggard has a hard time starting his spiritual work.

Let’s go back to Proverbs 24:30-34:

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 24:30-34

So, the sluggard put off working in the vineyard, uprooting weeds, and fixing the stone wall because he wanted to sleep and rest a little longer. Just think about this spiritually. You have set out on a journey of following Christ. He has redeemed you. He has saved you. He has given you peace with God. And as your Lord, he also gives you commands. 

I mean, Christ knows that your mind has been trained up by the world so he wants you to get in the Scriptures and prayer so that your mind can be renewed. Christ knows that Satan is roaming around seeking someone to devour so he tells you to put on the whole armor of God. He also knows that you have sin in your life that will destroy you, so he tells you to put sin to death by the power of the Spirit of God! And he knows that your days are short and that your eternity will be benefitted from good fruitful labor here, so Christ commands you to, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

Yet, you know that this sounds like work. You know that to do these things is going to take a lot of striving and effort. You know that to take some of these commands seriously would mean that you would have to give up on some of the comforts of this life. If you really sought to put that particular sin to death, you might need to end that relationship you are in that is so ungodly. And you know that if you really wanted to have a renewed mind then you would have to consistently read the Scripture! 

This is difficult, tasking stuff. So, you say that you will do it some other time, all the while, you let your vineyard remain messed up, sprouting with weeds, with a broken-down wall.

Thus, you may be a spiritual sluggard if you know you ought to be about the Lord’s work, but you are spending these early years of your life putting it off because it would infringe on the comforts, ease, and dreams you have now. And you may be a sluggard if you know the good you ought to do, serve more in the church, evangelize, etc., but you do not do it because you want to enjoy the particular season of life you are in (teenage years, college years, first years married, retirement, etc.). 

This is the downfall of so many young people. Not just college students. . . .young people in general. They let themselves get destroyed spiritually while they are young because they are enslaved to the comforts of this world to such an extent that they neglect the things of God.

Secondly, since the spiritual sluggard has a hard time starting his spiritual work, he makes excuses so that he doesn’t have to.

So, think back to the Proverbs of the Sluggard saying he is not going outside because he will be devoured by a lion! Remember, he was simply making excuses. This is seen in the spiritual sluggard as well. 

For example, the spiritual sluggard knows that he ought to go to church on Sunday morning so that he can be around brothers and sisters in Christ and also listen to the word taught and preached. However, they tell themselves and others that they had a rough night studying, went to bed late, and have a lot of work to do on Monday.

Or, they know that they ought to be fellowshipping with other believers, but they keep making excuses saying that Christians are hypocrites! 

I see this in my own life regarding family worship. Kahlie and I used to consistently do family worship (where we pray for one another, read the Bible, and then discuss it). Now, we don’t do it nearly as often. I will say it is because our schedules conflict, but that is really just an excuse. Rather, I have simply just been a spiritual sluggard in this area of life.

So, the spiritual sluggard shrinks from every work that requires effort and faith by making excuses that don’t hold their weight!

Thirdly, when the spiritual sluggard starts his work, he has a hard time doing it well.

Remember Proverbs 10:26:

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. Proverbs 10:26

This was talking about the sluggard that doesn’t do his work well, therefore, he is a nuisance to his boss. And think about this spiritually. The spiritual sluggard is one who always has a desire to start something that would be beneficial for his soul, but since it is so incredibly difficult, they begin to half do it.

Think about prayer. You get zealous to pray because you know that it is so important. Then, as you pray in the mornings for about 6 days straight, you begin to simply go through the motions because true, genuine prayer is very difficult.

Also, the spiritual sluggard may simply do something because he knows that it is commanded of him. And, as he does it, he doesn’t bother doing it to the glory of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Rather, he simply just does it knowing that it is his duty without regard for the quality of the work. So, the spiritual sluggard has a tendency to do the right thing in a halfhearted way that ultimately doesn’t glorify God, benefit neighbor, or benefit himself.

Regarding this, Charles Bridges makes a comment equating the displeasure of an earthy master towards a worldly sluggard to the displeasure of our heavenly master towards a spiritual sluggard saying: 

Does then the sluggard disappoint and provoke his earthly master? See that we be not such sluggards to our heavenly Master.

And that is tough isn’t it? If earthly masters are so disappointed at the sluggard, why would we be a sluggard to our heavenly master?! So, you may be a spiritual sluggard if you are doing things you ought to be doing, but you have no concern for doing them well.

Fourthly, though the spiritual sluggard may start something beneficial, he has a hard time finishing it.

This is in reference to the proverbs talking about how the sluggard places his hand in a dish but doesn’t even bring it back out! It’s like the sluggard is so lazy that he can’t persevere in accomplishing something that would actually be beneficial for him. And think about this spiritually.

This is the person that begins every religious duty as a burdensome task, and since it is burdensome, they do not persevere in doing it. Sure, they make all these resolutions and then set out to do them. Yet they quit in the midst of them because they are focusing on ease rather than the health of their soul. 

So, they make an asserted effort to read their Bible more, study theology, begin discipling somebody, evangelize more, consistently attend church, but then they realize how much time and exertion all this will take so they quit doing it all. Thus, you may be a spiritual sluggard if you have a hard time finishing your spiritual labor.

Fifthly, the spiritual sluggard craves sleep to the detriment of what is most important.


This comes from the Proverbs talking about how the sluggard sleeps and slumbers while he ought to be laboring which leads people to ask him, “How long, O Sluggard, will you sleep.” So sleep often begin to take precedence in the spiritual sluggard’s life. 

Now, I spend half of my time telling college students they don’t get enough sleep while I spend the other half of my time telling them they sleep too much. So, let me put it like this. . . .sleep is a means to an end. It is there to help us rest so that we can zealously labor for the Lord the next day. 

However, a lot of people make sleeping an end in itself, therefore, they have a hard time getting out of bed to set about doing the Lord’s work. This is the spiritual sluggard. So, you may be a spiritual sluggard if you crave sleep as an end in itself to the detriment of labor for the Lord.

Lastly, the spiritual sluggard always wants to reap what he did not sow.

Remember the two proverbs that read:

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. Proverbs 20:4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. Proverbs 13:4

Well, let’s apply this spiritually. The spiritual sluggard knows that the pursuit of Christ in godliness, holiness, righteousness, and heavenly rewards is incredibly difficult. And since they don’t want to put forth that effort, they choose not to do it. 

However, when they are five years into their walk with Christ and they run across a younger person that has more knowledge and zeal than they do, they want to be like them. They begin to wonder why they aren’t as holy or as fruitful as that younger individual. All the while, they simply didn’t put forth the work that the younger person did!

So, the spiritual sluggard craves for more knowledge of the Bible, but they don’t do anything to attain it. The spiritual sluggard craves to be rid of certain sins, but they don’t do anything to quit grieving the Spirit of God. Regarding this, Charles Bridges said:

The sluggard desires the gain of diligence, without the diligence that gains. He would be wise without study, and rich without labor. His religion is the same heartless character. He desires to overcome his bad habits, to enjoy the happiness of God’s people. So far well. Desires are a part of religion. There can be no attainment without them. Yet the sluggard hath nothing, because it is desire without effort! 

He would fain go to heaven, if a morning dream would carry him there. He would gladly be a Christian, if it cost him no trouble.

So, you may be a spiritual sluggard if you always find yourself desiring the spiritual gifts or holiness of other people all the while you never do anything to mature in those areas yourself.

Conclusion


These are the signs of both the worldly sluggard and the spiritual sluggard. To think through these passages will not only help us to repent of this sin, but it will also help us to pursue righteousness.

As I was preparing to publish this, I had a friend of mine proof it. While he gave me feed back on grammar (which I always need because I am from a dirt road in Alabama and really only cared about how far I could hit a baseball for the first 20 years of my life), he also counseled me to place more of the gospel in here.

This blog (originally a teaching) was intended to do heart work. It was to probe the heart in order to bring the sin of sluggishness to light. However, in the midst of this, being made aware of this sin, we must understand that, as Christians, we have a glorious Savior who has brought about forgiveness of sins. . . .even the sin of laziness.

Seriously, Christ, in speaking to a bunch of religious leaders about the Sabbath day, said, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). Thus, Jesus worked on the Sabbath in order to reverse the devastating effects of the curse and to forgive people of their sins. 

Also, Jesus set out to accomplish the work of our salvation by His substitutionary death on the cross. And, unlike a sluggard, he carried out this work all the way to completion. Thus, he was able to cry out, “It is finished,” knowing that He accomplished the work he set out to do, dying as a ransom for poor sluggards like you and me.

So, if you are a Christian and you have seen the sin of sluggishness rear its head in your life time and time again, do not be in despair. You have a Savior who died as a sufficient substitute for sluggards like you and me. And take hope! Christ bore our sin of sluggishness on that tree so that we might be forgiven of the sin of sluggishness, be given the powerful Spirit of Almighty God, so that we, as blood bought and Spirit empowered Christians, can put sluggishness to death in order to live out a life devoted to diligent labor for Christ’s name sake.

Preaching Stewardship Sermons

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Though speaking about stewardship and finances is a very distasteful thing in our contemporary American culture, the faithful pastor will crucify his desire for human approval and seek to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to him in these areas. This really is an absolute necessity. Scripture does not shrink back from addressing stewardship and giving. And, if the pastor wants to preach the whole counsel of God, he must not shrink back either. With that said, there are certain principles that a pastor must keep in mind when preaching on stewardship and giving. Principles directing the preaching of a stewardship sermon are as follows: 1) Christ compelling truths 2) Heavenly realities 3) Encouraging the faithful 4) Warning the unfaithful 5) Comforting the needy 6) Exhorting the rich. 

Christ Compelling Truths

So, to begin, we will look at the importance of stewardship sermons being saturated with Christ compelling truths. Anytime a pastor is seeking to compel a congregation to put off greed, the love of money, and the love of possessions in order to put on faithful stewardship and generosity, they need to do so with Christ compelling truths. This is what Paul does in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Paul, in seeking to stir up the Christians in Corinth to give desirously, readily, and cheerfully, said, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Then, at the end of Paul’s section of giving generously, he says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). As can be seen, Paul is centering his message on giving with compelling truths regarding the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Realities

The second principle regarding preaching stewardship sermons is the importance of keening in on heavenly realities. This is seen throughout the Bible. When Jesus was speaking to his disciples regarding money and possessions, he told them not to lay up treasure on earth because of the temporal nature of it, but rather to lay up treasure in heaven that will never perish (Mt. 6:19-21). He also shows them the incredible lure that money places on the heart when he says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Mt. 6:24-25). So, as you can see, Christ is keening in on invisible heavenly realities (eternal rewards and the danger of loving money) as he addresses these topics. 

He does this again with the parable of the rich fool. In it, a rich man accumulated more and more crops and then built bigger and bigger barns so that he could live in comfort and ease throughout his earthly life. In the parable, God says to the rich man, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be” (Lk. 12:20)? Thus, this rich man is a fool. He has stored up for comfort and ease in his earthly life but has neglected eternal life. Therefore, regarding eternal things, he has only stored up wrath for himself. So, as you can see, in speaking about wealth, money, comfort, ease, etc., Jesus is consistently lifting his hearer’s eyes to invisible heavenly realities. A good pastor will seek to do the same in his stewardship sermons.

Encouraging the Faithful

The third principle regarding the preaching of stewardship sermons is the necessity to encourage the faithful. A pastor must not assume that everybody within the congregation is falling into the snare of the love of money. Some people within the congregation are being faithful. They are giving generously to the mission of the local church and to the mission to take the gospel to every nation. They are storing up treasure in heaven. They are seeking to use their wealth to alleviate the suffering of the poor and needy. Therefore, a pastor must seek to encourage them and, as Paul always told the Thessalonians, to continue to do so more and more.

Warning the Unfaithful

The fourth principle regarding the preaching of stewardship sermons is the importance of warning the unfaithful. Just as a pastor must not assume that everybody within the congregation is falling into the snare of the love of money, he also must not assume that everybody within the congregation is free from the snare of the love of money. The Scripture makes it blatantly clear that the love of money is a very real danger for those who profess Christ. Paul informs Timothy of this when he says, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). The danger of riches and the love of money is very clear here. And, directly after this, Paul writes to Timothy saying, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things” (1 Timothy 6:11). 

Also, Jesus, within the parable of the sower, really conveys the same thought. Regarding the seed sown amongst thorns, Jesus says, “And the others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19). There are other passages of Scripture that address this, but this is enough to show the pastor that he must warn the unfaithful. There is a real danger that professed believers will fall in love with money, fall into temptation, be plunged into ruin and destruction, and then wander away from the faith. The paradigm example of this is Judas!

Comforting the Needy

The fifth principle regarding the preaching of a stewardship sermon is the importance of comforting the needy. The pastor must keep in mind that there are those in the congregation that are needy. They simply to not have much to give. Rather, they spend a bulk of their life with very little and, at times, rely on the generosity of others to make ends meet. These Christians must be comforted during stewardship sermons. So, the pastor must inform them that God looks at the heart of the individual, not the external quantity of money they give. That which is great in the eyes of God is a heart that gives in faith, not the zeros behind a number. Take the widow in the gospel of Mark for example. Many rich people are placing very large sums of money into the offering box, but then this poor widow comes and places in two copper coins. Jesus, upon seeing this, says to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:41-44). So, in the eyes of God this widow gave more than all the rich people that were placing large sums of money into the offering box. This is how God judges our stewardship. Therefore, the pastor ought to comfort the needy in his congregation with this type of understanding.

Exhorting the Rich

The sixth principle of preaching a stewardship sermon is the necessity of exhorting the rich. Though not everybody in the congregation is rich, there does happen to be some rich people in most congregations. The faithful pastor will exhort the rich believers within the congregation to leverage their riches to the glory and honor of God. The faithful pastor, with Paul, will always be telling the rich, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). A faithful pastor will exhort the rich in his congregation in a similar way. 

Conclusion

So, these are six principles for preaching stewardship sermons. The pastor needs to saturate his stewardship sermons with Christ compelling truths, heavenly realities, encouragement to the faithful,  warnings to the unfaithful, comfort to the needy, and exhortations to the rich. Maintaining these six principles will help the pastor to preach a God glorifying, Christ exalting, and biblically centered sermon that will hopefully lead to Spirit empowered obedience in the people of God.


The Implications of a Judgment According to Works for the Christian

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Getting Justification Right 

A sinner is saved by the grace of God alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is the clear teaching of Scripture. There will not be one individual that will be declared righteous through his obedience. Rather, individuals will only be declared righteous through faith in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. So, those who are in Christ through faith are justified, and those who are apart from Christ are condemned.

That is why there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you are a Christian, you will never hear the just judge of all the earth declare you to be guilty of sin and deserving of eternal punishment. That will not happen. Rather, you hear a silent declaration of “Justified!” from the judge of the earth now, and you will one day hear a public declaration of “Justified!” on judgment day. This is our hope and it is incredibly comforting! We are righteous in Christ Jesus. Praise God for this! We are rescued from the wrath of God in Christ Jesus. Glory be to God alone! We are adopted into the family of God in Christ Jesus. Honor be to the name of Jesus!

Justification Does Not Eradicate Evaluation

With that said, there also must be an understanding that those who have been justified (judicially declared righteous) through faith in Christ will be judged according to their works. This is thoroughly biblical. Just because we will not face condemnation on judgment day does not mean that we will escape evaluation. We will most certainly be evaluated. All of our actions, motives, thoughts, and words will be evaluated on judgment day. So, our works will be judged. And, according to Scripture, this doctrine is incredibly important for how we live life now. So, let’s look at some applications that arise from a judgment according to works.

Application of This Doctrine

A judgment according to works can be applied in many ways. Therefore, it will be helpful to see how this understanding of the role of works in the judgment of the righteous can be applied personally and within Christian ministry.

Personal Holiness

The first application that arises from a knowledge of a judgment according to works is personal holiness. All throughout the New Testament, the biblical writers refer to the day of judgment and then issue appeals for lives of holiness. For example, Peter, in speaking about the importance of being holy because God the Father is holy, says, “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (1 Pet. 1:17). Paul, in a similar line of thought, said that all Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, “so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). It is for this reason that Paul says that Christians are to make it their aim to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9).

So, one day, we as individuals, will stand before Christ’s great tribunal and receive what is our due for both the good and the evil that we have done in our earthly bodies. There will be no partiality in Christ’s judgment. Christ will look into the inner recesses of our hearts and expose every motive, secret, intention, careless word, and action in accordance with his infinite wisdom. For the evil that we have done, Christ will withhold his commendation. For the good that we have done, Christ will give his commendation (1 Cor. 4:5). For the evil that we have done, we will not receive a reward. For the good that we have done, we will receive rewards.

This is, without a doubt, a major incentive to live a life of holiness for the Lord. Regarding this Phanton says, “No wise disciple can afford to neglect so great a mass of Scripture, or throw away so mighty an incentive to holiness. Our discovery of this truth at the Judgment Seat will be too late.” Phanton is right in his assertion. We, if we want to live lives of holiness for the Lord, will find all the incentive we need in a thorough contemplation of standing before the judgment seat of Christ on that Great Day.

This also must be applied in the ministry context that God has entrusted with us. Right now I do college ministry on college campuses throughout the triangle area. I am able to interact with numerous students throughout the week. Each of them will have to stand before Christ’s tribunal to give an account of their lives. I ought to labor with relentless zeal in order to do everything that I can so that they will stand holy and blameless before the Lord on that Great Day. It should be my aim to prepare them for judgment day. Thus, I should do everything I can to help them pursue personal holiness.

Labor For The Lord

Secondly, a judgment according to works should lead us to increasingly labor for the Lord. When we do something in faith, to the glory of God, and out of love for neighbor, it is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Rather than being in vain, it will lead to commendation and reward from my blessed Savior. This is a major incentive to gospel labor. It most certainly was for Paul, this truth led him to tell Christians in Corinth, “to be abounding in the works of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

And this idea of rewards should not make us feel uneasy. The Scriptures clearly use this truth to compel Christians to labor. Jesus, in Matthew 6, uses both rewards and loss of rewards, to compel his disciples to give to the needy, pray, and fast in a way that is honoring to the Lord (Mt. 6:1-18). He then goes on to tell his disciples to intentionally lay-up treasure in heaven with how they use their money (Mt. 6:19-24). Also, the parable of the talents teaches that those who are faithful in how they steward their God given gifts will receive rewards when Christ Jesus returns (Mt. 24:14-30).

So, the idea of heavenly rewards compelling us to holy zeal and fervor in going about the work of the Lord is seen in the Scripture. This leads Wayne Grudem to say, “It would be morally and spiritually beneficial for us to have a greater consciousness of this clear New Testament teaching on degrees of heavenly reward.” Grudem is right. We would do well to contemplate eternal rewards often. This will lead us to zealously labor for Christ’s sake. We should be willing to spend and be spent for Christ’s kingdom knowing that nothing we do is in vain.

Also, this idea of rewards should impact the ministry we have been given. It should impact me personally as I labor on college campuses. Each of these students that I am shepherding has the opportunity to labor for the Lord, thus, storing up treasures in heaven. I ought to do everything in my power to keep them from wasting their lives by compelling them to lay up treasures in heaven by doing bold acts of service for Christ’s sake. So, I should be helping them and encouraging them to store up heavenly rewards from a most benevolent God who is eager to bestow them.

Increasing Humility

Thirdly, a judgment according to works should also lead us to have ever increasing humility. Often times, we have haughty views of ourselves. We simply seem to regard ourselves, as well as our ministry, with greater significance than we ought to. The reality of judgment day should keep us from this.

I say this because this was Paul’s mentality. Paul knew that he was gifted by God to be a steward of the mysteries of the gospel for the sake of the church. However, when it came to examining his faithfulness as a steward, he was not concerned with the judgment of men. He says, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by any human court” (1 Cor. 4:3). Paul then goes even further saying that he does not even trust his own judgment of his ministry, even though, as far as he could tell, he had not been unfaithful (1 Cor. 4:3-4).

The reason for this is because he knew judgment day was coming. Therefore, rather than leaning on his own judgment or the judgment of men, he says, “Therefore, I do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Cor. 4:5).

Thus, judgment day led Paul to refrain from judging his own faithfulness. Rather, he humbly labored for the Lord waiting for judgment day to shed light on his ministry. The same truth mentioned above also led George Whitefield, after laboring for the Lord in an incomprehensibly glorious way, to leave his tomb stone with the words, “Here lies G.W. What sort of man he was the great day will discover.” So, the understanding of judgment day should keep us personally humble in our gospel labor as we patiently wait for that great day to reveal the genuineness of our work.

No Sinful Judging

Fourthly, a judgment according to works should keep us from sinfully casting judgment on weaker Christians. It should also keep us from causing a weaker brother in Christ to sin in how we use our Christian freedom (Rom. 14:5-23). Each Christian is going to have to give an account of their lives to Christ. Therefore, the last thing we should want is to have to give an account to Christ for how we caused a weaker Christian, for whom He died, to sin against him by how we used our Christian freedom (Rom. 14:15).

This Should Permeate Our Teachings

Lastly, a judgment according to work should be within our teachings, our discipleship relationships, and in how we raise our kids. We should not just teach justification, and we should not just teach a judgment according to works. Rather, they should both be taught. Justification by faith alone in Christ alone and a judgment according to works are both clearly in the Bible. Therefore, both of them ought to be taught. To emphasize justification by faith alone in Christ alone to the detriment of judgment according to works produces lawlessness. People will simply live however they want to live all the while claiming Christ as Savior. We see this all throughout the Bible Belt! Also, to emphasize judgment according to works to the detriment of justification by faith alone in Christ alone produces legalism. This also is seen all throughout the Bible Belt! So, we must emphasize both. To emphasize both will produce an affectionate reverence to Christ whereby we yield ourselves in obedience to the will of God. Therefore, this teaching ought to permeate our thoughts, teachings, sermons, discipleship relationships, child rearing, etc.

 

Exhortations for Christian Upperclassmen

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With move in day approaching and another long school year in front of us, it is important to be thinking about the ways you intend on serving Christ at the beginning of the semester. This is what every Christian ought to generally be thinking through, but it is particularly helpful for college students to think through as they prepare to get back on campus where there are literally thousands of people that they will be rubbing shoulders with. With that said, I want to challenge Christian upperclassmen in the following ways:

Be committed to helping your campus ministry engage students the first 6-8 weeks of school.

The first 6-8 weeks of the fall semester are incredibly important in the life of a college ministry. It is non-stop grueling work that is filled with both encouragement and discouragement. We meet tons of people, we get many contacts, we establish many meetings, we get rejected a ton, and we see some students interested in hearing about Christ, studying the Bible, discipleship, attending church, etc. Therefore, college ministries need a ton of help, and college students that are a part of the ministry are the most helpful! Therefore, deny yourself, pick up your cross, and dedicate the first weeks of the semester to laboring alongside of the campus ministry that you are a part of.
  • Help with move in day.
  • Help with certain campus events dedicated to promoting the ministry.
  • Help with contacting and meeting up with certain new people.
  • Help give rides to church.
  • Reach out to the new people that attend church to make them feel comfortable.

Be committed to befriending incoming freshmen for the sake of winning them to Christ and the local church.

As an upperclassman, you will inevitably have influence on freshmen students. Freshmen will come in and they will be looking for friends to hang out with and they will be looking for leaders to follow. Therefore, leverage your influence on particular freshmen in order to win them to Christ and also to the local church. Therefore, deny yourself, pick up your cross, and dedicate the first weeks of the semester to befriending freshmen in order to establish a relationship where relational evangelism and discipleship will flourish.
  • Ask a freshmen to make a cookout run with you.
  • Ask them if you can show them your favorite coffee shop
  • Ask them if they want to go running or work out with you.
  • Just intentionally become friends with freshmen.

Be committed to evangelizing people of campus. . . .especially freshmen.

College is one of the most fruitful fields of harvest for evangelistic endeavors. Students are open to exploring many different things, including Christianity. Therefore, deny yourself, pick up your cross, look at the many lost people walking on campus, and intentionally dedicate time to evangelizing people on your college campus.
  • Think about how you could do this before or after class.
  • Think about how you could do this at the gym
  • Think about how you could do this in intramurals.
  • Think about how you could do this in your dorm, suite, or apartment.
  • Think about how you could do this in the quad.
  • Think about how you could do this in the cafeteria or student union.

Be committed to establishing a discipleship relationship with a friend that you met last year from the ministry.

Christ commanded his followers to make disciples. This is something that college students are not exempt from. Rather, if you are a college student that is in Christ, Christ commands you to make disciples. Therefore, deny yourself, pick up your cross, and establish a discipleship relationship with another Christian (particularly one that goes to the same local church as you).
  • Ask them if they want to meet weekly or biweekly in order to pray and read the Bible with you.
  • Ask them if they would want to meet up to pray and read a good Christian book with you.
  • Ask them if they would want to meet up weekly in order to pray and go over the sermon from the previous Sunday.

Be committed to inviting people to the campus ministry’s annual fall retreat.

The annual fall retreat is a big deal in the college ministry because it presents an opportunity at the beginning of the semester for students to spend a weekend together doing many things like hiking, recreation, eating, riding in a car, and, most importantly, listening to teachings from the Bible that are gospel focused. Most students, after going on the fall retreat, end up faithfully attending church and the campus specific Bible studies. Therefore, deny yourself, take up your cross, and invite some of the people that you meet to go on the annual fall retreat with you.
  • Ask them if they would want to attend this. If they express any interest, then continue to follow up with them.
  • If the financial aspect is keeping them from going, then be willing to, if you are able, pay for them to go. 

And, after these first weeks on campus, reevaluate how you intend on glorifying God by making much of Christ throughout the rest of the school year!