Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To me, what this verse is saying is that sins of omission can be as great or serious (or even more so) in God's view as sins of commission. I think that Jesus was speaking to this same point in Luke 12:47-48: "The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

God has chosen (and commanded) Christians to be the means by which information is disseminated that can determine whether people spend eternity in His presence or separated from Him (Mark 16:15-16). His followers are all "watchmen" to warn other people of God's eventual judgment of sin, and of the only means that God has provided to escape it.

I think that the Bible makes it clear that Christians who consciously carry out that function from a sense of urgency, and in a desire to obey God's command, will receive eternal rewards for it, while, for those who neglect that responsibility, the judgment for their failure to do so will be the fire from God that will test the quality of each person's works, as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. The person's salvation will not be lost, but there will nevertheless be eternal consequences.

April 18 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report