S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

It goes without saying that the only things of eternal value in this world are those that are eternal. Life in this world is temporal, not eternal, and therefore, the only part of life that has ete...

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July 01 2013 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

My answer will boldly declare that for genuine believers, there are only two things of lasting eternal value we can accomplish in this human lifetime:

1. Faithfully obeying the will of God - in, for, and through our lives - by doing everything humanly possible to expand the kingdom of God upon this earth for which we will receive our eternal rewards from Jesus.

2. Willingly surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, moment by moment, every day of our lives, so he can build his character into our soul through every single experience that happens to us.

Jesus will reward our good deeds when he returns again. These rewards will bless our eternal existence through the millennial kingdom and into the new heaven and earth. Once our soul is reunited with our glorious new body at the first resurrection, our new existence will be infused by the character of Christ that was developed in our souls during our human life. In my view, our position in Jesus millennial kingdom and our role in the new heaven and earth, will be based on both our good deed rewards and the extent to which the character of Christ has been developed in us.

When it comes to the evaluation of good deeds, I believe that only those good deeds that are directed at "helping people" will last for eternity. That is, everything we say and do that helps individuals: 1) to discover and receive God's plan of salvation, and 2) to become the disciples of Jesus that God created them to be, will last forever. Everything we say and do that expresses God's love for human beings and delivers God's blessings to them, whether they respond to God or not, will last forever. 

Jesus confirmed the importance of our deeds directed at other people when he prophesied about the 'sheep and goat" judgement to come. All of the examples Jesus uses in Matt 25:31-46 are good deeds that bless other people: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came and visited me. These are not the only examples that will qualify. Whatever we do that meets the needs of other people - delivering the blessings that God wants them to have as his creation - we will be rewarded for eternity.

Of course these good deeds don`t earn our salvation. Only belief in the finished work of Jesus on the cross does that. But these deeds demonstrate a genuine faith in and love for God. Our natural response to all that God has done for us. We also need to be careful that our time and effort - involving the material things of this world - is directed at meeting people`s needs, because these material things in themselves will be consumed in the fire at the end of the age.

The New Testament is full of examples of what the character of Christ looks like in our lives. So much of that character development happens during the storms of life and in the refining fire of difficult and challenging circumstances. It also depends a lot on our willingness to lay aside the attractions of our old life of sin and pursue a heartfelt desire to put on his robes of righteousness. A daily routine of sincere confession and repentance puts our flesh and soul in the right condition to understand what Jesus is teaching and to practice what he is training and equipping us to do and become. 

When we are developing the character of Christ and completing the good works that God prepared in advance for us to do, then we are maximising our ability to store up treasure in heaven - to create results for the kingdom of God - to create things in this world that have true eternal value.

May 29 2017 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report