Will Christians be judged?

No. Christians “hear” and “believe” and do not “come into judgment.”

Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life…

Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which
all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, 
and will come out
those who have done good, to the resurrection of life;
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”

—Jesus, John 5:24,29

We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 

For it has been written:
“I live, says the Lord,
that every knee will bow to Me,
and every tongue will confess to God.”

So then, each of us will give account concerning himself to God.

—Paul, Romans 14:10-12

And,

…every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10,11

So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body—whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:9,10

For according to a man’s deeds He repays him;
according to a man’s ways He brings consequences.

Job 34:11

Everyone who confesses me before men,
I will also confess him before my Father
in heaven.

—Jesus, Matthew 10:32

When Christ comes,

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and
will expose the motives of men’s hearts.

At that time each will receive his praise from God.

1 Corinthians 4:5

“Behold, I am coming quickly,
and my reward is with me,
to give to each as is his work.

Revelation 22:12

So,

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth… Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Ecclesiastes 11:9

If we were judging ourselves,
we would not come under judgment.

But being judged by the Lord,
we are disciplined,
so that we should not be condemned
with the world.

1 Corinthians 11:31,32

If we are judging ourselves, we will not come under judgment.

We are Christian.

If not, you may be judged, and condemned, with the world.

Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that—he will rise again in the resurrection, on the last day.”

John 11:24

The dead all come out at an hour, on the day of judgment, the last day.

“…and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”

Acts 24:15

The dead come out, those having done good to life, and evil to judgment.

So it is that a Christian doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life according to Christ our Lord.

Concordance

3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, “together” and 3004 /légō, “speak to a conclusion”) – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree (“confess“); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse).

3056 lógos from 3004 /légō, “speaking to a conclusion” something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation

2919 krínō is used of “bringing to trial”, the trying of fact in a court of law; originally meant “separate” such as Ceres separating the grain from the chaff in Homer’s Iliad.

3408 misthós properly compensation, reward; (a) pay, wages, salary, (b) reward, recompense, punishment.

Predestination

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Deuteronomy 7:7

proorizó: to predetermine, foreordain

Original Word: προορίζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: proorizó
Phonetic Spelling: (pro-or-id’-zo)
Definition: to pre+determine, fore+ordain
Usage: I foreordain, predetermine, mark out beforehand.

4309. proorizó Strong’s Concordance
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“Baptizing… into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”

Some have claimed that the text at Matthew 28:19 is spurious.

“… disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

Christ’s command at Matthew 28:19, Berean Literal Bible

It is argued that “into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” is spurious, that in the third century a scribe added this text to written manuscripts in order to support the trinity doctrine. Is there evidence? No.

Continue reading ““Baptizing… into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit””

Baptized into Christ

I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and my Lord and Savior.

Acts 8:37, Matthew 16:16, 2 Peter 1:11

“The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved…

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-13

…having heard the word of truth,
the good news of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise…

Ephesians 1:13

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:16

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Having gone, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“The Great Commission,” Matthew 28:18-20, Berean Study Bible

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.

John 14:15-17

I baptize you with water for repentance.

Matthew 3:11

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of the Spirit is spirit.”

John 3:5-8

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Matthew 3:11

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:38
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Tyndale’s Translation

We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods.
We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God.
We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. 

2 Corinthians 4:2, New Living Translation

The Church of England decreed it to be illegal to translate the Bible into English.
The Church also made it illegal to teach the Bible in English.

I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spares my life, I will cause the boy that drives the plow in England to know more of the Scriptures than the Pope himself!

William Tyndale

William Tyndale’s translation was the first English bible from the Hebrew and Greek.

Tyndale’s translation was seen as a direct threat to the Roman Catholic Church*.

Henry VIII removed the church in England from the Roman Catholic Church.

Word of God (Greek)Catholic *Tyndale (Translation)
epískoposBishopoverseer
presbýterosPriestelder
ekklēsíaChurchcongregation
agápēcharitylove
metánoiapenancerepentance
pascha (Heb.pesach)Easterpassover

For his ‘crime’ Tyndale was strangled and his body burned at the stake by the church.

His last words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”

Prayer answered, Henry VIII authorized Tyndale’s bible as the Church of England.

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God,
an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

Tyndale accurately handled the words of truth and did not distort the word of God.

Continue reading “Tyndale’s Translation”

Women, in love, in Christ

The following is a consideration of scriptures which pertain to the role of women in Christ, in the congregation, and in love.

There is neither male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Letter to the Ephesians

Paul’s focus is on walking in love, just as Christ loves us. He makes one command: that we subject ourselves to one another, in respect or reverence of Christ. Paul concludes that by husbands loving their wives, using Christ’s love for the congregation as a model, wives may feel the same respect or reverence for her husband as she does Christ.

Walk in love.

Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God… (Eph 5:1)

Be filled with the Spirit…

Subject yourselves to one another.

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Sex, Rape, and Seduction—Deuteronomy 22

A man recently told me that after three and a half years of studying the bible on his own he decided he no longer believed in God and is now an atheist. One of the reasons he gave, referring the law code in Deuteronomy 22, was that “rape victims must marry their rapist after he pays her father some money for her”.

Indeed, sincere Christians have attempted to rationalize Deuteronomy 22:28,29 as it has been translated in many modern translations. For instance Marg Mowczko explains that the law doesn’t actually require her to marry “the rapist” as she goes on to reasoning why it may be good based on cultural circumstances.

However, let us examine the words of God’s word a little closer.

The Hebrew word שָׁכַב shakab means “to lie down” and is basically a euphemism for sex.

Deuteronomy 22 establishes the conditions and consequences of four forms of sex:

  1. adultery (Deut 22:22),
  2. fornication (Deut 22:23),
  3. rape חָזַק chazaq (Deut 22:25),
  4. seduction תָּפַשׂ taphas (Deut 22:28)
Continue reading “Sex, Rape, and Seduction—Deuteronomy 22”