Man’s Responsibility (aka Free Will)
Now for the hard part. (And the fulfilling part!) God’s Sovereignty is God’s job. Man’s Responsibility is our job as a believer. Even though God “chose us before the creation of the world”, if we don’t believe in the Gospel, we won’t spend eternity with God. Jesus said “I am the way and the Truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) In Romans 10:9,10 Paul said “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Both sides of the “Balance Sheet” are true at the same time. If God doesn’t call you to Him (God’s Job), you won’t be saved. If you don’t believe and confess (Man’s Job), you won’t be saved.
The whole of scripture teaches that God is 100% sovereign in all things, it also teaches that man is 100% responsible for every act and even thought that we have. Jesus said “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where rust and moth destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus wasn’t speaking in a parable or allegory. He instructed us to do something and promised rewards for it. And no, heaven is Not the reward Jesus refers to. A reward is based on our works or what we do, eternity with God in heaven is a free gift to all believers – God’s Grace! Grace is God giving us something we don’t deserve. Mercy is God withholding something we do deserve. Rewards are something God promises for our obedient service to Him.
Many struggle with how we are to store treasure in heaven but the New Testament is actually a very complete instruction manual. Spend some time with the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus is the Master. He has given us spiritual gifts (talents). He is going away for a while (back to heaven) and is returning. When He comes He will ask each one of us to give account for what we did with what He gave us. Here’s the punch line (to entice you to meditate on the parable): “And I was afraid and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See you have what is yours. But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave…” (Matthew 25:25,26). Ask God why He gave us that parable as you prayerfully read it. Do you see the connection to Matthew 6:20? How many Christians are hiding their talent in the ground? How many have no idea that God intends to reward us for what we do with what He’s given us?
The reason believers don’t “do the work” God commanded us to do is the same reason we lessen God’s sovereignty- believers don’t know scripture very well. It is not uncommon for believers to see being Born Again as similar to college graduation – “You’re in!” Your new responsibilities are that you go to church, join a Bible study, pray, practice the golden rule, and practice sin management. But according to the epistles, being Born Again is Kindergarten! Yes, you are officially “in” – just as a child starting school is “in”, but that is where the education begins! And our spiritual education is all about how we serve the Lord.
Consider the following passages:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14) It doesn’t say – because you “go to church” and attend a Bible study you have your senses trained. We need to “practice” (work out in the Spiritual Gym) with the solid food of scripture. And perhaps the best way to learn a subject – is to teach it!
The Epistles are all about pursuing Spiritual Maturity which takes work: “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, for you are still fleshly.” (1 Cor. 3:2,3)
“We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) This verse is Paul’s – and the Epistles’ – “Mission Statement”. The word “complete” is synonymous with “mature”. Our individual spiritual maturity is Paul’s goal. It is very easy for organizations and institutions to loose track of their original goals. Unfortunately today most Christian institutions have lost track of the goal of the Epistles.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works…” (Hebrews 6:1) The writer of Hebrews is encouraging us to focus on spiritual maturity and stop talking (among ourselves) about the basics of the Gospel! Yes, we should regularly be sharing the Gospel with non believers, but we should be encouraging one another in our spiritual growth – not the basics.
The Parable of the Sower is one of the best pictures Jesus gives for what He wants of us. He explains the Parable in Matthew 13:18-23. Most Christians are caught up in the Third Soil which Jesus describes as a good soil but it is full of thorns. The thorns choke out the good crop from multiplying. He describes the thorns as “cares of this world” and the “deceitfulness of wealth”. His focal point of the Parable is the Fourth Soil – “some one hundred, some sixty, some thirty fold”. There is reproduction of God’s Word in the Fourth Soil – it is “fruitful” and multiplies. Jesus wants us all to bear fruit for the Kingdom!
Also note that Jesus’ desire is Multiplication – not Addition! When we invite a friend to church in hopes they will hear a great message and become saved – at best – that is addition. When we are actively leading others to Christ and helping others grow in spiritual maturity – that is multiplication! That is what Jesus is referring to in His description of the Fourth Soil – “fold” means “times”. Think about what our nation would be like today if only 30% of professing Christians were actively serving the Lord according to scripture!
One of the most famous chapters in the Bible is John 15. It is known as the vine passage. The entire chapter explains why we exist: We are to “bear fruit for God”. “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16) A key point of the passage is that it is not possible for us to bear fruit if we are not “walking with” God. Scripture uses the word “Abide” for walking with God: “I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
This is a common point where people misunderstand Man’s Responsibility. There are some who have said “all you need to do is abide in Christ and the fruit will come.” Some have even cautioned against focusing on fruit bearing. It is possible to read verse 5 that way – but it is missing the point. Frankly, if you are truly “abiding in Christ”, it doesn’t seem possible to not bear fruit for Him. If we are really walking with Him and know Him, we want to serve Him. However, there are way too many passages that tell us we need to “go” and “do”. I don’t know about you, but I am naturally lazy. I would much rather stay in my office studying scripture, praying, abiding with Jesus, than write this paper. This takes a lot of work. So does discipleship. If all we have to do is “abide in Christ”, the Great Commission to “go and make disciples” would be a moot point. In the Parable of the Talents each of the three participants were expected to take action with the talent they were given. They were even rewarded for what they did with them. The point of John 15:5 is that we cannot accomplish fruit bearing if we aren’t abiding in Christ. It is not saying we shouldn’t be intentional about fruit bearing if we are abiding. Verse 8 makes that point fairly clear: “My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” Jesus says “you call yourself My disciple? Prove It! Wow! That should get our attention!
A good way to look at “abiding in Christ” in view of the work we are also commanded to “do” is to compare it to an athlete. Success in athletics requires both conditioning and skill at the same time. One without the other will result in failure. Abiding in Christ is to conditioning as skill is to doing the work. If we aren’t abiding in Christ the fruit won’t happen. If we aren’t intentional about doing the work – the fruit won’t happen.
There are many other misunderstandings of scripture that rob us of our ability to store treasure in heaven. “Rest in the Lord”, “Wait on the Lord”, “The work is to believe” all have Biblical basis and are true and applicable statements. And each one needs to be taken in context. Scripture speaks to people at all walks of their spiritual journey. If you find yourself anxious regarding this election or the virus, “resting in the Lord”, and “waiting on the Lord” may be very applicable. “The work is to believe” is paraphrased from John 6:29 when Jesus is speaking to a crowd of weak or non believers. The very next verse they are asking Jesus for a sign so they could believe. For them at that time – the work is to believe. There are seasons of life and specific times where all of us should rest in the Lord and wait on Him, but that does not permanently eliminate the command to serve the Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Paul explains how to store treasure in heaven: “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” This event is commonly referred to as the Bema Seat of Christ. It is the believer’s final judgement. The wood, hay, and straw are activities we do that don’t bear fruit for the Kingdom. It all gets burned up through the fire. The gold, silver, precious stones are the activities we do that leads someone to the Lord, or helps a believer grow in their faith, or provides service and helps to others in the name of Jesus. Reread the Parable of the Sower through the lens of this passage. The objective is reproduction of the Word of God through the gifts God has given every believer. Does God care if I go hunting, play golf, or go shopping? He has given us commands to rest and recreation can be very healthy for us. He also tells us He gives us things for our enjoyment. Just know that those activities that don’t bear fruit will be burned up. But, if you are intentional about serving the Lord, you could also be doing those things while witnessing to a friend or encouraging a fellow believer in their faith!
When we give, we are to give of our “first fruits”. Those are the most precious. We don’t give of what’s left over. Be careful of falling into the trap of believing that since God has made you wealthy that you can give a lot of money to support ministries – and that will count as “serving the Lord”. While we are commanded to give, much of our giving is from our excess. Jesus condemned that in Mark 12:41-44 when He commented on the “Widow’s Mite”. We all know the phrase “to whom much has been given, much will be required”. It is from Luke 12:48. The context is actually knowledge! The passage is applicable for all we have been given – and for most of us – our most treasured commodity is our time. When we serve God from a whole heart, we serve with our Time, Treasure and Talents!
The issue of our “Final Examination” is important enough to Paul to repeat it in his second letter to the people of Corinth: “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed (paid back) for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) Note how often “each man”, “any man”, “he himself”, “his deeds”, “he has done”, “each one”, is used in Paul’s two letters to Corinth. We won’t be standing in a group before Jesus, nor will we be graded on a curve…
Peter was way more intense about it: “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each ones work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.” (1 Peter 1:17) This is a very challenging verse. God is love. He loves us more than we can comprehend. Why should we conduct ourselves in fear? Well, scripture states that fear is essential to even knowing God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7) My suspicion is the reason for the need to fear the Lord is because our sin nature is so great. We are in a constant battle with our sin (Romans 7:14-25)… and laziness. It is easy to be sucked in to the Third Soil and not serve the Lord in the Fourth. It is clear from the Bible that God uses both reward and discipline. Most of us are motivated by both.
I was recently studying with a Medical Director of a local hospital. I asked him if he felt fear when he faced examinations back in medical school. I could see the emotion overtake him as my question brought back memories of his preparation and anticipation of exams when he declared “I am so glad that is all behind me!” How many Christians live like they are going to face a final examination today? What if Christians brought a fraction of that level of intensity to their faith and serving God? Isn’t that what Peter meant?
What did Jesus, Paul, and Peter have in mind when they said “you wicked lazy slave”, “we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ”, and “conduct yourselves in fear”? Why did Paul tell the Philippians “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? (Philippians 2:12)
How many Christians live their lives as though they know they will stand before the Creator of the universe and give an account of their lives? Can you imagine going through college with no idea there would be a final exam at the end? What is the probability of getting any kind of a good grade? Unfortunately, I can’t find anywhere in scripture that indicates that our pastors, leaders, teachers, or even missionaries we supported will stand in our place. Thank God that because of Jesus’ sacrifice it does not appear we will be held accountable for our sins, but know that your sins have a huge impact on your ability to bear fruit for God. By definition, when you sin, you are not abiding in Christ.
The American Dream says “Go to the best schools and get the best grades for 20 years, rise the highest you can in your career and make the most you can for 40 years, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor for the next 20 years – because you earned it”. Scripture says we are to provide for and raise our family, serve the King, be judged/rewarded by Him for the work we did, then enjoy Him and our treasures in heaven forever. Modern Christianity has totally hitched its wagon to the American Dream and adds – “just be a Christian when you pursue it”. The problem is Jesus said the Third Soil – that prevents us from bearing fruit for His Kingdom – is “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth”. Is the American Dream synonymous with the Third Soil? Both have the effect of taking our focus off serving God. Has pursuit of the American Dream gotten in your way of serving God?
In Psalm 90 Moses declares the eternality of God, the brevity of man’s life (3,500 years ago he says man will live to be 70 or with strength 80), and asks God to “teach us to number our days that we may present to You a heart of wisdom”. Moses is praying for good calendar management – so we use our time wisely! All of us have various responsibilities throughout life: raising children, work for an income, taking care of a home or others. Jesus had been a carpenter and Paul had been a tent maker. It is not possible to “bear fruit” all the time, but what’s the probability you will bear any fruit if you aren’t even focused on the Fourth Soil?
Retirement from working for a paycheck does not mean retiring from serving God. We should cringe when retired people laugh when they boast because they have no idea what day it is. They are saying they have no purpose – or if they do, it is probably to serve themselves. In Ecclesiastes Solomon called that Vanity – a waste of time. Most of us will reach a time where our ability to serve God is diminished due to physical or mental limitations, but until that day, lets join Moses in praying that God teaches us to “number our days” – and be wise in their use – regardless of how many days we have left.
If you aren’t quite sure how to serve, know that representing God to others is something He expects all of us to do – regardless of how “gifted” we feel in doing so. The most basic thing every believer is equipped to do is share their testimony with a non believer. Sharing what God has done in your life is the best witness. It is way more effective to say “this is what belief in Jesus has done for me” than “you need Jesus!” People resent being told what to do. If you are a believer, by definition you know the Gospel and can share it.
For more information on the spiritual gifts that God has given every one of us for service in His Kingdom, spend time meditating on and praying over 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. Tell God you want to serve Him and ask Him to open your eyes to what He has already given you to use in His service. Another athletics metaphor – we have to get in the batter’s box and swing at the ball – and make mistakes. If you are convinced that you exist to serve God, He will guide you and your life will become more meaningful than you could ever imagine. He even gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us! (John 16:3).
In Part Four Jesus Says “The Harvest Is Plentiful!”
Kim Fettig
God Bless!
Stay in the Spiritual Gym!