Salvation is a free gift of grace we receive thru faith. So prior to salvation, our works are essentially meaningless. There are no amount of good works that will get you in, there is no amount of bad works that will exclude you. The foundation of free salvation is completely and totally unrelated to our works.
But after salvation, our works mean everything. God says that when we are gathered to be with Him, we will be judged by our works. Those who build upon the foundation of free salvation with good works will be rewarded, those who build upon the foundation of free salvation with bad works will suffer loss. These are all people who have been saved, yet right here God separates them into, for lack of a better term, 'have and have-nots'.
The same applies to the 10 virgins. These are all saved people. Yet half of them kept themselves filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit by walking the walk, while half of them let their light falter by living according to the world. The faithful half enter into a wedding feast, while the others are locked out. Again, there is a division among those who are saved.
Revelation is the key. In it an angel tells John "this is the bride of Christ". Does John see a church building or group of people? No, he sees the Holy City of New Jerusalem. The Bride of Christ is very clearly specified as the Holy City of New Jerusalem. But then John sees something else - that there are people who live within New Jerusalem, while there are nations of others who live outside the Holy City. This is on the New Earth, so these are ALL saved people, yet there is a clear distinction between those who live in the City, and those who live outside of it.
There's an erroneous idea in Christendom that post salvation we're on a cosmic joy ride and only have to sit back and watch God do His thing. But that's not how it works. From the beginning - God created creation. God was in charge of creation. God creates man. God puts man in charge of creation. God didn't tell Adam 'hey now just sit back and watch Me run this place'. No, God said "YOU Adam are the one who will run this place". Likewise, Jesus didn't say these things I do, you will watch Me do more of. No, He said what I do, YOU will now do. God intended our lives in creation to be an interactive experience. Interactive requires our participation. How (or if) we participate will determine whether we live within New Jerusalem, or outside of it.
One thing we see about those in the City is that they are God’s servants. Servants can take the form of tradesmen, who are paid a wage and work at will. Or servants can be slaves who are given neither consideration. In Old Testament times, if you had a slave you had to offer him his freedom after a period of service (Gen. 21:1-6). But if you were a good and loving master he might not have wanted to leave. So, you would pierce his ear as a symbol of his becoming your bondservant. In return for his agreeing to be your slave for life, you agreed to care for him and his family for life. When God speaks about His servants He speaks of His bondservants, those who when offered freedom have chosen slavery.
But after salvation, our works mean everything. God says that when we are gathered to be with Him, we will be judged by our works. Those who build upon the foundation of free salvation with good works will be rewarded, those who build upon the foundation of free salvation with bad works will suffer loss. These are all people who have been saved, yet right here God separates them into, for lack of a better term, 'have and have-nots'.
The same applies to the 10 virgins. These are all saved people. Yet half of them kept themselves filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit by walking the walk, while half of them let their light falter by living according to the world. The faithful half enter into a wedding feast, while the others are locked out. Again, there is a division among those who are saved.
Revelation is the key. In it an angel tells John "this is the bride of Christ". Does John see a church building or group of people? No, he sees the Holy City of New Jerusalem. The Bride of Christ is very clearly specified as the Holy City of New Jerusalem. But then John sees something else - that there are people who live within New Jerusalem, while there are nations of others who live outside the Holy City. This is on the New Earth, so these are ALL saved people, yet there is a clear distinction between those who live in the City, and those who live outside of it.
There's an erroneous idea in Christendom that post salvation we're on a cosmic joy ride and only have to sit back and watch God do His thing. But that's not how it works. From the beginning - God created creation. God was in charge of creation. God creates man. God puts man in charge of creation. God didn't tell Adam 'hey now just sit back and watch Me run this place'. No, God said "YOU Adam are the one who will run this place". Likewise, Jesus didn't say these things I do, you will watch Me do more of. No, He said what I do, YOU will now do. God intended our lives in creation to be an interactive experience. Interactive requires our participation. How (or if) we participate will determine whether we live within New Jerusalem, or outside of it.
One thing we see about those in the City is that they are God’s servants. Servants can take the form of tradesmen, who are paid a wage and work at will. Or servants can be slaves who are given neither consideration. In Old Testament times, if you had a slave you had to offer him his freedom after a period of service (Gen. 21:1-6). But if you were a good and loving master he might not have wanted to leave. So, you would pierce his ear as a symbol of his becoming your bondservant. In return for his agreeing to be your slave for life, you agreed to care for him and his family for life. When God speaks about His servants He speaks of His bondservants, those who when offered freedom have chosen slavery.
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