Bible Studies

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The human good that Christians produce has value in the here and now, and can be used as the means to connect with others, providing the opportunity for divine good to be accomplished.

Divine good evangelizes or edifies the soul while glorifying God. This is the primary factor in distinguishing the difference between human good (wood, hay, straw) and divine good (silver, gold, precious stones) spoken of in 1Cor. 3 12.

Human good produced by believers has and had its purpose and compensation here on Earth, but it will only be the divine good that receives eternal reward at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event in Heaven.

Human viewpoint, has the idea that at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event, God will place all our sin and failures on one side of a scale, and all our religious rituals and good deeds on the other side. Then, depending on which way the scale tips, one is granted or denied entry into Heaven, and those who enter are rewarded accordingly.

Scripture (Rom. 8: 1) teaches that there is NO condemnation for born-again believers in Heaven, and that there is NO mention of ANY sin at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event that takes place in Heaven.

The issue at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event is one giving an account of what he or she did with his or her post salvation spiritual life. At the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event, our deeds of divine good (if any) are rewarded.

Our record of wood, hay, and straw (human good) are “burnt up,” dismissed as far as having any consideration for receiving eternal reward, whereas the record of our silver, gold, and precious stones (divine good) will endure the heat (judgment) and be rewarded.

It is a part of satanic deception to have believers think they are producing divine good, when it is only human good, being produced with human effort, making the devil’s world (Luke 4: 6) a better place to live, for as long as it lasts.

Helping an old lady or a child to safely cross a busy street is a fine example of the type of human good that SHOULD be practiced daily by those who claim to be a Christian.

But greater still, is the advancing disciple who produces divine good that contributes to helping that same old lady or child find their way and to cross the street into Heaven, and to receive a full reward for having glorified God!

There are many forms of human good that we can and should do to benefit ourselves and the earthly lives of those around us, but it is ONLY the divine good that we do that can determine where and how we, and they, will spend all of eternity.

The advancing disciple’s part in the production of divine good is to present the unadulterated Gospel Message to the unbelievers, and edifying principles of doctrine to the fellow believers that we interact with as we go about our daily routines at home, school, work, socialization, or recreation.

During EVERY interaction we have on a daily basis, by our words, attitudes, or actions, either promote the agenda of God or of Satan.

It is God (not us) Who convicts (John 16:8) the unbeliever, and or causes the spiritual growth (1Cor. 3: 7) in the lives of believers when we, as His ambassadors, present them with the accurate evangelizing or edifying information.

Producing both human good and divine good are a part of the post salvation life of an advancing disciple.

The reward, if any, for the human good we produce is received HERE on Earth.

The reward that we will receive for the divine good we produce on Earth will be received at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event that takes in Heaven.

Being guilty of not preparing oneself, and or then not responding to the opportunities that God provides for one to produce divine good, does not result in the loss of salvation (Rom. 8: 1), but will result in the partial or full loss of the reward that he or she could have otherwise received in Heaven, in addition to the gift of eternal life that all born-again believers receive.

For an advancing disciple (Phil. 1:21 ), producing divine good is not a burden. It is the primary purpose for getting up and living out each and every day of his or her post salvation spiritual life here on Earth until the Rapture takes place, or until the Lord calls him or her home.

Being obedient to the commands of God is not only necessary in order to produce divine good, it is an expression of the love we (should) have for God (John 14: 15).

Being guilty of disobeying persons in positions of authority that God has established, amounts to being guilty of disobeying Him (Rom. 13: 2).

The ONE and ONLY time that insubordination to persons in positions of divinely-ordained authority is permitted, is when compliance with such authority would cause one to violate a principle of Scripture (Acts 5: 29).

The devil is well aware of the negative influence that disrespect on one hand, or abuse of authority on the other hand, can have in the every-day lives, and spiritual lives, of family members.

Abuse, neglecting, or disrespect for authority in the home is a major victory for the devil in his plan to destroy the spiritual well-being of the family unit, and the society at large.

Alternative family structures with re-defined roles, produces alternative results.

Alternative structures that Christians embrace may very well get one a lot more and a lot sooner, here in the devil’s world, but it will come with a costly price tag to be paid at the 1Cor. 3: 12-15 event.

There is “success” as defined by what the world has to say, and then there is “success” as defined by what God has to say.

One cannot dance to the devil’s music, that is doing things his way, and then not expect to pay the
fiddler.

“For what does it benefit a person to gain (or to be given) the whole world, and forfeit (or neglects) his soul (Mark 8: 36 NASB2020 parenthesis mine)?”

Worldly success and overt prosperity WITH God is a wonderful blessing, but worldly success WITHOUT God is a curse.

Just as the devil offered Jesus great prosperity HERE on Earth (Luke 4: 6), he offers many of us the same deal!

None of us gains or is given “the whole world.” The phrase, as it pertains to us, simply means for one to gain or to be given everything that he or she wants.

Granted, one can get a lot more and get it a lot sooner by doing things the devil’s way, here in the devil’s world.

But what the devil’s sales pitch fails to disclose, is the hidden costs that one will pay for such “prosperity.”

Parents need to learn and then to teach this principle to their children. Otherwise the prosperity of the wicked (Psalms 73) can be a difficult hurdle to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity.

Doing the right thing is often unpopular, difficult, and unrewarding here on Earth, but can be the source of great reward in Heaven (Matt. 5: 12).

It is better for a disciple to be disliked by people now for telling it like it is, than to have the same people being able to say, “You knew where I was headed and said nothing to warn, or to try to stop me.”

End of Part 12

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