Giving An Account

It is hard for us as human beings to grasp what it will be like to be judged by Christ on the Day of Judgment. It is beyond our comprehension what that day will be like, the sights we will see that day, the raw emotions that will be displayed by us all.

So much has been made of the grace of God and God's love that it is hard to come to grips with the idea of judgment, but James in writing to Christians says, "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9 NKJV) So he is. "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:10-12 NKJV)

If the Bible is true, and I say that without a doubt in my mind, then every person who has ever lived or will live in the future, or who lives now, will someday be found on their knees at the feet of Jesus, the creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is. I cannot imagine the terror of one who is forced into that situation knowing that he or she has lived a life of rebellion against God. Terror is too mild a word for that experience. Perhaps horror would be a better word.

Can a man fight against God and hope to win? If not, should we not consider the life we ought to be living? We have today. We ought to make use of it for "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2 NKJV) Today is the day God will accept us if we willingly accept him by faith and obedience to the gospel. But as life has well taught us, today is here and gone tomorrow. Time flies. We have all been to the cemetery too many times to fool ourselves into thinking that today will last indefinitely. Our last day on earth shall arrive gradually with expectation or come as a surprise like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, but when that day does arrive, as it will, then we pass from today into tomorrow and into too late--too late to obey the gospel and live life eternally with God in heaven.

If I could beg you to obey the gospel, and it would do any good, I would do it, but that is not how it works. Why? Obeying the gospel to please me would do you no good. Gospel obedience must be from the heart, sincere in its desire to please God, not a man. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "You obeyed from the heart" (Rom. 6:17 NKJV) and so it must be with us all. In Christianity, it is folly to think of using force of any kind to convert people. In the Muslim world that might work, at least they have practiced that, but not in the faith God requires as found in the Bible.

Where does a man run to get away from God? "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there." (Psalms 139:7-8 NKJV) Jonah tried running away from God but did not get far. I guess one could say that he got far enough to realize running was not going to work. Yes, we can run from God, but we can't outrun him, cannot hide from him.

When the Lord returns in judgment he "will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts" (1 Cor. 4:5 NKJV) for "he knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalms 44:21 NKJV) Yes, he knows your evil thoughts (Matt. 9:4), and we will be judged for those, see Matt. 15:18-19. "God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." (Rom. 2:16 NKJV) "All things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Heb. 4:13 NKJV)

What I have written so far I have written both to the saint (the Christian) and to the sinner (the one who has never obeyed the gospel). But, I want to direct my words now to those who are Christians. Be forewarned, "The Lord will judge his people." (Heb. 10:30 NKJV)

"If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." (Heb. 10:26 NKJV) The writer here is speaking to those who are guilty of "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." (Heb. 10:25 NKJV) The entire book of Hebrews is directed primarily to a Christian audience. The writer closes this section of his writing by saying, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb. 10:31 NKJV)

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul begins by talking about the journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He speaks of some of the sins God's people fell into during that period and of the consequences of those sins saying, "With most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Cor. 10:5 NKJV) Then after recounting a number of those sins, he says, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:11-12 NKJV) Paul is writing to Christians when he makes this statement. The book of 1 Corinthians is addressed "to the church of God which is at Corinth." (1 Cor. 1:2 NKJV)

So all of mankind, saint and sinner both, shall stand before Christ on the day of judgment and give an account of their life. (2 Cor. 5:10)

Salvation is free in that we do not earn it, nor do we deserve it, but neither can we take it for granted or be indifferent about it. The Hebrew writer makes this clear when he speaks of "a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:27-29 NKJV)

In the letter that was to be delivered to "the angel of the church in Thyatira" (Rev. 2:18 NKJV), Jesus said, "I am he who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works." (Rev. 2:23 NKJV) Yes, the message is to Christians, and I could not help but be reminded as I read this passage, reminded again of what I have heard over and over again, that works do not matter, it is all grace. Jesus did not teach that.

God "'will render to each one according to his deeds': eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil." (Rom. 2:6-9 NKJV) Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him." (Heb. 5:9 NKJV) No person can be saved without the grace of God, but to imply the Christian has no obligations to meet for salvation, God's grace will just cover it all, is a perversion of the truth.

Matt. 7:22-23 ought to be an eye-opener to all who will give it serious consideration. Jesus says, "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (NKJV) He is speaking, of course, of the Day of Judgment. Here is a group of men who had some religion about them. Were they lying to Jesus about the things they had done? I cannot conceive of a man who would be that big a fool at the Day of Judgment to lie to Jesus knowing what was at stake and knowing with whom he was dealing. I thus take them at their word as did the commentators I consulted on this passage. Furthermore, Jesus does not take them to task for lying to him.

So, what is the point? Simply this--a man may claim to be on the Lord's side, he may do things that appear to be good and positive, and they may be up to a degree, and yet the bottom line is despite appearances, despite one's own 'I am satisfied with my religion,' the man is lost. Yes, a regular churchgoer (figuratively speaking), a religious man, who is lost. Why is he lost? Because he practiced lawlessness. What is lawlessness? "Sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4 NKJV) Now note the text in Matthew says nothing about whether or not this sin was deliberate or not. Sin does not have to be deliberate to be sin. Many who crucified Christ or were in favor of it did it in ignorance, Peter says so in Acts 3:17, but it was nevertheless a sin as was Paul's later persecution of Christians before his conversion.

Who will be saved on the Day of Judgment? "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21 NKJV) Note this is the verse just before Matt. 7:22-23 quoted above, just before Jesus denies entry into heaven of those who had done many good works in his name but who practiced lawlessness.

Yes, "the Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9 NKJV) He is expecting you. He "was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42 NKJV) The day is appointed (Acts 17:31). Christ will be there. You will kneel and confess that Jesus is Lord and answer for your life. Are you ready? If not, what are you going to do about it? Surely you are not going to fritter away the time you have left, are you? We will all, every one of us, give an account.

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Christ and Baptism in Colossians

The fact that baptism is essential to becoming a Christian and being saved is written on page after page in the New Testament despite being rejected by most who call themselves Christians. I have never understood how something so clearly taught can so readily be rejected by so many, other than through the power that tradition and religious heritage exerts on people.

Error believed has the same faith effect upon a man or woman as truth believed and can thus provide peace and comfort until the time truth exerts itself with such force that it cannot be denied. Saul, before he became Paul the apostle, believed error and acted in all good conscience (Acts 23:1) while persecuting Christ (Acts 26:14). He believed error and was at perfect peace with himself while sinning continually--that is until the force of truth was exerted with power on him on the road to Damascus. Sincerity will never change error into truth nor will it ever lead to a pardon for disobedience. The fact that Eve was deceived by Satan in the garden did not free her of her sin. We are responsible for what we believe be it truth or error.

We need to read the Bible, even more, we need to study it as, "a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of God." (2 Tim. 2:15 NAS) We need to read the book of Colossians and see what it teaches about Christ and baptism.

"Christ in you, the hope of glory," (Col. 1:27 NAS) is a central theme of the first two chapters of the book of Colossians. Christ is all that is needed in a person's life for in him "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2:3 NAS) In him we are "made complete." (Col. 2:10 NAS) We are not therefore to be taken "captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men." (Col. 2:8 NAS) We are not to submit ourselves to decrees "in accordance with the commandments and teaching of men." (Col. 2:22 NAS)

With Christ we have all we need and should thus stay far away from all impositions upon our faith not found in the word of Christ which is just another way of saying stay away from the commandments of men. "Anyone who goes too far ('Lit., goes on ahead'-side margin note in the NAS reference edition, 1963 and 1995 – DS) and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God." (2 John 9 NAS)

In chapter 2 Paul lists some examples of things we should not concern ourselves with because of men--food, drink, respect to festivals, new moons, and Sabbath days (Col. 2:16); he does likewise in verses 21 and 23. In 1 Tim. 4:3 he speaks of "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods" going so far as to refer to such teachings as "doctrines of demons." (NAS) Does this remind you of any famous religious bodies today? I remember when going to a state university back in the 60's when Fridays (I believe it was a Friday--it has been a long time ago) were special days in the college cafeteria because of what one religious body could and could not eat on that day. Their numbers were such that they had that influence on the menu.

The bottom line is Christ is all a Christian needs. Christ is found in his word and not in things that cannot be found in his word. If one cannot find a book, chapter, and verse for a teaching and practice in the New Testament then it ought to be left alone, ignored. This eliminates all creed books, church councils making decisions, etc. Christ is the head of the church, "He is also head of the body, the church." (Col. 1:18 NAS) "He is the head over all rule and authority." (Col. 2:10 NAS) He says directly, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." (Matt. 28:18 NAS) Paul teaches in the book of Colossians that all we need is Christ, him and him alone, him and nothing else. Christ is found in his word and not outside it in someone else's ideas, thoughts, or imaginations, or as Paul says in the NAS "in self-made religion." (Col. 2:23)

If Christ in me is "the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27 NAS) how does Paul tell us this is brought about? One must remember Paul is writing to people who have already heard, believed, and obeyed the gospel and thus are already Christians. He says they had already been "delivered…from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Col. 1:13-14 NAS) How had that happened?

The answer is found in Col. 2:11-13, "And in him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions." (NAS)

The passage begins with the phrase "in him." In him, in Christ, is life, a new creation. While Paul is speaking of a spiritual circumcision here, in Colossians, back in Galatians he speaks of a physical one when he says that the physical one does not matter one way or another but he says there is something that does matter--a new creation. "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." (Gal. 6:15 NAS) The side margin note in the New American Standard Version (reference edition previously referred to) says "Or, creature." That is what matters. "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Cor. 5:17 NAS)

Only in Christ does this spiritual circumcision take place in which "the removal of the body of the flesh" occurs. One is baptized into Christ. We are, Paul's exact words, "baptized into Christ Jesus." (Rom. 6:3) See also Gal. 3:27. It is "in him" where we "were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands." (Col. 2:11 NAS)

Paul in talking about this circumcision in Col. 2 connects it directly with "having been buried with him in baptism." (Col. 2:12 NAS) The body of flesh, or as Paul calls it in Romans, the "old self" (Rom. 6:6 NAS), is put to death in baptism for we are baptized "into death" (Rom. 6:4 NAS) but the good news is "you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God," (Col. 2:12 NAS) "he made you alive together with him." (Col. 2:13 NAS) But, this one who is made alive is a new man. He is not the man that went down into the water and died. This one that comes up from the water "made… alive together with him" (Col. 2:13 NAS) was raised to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4 NAS) for he is a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17 NAS).

He forgave the Colossians all their transgressions. When? When upon their faith they repented and were "baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." (Acts 2:38 NAS) This is what was required on the Day of Pentecost when the first gospel sermon was preached by Peter; Paul teaches the same thing to the Colossians. Does one want to say Peter and Paul were at odds?

There are a few other passages in Colossians teaching the same truth. Paul in Col. 2:20 speaking to the Colossians says, "if you have died with Christ." (NAS) He is not expressing doubt but emphasizing a point. He is saying, in so many words, if you are a Christian "why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?" (Col. 2:20 NAS) Question--how does one die with Christ? He says, "if you have died with Christ." The answer is found in inspired words, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3 NAS) Thus Paul teaches baptism in a verse many overlook without a thought. We died with Christ in baptism.

Another verse along the same line is found in Col. 3:1, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above." (NAS) You cannot be raised up with Christ unless you have first been buried with him, can you? "We have been buried with him through baptism into death." (Rom. 6:4 NAS) Paul goes on in that same verse, "as Christ was raised from the dead…so we too might walk in newness of life." (NAS) When do we do that? When we arise from the waters of baptism. Many think they have been raised up with Christ who have never been buried with him. Only in baptism is one raised up from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Paul says to the Colossians in Col. 3:3, "you have died." (NAS) We know how and when they died from what we have already read and studied but the question for men today is have we died and risen again as they did?

I close this with one more passage, Col. 3:9-10, "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him." (NAS) When does one lay aside the old self? Paul speaks of having "died to sin" in Rom. 6:2. When one dies to sin the old self has been laid aside. We die to sin, and thus to the old self, in baptism. "We have been buried with him through baptism into death." (Rom. 6:4 NAS) Death to what? To ask is to answer -- death to sin. When we were baptized (if we were) "our old self was crucified with him, that our body of sin might be done away with." (Rom. 6:6 NAS) "He who died is freed from sin." (Rom. 6:7 NAS)

The book of Colossians teaches clearly that salvation is found in Christ and that Christ is all any man or woman needs for salvation. However, there are many today who are in error concerning how one enters into salvation in Christ Jesus. Remember it is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27 NAS) Why not clothe yourself with Christ which Paul says in Gal. 3:27 is done by being baptized into Christ? "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ." (Gal. 3:27 NAS) If you are clothed with Christ then certainly, if you live faithfully, you have "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27 NAS)

Remember it was Jesus himself who said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16 NAS). It is man who has said, "He who has believed and has not been baptized shall be saved." One gets to choose – choose Jesus' way or man's way. The book of Colossians teaches you ought to choose Jesus' way over man's.

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For By Grace You Have Been Saved By Faith Alone

No, Eph. 2:8-9 does not read that way, but that is the way most seem to want to read it. Let me quote the verses for you from the New King James version.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

No believer would discount the grace of God in man's salvation. You surely do not believe you deserve to be saved, do you? If you cannot count your own sins, I suspect it would not be too hard to find someone who would be willing to do it for you. And, I add, that is to say nothing of those hidden sins that no man can see in another, those sins that only God knows about.

Many people are unaware that evil thoughts are sinful in God's sight. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man." (Matt. 15:19-20 NKJV) "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10 NKJV) "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23 NKJV) That means me; it means you.

So, I am thankful for grace for my sins, but it distresses me to see what man has done to Eph. 2:8-9. The passage has been perverted; the perversion has been made the be all and end all of God's teaching on the subject. It is as if no other verses in the Bible have any authority on the topic of salvation. If God has spoken elsewhere, it makes no difference for these two verses (I should say the perversion of them) are all we will take into account and accept. We tell God, do not waste your time telling me anything else, for I do not want to hear it.

We are unwilling to accept that the same man who wrote Eph. 2:8-9 by inspiration of the Holy Spirit also wrote other books of the New Testament by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and also spoke in those books on the subject of salvation. We forget the Psalmist said, "The entirety of your word is truth." (Psalms 119:160)

We pit Paul against himself to make sure that Eph. 2:8-9 (our perversion of it) remains on a pedestal above all other passages on the subject. The passage in Eph. 2 teaches the truth on how man is saved when properly understood and not perverted, but my problem is with the perversion. The passage is a summary statement of how man comes to have salvation, but where the trouble comes is man's willingness to define the terms there as he very well sees fit and desires. For example, who gets to define terms like grace, faith, and works? And, that is where the perversion comes in.

Let me define grace for you the way it is commonly defined by man--grace is God doing everything in regards to my salvation and me doing nothing at all. It is total unconditional salvation. The idea is, if God makes any demand on me (puts a condition on salvation), it cannot be grace. Well, tell that to Noah who found grace in God's eyes (Gen. 6:8 NKJV), but nevertheless had to build an ark to be saved.

Faith is commonly defined, in this context (Eph. 2:8), as what I believe. It is subjective, not objective; it does not depend on a book, chapter, and verse because it is what I believe. I knew a lady who once said words to the effect that she did not care what Paul said about women preachers. She knew what she believed was her idea. That is how faith is commonly defined among men today as it relates to Eph. 2:8-9.

Works is defined as being anything that requires me to lift my little finger. If I have to lift my eyelids, it is salvation by works. That is the way much of so-called Christendom views works as it relates to salvation.

I totally reject all of the above. It is a perversion of truth. It is a perversion of the teaching of Eph. 2:8-9. Let us hear a little from Paul, the one no one seems to be willing to listen to except in Eph. 2:8-9. Let him explain himself.

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 3:21-24 NKJV)

Does this sound familiar to Eph. 2:8-9? It ought to. But, how does the passage say we are justified by faith and grace? Answer--"through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (v. 24)

Well, how does Paul say a man enters Christ Jesus where this redemption is--redemption "is in Christ Jesus?" He says just two chapters later, "do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus." (Rom. 6:3 NKJV) Was this a slip of the tongue or of the pen? No, for he says it again, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:26-27 NKJV) By the way, can you put on Christ without baptism? If so, where is the verse that says so? (see also 1 Cor. 12:13)

Why is a man a son of God through faith in Christ Jesus? Because he was baptized into Christ. Reread Gal. 3:26-27 again. I challenge one and all to find even a single passage of scripture in the New Testament that tells you how to get into Christ outside of baptism.

By faith, a man is led to be baptized into Christ Jesus. No one would or could be baptized into Christ without first having faith in him. Forgiving grace is found in Christ. The reader will see readily that I do not pit Paul against himself. Faith, grace, and baptism all fit together into one package. Paul meant what he said in every single passage of scripture he wrote, but those who interpret Eph. 2:8-9 the way most do today have him fighting himself, for they cannot admit he meant what he said in passages like Gal. 3:26-27.

They cannot understand why he arose and was baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16) unless, of course, the passage does not mean what it literally says. They have to symbolize all such passages (and dream up what the symbols are supposed to mean). Paul could not have literally meant that a man enters Christ by baptism, no matter what he said about it, for that would mean one had to be baptized to be a Christian, to be in Christ, the very thing they deny. They thus pit Paul against himself by their man-made tradition.

Paul was baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16) and taught that one enters Christ by baptism. He said Christ is the savior of the body (Eph. 5:23) and that the church is his body (Eph. 1:22-23), but says that body is entered through baptism. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV) If Christ is the Savior of the body and you are baptized into that body, how are you going to be saved without being baptized (for the remission of your sins--Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16) the same way Paul was baptized? This body one is baptized into, the body of Christ, the church, is cleansed "with the washing of water by the word." (Eph. 5:26 NKJV) No washing of water (baptism), then no cleansing.

Paul, unlike those today, did not see a conflict between being saved by grace through faith and being baptized for the remission of sins. As said earlier, it was all part of one package. Baptism for the remission of sins is a part of God's grace. A man is led to it by faith.

When Paul was baptized to wash away his sins, he did not see that as salvation by works, but salvation by a living faith (by grace you have been saved through faith). When Ananias, a Holy Spirit-filled man sent by God to Paul, told him to "arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16 NKJV), faith led him to believe that this was God speaking to him through Ananias. When he complied with God's command he was, you get to choose: (a) justified by faith, (b) justified by works.

Let me ask another question. What if Paul had refused to be baptized to wash away his sins? Would his faith have been a living faith or a dead faith? When you answer that one, you will know why you will find baptism in a proper exegesis of Eph. 2:8-9. The way Eph. 2:8-9 is commonly understood today, it demands a dead faith, for there will be no baptism to wash away your sins found in it, according to the common understanding.

Paul believed and obeyed and was saved by grace. We disbelieve and disobey and say we are saved by grace. There is a world of difference in those two positions. Both cannot be right.

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Regrets

While it would be wonderful to live life with no regrets there are few, if any, that do. Regret is common to mankind for no one lives a perfect life always making the right decisions and doing the right things. I think it would do us some good to look back at some of the Bible's famous men and see if they had any regrets. By doing so it may strengthen us to go on despite our own regrets.

Adam, the first man, no doubt had great regret. He once lived in an earthly paradise with an unending life ahead of him having free access to the tree of life. For food all he had to do was reach up and pluck it from the trees on which it grew. There was no need to store it or do hard labor for it, as it would always be there. God walked with him in the garden and thus for a time he had full fellowship with God. Adam gave it all up.

Do you not think while he was toiling the soil by the sweat of his brow, fighting the thorns and thistles, realizing his destiny was to die, that he had also brought this same destiny upon his children, that he was responsible for what they would have to go through, that he often looked back on how it once was and deeply regretted what he had done?

Samuel was a great man of God. I do not recall a single passage that speaks ill of Samuel. He was God's man and judged Israel all the days of his life (1 Sam. 7:15) and, furthermore, he was a prophet of God (1 Sam. 3:20). In the New Testament we find him listed in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, along with others in what one might call faith's hall of fame. And, yet, we find this, "Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel." (1 Sam. 8:1 NKJV) And then a little later we read, "But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice." (1 Sam. 8:3 NKJV)

Do you not think this grieved Samuel greatly? The thought comes naturally to mind when a child goes wrong where did I fail, where did I go wrong in raising him or her? There is possibly no other regret that cuts deeper than this one. We think to ourselves if I had just done this or that differently. We blame ourselves. I failed my child or my children.

I do not claim Samuel sinned in the way he raised his family, for I have no way of knowing, but I do believe parents naturally blame themselves, at least to an extent, and have regrets about how they parented their children when their children go astray, singular or plural. When one looks back in time there were a number of great men of God listed in the Bible who could not have qualified to be an elder in the church in the New Testament era, one of the requirements being "having faithful children" (Titus 1:6 NKJV), due to the kind of lives one or more of their children lived. I also suspect being the godly man he was that Samuel regretted making his sons judges of Israel after him.

David was another great man of God. Here is what God thought about David after his death, speaking of King Abijam, the scripture says, "His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father." (I Kings 15:3 ESV) Then in the latter part of verse 4 of the same chapter we read, "David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." (1 Kings 15:4b ESV) He also is listed in faith's hall of fame in Hebrews 11 verse 32. Certainly, we all expect to see David in heaven.

Yet, David had occasion for regret in his life. Yes, the most obvious was committing adultery with Bathsheba and having Uriah her husband murdered. No doubt he looked back on that occasion many times in his life with deep regret. Not only had he done this great evil it also brought with it great consequences resulting in much harm later to others. Hear the words of Nathan the prophet, "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.'" (2 Sam. 12:10-11 ESV)

What was the evil that came down the road? Absalom, a son whom David loved, murdered another son of David--Amnon. Awhile later, Absalom sought to take the kingdom away from his father and even have his father put to death. David had to flee to save his own life. In a battle that brought defeat to Absalom, David commanded those in charge of his army, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." (2 Sam. 18:5 ESV) You know the story of how in disobedience to David's orders Joab killed Absalom. You also remember the deep grief David suffered over this.

The Bible says when David learned of Absalom's death he was deeply moved and wept. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sam. 18:33 ESV) What sorrow, what regret! Had David not brought this upon himself by his sin? Much like Adam, he could look back with deep regret over his sins. It had cost him dearly and resulted in much harm to others he loved deeply. To me the Bible is clear that had David pursued a different course in his life regarding Bathsheba and Uriah the life of his own family would have turned out differently. Solomon later had another son of David's put to death--Adonijah. Prophecy was most certainly fulfilled.

Sin can have deep consequences in this life not only for ourselves but also for those we love and care about. It is not as we sometimes hear "my life" and no one else's business. There are always consequences for good or ill for others in the things we do as well as the things we fail to do that we should have done. But the subject is regret. There is no doubt about regret being in David's life as he thought about these things in reflection from time to time.

In the New Testament, we also find great men of God who undoubtedly had regret. Paul said he was "not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (1 Cor. 15:9 NKJV) Elsewhere he calls himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). There is every reason to believe that Paul was at the least indirectly responsible for the deaths of some Christians. In Acts 22:4 Paul says, "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women." (NKJV) Paul says the persecution was "to the death." In Acts 26:10 he says, "Many of the saints I shut up in prison…and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them." (NKJV) One wonders how many fathers and mothers were in the group of those who were persecuted leaving behind children as orphans. Do you think Paul had regrets? Do you think those regrets ever completely passed from his thoughts as he lived day by day?

All are well aware of how Peter denied Christ and of his deep regret over having done that.

A lesser-known case is that of James and John. Do you remember when Jesus was heading to Jerusalem how he sent messengers before him and as they came to a village of the Samaritans how those living there refused to receive him? James and John responded by saying to the Lord, "Do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them"? (Luke 9:54 NKJV) Jesus answered by saying, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke 9:55-56 NKJV) As you know James was killed not long after the church was established but John lived a long life. Do you not think that John looked back with regret when he thought about the kind of man he once was, a man willing to bring about the death of others? He is known as the apostle of love and yet there was this in his life, the very opposite of love. It had to hurt as he looked back. There had to be regret concerning the kind of attitude he once had.

While other examples come to mind we have seen enough examples to make the point. There are often in the best of men things they look back on with regret. Things they wish they had done differently, attitudes and actions they deeply regret, or things they wish they had done but didn't. These regrets can drag us down and destroy us if we allow it.

When I look at you or you look at me we think we know the person we are seeing if we have been acquainted with them for any length of time. That is not necessarily the case. We do not know the inner man and the sorrow he or she may be carrying deep within. Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:11, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" (NKJV) There may well be a very deep regret within others that we know not and cannot see, a burden that is carried every day.

Sometimes we see those who are overly righteous so to speak. They feel they have led exemplary lives and perhaps their sins have not been as great as that of others except for one thing--their attitude. One is reminded of the two men who went up to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed thanking God he was not like the tax collector. (Luke 18:10-11) He busied himself telling God the good things he was doing and how he was not doing evil and yet Jesus says of the tax collector "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other." (Luke 18:14 NKJV) The Pharisee did not deep down feel a need for God, to him his works were of such a quantity and quality as to fully justify him. He had no sense of sin and guilt, had no regret.

When we begin to think too much of ourselves we ought to stop and consider. If I am so good why do I need Jesus' blood? There is not a person on the face of the earth who has lived such a life that on its own merits deserves anything other than eternal damnation. A nasty attitude toward others is just as bad as anything else and even more distasteful to others. It is disgraceful and unbecoming a Christian.

It matters not how bad a life a person, or even a Christian, has lived in the past. When a person repents and comes to God or back to God, as the case may be, they deserve all the honor and respect that can be given one of God's children whom Jesus came to earth to save, who he died for. No matter how bad a life they may have lived they are just as good as you are in God's eyes no matter how good a life you have lived or think you have lived. You probably never committed the sins David did but would you dare say, because you have not, that God sees you as superior to David? We sometimes, despite ourselves, carry about a sense of superiority. We did not do this or that and we become the Pharisee of Luke 18:10 that went up to pray.

Remember the account of the man who sent workers out into his field at different times of the day in Matthew 20? When evening came those who had worked longer felt they deserved more money than those who had worked fewer hours and in some cases far fewer hours. They felt the landowner was unjust when he gave the same amount to every man regardless of the hours worked. It seemed unfair to them. We have to be careful that we never develop that kind of attitude toward our fellow man and especially toward one another, brethren in Christ. The attitude of we have done more, we have been better, we deserve more, is unchristian. The truth is we deserve nothing, nothing that is but punishment for our sins, the sins we think we don't have.

Why do people sometimes develop this kind of negative attitude? Perhaps there are other reasons as well but here are a couple that come to mind. One, they are unwilling to be honest with themselves for they find more comfort in self-deception. The Bible says, "Every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." (Prov. 21:2 NKJV) God said in Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV), "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" If we want to be self-deceived it is not hard to do so.

A second reason some develop this negative attitude is their ignorance of the scriptures. Some do not know the scriptures well enough to know what is and is not sin. There are all kinds of sins apart from just sins of commission but some are relatively unaware of this. If I do not love my brother have I sinned? Some act as though as long as they do a man no harm all is well. Is it? Did you do him any good if and when he needed it?

We sometimes blame a person for his or her past and want to see it corrected before we accept him or her. There are a ton of things in our past we cannot correct and if that is to be the standard of Christian love toward another it is a standard that sinners can never attain to. How do you correct the past? There is only so much any of us can do to correct the past.

We want mission impossible out of people sometimes rather than accept them as full-fledged brothers and sisters in Christ. We will love them later when everything has been corrected. The trouble is that it is often impossible to correct the past no matter how much we might desire to do it.

I would like to reflect on the men mentioned in this study. Of the men we have looked at some were already children of God at the time events unfolded in their lives that brought them regret. I guess Paul would be the only exception. Of the men we have mentioned I believe we all agree that we expect to see at least five of them in heaven. As for Adam, I am only willing to say that I do not know what happened in the many years after his fall in the garden. Did he repent? Did God forgive him? I suspect he did but the Bible does not say so I cannot know.

Because we are all in the same boat together, should we not fully accept one another with all of our faults of the past (the assumption being we have repented and turned to God)? We have all sunk our own boat and all of us are reaching up to Jesus for salvation. We are all hoping with Christian expectation that Jesus will reach out his hand to us as he did to Peter when Peter was sinking in the water he had been walking on. Only Jesus can save us.

The past is the past but we can help one another, comfort and console one another, and help one another get to heaven. We all have regrets but we all can have hope if we will, as the old song goes, but trust and obey. The time comes when we must move on. The past cannot be undone and we do not want it to destroy us. Paul gave us inspired advice when he said, "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way." (Philippians 3:13b-15a ESV)

The inspired advice is let the past go. Look to the future. That is the best advice you will ever get on this subject--inspired advice. Turn loose of the past, let it go. Christ has called us to freedom.

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