Cain lost the purpose of his existence. Can this be true of the believer? Will losing out at the bema remain with us in any sense throughout eternity?
This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘The Creator and the Creation Stories’ (2001).
I don’t think a believer can lose the purpose of his existence in the sense that Cain did. When we repent, believe and receive the Saviour we are born as the children of God, and our purpose for existence is to serve the Lord gladly and willingly, and to grow up in his family. But as believers we often stray; and instead of doing the will of God as we should we then have to be brought back and repent and confess our sins. But the mark of all true believers is that they will eventually repent. Looking at it through the eyes of the shepherd, he will not lose any sheep that God has given him and will bring them all home safely at last (see John 6:39).
But when the questioner asks, ‘Will losing out at the bema remain with us in any sense throughout eternity?’, I would want to say yes, because we must distinguish between the penalty of sin and its consequences.
You see, as Paul said, if anyone has built wood, hay and stubble as their life’s work, it will be burned up at the bema. Scripture says explicitly that they shall be saved—their salvation isn’t put in question. But if their work is burned up, they shall suffer loss because they will get no reward. They are saved but have nothing to show for their life’s work. This is an extreme case, of course. If it should happen to any of us, it would be a sorry thing to stand before Christ and have our life’s work burned up. I don’t suppose we should shout with joy, ‘I’m glad it’s all gone’. We shall ‘suffer loss’, it says (see 1 Cor 3:12–15).
Then there is the other side of it; it’s not merely our works. Second Peter 1 bids us to make every effort in the power of our faith to add the Christian virtues of goodness, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. ‘In this way,’ says Peter, ‘by practising these qualities you will never fall, and in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom shall be richly provided for you’ (see vv. 5–11). There is a difference between having an entrance, pure and simple through the blood of Christ, and an abundant entrance (KJV). Entrance into the eternal state by the blood of Christ is the same for everybody: ‘Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates’ (Rev 22:14). But according to 2 Peter 1, an abundant entrance will depend on our adding those Christian virtues.
Here we have a dear sister, who was saved in her teens and has lived a godly life. Not only does she work for the Lord, but allows him to mould her character and she strives daily to be ever more like Christ. It isn’t possible, is it, that when she arrives in eternity she will be exactly the same as the man who was saved but squandered his life and did not make much effort in ‘perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Cor 7:1 KJV)? If you say that they are exactly the same, you’re saying that it doesn’t make any difference in the end whether they developed as a believer or not. Paul makes it abundantly clear how he strives that he might present everyone grown up, spiritually mature in Christ (see Col 1:28). But not all believers will arrive home spiritually mature. That’s the position I take.
