“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27,28).
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD MAY BE COMPARED TO A GREAT PLAY, A DRAMA. Every event is a part of the plot, and every person ever born will have had a role. God, the Author, is writing the story, and He is weaving all of its many elements together so as to produce the ending that He has designed in His eternal purpose. As we play our individual roles, we each become a part of the drama. Each of us will also be present at the ending of the story.
Although God is moving the story toward a conclusion that He desires, He preserves the freedom of our will as we each make decisions about our own actions. When we make decisions consistent with His purposes, our actions are woven into the story. And when our decisions are against His purposes, He still weaves them into the story. Whether our actions are, on the surface, “helpful” or “unhelpful” to His cause, God is able to make use of whatever we do. There is nothing we can do that He cannot work with, or at least work around, to accomplish His ultimate, overall purpose.
But we will surely have to answer for how we participated in the story God was writing. God created each of us with a unique part in the drama, a part no one else could play. When we deviate from God’s intention or will for us in our role, we sin. If we die in sin, unreconciled to God’s purposes, we will be banished from Him forever and barred from entrance into His eternal kingdom. This is what “judgment” means (2 Corinthians 5:10).
At judgment some will hear the words “Well done” (Matthew 25:21), while others will hear “Depart from Me” (Matthew 7:23). But remember one thing well: the inquiry will be about the role that was actually ours — not the role that was somebody else’s.
Many of us might like to know how long the play will go on. But that doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter how well others play their roles. Judgment will be about faithfulness to one thing: what we knew God wanted of us when we were making our choices.
“The curtain may be rung down at any moment . . . We do not know the play . . . When it is over, we may be told. We are led to believe that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us has played. The playing it well is what matters infinitely” (C. S. Lewis).
Gary Henry — WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
