Our conscience guides us to what is right and wrong. This devotional reading looks at the two results: fear or reward.
Nuggets
- We shouldn’t fear God but love Him because of a strong relationship.
- When we love God and live as He calls us to, we have the hope of reward.
We’re looking at inward and outward religion. Our series in this study is on Getting Religion.
We are back talking about motivation. Why do we choose to become disciples?
Look how Boston explained it. He wrote, “Some follow it from a natural conscience. Fear of punishment, or hope of reward, are powerful enough to make an outward Christian. But an inside Christian has a gracious principle of love to God and holiness implanted in him which incline him unto holiness.”
Resource
Let’s break that down.
Let's Put It into Context #1
To read devotions in the Habitual Holiness of Heart and Life theme, click the button below.
Here is a running list of nuggets for the theme.
Devotions in the Outward and Inward Religion study
Here is a running list of nuggets for the study.
We are using Boston’s sermon as the foundation for this series.
Resource
Let's Put It into Context #2
“This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience …” (I Tim. 1: 18-19 ESV)
Our conscience is the part of our nature that impacts our moral decisions as it points us to what is right and gives us pain or pleasure depending on the choice. It helps us know right from wrong.
We have a conscience because we have been made in God’s image, not because the Holy Spirit is our conscience. We are to reflect God’s divine nature.
Our conscience has a tie with our moral character and our free will. Free will is the ability within us to make decisions that determine actions that produce character.
We do have a choice because we are also made in Adam’s image. We have a sinful nature where we choose to disobey God.
Let’s look at one reason each way as to why we choose as we do.
Fear of Punishment
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (I Jn. 4: 8 ESV)
We shouldn’t fear God but love Him because of a strong relationship.
Some people confess to God because they are afraid of the punishment that God’s Word says awaits sinners. They want the fire insurance.
We read about the vengeance and wrath of God and think we don’t have a chance. We would be wrong.
If we don’t follow God because He is love but because we fear Him (and we are talking terror here, not awe) is that a genuine repentance? Answering that question is far above my pay grade, but I would guess it to be a resounding no.
Think about it. Are we really following God if we haven’t repented? Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to change our sinful ways to ways of righteousness through obedience.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues and to serve and worship God.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues and to serve and worship God.
- Obedience means submitting ourselves to the will of God as it is presented to us and living our lives accordingly.
Glossary
- Fear doesn’t acknowledge our separation from God. It would rather the separation between us and Scary God remain.
- It doesn’t indicate we see the wrong in breaking God’s laws and commandments. It is focused on the consequences rather than the act itself.
- It doesn’t say anything about making the commitment to change our sinful ways to become obedient.
It doesn’t take a realistic look at conviction and salvation. Conviction is being made aware of our sins and realizing the need for repentance. Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
Glossary
How can we expect God to reward us with eternal life when we have not submitted and navigated the Sanctification Road in this life?
Hope of Reward
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1: 12 ESV)
When we love God and live as He calls us to, we have the hope of reward.
When we have an inward religion and have submitted to a relationship with God, disciples will be rewarded. This is because we have navigated the Sanctification Road.
Sanctification is the transformational process of the mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
Glossary
The whole purpose of sanctification is to change our character to be like God’s. We do that by enduring temptation.
Face it, we are bombarded with many temptations. They come from Satan, others, and life circumstances.
Yes, God wants us to choose not to sin. But right now I am thinking that enduring means we don’t lose our dependence and belief in Him.
If we know we are going to continue to sin, the enduring can’t mean that we are expected to do everything right. It has to mean we keep a right relationship with God.
I like what the Evangelical Preacher said. In the sermon The Rewards for Enduring Temptation, we are told that temptations should not “… hinder progress in piety.”
Resource
Trials are meant to grow our faith. Growing our faith gets us closer to being a mature disciple.
Toward what are we progressing? “… which God has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1: 12 ESV).
We are growing our love for God, not just doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts.
Enduring the trials will take patience. We can’t get mad at God and threaten to withdraw our faith from Him. We have to grow an unwavering faith.
Enduring can mean a couple of things. Yes, it means making it through. I think it also means making it through when we lose.
Cox explained what the crown of life is. He wrote, “It is simply a life victorious and crowned; or, in other words, it is a royal and perfected character. … That other phrase, ‘the crown of life,’ is also a figure, which indicates the royalty of character that makes a man lord of himself and equal to any fate.”
Resource
If life is eternal life, then the crown would be our reward. We will be rewarded with being perfected — having God’s character.
The reward is given only when we attain God’s character. We will only fully gain God’s character “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (I Cor. 15: 52 ESV).
We will get this reward only when we endure temptation because, Adam believed, it signifies honor and power. It also has elements of righteousness and glory.
Resource
Bottom line is we have to love God in order to receive our reward — our inheritance.
Making the Connections
Boston talked about God’s love for us. He wrote, “But an inside Christian has a gracious principle of love to God and holiness implanted in him which incline him unto holiness.”
Resource
Pearse helped us with an approach. He wrote, “No, He is not knowable to the intellect, with its prying and searching; provable, perhaps, but not knowable. Yes, He is knowable indeed to the heart.”
Resource
We have to love God at the heart level because of Who He is, not because the focus is on us. We aren’t expected to figure out how or understand why God does what He does.
We have to have faith that it is all about God.
How Do We Apply This?
Endure temptations because we grow in our love for God and Jesus.
Resource
Father God. We patiently endure the trials of this life so that we can love You more. We want to grow closer to imitating You by growing closer to You. Help us to focus solely on You. Amen.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.