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Will our Sins be Remembered at the Judgment?

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If one should enter a jewelry store and ask to see a diamond or any other precious stone, the jeweler would first spread upon his showcase a black cloth and then place the diamonds upon it, not only for protection but also in order that the black background might bring out distinctly the brilliancy and worth of the gems. So God gives this best of all promises with the dark picture of sin clearly and thoughtfully portrayed.

But first, think about the fact that for each of us, there will come a time of judgment. We will be judged and then receive eternal punishment for our sins.

Every sin we have ever committed is written down. Every unkind word, every impure thought, and every godless act will be written down. When we stand at the judgment there shall appear before us all our sins of commission and all our sins of omission, the sins we have long forgotten, and more recent sins we have committed against our fellow man and against God. There is not a sin of your youth, or passion of our mature years that is not recorded. Every act, feeling, or imagination has been indelibly recorded. All the efforts of man cannot erase this record, nor will time dim it.

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Fifteen Famous Paintings of Jesus

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Courtesy of Jesus Film Project

Table of Contents

  1. Christ Pantocrator
  2. Ognissanti Madonna — Giotto di Bondone
  3. The Last Supper — Leonardo Da Vinci
  4. Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci 
  5. The Transfiguration — Raphael 
  6. The Last Judgment — Michelangelo 
  7. Christ Carrying the Cross — El Greco
  8. Supper of Emmaus — Caravaggio
  9. Christ Crucified — Diego Velázquez 
  10. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee — Rembrandt
  11. Head of Christ — Rembrandt
  12. Ecce Homo by Antonio Ciseri
  13. Sermon on the Mount — Carl Heinrich Bloch
  14. The Yellow Christ — Paul Gauguin 
  15. Christ of Saint John of the Cross — Salvatore Dali 
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Understanding the Old Testament Sacrifices and Why They are No longer Needed

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Thankfully, we don’t have to offer sacrifices on the altar anymore, because Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for all times. There are many similarities between the sacrificial offerings and the Lord’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross.

The sacrificial offerings to the Lord were instituted in the beginning after the fall of man. In Genesis chapter 4, we see Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Leviticus 17:11 explains why the blood was used, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

Chapters 1 through 7 in Leviticus show us five different offerings.

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Who were the Twelve Disciples of Jesus

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Names, Professions, and Characteristics

12 disciples list:

  1. Simon Peter, (the son of Jonas)
  2. James, the Elder (the son of Zebedee)
  3. John, the brother of James (the son of Zebedee)
  4. Andrew, brother of Peter (the son of Jonas)
  5. Bartholomew or Nathanael)
  6. James, the Lesser or Younger (the son of Alphaeus)
  7. Judas Iscariot
  8. Jude or Thaddeus, the brother of James the Younger (the son of Alphaeus)
  9. Matthew or Levi, (the son of Alphaeus)
  10. Phillip
  11. Simon the Zealot
  12. Thomas Didymus

The Apostles of Jesus

The 12 disciples/apostles of Jesus were the foundation stones of His church, several even wrote portions of the Bible. In Revelation 21:14 we are told that the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem will have in them the names of the twelve disciples/apostles. It is evident, therefore, that God attaches great importance to these 12 men.

In the Gospels, Peter, James, and John become Jesus’ inner circle among the disciples, sharing knowledge and experiences with Jesus that the other disciples don’t have. They are even referred to as the Pillars of the Church in Paul’s letters. These three are the only ones present at Jesus’ Transfiguration and are with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest.

The following biographical information about the 12 original disciples of Jesus uses the New Testament accounts along with the most respected legends and traditions. We do not mean to infer, that legend and tradition constitute historical fact. We do feel, however, that they do have value in the study of the lives of these men who “…turned the world upside down…”

Peter

Peter

Simon Peter, son of Jonas, was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum. He did evangelistic and missionary work among the Jews, going as far as Babylon. He was a member of the Inner Circle and authored the two New Testament epistles which bear his name. Tradition says he was crucified, head downward, in Rome.

In every apostolic list, the name Peter is mentioned first. However, Peter had other names. At the time of Christ, the common language was Greek and the family language was Hebrew. So his Greek name was Simon (Mark 1:16; John 1:40, 41). His Hebrew name was Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5 and Galatians 2:9). The Greek meaning of Simon is rock. The Arabic meaning of Cephas is also rock.

By trade, Peter was a fisherman. He was a married man (1 Corinthians 9:5) and his home was Capernaum. Jesus probably made His headquarters there when He visited Capernaum. Peter was also a Galilean as was typical of many of the other disciples. Josephus described the Galileans this way, “They were ever fond of innovation and by nature disposed to change and delighted in sedition. They were ever ready to follow the leader and to begin an insurrection. They were quick in temper and given to quarreling and they were very chivalrous men.” The Talmud says this of the Galileans, “They were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end.”

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Praying in Faith

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“Prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:15 NIV)

Without getting into the full meaning of this passage, we note that faith is one of the main ingredients of effective praying. There are others, of course (praying in God’s will, no unconfessed sin, unselfish motives, etc.), but all these must be “mixed with faith” to be effective (Hebrews 4:2).

There are many such exhortations to pray in faith. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22 ESV). 

Another example: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6).

And another: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24).

Every Scripture passage must be viewed in context, including the context of the entire Bible. The “faith” we must exercise is not only confidence that God will answer, but also faith in God who created all things and can do all things, and in Jesus Christ who hears our every prayer. James warns any man without genuine faith, “That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:7-8).

True Biblical faith is faith in God as the omnipotent Creator (Hebrews 11:3), faith in Christ as our redeeming Savior (John 3:16-18), and complete faith in the revealed Word of God (Romans 10:17). Then we can believe in confidence that God will indeed answer our prayer of faith. 

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

ICR/HMM

Is Your Conscience Clear with God

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Is your conscience clear with God? Or do you feel guilty, not quite good enough? Because of the shed blood of Christ, we can come before God with a clear conscience. It is about God, not us. 

We sing songs about the blood washing away our sins in some of the old hymns, but it is rare to talk about it and even rarer to hear a sermon on the blood. I have often wondered why this is. It is only by the shed blood of Christ that we can live a life free from the guilt and shame of sin. It is only by the shed blood of Christ that we can stand before God, pure and blameless in His sight. It is only because of the blood that we will be able one day to enter the pearly gates of heaven.

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How did mankind go wrong?

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The story of man began in the Garden of Eden. It was there that God created Adam. Adam was created in the image of God. God said about him, “It is good.” There were no imperfections in him. The same was true of Eve. Adam and Eve were perfect, they lived in the perfect environment in the Garden of Eden. No sin was to be found anywhere in the garden, there were no imperfections of any kind to be found there. There was nothing that would cause them to turn their backs on God. Enter Satan, the enemy of man and God.

Until then Adam and Eve had a perfect fellowship with God. It was a fellowship that can only be envied and imagined by us today. They knew who God was and had a good perception of Him. Then Satan entered and sowed a seed of doubt, that caused Adam and Eve to question who God was. Did He really have their best interests at heart? From that moment until now it has been a downward spiral for mankind, adopting Satan’s agenda: “I will be like the most high.” Since then man has tried to rise above God, replacing Him with their own efforts and high opinion of themselves and their abilities. 

Adam and Eve did not have learned knowledge, they had God-given knowledge. Adam would have been very intelligent to name all the thousands of animals. Think about it. To name thousands of animals without duplicating any names and to remember them all would be far beyond most, if not all, people’s capabilities today.

However, there was certain knowledge that God did not give them, such as the knowledge of good and evil. God did not want them to experience evil. 

When God said that Adam and Eve would die if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He was not referring to physical death. Although, because of sin entering the world, mankind would now have a physical death, rather than live forever. Adam and Eve would have lived forever in the Garden of Eden had they not sinned. God created man in His image. He looked at what He created and said it was very good. He had not created man to die.

While a physical death is bad, a spiritual death is much worse. Because we live in a physical world, we tend to think of everything in the physical, therefore we tend to think God was speaking of a physical death. He may have been speaking of both.

 As hard as it is sometimes, we must always remember that the physical is now temporary, but the spirit is eternal. It is our spiritual souls that will live forever.

It was the spiritual death of Adam that broke the relationship between God and man. God could no longer have fellowship with man because there was now something that hindered that relationship. That something was the sin, the disobedience of Adam. If this had only involved Adam and Eve, that would have been bad, but it didn’t end there. Because Adam would be the father of the human race, his descendants would be born into sin. Because of this, we are all born with a sinful nature that we can never overcome while on this earth. Only by the grace of Jesus Christ will one day be able to leave this earth and our sinful nature behind. What a glorious day that will be!

Fighting Despair

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We’ve all felt discouraged, and alone at some point in our lives. We feel drained, exhausted, and lethargic, and find difficulty getting out of bed.

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John Bunyan called it Giant Despair in his timeless classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, and it imprisoned Christian until he found the Key of Promise in his clothing. 

It’s natural to become discouraged, but it’s unhealthy to stay that way. Satan loves to utilize the giant of discouragement to cast down our faith and progress. Satan knows exactly what will discourage us and will use it to get us down. We are no match for him, he has had thousands of years to practice his craft. Our only hope is in Christ and the promises of God.

Discouragement is the temptation to evaluate your momentary circumstances apart from the overarching plan of God for your life. God is a God of encouragement, not discouragement. As soon as you become discouraged, cry out to Him in prayer and ask for His help. God wants to hear your prayers, even when discouraged. He will answer and bring encouragement to your heart.

If Giant Despair has you in his dungeon today, remember you have the key to escape. It’s inside your Bible, found in one of the hundreds of promises God has given you. For example, Joshua 1:9, says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (NIV).

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalms 34:17-19)  God is near to the “broken-hearted”. He wants us to reach out to Him for help.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalms 55:22) We don’t need to struggle alone. The Lord will shoulder our burdens for us.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31)

“Discouragement can be defeated only when the full truth of everything that is for us confronts and conquers the half-truth of fear and despair.” Jason Meyer

Can we Comprehend the Greatness of God?

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As we consider the greatness of God, we may be inclined to think of events or miracles that
have happened to ourselves or others or the great love of the Father to offer His Son as a
sacrifice for our sins. Maybe we would consider His creation of the human body with all its
complex and intricate elements and its DNA code that is 67 billion miles long—the same as
about 150,000 round trips to the Moon. To think of all He has created is mind-boggling.
Consider the earth’s beauty and majestic wonders that cause us to stand in
awe of His creation. Or consider the universe with over a billion known galaxies; planets
that are so large that they make the earth look like a golf ball next to them. Wow!
A light year is a measure of time, that is how far light travels in a year, which is 5.88
trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers. The observable universe is 93 billion light-years across.
To most of us, that is an incomprehensible number, yet the universe goes beyond that.
How far, only God knows. As enormous as the universe is — God is bigger. God created the universe, therefore it
cannot contain Him. He is far greater than His creation.
God tells us that His thoughts and ways are beyond us. They are beyond our human
minds to grasp or understand.

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Our Two-Fold Problem: Sins and Sin

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God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need; His Son Jesus Christ. In all His dealings with us, He works by taking us out of the way and substituting Christ in our place. The Son of God died for our forgiveness, He lives for our deliverance. It will help us greatly and save us much confusion, if we keep constantly before us this fact, that God will answer all our questions in one way and one way only, namely, by showing us more of His Son.

Our problem is twofold: sins and sin. To better understand this let us look at the first eight chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. It will be helpful first to point out a natural division of this section of Romans into two and note certain striking differences in the subject matter of the two parts.

The first eight chapters of Romans form a self-contained unit. The four-and-one-half chapters from 1:1 to 5:11 form the first half of this unit and the three-and-one-half chapters from 5:12 to 8:39 the second half. A careful reading will show that the subject matter of the two halves is different. In the first section, we find the word “sins” given prominence. In the second half, the word “sins” hardly occurs once, however, the singular word “sin” occurs repeatedly and is the subject mainly dealt with. Why is this?

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