Matthew 12:36, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
The Word of God tells us that people will give account to God for EVERY
IDLE WORD spoken on Judgment Day. This reveals the extent to which God
will hold humanity accountable for the good and bad we do. Not one thing will be
overlooked.
What does the Bible mean by “idle words”? It means that when we speak to others, without seasoning our words with grace to honor the Lord, we have wasted those words. Every believer is expected to hold forth the word of life, i.e., the good news of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen. The Gospel is the “power” by which we are saved, to every one which believeth (Romans 1:16).
Philippians 2:16, “HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” What a wonderful Bible verse. The Bible calls soul-winning, holding forth the WORD OF LIFE. The Gospel is the Word which giveth new life to those who receive it by believing on Jesus. John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
You don't have to pray for God to judge your enemies, because He has already promised to do so (Romans 12:19). God will judge each and every human being for the good and bad they do. There will be different judgments, one for the saved (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11) and another for the unsaved (Revelation 20:11-15). God will judge men even for the wasted words they have spoken. How much more shall God judge those who utter hurtful words, or hateful words, or words that cause injury to others. Words are very powerful. Wars have been started and ended by mere words. Lifetime friendships have been forged and destroyed by mere words.
As the saying goes, a man is only as good as his words. The same is true of God, which is why Psalm 138:2 tells us “for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.” God has magnified the Bible above the name of Jesus, because God's name is only as trustworthy as His Words. This is why Jesus said in John 14:2, “if it were not so, I would have told you.” Jesus said what He meant, and meant what He said.
When I ponder the Biblical truth that God will judge men for even the very words they speak, I am horrified to think of what will be the eternal consequences of those who mass-murder the innocent, take advantage of the poor and destroy families.
The Bible also tells us that God will reward us for a cup of water given in Jesus' precious name. In fact, the Bible says that God will reward us for a cup of water given even in a disciple's name. Mark 10:42, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” This means if we help another Christian who is serving the Lord, or help the misfortunate in a disciple's name, God will reward us for that as well. No good deed for the Lord will go unrewarded.
Let me say that most of the charitable work done in the world today will NOT be rewarded, because it is not done in Jesus' name nor a disciple's name. Martin Luther King Jr. was an unsaved heretic, who denied the deity of Jesus and the Virgin Birth. His work will not be rewarded, because it was done for greedy men who hired him. Sadly, King is being tormented in Hell this moment, because he denied the Savior. Most of the religious work being done today is in the flesh. God will not reward charity that is done to further demonic causes. Most charities are ecumenical, teaching a vague Social Gospel. Jesus plainly taught that a man must be born again to enter Heaven (John 3:5). No amount of charitable work can buy one's way into Heaven.
There is not one 501c3 government licensed Church. Not one. The Church never has been, nor ever will be, a government licensed business. The Church is two or more believers assembling together in Jesus name (Matthew 18:20). Members of the Body of Christ may gather together under the umbrella of a 501c3 organization; but the organization itself is not the Church in any way, fashion or form. This deception has confused many people today, who blindly think that a government licensed (and increasingly controlled) business is the Church. The only Authority of a Church is the Bible. When men are the authority, then you have a cult. When the government is the authority, then you have a Police State.
Everything that we do, good or bad, is being recorded by God. It's interesting that the Bible says God keeps “books” in Heaven. I like that. Revelation 20:12, “and the books were opened.” God doesn't use computers, high speed tracking devices or RFID's to monitor us. He uses good old fashioned BOOKS. It is interesting that an omnipotent God, Who can remember everything and needs no method of keeping records, would choose to use BOOKS to keep track of everything that we do in life. So remember that. Everything that HAPPENS anywhere is recorded in HEAVEN. The books will be opened in eternity, and we will be required to give account of our life. Oh, how so many of us will then wish we had given our lives to serving God, won souls to Jesus Christ while we had the chance, and helped “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40).
It is encouraging to me that Jesus said He would reward me, even for a cup of water given in a disciple's name. That means God is going to reward me for every keystroke on my computer, every Gospel of John given away, and every thing that I do to help the misfortunate in Jesus' name.
I also realize that God is going to hold me accountable for even the words I idly speak; thus, I want to obey Colossian 4:6, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Salt makes a person thirsty. Our words should be seasoned with the grace of God's Word, holding forth the Word of life, causing people to become thirsty for more. When Jesus spoke concerning Moses and the prophets, the Bible says the disciple's hearts BURNED within them. Luke 24:32, “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?” There are many people in the world today who are hungry for the truth of God's Word. We have the responsibility and opportunity to sow the Word of God.
Life is not a trifle matter with God. He is going to judge us for everything, even for a cup of water given in a disciple's name, or for the wasted words we speak. Everything is being written down in Heaven, in books, and those books will be opened on Judgment Day. Those books are going to be very intimidating in God's courtroom. There is not enough teaching in our churches on The Judgment Seat of Christ in 2nd Corinthians 5:10-11. The Bible speaks in verse 11 of the “terror of the Lord.” King David pleaded with God in Psalm 6:1, “O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.” Too many believers take the Scriptures lightly and don't fear God as they should. Hebrews 10:30-31, “The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Do you fear God? I do.
Please understand that salvation is NOT based upon our
good outweighing our bad as many people have been misled to think. No amount of
good can erase the bad (i.e., the sins) from one's record. This is why God
needed to send His Son into the world, to pay our sin debt.
Jesus came to SAVE SINNERS!
An Every Word Bible
I am dismayed when I hear professed Christians say
that the Bible is not something we should fight over. What? If God is going to
judge us for the very words we speak, then don't you think that the Words He
speaks are equally important? Yes, of course! Everything that we believe as
Christians hinge upon EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD
(Matthew 4:4). Therefore, I need an every word Bible. God only wrote one
Book. There are literally hundreds of English translations, which vary widely in
their content, meaning and doctrine. This is why I defend, love and promote only
the King James Bible. All other English translations on the market today
are corrupt! It does matter, very much, that we have the right message, from a
trustworthy Bible.
There is Only One Gospel
Ray Comfort once kindly wrote to me, attempting to convince me that our doctrinal differences are a mere matter of semantics (i.e., wording the same belief differently). I told him that we do not agree at all on the issue of salvation, because he believes that a person cannot be saved and deliberately continue in sin; but I do believe that. The difference is much more than mere semantics, it is night and day.
- I believe that one's salvation is solely
based in Christ's righteousness and has absolutely nothing to do with
one's desire to depart from sin. Romans 4:5-6 plainly teaches that
salvation is without works of self-righteousness, and that we are saved
by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord.
A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance; and not a part of the
ROOT of saving faith. A person gives up their sins because they ARE a
Christian; and not to BECOME a Christian. The changed life comes AFTER a
person is saved, as a person grows in the milk of the Word (1st Peter
2:2).
- Ray Comfort on the other hand, believes that a person must stop deliberately committing sin to be saved. Mr. Comfort teaches that those who profess faith in Christ, but still continue in sin, are not saved because they have never given up their sins, which he teaches is necessary for salvation. Ray Comfort teaches that a changed life is part of the ROOT of saving faith. According to Mr. Comfort, a person must give up their sins to BECOME a Christian. In this false plan of salvation, a sinner must change in order to be saved.
Do you see the drastic difference between the two different Gospels? The latter is damnable heresy.
Ray Comfort is sincere, unquestionably; but he is doctrinally messed up from following John MacArthur. Biblically, a person who continues in sin is likely not saved (1st John 3:8); but it's not because they never gave up their sins as Ray Comfort errantly teaches. It's because they never genuinely believed on Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21; John 6:40).
That's where Ray Comfort goes astray in his theology. To teach that giving up one's sins is mandatory for salvation is a false Gospel of self-righteousness, which excludes everyone who is not willing to stop living in sin. Jesus said in John 6:37 that He would not turn away anyone who came to Him for salvation, and that includes the vilest sinner who isn't ready to give up his sins yet. All God requires is that a person acknowledge their guilt of sin (Romans 3:19), and believe on the Lord to be forgiven (Acts 10:43; Romans 10:13). Acts 16:30-31, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” That's the way to be saved, i.e., to believe on Jesus as the Christ.
There are hundreds of perversions of the Gospel nowadays. Every believer needs to be a watchman, a pit bull guard dog, that shines the Light of God's Word upon the darkness. That's the only way to expose the darkness, i.e., by shining the Lamp of God's Word upon it. Salvation is simple—we are SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR.
If a person must forsake their sinful habits to
be saved, then salvation is extremely complicated. The hypocrisy of Ray
Comfort's and John MacArthur's Lordship Salvation heresy is that NO ONE can
give up all their sins. 1st John 1:10 says that we are calling God a liar if
we say we are without sin. Only Jesus is completely without sin (1st Peter
2:22).
Conclusion
If
more Christians grasped the Biblical truth that God will reward and punish even
the smallest and seemingly insignificant words and deeds, then it would
revolutionize their life. How encouraging it is to know that everything we do,
even the smallest work, will be rewarded by God in eternity.
And also, if we shall give account for every idle word spoken, then we need to guard our every word, deed and decision. We belong to the King! God is keeping track of everything we say and do, and will hold us accountable on Judgment Day. 1st Thessalonians 4:6 plainly warns that God will avenge the defrauded. Romans 14:12 says we will all give account as individuals before God.
God is going to begin His judgment with the Church, and then the unsaved. 1st Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
If God will hold men accountable for their words, then what shall be the end of the monsters who killed 2,7521 innocent people in the 911 attacks? Hell will be hot enough! What will be the end of the monsters who have killed 1,366,3502 innocent Iraqis? What will be the end of those who knowingly support the blasphemous Catholic religion? We are living in a Godless world (1st John 5:19). All seek their own and not the things which are Jesus Christ's (Philippians 2:21). Most people have churchianity without Christianity. They are in serious trouble with God. They are still hellbound in their sins.
I've witnessed to countless people in my life, most of whom listened to everything I said, and yet didn't hear a word. It's like the phrase from the movie, The Sixth Sense... “I see dead people.” That is what I see in the world today... dead people... going about their daily selfish, self-centered and self-righteous lives, all headed for the Lake of Fire!
The Bible is very clear that God is a meticulous God. The Words of God are exact and immutable (unchangeable). God will judge the wicked for the smallest sins committed; and He will reward the righteous for the smallest good they've done. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” That is how meticulous God is! God cares (1st Peter 5:7) and everything matters to God.
This apostate generation takes everything lightly, like nothing really matters except unity and so-called “love.” They're all a bunch of apostates who don't care about the things of Jesus Christ. God cares about the smallest details...
