The essence of the Christian walk may be summarized in two verses of scripture.  In Rom. 12:1, 2 Paul said, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  In this brief exhortation Paul gives both the positive and negative aspects of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  He also tells us how to implement the positive aspect of discipleship in our lives.

The positive aspect of being a Christian is that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God.  Paul says that this is our “spiritual service of worship.”  This means that it is a natural expression of one whose life has been hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).  The imagery of a living sacrifice draws from the Old Testament practice of worship, in which an animal was killed as a sacrifice to God, but with an important difference.  Christians die to sin, but are alive to God.  Our sacrifice is a living one, in which we show our devotion to God by our faithfulness to His word in our worship, and in everything we do each day.

Paul says that we implement this positive aspect of discipleship by being transformed by the renewing of our minds.  This transformation is effected by the word of God, which is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).  The word of God gives us the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15), and when we devote ourselves to its study, it makes us all that God wants us to be.

The negative aspect of discipleship, as stated by Paul in Rom. 12:2, is what we must not do if we wish to be pleasing and acceptable to our God.  He says that we are not to be conformed to the world.  Conformity means adherence to a recognized pattern, whether of speech, dress, conduct, or ideology.  In some respects conformity is a good thing, but in this instance it is not.  Christians are not to adhere to any of the things that characterize the world.  This means that we do not act like those who are in rebellion against God and His word.  In other words, we do not allow the world to pour us into its mold.

A mold is a form or pattern into which a liquid or some other malleable material is poured or packed in order to turn that material into the shape of the mold.  Every time material is poured into a mold it comes out looking exactly like that mold, and exactly like every other portion of material that has been poured into that mold.  If we are poured into the world’s mold, we will think, speak, dress, and act like the world instead of being living sacrifices to God.

Christians must not be poured into the world’s mold because the world is destined for condemnation.  If we allow ourselves to be shaped like the world, two things will happen.  First, we will not be living sacrifices to God, and will therefore not be pleasing to Him.  Second, we will suffer the same fate as the world at judgment.

The only way to be acceptable and pleasing to God is to be poured into the mold of His word, which transforms our minds, and by being a living and holy sacrifice to Him all the days of our lives.

Psalm 66 begins with these words: “Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.  Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works!  Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.  All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name.'” (NASB, vs. 1-4).  This psalm is one of many in which worshipers are invited to offer praises and adoration to the God of heaven  It is also one of several in which the enemies of God also bow the knee to Him because of His awesome power and works.

An interesting aspect of this passage, as rendered in the New American Standard Bible, is in v. 3, where the psalmist says, “Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.”  The NASB is the only English translation to use the phrase “feigned obedience” in this verse.  Most of the other translations speak of God’s enemies cringing before Him.  Admittedly, the idea of God’s enemies cringing is an appropriate and worthy image, given His majesty and power.  Nevertheless, the idea of them offering “feigned obedience” is textually supported and may be a more appropriate imagery, given the nature of human beings.

The intent of the original Hebrew language in this verse is to give forced praise, given from hearts that still resist God’s will.  In the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew text completed about 250 B.C., this part of v. 3 is rendered, “Your enemies will lie to You.”  This is because the Hebrew term in this verse most often means “to lie or to deceive.”  In this place it conveys the idea of forced or unwilling submission, and thus, feigned or hypocritical submission (Eddie Cloer, Truth for Today Commentary, Psalms 51-89, p. 259-260).

Feigned or hypocritical submission to God’s will was the primary flashpoint in the Lord’s conflicts with the scribes and Pharisees of the first century.  In Mt. 23 the Lord pronounced a series of woes on these leaders and called them hypocrites seven times in the course of twenty-one verses (13-33).  He did so because their outward piety was actually feigned obedience.  In Mt. 15:8, 9 as He dealt with their use of human traditions to set aside God’s law, the Lord quoted the prophet Isaiah and applied it to the scribes and Pharisees.  He said, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.  But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

The point, of course, is that the Lord expects genuine submission from His people.  Faith in Jesus Christ is not a matter of rote repetition of ritual.  It is a matter of a heart that sincerely seeks to do all that God’s word requires in every circumstance of life.  Paul spoke of this necessity in Col. 3:22-25.  He said, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.  For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”

It stands to reason that if we are supposed to give sincere service to our earthly masters, how much more so must we give sincere service and obedience to God our Father, and to our Lord Jesus Christ?  Feigned obedience is disobedience, and will result in eternal condemnation for all who practice it.

In Num. 20:12 God told Moses and Aaron that they would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land because they had failed to treat Him as holy when they brought forth water from the rock at Meribah.  Aaron died in the wilderness shortly thereafter, but Moses continued to lead Israel until they were encamped on the east side of the Jordan across from Jericho.  Before he died, Moses prepared a book in which he reminded Israel of all the things God had done for them to bring them to that place, and of everything He expected of them as His people.  We call this book Deuteronomy.

In the early chapters of this book, Moses recounted  the events that had taken place at Mt. Sinai, when God gave His law to Israel.  He reminded them of how frightened they had been when they heard God’s voice from the mountain and saw the smoke and fire that enveloped the mountain to signify His presence there.  At that time the people begged Moses to speak with God and then relay His message to them.  They promised that they would do whatever God told them to do.

In Deut. 5:28, 29 Moses related God’s response to this request.  He said, “The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you.  They have done well in all that they have spoken.  Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!'”

We see in v. 29 God’s greatest desire for Israel.  He wanted them to fear Him and to keep all His commandments so He could bless them abundantly in the land that He was giving them.  It is important for us to understand that to fear God in this context means to revere Him and to respect Him in all that they did.  They were already terrified of Him, as evidenced by their reaction to His presence on Sinai.  That kind of fear, however, has no lasting effect.  God wanted them to have a heart that always esteemed Him higher than anything or anyone else.  The proof of their esteem for God would be their obedience to His commands.

God’s statement in v. 29 underscores a fundamental truth about human beings.  Our hearts are what dictate our thoughts and actions.  Our Lord Jesus Christ taught this same truth in Mt. 15:18-20, where He said, “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”  If we have a heart that does not fear God, we will be disobedient to His will.  This was the basis of the Lord’s condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees in Mt. 15:8, 9.  He said they honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were far away from Him.

The fact that our Lord taught the same truth that His Father expressed to Moses and Israel tells us that God has not changed His desire for His people.  He still wishes for people who will have such a heart that they will fear Him and keep all His commandments.  Knowing this, and knowing that this is the basis upon which God showers His abundant blessings on us, should motivate us to cultivate our hearts so they are exactly what God wants them to be.  Of course we can only cultivate such a heart by devoting ourselves to God’s word and by surrendering our will to His.  Oh that each of us would have such a heart!

The phone call with the news was devastating.  A dear friend had suddenly died after returning home from mid-week Bible Study.  One moment he was conversing with his wife and going about his normal routine before retiring for the night, and the next, he was gone.  He was seventy-five years old and was generally in good health.  His mental faculties were still intact, and he was engaged in important work for the kingdom of Christ.  His passing leaves a void, not only in the hearts of his wife and family, but in the congregation for whom he preached, and in the lives of thousands of brethren who read and profited from his many books and articles.

The pain that we feel when a loved one passes from this life is deep and lingering.  We often console ourselves by saying that time heals all wounds, but in some respects we never completely recover from the passing of a close family member.  The scriptures teach us that a faithful brother or sister who passes from this life has gone on to a far better place.  We understand this with our heads, but our hearts still struggle to grasp this truth.  Such are the limitations of our finite nature.

The sudden passing of a loved one reminds us of the frailty of human life, and of the necessity to be ready for this inevitable event.  In Heb. 9:27, 28 the scripture says, “And in as much as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Two important truths are stated in these short verses.  First, it is appointed for men to die once.  This is a truth that has marked human life since Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden.  Someone once said that as soon as one is born he begins to die, and this is essentially the truth.  Every person who is born will die.  The only exception to this rule is those who are alive when the Lord returns (cf. 1 Th. 4:13-18).

The second important truth from Heb. 9:27, 28 is that judgment awaits all of us when we die.  This is a truth that permeates the entire New Testament.  When the Lord comes again, He will do so for judgment (cf. 2 Th. 1:5-8).  The imagery of the Lord and His angels dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel, clearly warns us that we must be ready to face Him when this occurs.

The time for preparation, however, is limited to the time we are alive on the earth.  This makes sense, of course.  We understand this in every aspect of life.  One cannot prepare for a test at school after the test papers have been distributed by the teacher.  One cannot prepare for an inspection or audit after the inspector arrives.  Neither can one prepare to face the Lord in judgment once he has passed from this life.  The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31) makes this clear.

Since we know that these two inevitable events lie somewhere in our future we must make the best use of each day to be prepared for them.  The only way to adequately prepare for death and judgment is to be right with God before we get there.  The gospel of Jesus Christ requires us to believe in Him (Jn. 8:24), to turn away from our sins (Lk. 13:3), to confess our faith in Him (Mt. 10:32, 33), and to be baptized in order to have our sins forgiven (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38).  It also requires us to live faithfully until we die (Rev. 2:10).  There is urgency in the call of the gospel, however, because our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes (Jas. 4:14).

One day each of us will pass away.  One moment we will be there, alive and well, and the next moment we will be gone.  Are you ready?

Most people seem to go through life with no apparent idea of, or interest in, the purpose for their existence.  Are we here simply for the pleasure of a “puppet-master” God who enjoys pulling our strings and watching us dance to His manipulations?  Are we nothing more than the current stage of random evolution, with no lasting destiny and no ability to affect it?  Or are we here as the result of a divine purpose, and with a divine goal in mind?

How one answers these questions plays a large part in the course of his life.  Those who reject the idea of God tend toward the view that when one dies, he simply ceases to exist.  Some among us gravitate toward the cynical and fatalistic attitude that things are bad in life and then, after suffering all those things, one dies.  Neither of these views seems open to the idea of life after death.  These may be more of a defense mechanism than a studied conclusion, but they are real attitudes nonetheless.

Among those who do believe in life after death, there are several attitudes.  One is the “all dogs go to heaven” perspective.  In this view, it doesn’t matter how one lives on earth because God is going to save everyone anyway.  Another view is the annihilation idea.  This philosophy suggests that the evil people just cease to exist when they die.  Both of these perspectives may offer some measure of comfort to those who hold them, but are they compatible with what the Bible actually teaches?

When we look at the scriptures, there is one teaching and only one teaching about life after death.  This teaching involves three parts.  The first part is that everyone, whether good or bad, will live after death.  The Lord taught this in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, recorded in Lk. 16:19-31.  Both the rich man and Lazarus were alive and cognizant in Hades after passing from this life.  One was in torment and the other was in Paradise, but both were alive.

The second part is that everyone will stand in judgment and give an account of his life on the earth.  In Jn. 5:28, 29 the Lord said, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”  In 2 Cor. 5:10 Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  In Rev. 20:11-15 John described his vision of the judgment, and he noted in v. 12 that all the dead, both great and small, stood before the throne of God.  Everyone will be present at judgment, and everyone will stand before God.

This leads to the third part, which is that everyone will face the consequences of his or her conduct in life.  In Rev. 20:11-15 John tells us that the dead will be judged from the things written in the books, and those whose names are not in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death.  Those consigned there, do not cease to exist, though.  In Rev. 20:10 John says they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  The righteous, however, will be welcomed into God’s presence, to the place prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Mt. 25:34).

Since everyone will be there and everyone will be judged, we must prepare ourselves for the afterlife by obeying God’s will while we live here on the earth.