2021-10-31

What have you done - with God's Christ?

considering God's "open" secret: through Paul's message in his letter commonly called "Romans"+ etc*



Oh God, you will reward each one accord-

ing to what we have done, not our intents.

Our actions more than thoughts affect what's stored.

The folk who keep on doing good, will hence-


forth find a gift from God, spread from God's store:

the very life of God shared with them each.

If seeking glory, honour, and immor-

tal life, persist they in what God would teach,


and keep on doing good*, then God will give 

eternal life to them, so who will take

it from them? There is nothing, no one lives

who has the pow'r to separate or make


us not to be empowered by this gift

of Christ's immortal resurrection life,

whose way is pow'red by love, that holds and lifts

this Universe together, come what strife


might come our way. But there are other songs,

for sadly other people selfishly

reject what's right, to follow what is wrong; 

so on them God pours anger and fury.


There's suffering and pain for all who do 

what's evil, for the Jews first, then the rest.

But God gives glory, honor, and peace to 

all who do what is good - by him they're blest.


For it is not the hearing of God's Law 

that puts folk right with God; if they recite

his law, with chapter/verses - what's that for?

But doing - God's good word make(s) all things right!




*   Here the apostle Paul uses the same logic and starting point as John uses in his clear and candid comments to his "little children": "Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life. I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ. Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child."  1 John 2:24‭-‬29 GNTD



+ For God will reward each of us according to what we have done. Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury. There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles. But God will give glory, honor, and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. For God judges everyone by the same standard. …

For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands. Romans 2:6‭-‬11‭, ‬13 GNTD


(And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them. In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us? Certainly not God, who did not even keep back his own Son, but offered him for us all! He gave us his Son—will he not also freely give us all things? Who will accuse God's chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty! Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with him for us! Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death? As the scripture says, “For your sake we are in danger of death at all times; we are treated like sheep that are going to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:30‭-‬39 GNTD)



1 comment:

  1. Thanks Paul - this works for me. It is about true transformation from the inside out which determines the choices we make in loving others and reaching out to them. It is troubling though to read those passages about God’s fury and anger upon those who reject him. Perhaps this happens more in this life and that the eternal darkness which I sense is what God has in store for the wicked is the way that the punishment will ultimately devolve for them

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