Living in the Image of God M04S10
Christ teaching regarding final judgment conveys a message of God’s purpose for human interactions in continuous living. He assigns responsibilities to every person as his representative among others and calls each person to seek to perform the responsibilities through their living and human interactions. He will accept into his kingdom those he judges as “performs their individual responsibilities” but will not accept those he judges as “declines their individual responsibilities.” He will judge a person based on how he sees their living and will not reveal the day or time of final judgment. Therefore, individual relationship with God requires a person to be committed to God’s purpose and seek to fulfill the purpose in continuous living and interactions with others.
We discuss Christ teaching regarding God’s expectation of every person in everyday living and interactions with others. First, in the Sermon on the Mount, his teaching conveys a message regarding commitment to God’s purpose—that seeking to fulfill God’s purpose should be the only motivation for a person’s living and human interactions: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” [Matthew 5:8]. Second, his teaching on final judgment conveys a message of God’s purpose for human interactions in continuous living. God assigns individual responsibilities to every person, to represent him in human interactions with others, and will judge each person based on how he sees their living as they perform or decline to perform the responsibilities.
He calls every person to seek to perform the responsibilities as the only motivation for their living and human interactions. He will accept into his kingdom those he judges as people that perform their individual responsibilities in human interactions but not those he judges as people that decline theirs. Christ teaching regarding final judgment (Matthew 24:36–51) conveys a two-part message: first, that God will not reveal the day and time of final judgment and, second, he will judge every person based on their performing or declining their individual responsibilities in human interactions, as he sees their living. Therefore, individual relationship with God requires a person to be committed to God’s purpose and seek to fulfill the purpose in continuous living and human interactions.
We provide a two-part bible study to understand Christ teaching regarding continuous living and human interactions, under the title of Individual Responsibility for Positive Human Interaction. The first (current) study discusses his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding commitment to God’s purpose and his teaching regarding the day and time of final judgment, to understand his message of continuous living and human interactions through individual responsibilities. In the second study, we summarize our understanding of the individual responsibilities based on previous studies in this program.
Commitment to God’s Purpose from Sermon on the Mount
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ discusses commitment to God’s purpose through the sixth Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” [Matthew 5:8]. In this declaration, “pure in heart” means that “seeking to fulfill God’s purpose” is the only motivation for a person’s living and human interactions. Such a person is committed to God’s purpose, the target outcome for everything he or she does is consistent with God’s purpose, and his or her methods and approach are consistent with Living in the Image of God.
In the sixth Beatitude, Christ declares God’s promise to admit such a person into his kingdom. That is, the pure in heart will see God.
Day and Hour Unknown
Christ teaching regarding final judgment conveys a two-part message. First, he uses examples to explain that God will not reveal the day or time of final judgment. Second, he uses the Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant to explain the substance of final judgment.
Regarding the time of final judgment, the teaching conveys a message that God will judge every person based on how he sees the person at the time but will not reveal the day or time: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” [Matthew 24:36]. Therefore, individual relationship with God requires commitment to his purpose in continuous living and human interactions: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” [Matthew 24:42]. The commitment does not ask for perfection but requires a habit of seeking to fulfill God’s purpose in everyday living and human interactions. If you make a mistake, ask for forgiveness and continue in your commitment to his purpose.
Christ uses examples to explain that final judgment will be unannounced. On a day and time unknown to any person, God will select those he judges as “performs their individual responsibilities” and take them into his kingdom [Matthew 24:40–41]: “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” God will select those whose living and human interactions are motivated by seeking to fulfill his purpose, based on how he sees them at the time. Those are the pure in heart. They keep watch for the day and hour by Living in the Image of God. Such people will be ready for God every day and on the day and time.
Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant
Through the Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant, Christ explains the substance of final judgment in terms of what God expects from a person in keeping watch for “the day your Lord will come.” The parable is based on a relationship among the master of a household, one of his servants and other servants. Christ uses the parable to illustrate God’s purpose for every person to serve as his representative among other persons. The master was going away and placed one servant in charge of the other servants to give them their food on time every day [Matthew 24:45]: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?”
In the parable, the master represents God, the first servant represents a person, and the other servants represent other people in the person’s human interaction network. In the parable, the master placed the first servant in charge of the other servants to give them their food timely. The relationship models human relationship with God, whereby God places a person to represent him among other people—to be for the others what God would be for them if he lived with us in human form. Therefore, the parable describes human relationship with God regarding individual responsibilities in human interactions and relationships.
The master would return unannounced to find that the faithful and wise servant performs, or the wicked servant declines, the responsibilities.
Faithful and Wise Servant: Regarding the faithful and wise servant, the master would find him performing the responsibilities as assigned. That is, the master would find the servant in a habit of caring for the other servants and giving them their food timely, as the master had assigned to him: “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns” [Matthew 24:46]. The master’s return represents Christ returning on the day and time of final judgment. The faithful and wise servant represents a person that God sees as committed to God’s purpose and seeks to fulfill the purpose in continuous living and human interactions. The message of the parable is that God will be pleased with a person he sees as doing what God has assigned to him or her: “Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” [Matthew 24:46].
Wicked Servant: For a wicked servant, in contrast, the master would find that the servant abandoned the responsibility: “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards” [Matthew 24:48–49]. This part of the parable describes human relationship with God regarding a person that God sees as not doing what God has assigned him or her to do for others. Christ describes the fate of such a person: “He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [Matthew 24:51].
Message of the Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant
Here is what we know, based on Christ teaching in the Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant. God assigns responsibilities to every person as his representative among other people. To be for others what God would be for them if he lived with us in human form. He blesses those he judges as “performs the responsibilities” and punishes those he judges as “declines the responsibilities.” He judges a person based on how he sees the person at the time, but will not reveal the day or time of final judgment.
Righteous or Wicked
Christ teaching as discussed in this study confirms the binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked. In the Parable of Faithful and Wise Servant, the righteous is represented by the faithful and wise servant. The righteous are people that God judges as “performs their individual responsibilities.” That is, people he judges as Living in the image of God. Such people will be ready for final judgment according to God’s schedule.
In contrast, the wicked is represented by the wicked servant. The wicked are people that God judges as “declines their individual responsibilities.” The wicked include people that depart from God’s purpose and maybe expect to return to his purpose in time for final judgment. They will not be ready for final judgment.
Summary of What We Learned
Christ teaching regarding final judgment conveys a message of God’s purpose for human interactions in continuous living. He assigns responsibilities to every person as his representative among others and calls each person to seek to perform the responsibilities through their living and human interactions.
He will accept into his kingdom those he judges as “performs their individual responsibilities” but will not accept those he judges as “declines their individual responsibilities.” He will judge a person based on how he sees their living and will not reveal the day or time of final judgment. Therefore, individual relationship with God requires a person to be committed to God’s purpose and seek to fulfill the purpose in continuous living and interactions with others.