Living in the Image of God M07S03
The bible at John 3:16–21 describes two interdependent conditions for human relationship with God. The first is believing in God, salvation, and eternal life; through Jesus Christ the Son. The second is Living by the Truth of God, that is, Living according to God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships. The two conditions are interdependent and interwoven: believing in God calls for commitment to Living by the Truth of God, which, in turn, requires believing in God. The first condition defines the requirement for receiving the gift of God. The second defines commitment to using the gift of God toward accomplishing his purpose. This bible study discusses Christ teaching that God judges every person based on performance in the second condition. He uses the first condition to provide resources needed for the second; then, he judges every person based on their performance in the second, i.e., using the gift of God towards fulfilling God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships.
The bible study is anchored on John 3:16–21, which describes two interdependent conditions for human relationship with God. The first is believing in God, salvation, and eternal life; through Jesus Christ the Son: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” [John 3:16]. The second is Living by the Truth of God, that is, Living according to God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships: “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” [John 3:21].
The two conditions are interdependent and interwoven: believing in God calls for commitment to Living by the Truth of God, which, in turn, requires believing in God. The first condition (believing in God) defines requirements for accessing resources that God provides to enable a person perform the second condition (Living by the Truth of God).
Christ teaching conveys a message that God judges every person based on their performance in the second condition—toward fulfilling God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships. We discuss his teaching regarding the requirement for receiving eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Also, we discuss his teaching regarding God’s binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked based on having shown themselves fit or unfit for his purpose in human interactions and relationships. Christ describes the categorization using the Parable of the Net, Parable of the Weeds, and Parable of the Sheep and the Goat.
Christ Teaching on Receiving Eternal Life
Recall our previous discussion (M06S10) of Christ teaching regarding the requirements for receiving eternal life in the Kingdom of God. He provides the teaching in responding to the same question in two separate events. In each event, he was asked what an individual must do to inherit eternal life. In one event (Luk 10:25–37), Christ responds with the Parable of Good Samaritan. In the other event (Matthew 19:16–30), he responds with the analogy of the “rich versus the kingdom of God.”
Although the specific information that he provides in each response is different, the responses convey exactly the same message: apply the wealth that God has given you to provide for needs that he will show you and he will grant you eternal life in the Kingdom of God. That is, God judges every person based on their performance toward fulfilling his purpose for human interactions and relationships.
Christ Teaching Regarding Categorization as Righteous or Wicked
Christ uses parables to explain the basis for binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked at final judgment. The parables convey a message that God categorizes a person as righteous or wicked based on his judgment of their performance in human interactions and relationships. He categorizes as righteous those he judges to have shown themselves fit for his purpose. The others he categorizes as wicked. Christ provides the teaching in the Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47–50), Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24–30 and 36–43), and Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31–46).
In the Parable of the Net, Christ describes fishermen categorizing fish as good fish or bad fish based on their judgment of the fish as fit or unfit to fulfill their purpose. Similarly, in the Parable of the Weed, the grain farmer categorizes farm proceeds as wheat or weed based on their judgment of the proceeds as fit or unfit to fulfill their purpose. These parables convey a message that God categorizes a person as righteous or wicked based on his judgment of their living as having shown themselves fit or unfit for his purpose in human interactions and relationships.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Christ describes the binary categorization of people at final judgment: as righteous or others (not-righteous), based on how they responded to opportunities to provide goods or service to benefit people in need. God categorizes as righteous those that recognized opportunities he showed to them and provided goods or service to alleviate the need. That means they recognized the need and needy, cared about the needy, were motivated by care to commit to contributing goods or service as they could to alleviate the need, and persevered in seeking to contribute. The others consist of people that declined to do what they could to alleviate a need that God had directed to them. Either they failed to recognize the need, or they recognized but declined to contribute as they could.
Summary of What We Learned
The bible study is anchored on John 3:16–21, which describes two interdependent conditions for human relationship with God. The first condition is believing in God, salvation, and eternal life; through Jesus Christ the Son. The second is Living by the Truth of God, that is, Living according to God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships.
The two conditions are interdependent and interwoven: believing in God calls for commitment to Living by the Truth of God, which, in turn, requires believing in God. The first condition defines the requirement for receiving the gift of God. The second defines commitment to using the gift of God toward accomplishing his purpose.
The bible study discusses Christ teaching that God judges every person based on performance in the second condition. He uses the first condition to provide resources needed for the second; then, he judges every person based on their performance in the second, i.e., using the gift of God towards fulfilling God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships.