Greater than Jonah

[B-A-C]

God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warm them He was going to destroy Nineveh.

Jon 3:4; Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."
Jon 3:5; Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.

Jon 3:6; When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
Jon 3:7; He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
Jon 3:8; "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.

So they.... repented.... "turned from (their) wicked way and violence.

Jon 3:9; "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
Jon 3:10; When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

God saw that they repented, and He didn't destroy Nineveh.

Matt 12:41; "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Yet we have the words and teachings of someone "greater than Jonah". He tells us several times to repent.

Matt 4:17; From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Luke 13:3; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Rev 3:19; 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

So why do we believe it isn't necessary?

Rom 2:5; But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

Some believe Christians and children of God won't be judged, therefore they don't need to repent.

1 Pet 4:17; For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

 

[Dave M]

Bac

My understanding is defiantly we need to repent (definition of repent is stop doing the sin) at one time I thought repent meant confession and that is wrong, but our (believers) judgement will be on the works we do in order for for rewards.


2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Matthew 25:21
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

 

[B-A-C]

My understanding is defiantly we need to repent (definition of repent is stop doing the sin) at one time I thought repent meant confession and that is wrong, but our (believers) judgement will be on the works we do in order for for rewards.

I know this is taught is some churches... but the only place I see this might be the case is 1 Cor 3:13-15;

In fact if you keep reading the passage you quoted from above in Matt 25.. The passage ends like this.

Matt 25:26; "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
Matt 25:30; "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Still in the same chapter....

Matt 25:31; "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Matt 25:32; ""All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
Matt 25:33; "and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Who is "the Son of Man" in this passage?

The passage ends like this...

Matt 25:45; "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
Matt 25:46; "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

If we go to Matthew 7 (the sermon on the mount)... Jesus says...

Matt 7:21; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matt 7:22; "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Matt 7:23; "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

You might argue... well they weren't really believers. Well they thought they were. What separates them from other believers?
... YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS ...

If we go to John 5, Jesus says...

John 5:28; "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
John 5:29; 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.

It doesn't say anything about what they believe... it says they will be judged by their deeds. Same as the sheep and goats.
Sames as those who called Jesus "Lord" in Matt 7:21-22.

Matt 16:26; "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt 16:27; "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

Some take this to mean, He will only judge them for "good deeds" to be rewarded... but He prefaces this verse saying...
"What will a man give up in exchange for his soul?" That sounds like salvation to me. Not rewards.

Paul says the same thing.

Rom 2:5; But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Rom 2:6; who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
Rom 2:7; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
Rom 2:8; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

We will be judged by our deeds, not what we say we believe. Some get immortality and eternal life.
Some will get wrath and indignation.

Rom 8:13; for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Gal 5:19; Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20; idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21; envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

It doesn't say "unless you believe in Jesus" then you won't be judged for these things. Why do we add that?
There are people who say they know Jesus, but...

1 Jn 2:4; The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Rev 20:13; And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Heb 10:26; For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27; but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
Heb 10:28; Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29; How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30; For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE."
Heb 10:31; It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

This passage isn't talking about unbelievers... it's talking about people who "trample" the blood of the covenant"
by "which they were sanctified". (are unbelievers sanctified by the blood?)

I quoted this one in the OP, but I will post it here also.

1 Pet 4:17; For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Are Christians in the household of God? Or is it talking about unbelievers?
If anything, I believe believers will be judged more harshly, because they knew the truth and have no excuse.

John 15:22; "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Is Luke 12:35-48; talking about unbelievers... or servants "in the masters house"?

 

[B-A-C]

Keep in mind, if people who say they believe in Jesus are never never judged in the after life.

That means anything goes... I can sin all I want. Be homosexual, be a child-molester, be a rapist, ... but hey
I'm good, cause I believe in Jesus, so He won't judge me. (There are millions of people that believe this).

 

[Dave M]

Keep in mind, if people who say they believe in Jesus are never never judged in the after life.

That means anything goes... I can sin all I want. Be homosexual, be a child-molester, be a rapist, ... but hey
I'm good, cause I believe in Jesus, so He won't judge me. (There are millions of people that believe this).

these are great point you bring up, so do you think we are judged from the things we repented from?? do we get judged for the sins we committed before we were saved is what I am asking?? , because if we do that would seem to mean we would go to hell wouldn't it??

 

[Dave M]

then we have this verse it was the one that got me thinking but I could not find it when I posted


John 5-24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 3:18
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

 

[B-A-C]

John 5-24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Let's add some context to this verse.

John 5:22-29;
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
"For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
"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.


All judgment is given to the Son (Jesus)
The Father gave (Jesus) the authority to execute judgment.

The dead will rise up out of the tombs when they hear Jesus's voice. Both the good and evil. ( Acts 24:15; )
The (good people) spend eternity one way. The (evil people) spend eternity another way. Who is the judge in the passage above
who decides which people are which?

I would like to key in on this phrase.. "he who hears My word,".

What are some of the words Jesus said?

Matt 7:24-27;
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."


Matt 4:17; From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Luke 13:3; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

 

[B-A-C]

John 3:18
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Let's put this one in context also.

John 3:16-21;
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
"But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."


The very next verse says... "This is the judgment". There is still a judgment.. for those "who deeds are evil".
I believe what this passage is saying is... unbelievers aren't judged by Jesus. They get the "privilege" of being judged by
the Father. He who does not believe is judged already.

"whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life".

believes in Him.... what does that mean? That you simply believe Jesus existed?
Or does "believing" in Jesus mean you believe everything He stood for, everything He taught, and everything He was an example of.

"He who believes in Him is not judged" - not by the Father, true. But does that mean Jesus can't look at your life and actions
to see if you really "believe in Him"?