Can A Person Know Beyond A Shadow Of Doubt ....

.... Beforehand Into What Specific Category His Works As A Christian Will Fall?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 tells us that the works a Christian produces once he's born again will fall into 6 specific categories: gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. God's Word then goes on to state that every Christian's work will be tried by fire.

The impression I get is that a Christian's work(s) that are classified as either gold, or sliver, or jewels will remain after these works go through whatever this fire test is. OTOH, those works that are classified as wood, or hay, or straw will be destroyed by that same kind of fire test.

Consequently, it would seem that a Christian's works that are classified as either wood, or hay, or straw will not only be burned up, but the Christian who produces such works as these will himself also suffer great loss--whatever that means.

I've reviewed some of the more current threads in BB's theology & Bible Study forums and I haven't seen any particular one that focuses on this precise aspect of what I guess is considered to be the Bema Seat, or Judgment Seat of Christ.

With that in mind, my question is this: Can an individual Christian know precisely beforehand which particular work in which he's engaged can be definitely classified into which the exact one of these 6 categories God's Word specifies?

It would seem to me that the gold, or silver, or jewels categories are positive works for Christ. But how does an individual Christian know exactly, e.g., which specific work is a silver-type work, and which specific work is a jewels-type work?

Can a jewels-type work eventually be reclassified as, e.g., a silver-type work or vice versa?

Can a work that begun as a hay-type work eventually rise up to the level of a silver-type work or vice versa?

It appears to me that for some reason God's Word is vague on the specific details as to not only what works are classified into which specific category, but also what specifically is this "great loss" a Christian may suffer as a result of producing a wood-type work, or a hay-type or a straw-type of work.

Since God's Word tends to not be very specific on these various classifications of work that a Christian can produce, how then is a Christian able to know beyond a shadow of doubt which type of work he's producing?

Then too, how is a person who is in some kind of spiritual leadership position able to precisely know whether a person whom he's mentoring is producing a silver-type of work when that person should be capable of producing a gold-type work?

Where precisely are the cut-off points between each of these specific classifications of work?

I know that none of these works per se have a thing to do with a person's salvation because both Ephesians 2:5-9 and Titus 3:5 clearly state that a person's salvation isn't based on a person's good works--which, of course, a lost person has no good works in God's eyes--but rather by grace, & grace alone.

While works never enters into the basis of one's salvation, it would seem to me that a Christian's works after he is saved plays a rather significant role in that person's sanctification.

So again, is there a very clear-cut standard whereby an individual Christian can specifically know beforehand into what exact category his work(s) after salvation can be classified?

I've pondered this dilemma for many years & have yet found no specific answers to this basis upon which I will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Some may consider this to be rather unimportant subject, but I believe it's a very important subject because how I fare at the Judgment Seat of Christ will determine what level Ill spend in eternity.

I'd rather be one whose eternal happiness is the result of producing gold-level works. Sad to say, I'll probably wind up with more wood-type, hay-type, or straw-type works instead.

I'd love to read what any of you out there in BB Land have to post on this subject, especially if you can supply me with any specific Bible verses that address this topic.

 

Bro. P&S,

I tend to disagree on a few things you posted. Those first 3 actions, to me anyway, not straw. They may not be gold-type things, but IMHO they don't seem to be classified as straw.

That's just my opinion on that because I really don't know what God's criteria is on these types of works for a particular Christian. How much faith each one of those 3 particular actions may require it would seem to me to vary a lot depending on various things in each specific case.

Also, I'm a little confused about your last sentence. Have you personally ever healed a sick person by yourself apart from anyone helping to heal this sick person? Have you personally raised a dead person back to life without any external means of doing so? Have you actually cast out any devils from someone without any external means of doing so?

I'm not saying that you haven't done these types of things, but I've never actually experienced a person doing these sorts of things. I suppose that a person who does these sort of things on a regular, verifiable basis would indeed have true faith--it's just that in my 50 years as one of God's children, I've never face-to-face seen any of these sorts of things take place--either in a Baptist church or in any other legitimate evangelical church. Maybe you have, but I haven't.

 

Now you seem to be saying that the Bible sets the standard for determining which precise category a specific act by a Christian is assigned.

Seems to me what you are inferring is just a case of circular reasoning.

If the Bible does in fact have a definite criteria for assigning a specific act of a Christian, I do not find any of Mark 16's twenty verses telling me precisely which act that a Christian does is classified in which exact category.

Please indicate to me which of Mark 16's twenty verses comes right out and clearly says that, in this case, which precise category healing a sick person is classified.

 

DHK,

You're correct that a Christian should every thing in his life "as to the Lord."

This is one area in which I struggle--am I REALLY doing this for God's glory, or am I doing it to draw glory to me?

Oftentimes I may start doing some things for God's glory, but eventually it seems that what I'm doing declines into something that draws glory away from God and on to bringing glory only to me.

Even the Apostle Paul seems to have had this same problem--see Romans 7:15-21.

 

Bro. Martin,

I just read Matthew 7:22-23, but I don't seem to see anything in those two verses within Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" [Matthew 5:3-7:27] that give any specific details as to which precise act(s) that a Christian can do for God specifically fall into any of the 6 categories that are mentioned in my OP.

Please tell me where you find any details within the Matthew 7:22-23 narrative that precisely define into which of the exact 6 classifications of work(s) a Christian can produce that are mentioned in my OP of this thread.