This idea came to me in a dream last night. I’ve been taking one milligram of melatonin at night, and my dreams have become more vivid. I’m not suggesting that this blog idea is inspired by God or melatonin. But I liked the idea I had.
Do you permit your children the possibility of failure? I can think of at least three reasons for our heavenly Father’s allowing the possibility of believers’ falling away from the faith.
First, He considers testing us in this life a good thing. If every believer lived a sinless life from the moment of the new birth, then there would be no testing of believers. There would be no Judgment Seat of Christ after this life.
Of course, most teach that while believers sin, and that they might even fall away for a short time, they won’t fall away indefinitely. The point at which “a short time” becomes too long a time is never clear. Furthermore, if God guaranteed holiness on the part of all believers, then, logically, He would guarantee perfection. But even if the guaranteed holiness were limited, all believers would surely achieve that equally. If all believers were faithful, there would be no need for testing now or for judgment after this life (1 Cor 3:1-5).
Second, it is good in God’s sight that only some believers rule with Christ in the life to come.
In the Millennium, some glorified saints will rule with Christ over those in natural bodies. No people in natural bodies will rule. Whether in Israel or among the nations, those in natural bodies will be ruled by those in glorified bodies.i
God requires that we be faithful in this life in order to rule in the next (1 Cor 6:1-5; 2 Tim 2:12; 1 John 2:28; Rev 2:26). Unfaithful believers will be in the kingdom forever. But they will not rule.
Third, free will is important to God in both salvation and discipleship. People should be open and willing to believe in Jesus for everlasting life (John 5:39-40; Acts 10). So, too, believers should be open and willing to run the race and fight the fight (1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Tim 4:6-8). If God regenerated people before they believed and then sanctified them automatically, we’d be little more than puppets. God did not want puppets. That’s why He gave us free will.
Our lives are filled with challenges: high school, college, sports, work, citizenship, marriage, family, homes, church, etc. Failure is possible in all these areas. Life is meaningful because of challenges. If life were free of all challenges, then what would it be? Insignificant? Meaningless? (See 1 Cor 15:19, 32.)
Our lives have eternal significance precisely because God has allowed us the possibility of failing. He puts both success and failure before us.
Wouldn’t it be great to hear the Lord Jesus Christ say, “Well done, good servant”? Paul was striving for that (1 Cor 9:27). We all should strive for His approval. Unlike everlasting life, His approval is not guaranteed to the believer. We must persevere to win that prize (1 Cor 9:24-25; 2 Tim 2:12).
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i It is possible that there will also be people in natural bodies on the New Earth. For more details, see this article by Philippe Sterling (pp. 49-62). If so, when the kingdom moves there, rulership will still be over people in natural bodies.
