This is it....

Ok, after this I'm done with blogging about God's forgiveness. At least for now.



Another question that many believers have after hearing me teach the truth about God’s forgiveness is “What about heaven? Won’t I be held accountable for all my bad deeds there?”

You may even say, “What about the verses in I Corinthians that speak of the judgment seat of Christ and say that we’ll be held accountable for all our deeds on earth, both good and bad?”



Remember that you have to interpret the Bible as a whole and this verse, interpreted as many believers interpret it (that we will be held accountable and judged for our sins in heaven), contradicts the basics of grace.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)

So what can that verse mean?


It’s important to understand that the judgment to which this verse is referring is not for the purpose of getting “into” heaven. It’s for giving out rewards. Do you realize that there are some things that you do that are not sin, yet they are also not something for which you will be rewarded? For instance, you may think that since you are teaching Sunday School, or giving, or doing some other “good” deed you will be automatically rewarded for it in heaven. But what was your motive? Was it for recognition or to get something out of it?

Teaching Sunday School is not a “bad” deed, but if it is done with the wrong motive, then you’ve received your reward here on earth. There will be no more reward in heaven. Such activity is what this passage refers to as wood, hay, and stubble and will not survive the test of fire.

The Greek word used and translated “bad” in this verse is “phaulos” and it refers to that which is “good for nothing.” It describes an activity from which no profit or gain is derived. This word stresses the lack of value that the deed contributes. Basically, the verse is talking about worthless service. It is not the same as the Greek word “poneros” which means malicious, describing what is evil or “bad”. If God had wanted us to believe that we would be held accountable for our sins, He would have used words that would clearly and without question convey that understanding.

The passages in I Corinthians that address the heavenly judgments are speaking of your deeds, both good and those that are “good for nothing” – they are worthless because they were not done under the leadership of God, you did it in your own strength, or you did it with the wrong motive. But these verses do not provide any basis for believing that we will be held accountable for our sins when we get to heaven.

I know these last few blogs have contained a lot of information, but I just believe that understanding God's forgiveness is so crucial to living in the freedom and abundance of life in Christ!

Here's why:

As long as Satan can keep us deceived about this one matter, our attention will stay focused on ourselves and what we can do to make up for the sins we commit. We will be consumed with doing whatever we can do to keep God from punishing us for them. The last thing Satan wants you to focus on is the truth that your sins have been REMOVED and WHO removed them, because if you do, a chain reaction will start. You will focus on Christ, realize that He has filled you with His Spirit, depend on Him to live His life through you and produce the right behavior you could never do on your own, and God will be glorified through you.

I once heard that a pastor responded to similar teaching about God's forgiveness by saying, "But if I told my congregation that their sins were already forgiven, they'd go out and sin all the time." Not only did he not trust his congregation, he didn't trust what God could do in their lives. My thinking is this: If someone truly becomes convinced of God's forever, far-reaching, final, full, and fail-proof forgiveness, the last thing they are going to want to do is take advantage of it by willfully sinning! They will want to respond with a new desire to live by the power of the Holy Spirit to avoid sinning against the God who provided so great a salvation!


Choose to believe it right now. You have been forgiven for your sins – past, present, and future. Here's the point. You don’t have to dwell on sin. Dwell on Jesus who bought your forever forgiveness.!