The Bank of God

'I often think God may have something like a bank account for all of us in Heaven' someone once posited. The metaphor continued; He credits it with good deeds and debits it with sins. So for example : if you did 10 good deeds on any particular day and only committed one small sin, then that would be good because you would still have 9 good works on your side! Over your lifetime, if all the good works outweighed your sins, this would grant you entry into Heaven. All you need is a credit balance! 'whoopee' said she.

Of course this is just bad syllogism but its so strange the way people think about things and how they perceive this in a transactional way through a secular lens. There is no doubt many think this way, even some involved within the Christian community, teachers, evangelists, and those that attend Church week in week out. But there’s a truth beyond human comprehension that borders on the offensive as even the wisdom of man cannot comprehend the foolishness of the Lord. 1Corinthians 1:25 Metaphorically speaking, if we did have a bank account of sorts in Heaven, what would that really look like and how would it manifest?

I feel it would likely have four different sub categories as follows:

1/ Pre-salvation Sins.- A sin or evil act is like a non existent entity per se, its really just the undoing of Gods perfection. Its a bit like darkness which is simply the absence of light or a virus which cannot survive without a human host. We have all heard about the 7 deadly sins; pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, and wrath. All these sins branch off into different sub categories that always lead to rotten fruit, and we are all guilty to some degree. Sin of course carries different weight, for eg: stealing post-it notes from the office is clearly not the same as murder.

The bible also talks about the things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. So as we can see, an individual can accumulate a vast amount of sins over their lifetime. Even if we commit a few small sins everyday, this could add up to over 100,000 in a lifetime. For many more it could be into millions which would be a serious debit in our bank account with the Lord. The bible describes this as treasuring up wrath with the Lord. Romans 2:5.

2/ Pre-salvation good works. - These are the good or decent things that people do on a day to day basis . But they apply to the unrepentant so they will have no value with the Lord. Take a look at the following passage in Isaiah 64:6 - But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. So what does this mean?

This passage demonstrates to us how God sees us before our cleansing by Jesus blood. Without a washing and cleansing by the blood of our saviour, Jesus the Messiah, we are yet in our sins still wearing those filthy rags. A father may buy his daughter a car, a mother may volunteer for a charity, or the son helps out the elderly, but if we don’t have a 'personal relationship' with God and his justification, these works will be burned up at the throne of God and will not withstand his holy fire. So in the 2nd category, the Lord may list or know of our secular works, but if we don’t possess the Holy Spirit, as difficult as this is to understand, these good works will be useless in the afterlife.

3/ Post salvation good works.- When a soul believes and trusts in Christ, the Holy Spirit moves on their heart and brings the gift of Salvation, Gods promise to justify and save us. The individual is ‘born again’ and enters a period of sanctification, guaranteeing eternal life in Heaven and receiving Gods full pardon. The Holy Spirit elevates the individual and empowers them to do the works of God and progress his kingdom. But the heart of the soul is made righteousness only by Gods power and grace. [Ezekiel 11:14-21]. Therefore the works carried out by the individual are inspired by the Spirit and therefore have great value to God.

An adopted son/daughter of God doesn’t just carry out good deeds, they are granted the fruit of the Spirit to reform their character. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is a true transformation of a human heart being sanctified for Gods purpose. It stands to reason then that the individual hates their sin as much as God does and that the good works carried out will be credited to the individual and will stand the test of Gods fire at his throne.

[1Cor 3:13-15]. The word of God says our faith is more valuable than precious stones.

4/ post salvation sins. - Although God changes the heart of a sinner, born again Christians are not quite perfected in Christ, and do very occasionally trip up. The path of a Christian can be so very difficult as they remain in the flesh. They battle everyday but also wrestle with principalities. (Powers of darkness). [eph 6:12]. A Christian must also put on the armour of God for protection. [eph 6:11]. A Christian that sins is always quick to repent and safe in the knowledge that past and future sins have been forgiven.

In summary, if we could see a bank account of sorts in the Heavens on judgement day, the unrepentant/unbelievers, would see an accumulated high balance in category (1) one and (2) two, and although their unforgiven sins will condemn them, unfortunately their good works will also have no influence whatsoever with God.

For the saved however, and those that God has pardoned, the only relevant category is (3) three which justifies the believer and grants us access to Heaven under Gods covenant by the blood of Jesus Christ. Category (4) four, reflects and is synonymous with an earthly bank account - what you put in with approved works pleases God and has great value. Our sins already forgiven.

However, as judgement day is not upon us as yet, for as long as we live and breathe, we can all become a part of Gods family if we seek him out through our Lord Jesus Christ. For now is a season for admonition and rebuke. For those who have a fear of the Lord, Heres a truth;

Its not about how many sins you have committed, its where your relationship is with God.

In Jesus name, Amen.