“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. ” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV)
Some are teaching that it is our Works that will determine if we gain entrance to Heaven or hell based on this one verse and it is very wrong.
Point 1: This is in the Old testament – not the new. That matters because today we live in the Age of God’s Grace, the CHURCH AGE. So there is a difference to this truth.
Point 2: Solomon was seeking wisdom through pleasure from a HUMAN perspective. Solomon concludes that from a human perspective, life has no meaning or even purpose. He has come to the conclusion that IT IS ALL VAIN.
Verse 13 and 14 is his conclusion of his experiment in seeking pleasure for wisdom and he even states this, “13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Eccles 12:13-14)
Solomon was Living under the Law and he has come to an end of himself and concludes that anything he does is vain and that they all need God. To fear God in reverence of the fact that we cannot do anything to save ourselves really. Pleasure seeking is in the end not fulfilling. And that, we should be living in respect of God and with good works of the Law, which he was living under.
Today, we live under the New Covenant of God’s GRACE through the finished work of Jesus Christ crucified and risen. The New Covenant of God’s Grace has replaced the Old Covenant Law following. Under the New Covenant,
The law functioned in God’s purpose as a temporary covenant from Moses till John the Baptist announced Christ. (Galatians 3:16 & 19, Matthew 11:12-13, Luke 16:16)
- Christians are dead to the law. (Galatians 2:19)
- The law frustrates grace. (Galatians 2:21)
- The law was a curse that Christ redeemed us from. (Galatians 3:13)
- The law brings wrath upon those who follow it. (Romans 4:15)
- The purpose of the law was to increase sin. (Romans 5:20)
- Christians are not under the law. (Romans 6:14)
- Christians have been delivered from the law. (Romans 7:1-6)
- The law makes you sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:13)
- The law is fading away. (2 Corinthians 3:11)
We cannot ignore these verses.
Under this New Covenant, believers will be judged for their works and so Solomon was right that we all will be judged by our works. Yet, differently depending on belief or unbelief in Christ.
For unbelievers… this is judgement at the Great White Throne judgement of unbelievers. The rejected the gift of Salvation that Christ provided paying for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) and so Christ’s righteousness was never IMPUTED to them by God due to their rejection of the GIFT OF SALVATION. And so, their sins remain unpaid and they have chosen to pay for their own sins because they think their works are good enough.. but they are not! (Matthew 7:23)
But for believers in Christ… at our bodily resurrection we will stand before the Bema Judgement Seat of Believers by Christ (1 Cor. 3). This is NOT the Great White Throne Judgement. Our works will be judged, but not for Salvation or condemnation to hell like the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers. Believers in Christ will be judged of their works AFTER their moment of conversion in belief of Christ for righteousness and will determine ETERNAL REWARDS.
And even those found at this judgment who have no rewards are still eternal saved in Heaven (1 Cor. 3:15). The word SIN is not even mentioned when Paul describes the Bema seat judgement of believers. Why? Because the sins of the whole world were paid for by Christ on the cross (1 John 2:2) and whosoever believeth on Christ is born again in the Spirit (John 3:14-18, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Eph. 1:13-14, Colossians 2).
God will not condemn a believer to hell because of their works because Salvation is not by works in any manner (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot boast about how we are saved because Christ paid it all.
