Service - whether to God or man, has always been a "hallmark" of Christianity. Jesus, the Son of God and God the son, the savior we adore, and who is our example, lived his life in service to God the Father. We who are called by his name should not be surprised, then, by the words of Romans 12:1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service".
Indeed, there will be a judgement for those things, according to II Corinthians 5:10 - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (Note: bear in mind that this judgement is for the reward of the believer, not for one's salvation; the judgement for sin was borne by Jesus for us.) That this judgement speaks to reward alone is made manifest in I Corinthians 3:13-15: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
By and large, Baptists have held to this position – “once saved, always saved”; though as Pastor Danny Farley has been known to comment, “heavy on the ‘once saved’”!
Next: the manner in which we serve.
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