Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matt. 23:14-15 KJV) These scriptures let us know that punishment is also by degrees. It is based on whether we follow the right knowledge. Hypocrites will be judged more severely than others. A hypocrite is one that wears a mask, living the opposite of what they proclaim to be. Faithfulness will bring a greater reward, "well done thy GOOD and FAITHFUL servant". The more Word you know, the more you are responsible for doing the Word.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. ( I Cor. 3:10-15 NIV)
The three vessels are the three levels of character: gold, silver, and costly stones. The type of materials are earthly and precious metals. The testing of the materials are tested by the fire of the Holy Ghost, some become pure and others burn up. Will your vessel pass the fire test code? Will your character be found with integrity and a spirit of excellence?
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