Skip to main content

Judged by Christ

I recently read a devotional on judgement. It made me feel quite a bit uncomfortable. The devotional quoted 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.". This made me uncomfortable because I don't like the idea of answering to anyone about the things I've done. 

I don't think I am alone in this, but I'm not perfect. I'm FAR from perfect. I've made plenty of poor decisions. I've ignored part of the scripture, heck I've run from the Bible. 

I know the "mistakes" I've made and the "mistakes" I've chosen. I don't want to be judged, especially by an all knowing God!  

As much as I would like to run from it, I know the truth. I am a sinner. I deserve the consequences of my actions. I deserve to pay the price. I deserve to be on that cross. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17‭-‬19 NIV

God’s love rests comfortably in what us humans perceive as tension with truth. In His new creation we have hope. In Jesus, we are reconciled. In this reconciliation our sins are no longer counted against us. Apart from Him, we face judgement and full consequences of our wickedness. 

The authors of the devotional I referred to earlier said, "All unbelievers will be judged by Christ. All believers will be judged through Christ." This doesn’t mean that we are free from the consequences of our sin in this world. If you commit murder, you go to prison and possibly face the death penalty. Because of Jesus, there is reconciliation. Jesus paid the price on the cross and forgiveness is a reality for those who confess and turn from sin.  

So, as you consider the uncomfortable concept of judgement, think of Jesus. He paid your price. He paid my price. We choose to be more like Him so that people who don’t believe may be inspired to believe. So God’s people may be reconciled, just like you and I have been. We are saved from judgement by Christ. Instead of being judged through Christ.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do the Work

Sometimes I sit down to write and it just seems like I am trying to write with a pen without ink. There is simply nothing productive coming from the activity. Other times, God just pours it out on me. The ideas flow and the message comes together with ease. More often than not it's the former rather than the latter. It seems God likes to make us work for it. The ones I have to work a bit harder on become the ones I like the most. I think we appreciate the things we have to work for more than the things that come easy. Our LifeGroup recently read about the Miraculous Catch of Fish. You know the story where Peter and his buddies have been out fishing all night and came back to shore completely empty handed. That next morning, Jesus asks them to take him out in the boat. Once out on the water, He has them put the nets back down and they bring in loads and loads of fish. So many fish that two boats almost sank.  I guess Jesus could have just made the fish jump into th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bold Like Stephen

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to be bold in their convictions.  It is the kind of boldness that allows them to stand out in the crowd. There is just something different about how these people view and engage the world around them.  The movie “Hacksaw Ridge” portrays a man that exemplifies what I mean by bold.  He was drafted to serve in World War II but refused to bear arms because of religious reasons. Yet, he still managed to receive the Congressional Medal of honor. Without a weapon in his hand, he saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite his objection to violence, he still served his country. Despite his objection to war he found a way to love his neighbor. He was bold.  When I think of bold in the Bible, I think of Stephen. Acts 6:8 says, "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Stephen faced opposition to his teachings. Those that opposed his teachings couldn't ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anchor House Week 4: Strawberries

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...
Post a Comment
Read more