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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

Glow Differently

I saw this quote recently, “You glow differently when your confidence is fueled by belief in yourself instead of validation from others.” I found myself wrestling with it. I completely agree with the concept that the validation of my worth is not established by the thoughts of others. While I think a positive self image is important, I do not think that it is what really makes me “glow differently.” I hope I glow differently because of whom I believe in, rather than what I believe of myself.  The author of Titus says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) . Love and kindness entered the world in the form of a m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus Paid It All

This morning I found myself searching for songs to add to my playlist. I have decided I want a list of songs to play while I run. As I've shared before, I don't particularly enjoy running, but we have committed to this 5K at the end of October. Running becomes tolerable when I can blast worship music and simply be with God. I was in search of particular version of a hymn from the 1800's titled "Jesus Paid it All." The Passion conference worship team did a rendition of it 5-6 years ago and I quite enjoy it. Anyway, in the search for the song, I got to reading about the lyrics.  I have always been drawn to the refrain because of it is a reminder of Jesus' incredible gift to us.  It goes: "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." The images portrayed by the comparison between a crimson stain and white snow are vivid. Dark red stains are the type of stains that just don't come out. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more