In our studies of Holy Scripture we should never lose focus on the fact we all are destined for judgment.
It is scary to contemplate standing before the Lord Jesus Christ and giving him an account of our lives, but it is our destiny. The specter of judgment frightens many and turns them bitter toward a loving God, but the problem is we tend to focus more on the trial phase more so than the sentencing phase of our trial before God.
“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” — Romans 3:21-26
Every Christian who has sat through a church service is familiar with the trial concept when it comes to Christ’s atoning work on the cross. We say we are found guilty, but upon belief on Jesus Christ our punishment, or sentence, was carried out upon Jesus and what he did on the cross.
This act of propitiation makes us favorable to God. There is a story about sheepherders in New Zealand, which helps explain this concept of us being acceptable to God.
Every year when lambs are born invariably there are times when a newborn lamb dies and times when the mother dies. A ewe will not allow a lamb to suckle that is not her own, but if the sheepherder covers the motherless lamb with the blood of the stillborn lamb, then the mother will take it.
This is what happens to us through Christ, His blood makes us acceptable to God. As noted before, though, we need to focus more on the sentence than the judgment.
God, in His nature, does not hate his creation. Christ’s sacrifice does not make God love us, but instead allows us to be in the right relationship with God.
Anglican pastor John Stott wrote that “God does not love us because Christ died for us, Christ died for us because God loves us.”
It was God’s desire for us to be reconciled to Him that he allowed Himself to be crucified upon the cross.
So, in our trial, our sentence is death — but as the plan of redemption played out there was some shocking new events which changed the course of the sentencing phase of our trial.
R.A. Torrey wrote, “Scripture testifies that man, by his wealth, by his righteousness, by his self-sacrifice, can never redeem himself, much less his fellow man. God claims this for Himself; He has found a ransom, He Himself is the Saviour of men, and He has laid help on His Fellow, His Equal, even Jesus our Lord. Everywhere in Scripture the sinner’s justification before God rests upon what Paul describes as ‘the righteousness of God.’
“That is, it is a Divine righteousness, provided in the Lord Jesus Christ and offered to all men who hear the Gospel. It is not a mere man’s righteousness at all that we have in Christ; it is God’s own righteousness, and therefore it meets and satisfies every claim upon us whether of law, or justice, or satisfaction to God, or holiness.”
At our trial, our verdict is guilty. For those who reject Christ, the sentence is immediate — eternity without Christ in Hell. For the believer, though, it is a different story.
For the believer, based on our life, the verdict rendered against us will still be guilty, because as Paul said, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Upon reading of the verdict, though, our judge said then sentence was carried out and for the believer it goes beyond an acquittal and suspended sentence, the believer is then set above the law and is made like Christ and will then experience the glory of God.”
There is a judgment facing all of us, but our sentence, in essence, is in our own hands. If we choose Christ, we choose life. If we deny Christ, then our sentence is carried out.
It’s not complicated. If it is, then it is us who make it so.
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If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net
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