Escape from the Judgement of God

Dear friends,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

It is a shame that Christians are sometimes accused of being judgmental when one of the primary messages in the Bible is that we can escape judgment. In the verse above we are reminded that the words of Jesus are words of life! When we listen to his message and believe in what he has done, then we pass from death to life. Eternal life becomes ours through faith and we do not fall under the judgment of God!

Oh yes, God is judgmental. He cannot stand sin. The boastful shall not stand before his eyes and he hates all evildoers. He destroys those who speak lies and abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man (Ps. 5:5-6). He punishes sin. There are some, perhaps even you, who are offended by these words. The thought of a God being a judge of the wicked is hard on human ears. However, that is only half the message. Sometimes the message is not presented completely and other times people simply will not listen. But it is the complete message that makes the good news truly good!

Jesus Christ came into the world and laid down his life for our sins. This means he stood in our place under the judgment of God so that we, through believing in him, might not be judged. By God’s grace, we are acquitted in the court of heaven. God declares us righteous! “It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:33b-34). The message of the gospel is not a message of judgment, but a message of salvation!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder