"...if we be honest with ourselves,
we shall be honest with each other." ~ George MacDonald
"...if we be honest with ourselves,
we shall be honest with each other." ~ George MacDonald

God's Judgement

If God was not good, being judged by him would be very bad news. But God is good.

Some people seek to escape his judgement; because they think he must punish sin—and they know they are sinners. But God is not bound to punish sin, he is bound to destroy it. God will destroy that which destroys us because he loves us. It is true that God often behaves like a gentleman, but he is a loving father (not a weak bystander). Good fathers punish their children when need be. God would rather not punish, but if that’s what it takes to open his child’s eyes, he will do what needs to be done.

The fact that God will judge us all is very good news—even for the worst of us.

Now it is true many people throughout history decided to trust Jesus because they sought to escape God’s punishment; but they did not know him when they did so so they can hardly be blamed for that.

Salvation is not salvation from God (i.e. his wrath), it is salvation from sin. Yes God’s wrath is real—but his wrath never burns against his children, it burns for them. He hates sin because he loves sinners. When one of his children begins to trust the Messiah he is pleased. Only then is his wrath appeased.

If you call yourself a Christian, why, according to the following passage, have you been set free?

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal 5:1)

Because God loves us he wants us to be free. Free from what?

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Rom 6:16-18, emphasis added).

The Bible is clear, those who continue in a sin are slaves to that sin. The more we trust and obey Jesus the more we become like him, and the freer we will be. 

Jesus is our saviour because he saves us from our sins (see Matt 1:21).

 

Absolute Assurance

Justice

Did Jesus become sin?