God Gives, Saves, & Judges

God Gives

God gave His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins.

God loves us in spite of our sin.

. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8

God’s love for us is not conditional on our behavior or morality. The bible says that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God doesn’t wait for us to get our act together before He starts loving us. He loves us because of His nature.

9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:9-11

God chose to love us and desires to have relationship with us. He does not need us but chooses us and makes a way for us to have a relationship with Him.

In order to have a relationship with the Father we must be perfect. We have all sinned and therefore are not perfect. Our sin breaks our relationship with the Father and there is no way on our own that we can restore it. Because of this God sent His Son Jesus Christ to fulfill the perfection that we cannot attain.

Jesus came and lived the perfect life and satisfied the demand of God.

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Matt. 5:17

But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, [a]putting Him to grief; If [b]He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His [c]offspring, He will prolong His days, And the [d]good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the [e]anguish of His soul, He will see [f]it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Is. 53:10-11

Jesus has paid the price for our sin.

21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the [a]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the [b]Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Heb. 9:21-22

God sent Jesus to earth to satisfy the perfect law, pay the price of sins for those who believe, and give eternal life.

God Saves

What does God save us from? God saves us from what we deserve for our sin. This is eternal separation from God int the lake of fire and gives us eternal life. God desires that people come to faith in Jesus Christ and are saved.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

God’s desire is for people to come to faith in Jesus Christ through the repentance of their sin.

10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Cor. 7:10

God reveals our sins to us and this produces sorrow. This sorrow is not one that hopeless. Hopeless sorrow leads to death because their is no repentance. This is the type of sorrow that Judas had for betraying Jesus. Consequently, he hung himself The type of sorrow God gives us is one that leads to repentance.

Repentance is simply accepting the the fact that you are a sinner and turning away from your sin, receiving the forgiveness of God by putting your faith in His sacrifice for your sins, and submitting your life to Christ.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [a]in our transgressions, made us alive together [b]with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [c]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph. 2:4-9

God is rich in mercy, grace, and love calls us into salvation. Paul says he “made us alive together with Christ”. This means that he has awaken out soul that is dead to God and has made it alive. We now are able to have communion with God because our soul now has a desire for God.

God Judges Sinners

God does not judge believers

8 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29

The person who has repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ will be resurrected to life not judgment. We will spend eternal life in heaven with Christ.

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matt 25:31-34

God Judges Sinners

When a person refuses to repent of their sins, they must account for them at the judgement seat of God. They refused the free gift of God’s forgiveness in the sacrifice of His Son. They will have to endure the wrath of God.

One may ask, why would anyone refuse the salvation of God. The bible answers that. They loved their darkness rather than Jesus Christ. They loved their evil deeds more than they desired salvation from them.

There are many people that claim to have a relationship with Christ, but have not repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus. This is evident by the life they live. There is no change n their life. They continue to live their life the way they always have.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [d]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matt. 7:21-23

Only those who do the will of the Father enter the kingdom of heaven. That begs the question, “what is the will of the Father”?

40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40

It is the will of the Father that we behold and believe in the Son. To behold is to look to. What are we to look to Christ for? The forgiveness of our sins. To believe. What are we to believe? That Jesus is the Son of God and everything that he says is true. When we do this we will be saved and our names will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Why is this important? Because those who’s name is not written in the book are judged.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose [g]presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and [h]books were opened; and another [i]book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the [j]books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if [k]anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:11-15

People that reject Christ will be at this great white throne judgment. If their name is not found in the Book of Life they are thrown into the lake of fire.

Where will you be on Judgement day? Will you be resurrected to life or Judgement?