Under Judgement

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Under Judgement

Who am I?

Ray Crespo • 2 Corinthians 5:10

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EACH ONE OF US IS ACCOUNTABLE for how we will respond to Jesus as the ultimate judge. There are two questions we will need to face.

First, did we reject or accept Him as Lord and Savior? This is the judgment of salvation we will all be held to. Christ came into the world to save it, not to condemn it (see John 3:17), but we are each responsible for how we respond to His offer of salvation. Our acceptance or rejection of His saving gift will be the starting point of the account we each must give for our lives.

Second, if we accepted His gift, how did we live after we received new life in Christ Jesus? Did we live to serve Him? Or did we use grace as a license to sin? Did we “make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:16), striving to let others know about Him?

Our lives matter to the judge. He wants us to live in the right way—the way He originally created us to—and have fruitful lives. But whatever we do, we must give an account to Him. For Christians, our lives are truly not our own, but in Christ, we can walk in the good works He created us to do and “do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10)

I'm Known By God

Aaron Lopez • 1 John 3:23–24

THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE INTIMACY John reveals in his writing about God. His descriptions show God to be majestic but also knowable. John speaks out of his joy of knowing God and being fully known by God. He describes how, in a real sense, we can be known by God in an intimate relationship. Now, we may pause here:I get how John could relate to God like this because he spent time physically with Jesus. But I’m not with Jesus like he was, so how do I get close to God like that? It’s a good question. John’s answer is to believe in Jesus and receive a new relationship and connection with God through His Holy Spirit. How? By believing what God’s Word says about Jesus, loving others, obeying God’s commandments, and being in fellowship with Him (1 John 3:23-24). John relays the message of the offer of friendship God has extended to us. You are already known by God, and by believing in His Son, you can know Him intimately too. He is not far. He extends His hand so that we can be in a relationship with Him. And He promises that one day we will see Jesus Christ face-to-face, like John did. God made this possible because He wanted to repair the broken relationship between Him and us due to sin. When you read this description of God in 1 John 1, how does it make you feel? Uncomfortable? Confused? Does it raise questions for you? What is your response? Take some time to write down how you view God and whether it matches up with how John speaks of Jesus Christ.

Waiting In Hope

Ray Crespo • Revelation 1:17–18

IT CAN SEEM LIKE a lot of time has passed since Jesus went to heaven. But remember, God does not work in time like we do (2 Peter 3:3-10). His patience and love continue to workout His will to bring all things under His perfect authority. So what are we called to do while we wait for Him? Followers of Christ have many things to do work, live, come together in community, serve, make disciples in every area of life. But in all that we do, we are called to wait and persevere in hope. True faith in Christ comes with anticipation that He is coming again, though we don’t know the hour or day. In that hope we live.

Not Beyond Grace and Mercy

Loren La Luz • 1 Timothy 1:16–17

MOST OF US have felt at one time or another that we are beyond God’s love. Our feelings are like swings going back and forth—sometimes we see ourselves as really good, and others we see ourselves as beyond hope. But God always sees us accurately. He confronts our true condition. He doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that we desperately need grace and mercy. He knows that we’re sinners—each of us could say, like Paul, that we’re “the worst of them all” (1 Timothy 1:15). But God does not leave us in that dark place without hope. Not one of us is beyond grace. Paul says that he was shown mercy by God so that “others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). Perhaps pride will tell you that you’re too good for God’s grace, or maybe that you’re too bad for it. God counters both of those lies. We are not too good for Him to humble us and offer the grace we need for forgiveness. And we are also not too bad for Him to reach us with His mercy, show us our need for Him, and receive His gift of eternal life.