Living Out Faith

For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:30-31 NLT

Over the past few weeks in my daily quiet time I have been going through a series called “The Life of Christ.” It is done in video form and taken directly from the book of John. It has been interesting to watch how Jesus may have interacted with the disciples and the local people, to see his gracious demeanor and his love for those he came to save (all mankind). Often reading the gospels and hearing Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness can leads us to think that we can treat him with ease and not much thought, kind of a take it or leave it mentality. But the reality of the person of Jesus is He is deeper and far more than just love. The verses you just read give you a picture of one more part of his character.
God, because he is Holy and cannot stand sin, demands that sin be dealt with. Jesus paid the price for our sin and made it possible for our relationship with God to be restored, but that only happens if we repent and accept his gift of forgiveness. Those who refuse what Christ has done will have to face God on their own. Hebrews says that God will judge and require a payment for what each person has done to violate his law. The author of Hebrews reminds us that it will be terrifying when we get to the point where God is proclaiming judgment. I believe that part of what will be so terrifying is that whoever is standing in judgment will be fully aware that every part of their judgment is completely correct. People’s guilt will not be in question.
These thoughts over the past few weeks have reminded me how important it is for me as a Christ-follower to offer the hope and forgiveness that I have received to others around me. Because “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

-Pastor Tim