"But they will have to answer to God, who judges the living and the dead." (1 Peter 4:5, CEV-- from today's reading)
This is what happens when you read through the Bible regularly and just don't pick and choose "blessing- pact" readings. It is Biblical, "sound doctrine." Any other "spiritual" life style is nothing but a deceptive religious life style and will neither sustain a person in this life nor prepare a person for the life to come. The reality of our text has been waking me up at nights, praying for the lost------------- and myself.
First, less you be depressed now, I give you the truth of one of the great hymns in Church Tradition:
"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
This, "sound doctrine," is great comfort for you and me as we look at one of the scariest passages in Holy Writ. Our "sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and [we] bear it no more."
The very sobering truth of Scripture is that every human walking the planet, and whoever walked the planet, will someday, "have to answer to God." Like it or not, the preaching of this text and similar texts was at the heart of the Great Revivals of American History. The early revivalists such as Jonathan Edwards, John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and later, Charles Finney and Dwight Moody, understood what Historic Christianity continually affirmed to humanity, we all, "will have to answer to God."
The Bible teaches that there are at least two judgments:
1. "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Revelation 20:11, 12)
2. "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ." (Romans 14:10)
All of humanity will appear at one of these judgments, the Christ-rejector before The, "Great White Throne," and the Believer, "before the judgment seat of Christ." The reality of this should, "teach[] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (Titus 2:12)
The hymn quoted above is the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ. This is what Paul describes as, "the power of God." No one else could or can do this for me. It is Jesus Christ Alone, in His Precious Blood of His Cross, Who is able to, as Jude says, "keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
And I now add Jude's closing benediction, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I can only add my, "Amen."
This is what happens when you read through the Bible regularly and just don't pick and choose "blessing- pact" readings. It is Biblical, "sound doctrine." Any other "spiritual" life style is nothing but a deceptive religious life style and will neither sustain a person in this life nor prepare a person for the life to come. The reality of our text has been waking me up at nights, praying for the lost------------- and myself.
First, less you be depressed now, I give you the truth of one of the great hymns in Church Tradition:
"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
This, "sound doctrine," is great comfort for you and me as we look at one of the scariest passages in Holy Writ. Our "sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and [we] bear it no more."
The very sobering truth of Scripture is that every human walking the planet, and whoever walked the planet, will someday, "have to answer to God." Like it or not, the preaching of this text and similar texts was at the heart of the Great Revivals of American History. The early revivalists such as Jonathan Edwards, John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and later, Charles Finney and Dwight Moody, understood what Historic Christianity continually affirmed to humanity, we all, "will have to answer to God."
The Bible teaches that there are at least two judgments:
1. "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Revelation 20:11, 12)
2. "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ." (Romans 14:10)
All of humanity will appear at one of these judgments, the Christ-rejector before The, "Great White Throne," and the Believer, "before the judgment seat of Christ." The reality of this should, "teach[] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (Titus 2:12)
The hymn quoted above is the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ. This is what Paul describes as, "the power of God." No one else could or can do this for me. It is Jesus Christ Alone, in His Precious Blood of His Cross, Who is able to, as Jude says, "keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
And I now add Jude's closing benediction, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I can only add my, "Amen."
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
