Today’s Reading: John 12:44-50
Hearing God’s Voice for Today:
“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”
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It is important that you learn to distinguish the reasons for Jesus’ first and second comings.
The first was his incarnation. He willingly and joyfully obeyed the Father, who sent him into the world to die for the forgiveness of your sins.
That was Jesus’ sole reason for coming the first time. He did not come to judge or condemn the world. He came to seek and save the lost—to forgive people of their sins and give them eternal life.
But he will come a second time. When he returns, he will condemn and judge this fallen world. He will eliminate all wickedness and bring perfect justice. He will right all wrongs. No one will get away with sin.
Jesus will judge everyone. The one who has rejected him will not enter into heaven. In fact, the words Jesus spoke will judge him. He will know what Jesus said, and will be held responsible for his response.
If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, your judgment has already taken place. The moment you accepted his forgiveness, you were pronounced, “Not guilty.”
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. If you ever hear a voice accusing you of wrong, it’s not the Lord’s voice.
How can you know this is true? Because when you accepted Jesus, he accepted your condemnation. On the cross, he took the rejection you deserved and gave you the Father’s acceptance that you didn’t deserve.
It’s all a free gift given to you through his grace and mercy. It can’t be earned. There is nothing you can do to deserve it.
You are given eternal life. When you live to please the Spirit, you will harvest everlasting life from him. When you die and leave this earth, you have an eternal body made for you by the Father himself and not by human hands.
Live today in that eternal reality. Bask in the gracious glow of God’s grace. The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Your sins are forever blotted out, and he will remember them no more.
Yes, you are forgiven. Your judgment has already happened. It’s a gift from the Lord because of his great love for you.
You are loved in the Beloved—and the Beloved is Jesus.
[from “Hearing the Voice of God” by Pastor David Chadwick, Moments of Hope Church, Charlotte, NC]