2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”
We tend to feel embarrassed by the whole concept of God judging people, and by the thought that he might even punish them. Often we view hell as a blemish to be covered up by the cosmetic of divine love. John 3:16 is called on (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…) but we can only understand the depth of God’s love for us when we appreciate the judgment from which he is rescuing us.
Moody wrote: “It is a great mistake to give a man who has not been convicted of sin certain passages that were never meant for him. The Law is what he needs… Do not offer the consolation of the gospel until he sees and knows he is guilty before God.” Smalley adds: “Many feel secure in their sins with no fear or worry of Judgment Day because ‘God is a God of Love and will overlook my sins’. They forget the fact that love has no place in a courtroom. The purpose of a court is to present evidence and determine guilt or innocence.”
Taking this into account, how zealous are we in lovingly taking this message to a lost world?
In a sermon at Exeter Hall in 1860, Spurgeon pleaded with his listeners: “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
Awesome righteous Judge of all, I choose to live and love with urgency today. Amen!
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