“For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name
of God’s one and only Son.” John
3:17-18
Let’s read and understand what
Christ is saying here. The judgment of
God comes on the final day that is known only by our Heavenly Father. Jesus didn’t come to the earth over 2000
years ago to condemn the world. The world already stood condemned by the way
they lived. Christ came to bring
salvation, the forgiveness of sin to mankind.
The main point I would like to hammer home here is that the statement “Whoever believes in him (the Son) is not
condemned.” Many people down through
the ages have believed in the existence of God, yet would not consider
themselves Christians. By the same
token, many believe that Jesus is real and came to visit the earth, yet don’t
allow that admission to change their life.
James 2:19 reveals to us “You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and
shudder.”
The problem arises regarding the
entirety of the gospel message and the Bible as a whole. It’s more than just believing. Hebrews 11:6 says “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” People place faith in many things, but it
is only faith in God that will cleanse you of your sins. Then comes the change.
Paul proclaims in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new.
So you see it’s
not just believing. It’s believing, then
allowing the change that must take place at our core by God’s Holy Spirit so
that we may live a godly life from that point on. It’s not believing and than going forward as
if nothing significant has taken place in our heart. Christ never intended His bloody, selfless,
horrific death to bring about no change at all.
He died in our place. We belonged
on that cross to pay for our own sin, but He paid it all for us. Should you now not live for Him? Until Christ’s return, walk with the King and
be a blessing!
