- The Apostles Creed
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The following is an excerpt provided by The Village Church.
“Although it hasn’t happened yet, the second coming of Jesus is just as certain as the first coming. The question to ask yourself isn’t whether He will return, because He will. The question to ask yourself isn’t even a matter of when He will return, because we can’t know. The only question you need to ask yourself is whether you’re ready to stand before Him when He returns to judge the living and the dead. The Bible teaches us that we can’t know when Jesus will return and that we shouldn’t waste time wondering but should always be ready.
Most of the time we don’t like to think about God’s judgment. Unless we’re seeking comfort in the fact that God will judge blatantly wicked people, we prefer to dwell on the God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). The grace of God through the sacrificial death of Jesus is indeed unique among major religions throughout history, but it’s also because God is holy and good that He judges sin with incredible wrath.
The gospel is good news because without faith in Jesus, we would all rightfully receive the punishment we deserve for our sin. For those who belong to Christ, though, He has taken the punishment of death and God’s wrath on Himself. But for those who haven’t placed their faith in Jesus, refusing to bow their knee to Him as Lord, they’ll receive the judgment they’re due.
People today debate religious beliefs or ignore Jesus altogether. They may view Him in various ways, some even positive, but the truth will be made clear in the end. There will be a day when all the nations and all the angels will sit around His glorious throne, and no one will dispute that He is King.
As we all give an account for every single thing we’ve done, there’s no amount of good that will outweigh the bad—not for any of us. Justice will be served, and all sin will be accounted for. Either I pay for my sin or Jesus does. Ultimately, Jesus is the only reason we don’t stand condemned in the sight of God. It was Jesus who completely took on our sin and paid the price in full, nailing our certificate of debt to His cross (see Colossians 2:13-14).
The incomparable beauty of the gospel is that the King, who’s also the Judge, sitting in glory on His throne, associates Himself with the lowly and saves us.”
In Christ,
Pastor Phil