John 14: 6 Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
There’s always something someone does not tell you when you meet them. You buy a house or rent an apartment and they don’t mention that the toilet doesn’t flush right. An acquaintance tells you about their great job, but they fail to mention how they were fired from a previous job. You meet someone who claims to love their kids and discover later how their children have little respect for their own parent. In fact, we encounter hidden truths every day as we discover more and more of the hearts and lives of our loved ones. We are all sinners (and hypocritical to some degree).
At one time our courts would ask: ‘Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?’ ‘I do,’ was the expected response. Now the ‘I do’ response has no more expectation of truth than the promise of marriage, by rule without God by courts contemptible to the Law and also to truth. *But that controversial topic is for another discussion. Any two may be married by law and easily divorced by their own will without consent or knowledge of the other. *The lawyers are manipulators of justice and challengers to righteousness, as was so often the case in conversations with our Lord, Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ made a claim: “I am the only way to the Father.” What does that mean? What does it mean to Christians? What does it mean to faithful Jews, faithful Muslims, faithful Hindus, Buddhists and the like?
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God.
Have you ever truly considered the judgment seat of Christ? Considering that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and eternal life, how do you think these others will do? And how will you fare before the Throne of God’s judgment?
Guilty? or Innocent?
What is HIS verdict?
O, foolish follower – O, rebellious believer – O, obstinate perishing vessel of flesh:
You have no hope without Christ Jesus. This is the truth.
Romans 2
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience,not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
God’s Judgment and the Law
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when,according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Yes, the Jews have the Law by which to be judged. A few Jews are most righteous (though many are as selfish and ungodly as many of our christian sisters and brothers).
Matthew 5:17-20
English Standard Version (ESV)
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
May God have mercy on those many Jews, many Muslims and many christians who do in practice and by the fruit of their faith have such righteousness as exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.
In fact, why do I pray for these lost ones, even christians?
Life is not life in our body, as so many feed by the pleasures and comforts of the flesh. Life is life in the spirit. You are the spirit within you, not just the brain and the blood, the neurons and the organs. It is the heart, in the sense of the soul (not the heart of muscle and corpuscle) of with the Bible speaks. It is your heart which is judged and your soul with will suffer.
You have no need of the further torment of your flesh eternally or the temporal joy of that which is passing.
Jesus is life to you. Jesus is life to me. He IS the resurrection and the life.
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
And a less familiar reminder to christians who have turned from the whole truth of Jesus Christ and those attracted to Him:
Revelation 20
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.
Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Revelation of the risen Christ Jesus to the Apostle John speaks of ALL SOULS.
Christ uncovers the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
As you stand naked in your sin before the Sinless One, what is your plea?
Dear Lord, Have mercy on me, a sinner.
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