Saturday, March 7, 2009
Judged by the Gospel
(Romans 2:1-16)
The simplicity of the Gospel is a stumbling block to many. Religious people especially find that grace as a “free gift” runs counterintuitive to their pride and notions of self worth. “Surely,” they surmise, “God must see my good works. Surely He will see that I’ve been sincere. Surely my good outweighs my bad, granting me a place in Heaven?”
Biblically speaking, such hopes are a sad delusion. Paul states the standard by which all men will be judged in relationship to eternity: “God shall judge the secrets of man by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” You see, we will all be judged by the ultimate standard, Jesus Christ.
Think about it for a moment: Your life will be compared with that of the sinless Jesus. The sobering reality is that your life, and mine, will fall far short. That’s where the Gospel comes in. Only the Gospel can intervene for us when the comparison is made. In fact, if you’ve received Christ as Savior, you’ve already made that comparison. You saw yourself as a sinner, hopelessly lost. You believed that Jesus Christ bore the punishment you justly deserved. You are trusting Christ, and Christ alone, for salvation.
How will we be judged? Ultimately, every man will be judged on his response to the Gospel. Those who reject God’s gift of eternal life will go to Hell—not because they’re worse than someone else—but because they did not believe the Gospel, allowing it to intervene on Judgment Day. The issue, then, is not your lifestyle, good works, or faithful financial contribution to the church. The issue is, and always has been, the Gospel—the one true standard when you stand before God.
