In everything, the Just Judge has the final say
In St John’s gospel (5:26), Jesus says: “The Father has appointed me supreme judge … and my judging is just because my aim is not to do my own will but to do the will of the one who sent me.” PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Beware of anyone talking about a ‘right’ to choose whatever ‘lifestyle’ seems best.
JESUS IS LORD and Saviour. He is also the Just Judge. We say ‘judge’ because he determines whether you spend your eternity with him in God’s kingdom or with Satan in the eternal fire. We say ‘just’ because no one can deceive him, and no one can bribe him to escape punishment.
In St John’s gospel (5:26), Jesus says: “The Father has appointed me supreme judge … and my judging is just because my aim is not to do my own will but to do the will of the one who sent me.”
If anyone tries to justify evil behaviour saying that they “have no choice” or that they must live “according to the way God made them”, don’t listen. They are deceiving themselves. Don’t let them fool you with empty arguments.
HOLY LIVES
Since the beginning of the Church, a few have always claimed to be living very holy lives even though they were deliberately engaging in sinful behaviour. That is why Saint Paul had to write in First Corinthians (6:9): “Do you not realise that people who do evil will never inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake — the sexually immoral, the idolaters, the adulterers, the self-indulgent, sodomites, thieves, misers, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers: none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you used to be of that kind: but you have been washed clean, you have been sanctified, and you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.”
Beware of anyone talking about a ‘right’ to choose whatever ‘lifestyle’ seems best. For instance, in God’s eyes, there is no such thing as a ‘right to abortion’, often implied by the phrase ‘reproductive rights’.
Why? For the same reason there is no such thing as a right to steal money, to be a terrorist, to get drunk or to commit adultery. No one ever has a right to do something evil.
GUILTY
Take careful notice of all that the apostle says. Do not despair if you yourself have been guilty at any point in your life. Repent. You can be made holy because Jesus Christ can redeem you. Nevertheless, reject the foolish talk of those who claim they are free to commit any of those evil deeds.
Unfortunately, we are slowly approaching the day when Christians will no longer to be able to say such things in public. If that day comes, we must act prudently.
As St Paul advised the Colossians (4:5): “Act wisely with outsiders, making the best of the present time. Always talk pleasantly and with a flavour of wit, and be sensitive to the kind of answer each one requires.”
