Compassion
condemnation
God's goodness
Judgement
Mercy
Relationship
Surrender
Legally speaking…November 11, 2024
My sin, our sin, is going to Hell.
Hell is something we don’t typically discuss, and if it comes up, its significance is typically lost on the observer, referenced in anger or flippancy. Folks, it’s real and something I don’t feel comfortable kidding about.
Many claiming faith have even come to the conclusion Hell isn’t real. Now, there may be things open to interpretation in The Word, read with clarity only by the gift of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t one of them. Jesus was very specific in His gospels regarding its reality. Matthew specifically, is one of the most convicting books of the Bible for me, in that Jesus reviews allllll the ways we sin and fall short of the glory of God, with failure to believe resulting in an eternity separated from Our Father. If there’s any question in your heart as to if He means you, means me, read Matthew.
Here’s the (great) thing: He’s made a lot of promises to us as believers. And Thank God He’s faithful even when we aren’t. He said believe and proclaim in your heart, and we WILL be saved (Romans 10:9). NOTHING (truly) separates us from Christ, including our sin. (Romans 8:38)
Jesus separated our spirit selves from sin with the gift of salvation, by grace, through faith. I am a new creation. YOU are a new creation. He refines anything that separates us from Him (sin), but He doesn’t disregard the good that IS Him (Christ is all and is in all, Col 3:11). THIS is the us in heavenly places one day….including today…we just can’t see it yet. Our sin has been cast to Hell eternally where it belongs, and our true selves in Christ live forever with Him, in His house, prepared for us already. It’s finished. All of it. Now, does this mean we go on sinning so grace can abound more? Certainly not! (Romans 6:1-2)
It means we humbly accept (don’t kid yourself, not accepting His grace is pride) His forgiveness and salvation with gratitude. It means we focus on what He DID tell us to do (loving well), and don’t beat ourselves up over what He’s even now healing in us. It’s not ours; we’re not taking it with us…remember…that part is going Hell.
Thanks be to God through Christ. We are new creations; forgiven, separated from our sin, and promised an eternity with the most trustworthy fella ever.
Love well, you new creation, you.
November 11, 2024
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