The verdict
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
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Straight to the Cross
Richard Mansel goes to the Bible to answer ... "The
Most Important Question." Great for classes, groups,
evangelistic studies and individuals.
richardmansel.com/most-important-question/
COLUMN: LIVING THE FAITH
The verdict
by Richard Mansel, managing editor
tinyurl.com/6o5m8qn
Each of us is awaiting a trial that will decide our
eternal fate. Each moment, we grow closer to the
decision and the verdict. When it comes, there will not
be an appeals process. No higher court exists nor can
we lie or depend upon our legal team to circumvent the
law.
In this courtroom, neither skin color, heritage,
wealth, prestige or our network of associates will have
any bearing on the decision. Exhaustive research on
rare court cases will be pointless because we will not
even have a lawyer. We will stand, bare and alone,
before the bright lights and burning vision of the
judge.
Every person will have their own trial and it cannot be
avoided. Every thought and action of our lives will be
available to the court. We will be unable to hide or
shirk this responsibility. The floor will not swallow
us nor can we flee.
The judge will be gracious, merciful and patient. Yet,
he will be bound to the law (John 12:48), and the
inescapable result, the one we have chosen. As strange
as it sounds, we will decide our own fate. However, not
in the way we may imagine.
In this courtroom, Christ will be the judge (2
Corinthians 5:10; John 5:22) but we will be judged by
the works that we have done, ones that have been
faithfully recorded by God (Revelation 20:12). Our own
lives will seal our fate.
When the verdict is read, we will either enter heaven
or be doomed to hell (Matthew 25:31-46). The end will
be upon us and we will feel the ultimate joy or the
ultimate nightmare. The extremes cannot be more stark
or vivid.
Which will we decide? All of us would choose heaven but
most of us will live for hell (Matthew 7:13-14). Christ
is full of grace, mercy and longsuffering (Ephesians
2:8-9; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 3:9). Yet, we will make the
decision by allegiance. Our actions and attitudes will
decide whether we have chosen Christ or Satan.
Christ has all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), but
he demands that we give up everything for him (Mark
8:34; Romans 12:1-2). Christ has given us all that we
need but he cannot make us choose him.
That decision will fall to us. Which will we pick?
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