CONDEMNATION BY A JUST GOD

“CONDEMNATION BY A JUST GOD”

I just saw on a news channel a young man, not yet eighteen years old sentenced to five years probation for driving drunk which resulted in his best friend being seriously injured. Across the bottom of the screen a message said that he could be sentenced up to five years in prison. The presiding judge could have passed a much more serious condemnation on the young man than he did, but he saw that the guilty party was very sorry for what he had done. I guess that you could say that this person got off easy, his condemnation could have been much stiffer. All that we can hope for is that the condemnation that he received last Friday afternoon will help him to be prepared for his eternal Judge.

Many there will be who will receive a just condemnation on the Day of Judgment. You know as well as I do that there are those today who say that God is a loving God and that He will not condemn anyone to an eternal hell. I would like to show why this cannot be correct. To do so we must view it as Jehovah God sees it.

First we must realize that all mankind will not be condemned by God. In the book of Proverbs we see who will and who will not be condemned: (Prov. 12:2) “A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.” Those who are “good” will receive God’s “favor”. But those who are “wicked” will indeed be condemned by God. Exactly what is the condemnation that God will sentence the sinner with? Jesus answers this question: (Matt. 25:41) “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” The wicked [or the sinner] can all expect the same condemnation: (Rom. 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul states that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ;” friends if God’s gift of life is eternal surely the death that Paul writes of must be eternal also. To say otherwise would not be keeping the verse in context with itself, which is a rule that we must follow when studying the Bible.

What are some of the causes that will bring condemnation upon us? “Unbelief” will bring condemnation upon many: (John 3:18) “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Pride will also bring condemnation upon a person:
(1 Tim. 3:6) “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.” Many will be condemned because of hypocrisy: (Matt. 23:14) “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” Friends, we cannot pretend to be something that we are not; God knows the difference, you cannot fool Him. In the book of Romans, chapter two, verse one we see a good example of a hypocrite: (Rom. 2:1) “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” We must be cautious of the words that we speak because we can be condemned for what we say: (Matt. 12:37) “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Let us be very careful of what we say, for God is listening.

I feel certain that there will be some who thought the judge who sentenced the young man to five years probation was too easy on him. Others probably think the judge was too hard on him. When God passes His judgment upon us we will not have the right to say that God was wrong in His judgment because God is a righteous judge: (2 Tim 4:8) “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Are you ready to face the Judge?