FEB 5

John 8:16
Memorise John 8:16
“But it shall not be well with the wicked…because he feareth not before God.”

I know of many young people who have a very blasé attitude towards sin. They like to think, “Even though I sin, my life is good! God isn’t punishing me in any way, so I can carry on sinning as I like”.

Is this the right attitude to have? In today’s reading, Jesus Christ said to the Pharisees, “…my judgment is true”. Though the final judgment was not yet come during Jesus’ first coming, this served as a warning to the Jews that He had the same authority as God the Father to judge them “according to truth” (Romans 2:2). This was a rebuke against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees – though they focused so much on the outward appearance, God would one day judge them according to truth, measuring not just their actions, but the inner motives of their heart against the perfect standard of God’s Word.

So what exactly is the righteous judgment of God? The Word of God tells us very clearly that God is a holy God who hates sin – “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). In His eyes, sin is so vile, so wicked, so evil. As He is holy, He demands that we be holy too. Sinners, falling short of this standard, will therefore one day be judged and punished by God. The standard and basis for this judgment will not be man’s subjective moral standards, but God’s perfection. He sets the yardstick of what righteousness and perfection is, and we know that we can never measure up to His perfect holiness.

The punishment is clear: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) – not just a physical death, but an eternal one. Though sinners might seem to go scot-free in this present life, they will definitely be judged “according to their works” in the next (Revelation 20:13). God is a just God whose righteousness must be satisfied. There is thus no way that God could ever allow a sinner to go unpunished, unless he attains the salvation achieved through Christ’s death.

Dear teen, do you have a similar attitude towards sin? Do you realize that God delays in judgment not because He will not judge, but only because of His longsuffering and mercies? Will you not repent before it is too late?

Thought: All sinners will have to face God’s judgment.
Prayer: Lord, save me from the judgment to come.