Status!

Status!

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. John 3:18 KJV

Sin has always and is still the doorway to death. The Word of God constantly holds this position and almost dares us to provide any alternative narrative. The wages of sin has always been and is still death. It doesn't matter in whom the sin is found; sin will be punished. Putting this in context of today's extract, the sin of rebellion of the people of Israel had disastrous effects, but God had in place a plan for redemption. It invloved the lifting of a bronze serpent on a pols and asking anyone who was bitten by snakes to look at it. All you needed to do was look, and you would live. If you did, you lived, and if you refused, you died. The options were that simple.

Even today, the options are still that simple. The Son of man was made like the bronze serpent; given as a gift to seal our hope and redemption. He died and rose again, which is the outward sign of the inner power of God Himself. As Moses lifted up that serpent those centuries back, the Son of Man is being lifted up again. Man has a decision to make, and it is a decision that will impact eternity. 

All who looked at the serpent back in the day did so in faith, and they lived. God also invites us to look at His Son and receive life. It takes faith to accept the finished work of Christ on the cross. If all of these things were done by God so we could come to Him and accept this free gift, imagine what it would be like if you reject the gift that is meant to secure life for you. What else can you get if there is no life? What else can you look forward to if there is no certainty of hope of eternal life with God? 

As I live daily, I must take stock. Where do I stand? Have I believed in and accepted the free gift of life made available for me in Christ? My choice today has eternal consequences, as seen in today's extract. Condemnation is tied to rejecting the gift on offer, and life follows after all who believe. It all starts from down here, to be concluded when I stand before God in His Son's Righteousness, to receive the full measure of the benefits my faith in Christ has secured for me. The alternative isn't worth considering. Have you believed? Do you believe? His time of favour is here.