UCB Word For You

 

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Unconditional

21 April 2021
‘We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.’

John 3:16 tells us the ‘Good News’ of Christianity in a clear, simple way: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (ESV). We know that Jesus gave His life to repair our relationship with God, so that we can live with Him forever. No matter what we do, our relationship with God covers us and gives us that ‘eternal life’. But that doesn’t mean that we should do whatever we can get away with and assume that God will fix it. In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul writes that ‘our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body’ (NLT). So we know that what we do does matter. How, then, does that sit alongside Jesus saving us unconditionally? The Bible says, ‘No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). This reminds us that it really does come back to Jesus. Nothing can change the foundational truth that He has saved our relationship with God. Verses 12 to 15 go on to explain: ‘Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames’ (NLT). God’s forgiveness is the foundation that won’t change, but He does care what we build on top of it.

What Now?

Reflect God’s unconditional nature by forgiving someone today.

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