Food for Friday
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel. Romans 2:16
What does the word ‘Gospel’ mean? Surely it is more than just the name for the Lord’s Day evening meeting. Probably the best translation of this word is the term ‘gloriously glad tidings’. We have often heard it said that the Gospel means good news. And there is no better news that sinners can hear than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We often explain the Gospel in terms of its three pillars of man’s ruin, God’s remedy, and man’s responsibility. Some of the old preachers, when speaking of the furtherance of the Gospel, used to speak about putting the GO in the GOspel, emphasizing the need to spread the message. But our text today brings out a very important aspect of the Gospel that we must never forget or ignore. That aspect is the truth that the Lord Jesus will one day be the Judge for those who rejected Him as Saviour.
We live in the day of grace. We look back to our experience of Salvation and rejoice that we were ever given an opportunity to trust in Him. We hold regular Gospel meetings, and schedule speakers for next week’s meeting. We announce series of Gospel meetings (or we did in pre-pandemic days), and the preachers are often lined up for a series many months in advance. But we know that the days of scheduling meetings are getting short. This day of grace has a limit. And its conclusion ushers in a day of judgment. It is this truth that we must include in our Gospel messages, in our invitations to meetings, and in our witnessing. Otherwise, we are not being fully faithful to the Gospel.
Even that grand Gospel verse John 3:16 includes a mention of judgment to come: ‘should not perish’. Everywhere in the Bible where we read of Salvation, we encounter the warning of judgment for those who refuse God’s offer of mercy. There are plenty of examples throughout the Bible of those who were judged for their sins after rejecting a remedy. Cain turned down God’s offer of a sin offering and became a murderer and outcast. The Israelites experienced delivery from Egypt but perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Ananias and Sapphira had an opportunity to give to the Lord, but were punished for attempting to cheat God. The pattern is consistent. It should also be consistent in our Gospel today.
God judged our sin at Calvary. Thus we have joyful message of the Gospel. God must judge those who have not accepted His provision at Calvary. Thus we have the solemn message of the Gospel. -Jim MacIntosh