Judged and Forgiven in Advance

1 Peter 4:17

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

For each of us that have been washed clean of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, the keys to the kingdom of God will be given.  Our sins will have been judged and forgiven in advance by Our Savior.  Our sins will no longer stain us in the eyes of Almighty God.  We will appear in the likeness of Jesus Christ before Our Father in heaven.  We will be worthy to become heirs to the kingdom of Almighty God for all eternity.

Yet all sin must be punished.  So those of us that have received the grace of salvation will necessarily be punished for our sins in this lifetime.  The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the past and current sins in our lives.  We must ask forgiveness and turn away from these sins.  Until we completely surrender to Jesus, we will suffer trials and tribulations.  Our suffering will serve as both the measured punishment required for our sins and the enlightenment needed to facilitate our reliance on Our Savior.  Our suffering will continue until every element of our self reliance is slain at the Cross.

For every man and every woman that does not accept the offer of salvation, their time of judgement will also come.  But they will have no defense for their sins, they will be deemed unacceptable to enter in to the eternal home of Almighty God.  There will be no comfort for those that come before the Lord on their final day still covered in the filth of their sins.  They will face endless torment.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace in our lives.  We thank You for opening our eyes so that we may see the sin in our lives that separates us from You.  We thank You for preparing our hearts so that we could receive Your Son, Jesus, as Our Savior.  We pray that You mold our hearts, Lord, so that we fully surrender to Your Son each and every day of our lives.   Prepare us, Lord, to stand before You in the image of Your Son.  We ask all these things in the name of the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.