It is amazing how intertwined the Holy Trinity is. In John, Jesus says that he can do nothing by himself; that he can only do what he sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. It is amazing how the three personalities of the trinity compliment each other so clearly. One inevitably affects the other. Just like the parts of our body are one, but every part, in some way, affects the other. While on earth, the Father had given Jesus the authority to perform miracles and to judge. He had been given authority to judge those who were living, but also those who have died. It says in John chapter 5, verses 28 and 29:
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
Jesus is the ultimate judge, exercising the authority given to him by the Father. The Pharisees didn’t understand that. They called him a blasphemer, which I suppose would’ve been true if he wasn’t the Son of God. But he was, and he is the Son of God, given authority to judge us. And in John we are reminded that we will be judged on how we’ve lived. Jesus says, “those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned”. So I encourage you to live with eternity in mind. Do good and rise to live, not to be condemned.
---
Jesus is the judge. He forgave sins while he walked the earth in human flesh, and he still forgives sins as he sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father. In the book of John, Jesus reminds us that how we live on earth will determine whether we will rise to live or rise to be condemned. If I were to say that how we live our life on earth is incredibly important, that would be an incredible understatement. I don’t think we can really comprehend the magnitude of our actions, our decisions and our behavior here in the flesh. But we really need to take them seriously. Because judgment is coming, and Jesus tells us that there are only two outcomes that can befall us. He says that “those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned”. I encourage you to be in the camp who rises to live.
