Articles
An Inexcusable Conclusion
An Inescapable Conclusion
Most situations we face can be handled in several different ways and have been through the years. God saw to it that Israel, His Old Testament people weredrawn to an inescapable conclusion when Solomon penned Ecclesiastes 12:13. This is one Old Testament Commandment that is also applicable to those of us in New Testament times. Of course, all of God’s Directives to man must be “rightly divided” so they can be properly understood and followed.
But you may be asking: “Why is keeping the Commandments of God” the whole duty of man?” It is because man will be judged and either sentenced to eternity in a place of condemnation or rewarded with eternity with God. When Jesus came to earth, He did not come to judge man (John 12:47). Jesus will become judge after He concludes His present function, which is to reign over the kingdom for which He gave His life on Calvary’s cross. We also know that the kingdom exists now and is not some future entity which is to be expected.
Inescapable Conclusions
The judgment is an inescapable conclusion if one reads and studies the Bible. We do not know when this will occur, except to the degree the Bible tells us. We know the “end” will come after certain things are finished. In 1Corinthians 15:24-26 we see that Christ will “rule” and “reign” until the end.
This leads to another inescapable conclusion; that all will die. Hebrews 9:27 makes this clear that death precedes judgment. So, from this passage and the one above it, one must conclude that all will have died (or have been changed) per 1 Corinthians 15:51 when the judgment will occur.
From these Bible facts, we can also conclude that the time to make the needed changes in our lives is while we are alive and have full access of our faculties. One way to make the changes that are needed within us is to prioritize. Jesus knew this and told those hearing Him preach the Sermon on the Mount that the “kingdom” (the church) which would soon come, and the righteousness of God would have to be first in their lives (Matthew 6:33). The “these things” of which the Lord spoke were the other necessities of life such as food, raiment, and shelter.
The Choice Is Ours
How do we prioritize the many things within our lives to ensure that we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first? Well, it must be through that which will judge us after this life is over (John 12:48). It is a choice all must make. We can receive His Word or we can reject it. And as we read John 12:49-50, the verses that follow, we can surely “conclude” that God’s Word was what Jesus spoke, and that if we want the desired outcome at the judgment, we must put the Word of God first in our lives. It is an inescapable conclusion that only the Word of God, rightly divided and properly lived leads to the eternal life we desire.
What is it that is keeping you from doing the things found in the Word of God so you can “lay hold” on the hope of salvation? Why can we not see that God’s Word is that which directs us? The Psalmist wrote,“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It is an inescapable conclusion that if we walk the wrong path or walk the path of this life without the light of the gospel, we will reach a destination we do not wish to reach.
