Christ - our righteous judge

Christ - our righteous judge
S - John 5:22-30 (NASB)
22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Two Resurrections
25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me

O - The book of John was written by the Apostle John, for the purpose of proclaiming the deity of Christ, to believers. At the time he wrote the accounts of Christ, the early Church had already began to fade away from the truth about Christ being the true son of God, who now reigns in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Instead they began to think of Him as a great prophet and teacher of ways to live with regards to each other and God. While it is a true statement that he was a prophet, and taught on how to live in the Kingdom of God, when you leave out his oneness with God, you are missing a vital piece of whom Christ is. Here we see John giving testimony of the miracle of healing at the pool of Bethseda. While the story is about the healing of a man who was sick for 38 years, the intent is to show another aspect of Christ as part of the Godhead, that of judge of all. The scripture shows in fact that the Father has given all judgment to the Son, for the purpose that everyone might honor the son the same as they honor God. Then in verse 24 Jesus proclaims all that is required to escape judgment and have eternal life, is hearing His word, and believing in Him. The second observation comes with regard to Christ's testimony to those already dead. Now this could mean a couple of things, dead to God , due to their sin, or actually dead in the ground. He proclaims that all (even the dead ) will hear the voice of the Son of God and all that actually "hear" or receive his workd will live (have eternal life). The last statement in verse 30 is our comfort that we have a judge and savior who does not judge for his own desire and will, but that his judgement is just because He seeks the will of the Father in Heaven.



A - The application for me is to recognize our ability to lose sight of the devinity of Christ. When we study his ways, and learn how we should live our lives, by how he lived his life, and what he teachings tell us, we are only partially understanding who He is and what He came down from heaven for. He came not only to teach and heal, but proclaim his oneness with the Father, and his role in playing judge. The application I need to consider is how is my relationship with the devine Christ, who is in heaven, who already died for my sins, is bridging the gap between me and the Father. I believe through deeper prayer time and relationship with Christ, and deeper reflection in the word, I can and am beginning to grow deeper in relationship and understanding of who Christ is.



P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion , may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you would continue to reveal to me who you are, and allow me to grow in deeper relationship and understanding of the completeness of who you are in my life. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen