"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).
One of the primary focal points of Scripture involves teaching on God’s judgment. This doctrine, which is so prominent in both the Old and New Testaments, has been greatly neglected by the church. The message of sinners under condemnation, of the inevitability of judgment, of the need for repentance, has been nearly erased from the proclamation of the Gospel. We receive calls to come to Jesus, to find happiness in Him, but no warning is given concerning the condemnation that already hangs over us.
Unfortunately, this lack of warning has contributed to a climate of careless Christianity and empty professions. We are told that God loves us so we should believe in Christ. But this is not the Bible’s approach. The prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, the apostles all tell us that we should believe in Christ not only because in Him we can have eternal life but also because without Him we are condemned to perish. The threat of eternal doom, while absent from much of current evangelism, was very much a part of the gospel message. Jesus gives Nicodemus both of these truths in this passage.
We live in an age when the consequences for sin are ignored. Yet, even a cursory reading of the Bible does not allow us to ignore the reality that there are eternal consequences for our actions. Jesus told Nicodemus that men are condemned because they love darkness instead of light. This must have been convicting the Nicodemus who came to Jesus under the cover of darkness. But only those who live by the truth, who have been reconciled to God in Christ, possess the freedom of living in the light. They do not fear judgment because their deeds are not evil. They live according to God’s holy law—not perfectly but under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. Those, however, who continue to reject Christ prefer their sins and hide in the darkness, thinking they can escape the all-seeing eye of God. But they cannot escape. Judgment has already been passed. By their sins they are condemned. But—thanks be to God—by the stripes of Christ they can be healed, if they put their faith in Him and live in the light of His Word.
Read Isaiah 1:16–20, Matthew 7:21–23, Luke 13:3–5, Romans 1:18–20. How is the element of warning concerning the judgment of God incorporated into these passages? Why is it essential to warn people of their condemnation outside of Christ? In your own words, answer the question, “Why do I need Christ?”
