REFUSING GOD’S HELP
John 3:18-19 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not
believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has
come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their
deeds were evil.
To us, God may appear to be angry. He seems to be an
unjust, harsh, and stern judge. But God is saying here, “Now then, I will
cancel the charges against you. You will no longer have to mourn. To be sure,
you have sinned and earned the judgment of God. But your sin will be pardoned.
The death penalty will be removed. I will no longer remember the sinfulness of
the world – the sin in which people were born and in which they lived.
Everything is settled. I will no longer look at your sin. Simply believe in my
Son.”
What’s missing? Why does judgment still hang over us if
the Son has removed our sins? This judgment remains because people reject
Christ, the Son of God.
Suppose a physician is treating a sick person whom he knows
he definitely can help. Suppose he has promised to get rid of his patient’s
pain. The physician suggests a remedy for his patient’s illness or an antidote
to counteract the poison his patient has ingested. Suppose further that the
sick person knows without a doubt that the physician is capable of helping. In
spite of all this, the patient says, “Get out of here. I don’t need your
advice. You’re not a physician. You’re a fraud. I’m not sick. I didn’t eat any
poison. And besides, it probably won’t hurt me.” Then what if the patient tries
to choke and even kill this doctor? Wouldn’t you say that person is not only
sick but also stark raving mad? The spiritual madness of refusing the help of
God’s Son wants to give us is ten times worse than this.
Faith
Alone: A Daily Devotional, By Martin Luther. March 3.
