How can you compare a drop of water to the entire ocean? People have no idea, actually our finite minds can't fathom, how long eternity is. How much more overwhelming is the thought when we consider eternal judgment!
Amazingly, Jesus describes it like this. "This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Notice, His definition is not duration that it lasts forever, but rather a quality of life that comes only from knowing God. So eternal judgment is this life's final exam, that is answered by whether one knows God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.
When I was a dumb, little kid, I wrestled with the idea of how could we live forever, and what would we do, and how could I stand it. So I thought it might be easier to just go to hell, burn up, and have it all over with, sort of like the mistaken idea some people have about suicide. Then someone told me that hell is forever too. Wow! My unthinkable concept changed immediately!
There is a truth about God that is hard for us to handle. Absolutely Just. We somewhat grasp the concept of mercy, that God forgives the worst sinner, which Paul considered himself to be. However, what do we know about Him being perfectly just? Every sin will get perfect retribution. It will be paid in full. God is not mocked, what is sown shall be reaped.
There is a hint of this in the well-known John 3:16 verse, "For God so loved the world that He gave HIs only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Notice the contrast, either perish or have eternal life. Then in verse 18, this truth is brought home stronger, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Sin deserves death. Man, who is sinful, is condemned already, and rightly deserve death.
So God, in His perfect mercy and love for us, sent Jesus to pay the "condemnation" penalty because He wants us to be free and live with Him forever. Ephesians 1:5 reveals that His eternal plan is that we would be "holy and blameless before Him." That is why receiving what Jesus did on the cross and His resurrection is so crucial. Either you accept that Jesus, God's Son, paid the supreme price and eternal consequences for your sin, or that incredibly serious debt still remains. You are rightly condemned for not only your sin but also for rejecting God's love in the person of Jesus who took your punishment.
Why is eternal judgment in the foundational doctrines of Hebrews 6 that needs to be settled if we are going to mature? Eternal judgment is an awesome reality that makes the whole issue of being saved absolutely the most important step anyone and everyone must personally take. Understanding God's justice, and then His beautiful mercy in paying everything for us, will produce a heart of gratefulness and a strong foundation upon which our life always rests. We belong to Him and are secure forever because of what Jesus has done. Secondly, this need for everyone to receive Jesus changes evangelism from a nice thing to an absolutely necessary reality. This truth sets us free from our self-consciousness of how we feel or what others think, to being unashamed as God's representative to bring this good news to all men. We are His instrument to share and be a witness of HIs love for each one.
No one can know their purpose in life unless they understanding how eternal judgment is the climax of sowing and reaping. God is not mocked, what one sows he will reap. Standing before God is the most crucial appointment we will ever have with the most awesome possibilities: everlasting joy in the Father's presence or eternal separation from all that is good. We need to see this life as an opportunity to be a light for Him, with eternal rewards. No one will even give a drink of cold water to a child without reaping a reward, how much more sharing Jesus with a sinner who otherwise would be lost forever. The time on earth may be only a drop in a bucket compared to eternity, but this life is the proving ground where God is revealing who He is, and empowering us to will and work for His pleasure. So live today with the realization that every choice will have eternal ramifications, for good reward or evil consequences. Your choice.
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