Judge and Saviour

When John the Baptist told his followers about the coming of Jesus, he said something that was both unexpected and controversial.

He said of Jesus that:

He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

In other words, Jesus was coming to judge.

Christians often make the tragic mistake of being embarrassed about the coming judgement that Jesus will bring, as they inadvertently paint a picture of Christ that is false and misleading.

For unless we see Jesus as our coming judge, we don’t understand how seriously he takes sin.

But more than that: it is only as we see Jesus as our coming judge that we can really, deeply understand what it means for him to be our saviour.

This week we’re learning a brand-new song that’s co-written by our friends at Sovereign Grace Music, as well as our local mate, Colin Buchanan.

It’s called, ‘Jesus, our Judge and our Saviour’ and you can read all the lyrics (and grab the sheet music) at sovereigngracemusic.com 

The chorus beautifully sums up the truths of Jesus being both our judge and our saviour:

Call now, O sinner, on your coming Judge
To be here even now as your Saviour
Fall now, O sinner, on the mercy and grace
Of Jesus, our Judge and our Saviour

The glory of Jesus is seen in the fact that he, himself, is both the one who is coming to judge, and at the same time, the one who has come already to save.

It is as we see the seriousness of his judgement that we uphold the riches of his salvation, and gaze at the beauty of his love.

JODIE McNEILL