Word of Encouragement (12/30/2021)
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)
Another reason that I did not welcome the prospect of Christ’s return as a new Christian was my unclear understanding of the gospel. I felt I wasn’t ready to meet Jesus. Every night, I went to bed with many regrets for doing what I ought not to have done and not doing what I ought to have done. There were times I wondered whether I was Christian. If I truly believed what I believed, how could I live this way and fail so often? How could I face Jesus in my pathetic condition, then? No, I wasn’t ready. I needed more time to grow and mature as a Christian so I could face Jesus with more confidence!
Some of my feelings were legitimate. God’s grace deserves my deepest gratitude and utmost devotion. I should resist sin to the point of shedding blood because it is my sin that drove Christ to the cross. Instead of sinning, I should do all things for the glory of God. Not only is it the right thing to do; it is also the most profitable thing to do since God has promised to richly reward me for what I should do for Him anyway. When I meet Jesus, I should be able to present my good works as His rightful harvest.
But my fear of Christ’s return had something to do with my unclear understanding of the gospel, too. I thought that I had to prove myself worthy of God’s grace. I don’t know what I thought would happen to me if I was found unworthy (which I was sure was the case). I knew I was saved by God’s grace through faith, not by my own works. But I wasn’t sure whether my faith was genuine enough, especially when failed to do what I was supposed to do as a believer. It seems like I had a vague notion that I was saved by Jesus and by my faith, too. I can express it in this way: I thought I was saved by believing in my faith in Jesus Christ rather than simply by believing in Christ. What is the difference? The former believes that we are saved by the quality of our faith, but the latter believes that we are saved by the sufficiency of Christ. The former constantly questions whether we truly believe (thus, the focus is on our faith), but the latter simply looks to Christ to save us (thus, the focus is on the all-sufficiency of Christ to save even the greatest sinner who trusts Him to save him, like the thief on the cross). I hoped that Christ would somehow have mercy on me and save me on the last day, but I did not have the assurance of salvation. No wonder I feared His return!
Because we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, and by Christ alone, we do not need to fear the Second Coming of Christ. Our judgment was in the past when Jesus died for us. We only have rewards to look forward to!