Condemned Already

Scripture: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18

Observation: In this one sentence, Jesus clarifies the nature of salvation through faith. Specifically, unlikely what some people believe, no one is condemned by God because they reject Jesus. Instead, Jesus clarifies the order of operations here, so to speak ...

1) Everyone is already condemned.
2) Those who believe in Jesus as Messiah are then not condemned.

Put this way, there is no judgment for rejecting Jesus. Instead, the judgment of God already rests on mankind as a result of our sin. No one digs themselves into a hole by rejecting Jesus. Then, faith in Jesus removes the condemnation so that we may receive eternal life with God (verse 16).

Application: When I talk to many non-Christians about my faith, many of them are simply ambivalent to Jesus. They just don't think about him. It isn't that they reject him. I feel this may be because they think they have a safety net ... they may not believe, but if they don't reject Jesus then IF there IS a God then MAYBE they'll get a pass because they were "good people".

Should I be clearer with people that this isn't a "gray area" issue? There is no middle ground where they can simply not commit? As Neal Peart wrote, "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." This is another interesting message to consider.

Prayer: Lord, please continue to feed my heart with your word so that, when you present to me opportunities to do you will, I can be a vessel filled and ready to pour out your love to others. As your will be done! Amen.