The Final Victory?

Battle lines are drawn, trenches are dug as dusk settles across enemy camps.  The air is filled with anticipation and dread.  One thing is clear, the fight is not far away, now is the time to wait and rest for once the fighting starts it will be relentless.  The outcome is unclear, but there will be victor, a triumphant army but also innumerable losses, fallen ones, despair.

We are so very familiar with stories and accounts of war and yet these things are so distant, so unimaginable.  Unless we were there, how can we understand or comprehend, at all?  Yet we can celebrate and rejoice for so often we were the winning side and peace was restored, for a time. Good conquered over evil, love and understanding over hatred, brutality and greed.

But what now?  Did those great victories, those lost lives on both sides, really make us any better, any more loving, understanding, tolerant or kind?  Are we really a more civilised world now, having defeated our enemy back then?  Or is the problem deeper, closer to home, more personal, inward?

You may not rise up with armies and kill thousands of innocents, but have you ever hated anyone or sought revenge when you have been wronged?  You may not march into neighbouring countries and rule them by force to increase your power or status, but have you been jealous of your neighbours new car, wife or lifestyle?  Do you not realise that we are all by nature wicked and depraved, capable of these most grievous crimes and yet we consider ourselves to be good people?  Do you not realise that we are allowed to occasionally glimpse the worst of human wickedness in those as Hitler or Saddam Hussein to remind us of what we are capable of and could become?  The only reason we are not all like that is because God in His kindness restrains evil from reaching its greatest power.

The bible is clear that all men are desperately wicked from birth, that all men have ignored the laws of our creator God and despised Him.  The bible says that all men will be judged by God against His perfect law and the only possible verdict is guilty.  God loves justice and the only befitting punishment is an eternity without God in Hell, where evil will be unrestrained, a place of great, unimaginable torment.

But there is hope, a substitute has been provided by God to take our punishment.  Jesus, who was guiltless, was separated from God and cursed in our place.  Even more, not only are we pardoned but we are welcomed by God into His family and will spend eternity in His presence, where everything is perfect and pure and love.  All you must do is recognise and confess your guilt in breaking His law and believe that as Jesus died He bore your punishment and through Him you are acceptable to God.

Stop trying to convince yourself that you’re a good person and that you will have worked hard enough to get you into heaven.  There is simply nothing you can do except humble yourself and trust in Jesus alone.  He only has fully conquered evil and to gain the final victory you must be on His side