“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:18
When I was born, I was part of an established family. My mother and father were my parents, and I was their child. It was impossible for me to refuse to be part of this family. It was my destiny. I was a part of this family from the moment of my conception through no action of my own. There was nothing I could do to alter that; no choice of mine had been involved. I was born into the family, and I would remain a part until one day when I chose to leave.
That moment occurred on the day I married my husband. One moment I was part of one family, and the next, I was part of another one. I made a conscious choice to leave my birth family and cleave to another, and on my wedding day, I moved from my initial family to a brand-new one! My new family only had two members, my husband and me! From there, I began a new life, one filled with the promise of love, adventure and great hope for the future!
My spiritual life was much the same. When I was born, I became part of a family that was cursed with sin and separated from God. There was nothing I did to earn this status; there was no choice involved; it simply was the consequence of one man’s sin approximately 7,000 years ago passed on to me when I was born. When Adam chose to disobey God, this original sin curse was passed on to all of humanity. My birth propelled me into this sin-cursed family just as being born has done for every person who ever lived. Romans 5:12 states, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
I remained a part of this family until I made a conscious effort to leave this family. Until that moment, I suffered sin’s consequences and faced its worse punishment – separation from God for all eternity. No one is exempt; this outcome is the same for all humanity. We are all members of sin’s family without choice. However, we can be changed from this terrible sinful “family” to one filled with eternal love in the presence of God forever, but it takes action. Just like choosing to marry and leaving one family behind, each person has the ability to choose to join with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, leaving the curse of sin behind. Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When we ask for Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins and accept Him as our Saviour (for which He died upon the cross to become), we make the conscious decision to leave behind the wickedness and debauchery of sin for the holiness and righteousness of God. Just as a married individual does not return to live with his/her original family, we never return to the household of sin once we choose God. We belong to Jesus Christ as part of the Church, His bride, and we will live forever with Him in heaven one day as a member of the family of God!
When my husband proposed to me, I made a choice at that moment to become one with him. When Jesus sought to redeem me, I made the choice to join with Him forever by accepting His gift of salvation. Today, I have a bridegroom here on earth and life is wonderful and fulfilling as we serve the Lord together, but one day, I will be united with my Bridegroom in heaven, and what a glorious day that will be… when I see Jesus! “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 33:11)
Oh, what a time will be when we see loved ones there;
Those who have gone before, eternal joys to share.
And, oh, what a song when the blood washe!d throng
Starts singing a song the angels cannot sing.
Oh, what a moment, when we see Jesus;
When we stand face to face in His embrace;
And thank Him for amazing grace,
Oh! what a moment, when we see Him.
(from “Oh, What a Moment!” by Squire Parsons)
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:17
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Jesus extends an invitation for all of us to join Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I hope to see you there!