judgment – Three Minute Bible

February 19, 2025February 19, 2025

Colossians 3:10a – A Wedding Story

Image shows a banquet table for a wedding reception.

… and have put on the new self …

Summary: Putting on a “new self” is a bit vague until we remember why it is important and what God has provided for us to put on.

Having taken off the old self, we need something else to put on, but what?

Have you ever stood in front of your closet wondering what to put on? Maybe you are getting ready for a special event like a wedding or a party. Perhaps you have been invited to be at a formal dinner and meet heads of state. Each of these situations requires a different type of attire. But what do you wear for an afternoon with God?

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024

Galatians 5:10 – An Encouraging Word

I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.

Summary: Paul takes a breath and expresses his confidence that all is not lost for the Galatians.

October 4, 2023October 4, 2023

Ephesians 6:9b – The Master

… since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,

Summary: Living in a broken and sinful world seems like an insurmountable challenge. Yet, we all have to face our Maker and our Master at some point.

January 8, 2023January 9, 2023

Matthew 5:44 – God-Like Love

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…

Summary: Loving others as God loves us is a complicated business.

December 19, 2021December 21, 2021

2 Peter 3:7c — Smoke

… being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Summary: Understanding the day of judgment is helpful to understanding our relationship with God. He is the creator, we are the created. If we do not function as we were created to, then we cannot be used. Like scrap wood at a construction site, such people end up in the fire.

November 18, 2021November 19, 2021

2 Peter 2:17 — Lost in the Fog

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

Summary: The Church, sadly, is not perfect. False teachers have caused confusion and division. Even so, the church is still loved by Jesus, and judgment waits patiently for those who dare mislead the Lord’s bride.

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021

2 Peter 2:4 — Example 1: The Crazy Uncle

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment …

Summary: Peter gives us a peek into things we cannot see by telling us what happens in the spiritual realm.

October 20, 2021October 21, 2021

2 Peter 2:1d — Surprise!

Detail of Wedding Arch (Photo by author)

—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Summary: Once again we are confronted by the duality of the physical and the spiritual. In physical terms “swift” means “now.” In spiritual terms, “swift” might simply mean “suddenly.”

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020

Jude 1: 7b — The Third Group

They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

As Jude dives into the topic of his letter, we immediately understand that there are three groups of people involved.

The first group, the group that James is part of, are “loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.”

The second group, not mentioned by name but implied, are the people of the world who do not know Jesus but need Him. These people are not “lost” to Christ, but neither are they yet “found.” The one thing about this group that applies to all of them is that none of them claim to be Christians.

December 29, 2019December 30, 2019

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 4-6

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

The Big Picture

As I read this passage, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day come to mind. They seemed to think of themselves as righteous. They certainly acted like they thought they were God’s gift to humanity. Yet, what they did in conspiring against Jesus was very wicked.

Among all the righteous men who have ever lived, Jesus is by far the most righteous of all. Being without sin, he defines what it means to be righteous. It might be unfair to compare these people to this verse, but it might also open the door to understanding something about God’s perspective.