YOLO (Hebrews 9:22-28)
"And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27, 28 NLT).
Throughout this letter the author of Hebrews repeatedly makes the case that Jesus is the supreme fulfillment of all that the Old Testament spoke of and the sole provider of eternal salvation. First of all that's not surprising given that it is the Bible and all.
But here in verse 27 he highlights a very simple truth about life that we can't afford to miss: You Only Live Once.
Of course, lots of people love nothing more than to use this overly done phrase as an excuse to do whatever the heck they want in the face of all logic and common sense without so much as a second thought about the eternal consequences of their choices. However, in light of the fact that we are only given one life to live, the context of this passage suggests that each of us should view life much more cautiously. Here's why:
The writer of Hebrews reminds us over and over about the significance of the most important thing in the universe- God's covenant with mankind. Verses 22-26 point out that God spared no cost in order to shield us from the judgment our sins deserve by shedding the innocent blood of His only Son.
The main reason Jesus came was to take away our sins (vs 27-28) so that we can escape God's judgment, yet somehow we get the idea that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and make decisions as if God's grace gives us the freedom to do whatever we like. But according to verse 27, the fact that we only live once ought to have the opposite effect reminding us that the first thing we can expect after we die is to face God's righteous judgment.
Not worried about facing judgment because you're forgiven? First of all, if that's true, verse 28 implies that our lifestyle should prove it by living a pure and holy life, showing how eager we are for His return (1 John 3:2-3). Second of all, a forgiven status only means that we will one day experience a different kind of judgment as we give an account of our lives to Jesus Christ Himself (2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Romans 14:12).
Throughout this letter the author of Hebrews repeatedly makes the case that Jesus is the supreme fulfillment of all that the Old Testament spoke of and the sole provider of eternal salvation. First of all that's not surprising given that it is the Bible and all.
But here in verse 27 he highlights a very simple truth about life that we can't afford to miss: You Only Live Once.
Of course, lots of people love nothing more than to use this overly done phrase as an excuse to do whatever the heck they want in the face of all logic and common sense without so much as a second thought about the eternal consequences of their choices. However, in light of the fact that we are only given one life to live, the context of this passage suggests that each of us should view life much more cautiously. Here's why:
The writer of Hebrews reminds us over and over about the significance of the most important thing in the universe- God's covenant with mankind. Verses 22-26 point out that God spared no cost in order to shield us from the judgment our sins deserve by shedding the innocent blood of His only Son.
The main reason Jesus came was to take away our sins (vs 27-28) so that we can escape God's judgment, yet somehow we get the idea that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and make decisions as if God's grace gives us the freedom to do whatever we like. But according to verse 27, the fact that we only live once ought to have the opposite effect reminding us that the first thing we can expect after we die is to face God's righteous judgment.
Not worried about facing judgment because you're forgiven? First of all, if that's true, verse 28 implies that our lifestyle should prove it by living a pure and holy life, showing how eager we are for His return (1 John 3:2-3). Second of all, a forgiven status only means that we will one day experience a different kind of judgment as we give an account of our lives to Jesus Christ Himself (2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Romans 14:12).
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