God will sort it out

 

"God will sort it all out in the end."

Someone said this to me recently and I agree. I've read his book and know that he does sort out everything in the end. Evil will be destroyed, God will wipe away every tear and there will be "no more death or sorrow or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4).

He'll sort out the problem of unfairness in life; how criminals seem to go unpunished whilst the innocent suffer; how the selfishness of some causes starvation, violence and pain for others; how we know the good we want to do but so often don't actually do it.

He has sorted it out. Now and not yet.

Now, in the sense that by dying when death had no claim on him, Jesus has broken death's hold, vanquished the powers of evil and provided a solution to all the troubles in the world.

Not yet, in the sense that although the war has been ultimately won, battles are still being played out. In our lives we are all too familiar with pain, sorrow and struggles whether we follow Jesus or not. Not yet, in the sense that God in his mercy desires to give as many people as possible the opportunity to turn to Jesus and be saved before renewing all things at the end of time.

God will sort everything out in the end but on his own terms. Terms which are extremely generous towards us but which do include certain standards. No one wants evil and injustice to go unpunished. If a crime has been committed there should be consequences.

No human has ever lived a crime-free life. Before God we have all gone astray, from the nicest good-doer to the most frustratingly selfish to the murderously corrupt. We all have to face the consequences of our lives and choices. Whether we drive two or thirty miles per hour over the speed limit the law has been broken. Whether we have envious thoughts or actually go out and rob houses, we have broken God's law and have to pay the price.

Except we can't.

That's why God sorted it all out by sending his only Son, Jesus Christ so that "whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life" (John 3:16).

There's the rub.

For God to sort things out for us in the way that results in joy, restoration and eternal life in a wonderful place, we have to believe in what Jesus has done and follow him. It's not much to ask, and it's certainly more than we deserve, but it's a non-negotiable.

God will sort it all out in the end. Not in a karmic, the universe will balance it all out way, but in a deliberate, loving, intelligent manner. There will be mercy but there will also be justice. He respects us enough to give us the choice as to whether we accept the terms of his solution.

“As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11)

Why indeed, when you can turn to Jesus and live?