If someone deliberately commits a crime and is caught, who is to blame if he’s found guilty and sentenced to jail? Is the judge to blame–or is he?

If you think about it, the lawbreaker is to blame for what has happened to him, not the judge. Yes, the judge sentenced him–but he alone broke the law, and he alone is to blame for the penalty he received. To put it another way, the judge didn’t send him to jail; the judge was only following the law. Instead, the man sent himself to jail because of his crime. He can’t blame the judge–he can only blame himself.

And this is what happens to us when we break God’s law. Yes, God is “the Lord, the righteous Judge” (2 Timothy 4:8)–and when we deliberately turn our backs on Him and break His law, we stand condemned. But we are to blame for what happens to us, not God. We are the ones who have broken the law, and we can only blame ourselves for the consequences.

But listen: God has provided another way! We don’t have to pay the penalty for our sins and face hell–and the reason is because Christ has already paid it for us. By His death on the cross, Jesus took the punishment you and I deserve. We deserve judgment and hell–but He suffered them for us. Now all we have to do is trust Him for our salvation. Why not give yourself to Him today?