John 13:31-32
"Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him," John 13:31. Judas Iscariot had left to do what he was ordained to do. The son of hell, the son of perdition, an adversary of Jesus Christ has left the room. When the wicked are gone from the righteous the fellowship is better around the table. Judas has left to fulfill his oath with the religious leaders. He has left to earn his pay. Little did he know on that very night he would be in the torments of hell before the sun would rise the next morning.
Judas Iscariot never believed upon Jesus Christ for salvation. He could tell you much about Jesus Christ, and he could have told someone how to be saved, but he was not saved. He will spend the rest of eternity with that knowledge. The torments of hell are more than just physical torments. Those who are in hell have a sound mind. Turn to Luke 16:19-31. In verses 25, 27, 28, 30, and 31 we see the torments of the mind. In verse 25 he remembered; in verses 27-28 he had regret; and in verses 30-31 he had reality.
The Scriptures constantly remind us that Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ. The Scriptures also plainly tell us that all who die lost will suffer in the torments of hell for eternity. Just because you know much about Christ does not mean that you are saved. Just because you have served in some way in the local church does not mean that you are saved. Examine yourself according to the Scriptures. Hell has multitudes of people who have preached, taught, served, went on missionary journeys, and even those like the religious leaders of that day who have seen Jesus face to face.
"Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him," John 13:31-32. How are Christ and the Father glorified? In these verses "glorify and glorified" means to glorify God, meaning to render glory to Him; to celebrate with praises, worship, and adoration. Spoken of God and Christ, meaning to glorify, i.e. to render conspicuous and glorious the divine character and attributes; e.g., of God as glorified by the Son; of Christ as glorified by the Father.
Verse 31, "Now", Turn to John 12:23. The hour is come. The "hour" is speaking of Christ on the cross. Here God and Christ are glorified. The attributes of God are clearly visible on the cross. It is here on the cross that the Son glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies the Son. An "attribute" is that which is attributed; that which is considered as belonging to, or inherit in; as, power and wisdom are attributes of the Supreme being; 1828 Webster's Dictionary.
We see the attributes of God on the cross. Let us take a minute to look at some of these attributes. While Jesus Christ was on the cross we see God's wrath, His judgment of sin. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree," Galatians 3:13. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh," Romans 8:3. "Condemned" is to judge against. All sin is against God, and God will punish all sin; therefore, the sinner which doesn't come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins will suffer the wrath of God for eternity. The judgment against sin is death; separation from God.
We also see the mercy of God while Christ was nailed to the cross. Christ took our sins upon Himself, this means He took our penalty; the Just for the unjust. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," II Corinthians 5:21. Christ took our punishment. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. We deserve death in the lake of fire for all eternity. Thank God for mercy!
God is Holy. This is manifested on the cross in that God will not fellowship with sin. "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me," Mark 15:34. Because of sin perfect fellowship was broken. "Forsake" in this verse means to desert: -forsake, leave. I have no idea how to express this. "To be offered as a sacrifice for the service of saints, he could joy and rejoice; but it is another thing to be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of sinners," Matthew Henry. Christ suffered this separation from the Father so we would not have to.
God is Righteous. This was manifested on the cross in that God always does right. Because God is Holy He must punish all sin. If God did not punish sin He would cease to be God. "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right," Genesis 18:25. God did do right in that He punished sin. Christ going to the cross was the fulfillment of a promise and a prophecy from Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." God always does right, and He did right by putting Jesus on the cross.
More than likely when we picture the cross the first thing that we see is love. We see the love of God and the love of Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," Romans 5:8. Ephesians 2:1-5. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit," I Peter 3:18. I John 3:16; 4:9-10. Turn to Isaiah 53.
God sent His only begotten Son to pay the sin debt of His children, and Christ willingly came to redeem His bride, the church. Turn to John 10:14-18. The Father and the Son are glorified in the cross. We are to render glory to them. This ought to help us view the cross biblically. This ought to help us as we sing songs unto Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all our praise. Christ was glorified on the cross; He is glorified even now as He sits at the Father's right hand making intercession for the saints. All sin is against God. God's stance against sin has not changed or diminished. On judgment day God will not feel sorry for anyone. On that day there will be no mercy or love shown. If your sins were not paid for by Christ while on the cross you will pay for your sins for eternity.
Aren't you thankful for Jesus Christ? "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," John 6:37. No one has sinned too much, and if you are still alive it is not too late. Run to Jesus Christ trusting Him to forgive you of your sins and save you. Thank God for Jesus Christ, and thank God for the gospel message where it is the only story where the Hero dies for the villain. To God be the glory.
