About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sinners in the Hands of a Just God

(Article for publication week of 5-25-2011 AD)

“It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33).

Dear Reader, what is God’s verdict concerning you? Does the Judge of all the earth regard you as guilty, or not guilty in relation to His holy law? It will do you no good to try to justify yourself, or seek to be justified by your fellows. The Just and Holy and Sovereign God of heaven and earth knows what your record is before Him and whether you have perfectly obeyed His law. And mark it down dear Reader, you must have a perfect record with God, or you stand condemned and guilty and must bear the penalty of your transgressions.

Can you stand the scrutiny of the Just Judge? Are you ready and able to stand before His bar of justice and give an account for yourself? Be sure my friend you will give an account to God in the awful day of His judgment. You are in the hands of the Just Judge who will in no wise acquit the guilty. God’s holiness and His justice demand that everyone who is guilty of breaking His holy and just law be punished for their sins. Does this not strike terror into your heart, to know and realise that your sins must be dealt with?

Well, you may be thinking to yourself, “I know I have sinned, but I am going to try to amend my ways and start doing better.” Do you think that will pay for the sins you have already committed. Try telling that to a human judge! Do you think if you get a speeding ticket it will do any good to go before the judge and tell him that you have resolved to not speed any more?! He might say, “well that is good, but you must still pay the fine for the ticket you already have gotten.” Much less is the Judge of all the earth impressed with you’re amendments and resolutions. There is only one thing that God will do with you for your white lies and hypocrisies and idolatries and your covetousness and lusts and other sins, and that is to send you to hell forever. There is no sin so small that it does not deserve eternal damnation, and be sure God will give you what you deserve. Or you might be hoping that since God is known to be merciful, He will just forgive you for your sins. God is indeed merciful, but not at the expense of justice and He will only show mercy to those who are in Christ. Or, perhaps you have heard that God loves everybody and so He just can’t bear to see anybody get hurt. Friend, you will go to hell believing that lie.

Now, the Judge of all the earth has devised means whereby His banished be not expelled. He devised the means of justification by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ Alone, whereby His elect people are not banished because their sins are atoned for by the substitution work of Christ. By this means the believer in Christ is justified by God and stands before God as if he had never sinned, because all his sins are taken away by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Who died and rose again for our justification. Sinner, you must stand before God on your own by your own merits, or you must have an Advocate to stand for you to answer for your sins. Do not be so insane as to think that you can stand before the Judge of all the earth on your own righteousness. Flee to Christ and take Him as your Saviour, or perish forever in your sins. May the Lord spare you for Christ’s sake, for you are in the hands of a just God.



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