Shortly after I got my driver’s license, I was in a fender bender accident. I remember where it was, on Vine Street near the K-Mart. I don’t remember exactly what I did, except that the police determined I failed do to something I should have, so I had to go before a judge. I wasn’t thrilled at the idea. It’s never fun to have your fate or future in the hands of someone you don't know and not have any idea of what they will decide.

A while ago, I read about a Juvenile and Domestic relations Judge in Virginia who sometimes got so frustrated with parents warring over the details of visitation rights, he settled some disputes with the flip of a coin. I can’t imagine having someone decide something so important with something so random as the flip of a coin.

The book of Hebrews, in chapter 10, says "The Lord will judge his people." God is one judge we will all face. Thankfully, God isn’t random in His decisions. His rulings on sin are always just and absolutely consistent. The Lord says, "the soul who sins shall die", (Ezekiel 18:4b) and the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Consistent? Yes. Comforting? No. That’s why Hebrews adds in the next verse “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”

There is no escape. There are no exceptions or loopholes through which guilty humanity can escape God’s verdict of guilty. The price for our sin must be paid. The flip of a coin is sounding a lot better now, isn’t it. But that’s still leaves things to chance.

God loves us so much, despite our sins, He would leave nothing to chance. So that the debt we owed for our sins would be paid – in full - Jesus was born into this world. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was true God, so He did not sin. Born of the Virgin Mary, He was true Man, so He could take our place. His entire life was spent resisting the evil that is part of us, which permeates our thoughts, words, and deeds. So that we might be forgiven of those sins and granted eternal life in heaven, Jesus suffered, died, and, in His glorious resurrection, defeated death itself. Because of His work, all who believe in Jesus as Savior are adopted as sons of God and are able to call Him, "Father."

Now, because of what Jesus has done for us, we never have to worry about falling into the hands of an angry God. When our lives end, we will stand before a loving Father and not an angry Judge. We don’t need to face God uncertain of our fate or future. We can face death with a certain hope of eternal life. That’s far more than we deserve, but that is our loving God’s plan for us. And it’s a lot better than the flip of the coin.