“Judgement,” can have a negative connotation. One thinks of being “judged,” for the way they look, the way they dress, where they come from, choices they have made, and the list goes on and on. They may think of judgement negatively because they have seen the word used as a weapon. The “God will make you pay for this,” comment made in anger or hatred. Biblical judgement may simply not sit well with a person because they can’t accept that living a “good” life without faith in Jesus is insufficient. The world would rather believe there are no consequences or would prefer judgement to be a balancing scale where if someone does more good than bad, they can be judged in the end to have been a “good person.” But if one believes in the God of the Bible, they will find in John 5:22 that God the Father, “has entrusted all judgement to the Son.” God has not given His creation the authority to judge, or the authority to determine how judgement works.
So, to the person who cares about being judged by others, Paul makes clear that their judgement holds no value, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me,” (1 Cor. 4:3-4). To the person who has wielded God’s judgement as a, “you will pay for this,” weapon, or the person who has been the victim of such behavior, the Bible makes clear that mankind has no such authority, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else,” (Rom. 2:1). And for those who would prefer judgement to be a balancing scale of good and bad done in life, the Bible makes clear that no work of man can save your soul, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them,” (John 3:36).
What then does judgement by the Son entail? First, we can rest in the fact that, “God’s judgement…is based on truth,” (Rom. 2:2). We know, “God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done,” which means we do not have to be the judge of the world or defend ourselves from the judgement of others (Rom. 2:6). When we see and experience the depths of how wicked mankind can be, we can rest in the fact that all things will be accounted for by our perfectly just and infinitely powerful King Jesus. When contemplating our own judgement, we must keep in full view that Jesus’ work on the cross completely atoned for our sins and that our debt has been paid in full. By believing in the Son and accepting His redemptive work on our behalf, a Christian’s sin is no longer part of their judgement. Instead, when the Christian stands before the judgement seat of Christ, they will be judged for what they have done with their time, gifts, and resources for the Kingdom of God. If they built a life of fleeting worldly comfort, “the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved,” (1 Cor. 3:15). If they built a life characterized by service to King Jesus in obedient relationship with Him, “the builder will receive a reward,” (1Cor. 3:14). Let us rejoice in serving Jesus and walk with a clear conscious knowing that it is God who judges, and He knows if our hearts belong to Him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to redeem us and for paying the price for our sins. Help us to place our complete faith in You and find rest and freedom in the fact that that we answer to You. Help us live out a life of faith in loving and joyful service to You.
Susanville Christian Fellowship 