Judgment

It’s a word that people like to stay away from, but as much negative though as there is surrounding it, judgment is a righteous, holy thing that is to be celebrated. It is difficult for the post-modern (or even the modern) mind to view judgment in a positive light, yet somehow justice seems to be an overwhelmingly popular notion for my peers, and even myself. The truth is that justice can never come without judgment; those who are worthy must be distinguished from those who are not in order for justice to be…well…justly administered. What does justice mean? Well, my friends, it means restoration. There is something very wrong with this world, I would like to posit that this wrongness is an outcome of the fall, but I think that, regardless o the causation, any thinking person would readily agree with the statement that something has gone awry.

The idea of restoration is exactly what would come to the mind of an ancient Jew when presented with the idea of judgment. First, Adam and Eve caused the fall, then a lot of kings did a lot of stupid things involving Baals, and asherah poles, and foreign women, but all along there was a promise of restoration for Israel. From David’s line there was to be a child who would restore Israel, and the Jews held tightly to this promise. Judgment, to them, was the condemnation of the wicked, by judgment things would be put right with God, and with God’s people. Jews would rejoice in this and await it eagerly. To them, it meant the expulsion of foreign leaders and the end of oppression because this child was to become a king and liberator to God’s chosen people.

The child was born, and His name is Jesus. He has been around since the beginning, but He spent a brief amount of time on earth. While He did not come in the way that many expected, He came with a reign of justice. So what does this mean to the modern human? Well, it still means a lot. There is still a final judgment to come (whether this will come in my life or through my death I do not know) where the world will end and all who are in it will bow before God in the necessary worship that happens in His presence. Every soul will bow, and all of them will confess the Lordship of the Godhead. In this there will be no refutation of God’s judgment because all things will be made clear in His presence. Some will go to heaven, others to hell; this is the judgment that concerns every person. Paul tells us that those who are justified through faith in Jesus Christ have been grafted into the line of Abraham, and therefore we, being the chosen people of God just as the Jews are/were, should see judgment in the same way as an ancient Jew. Judgment sets right the things that are wrong, restores God’s place in His creation, and restores the fullness of communion between God’s people and Himself. This is just, far more just than anything carried out by the heart or hands of man, and that is the most important thing of all and the reason we rejoice. This is not justice carried out by the mind or judgment of humanity, instead it is justice carried out by a loving, good, and perfect God. WE recognize that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), but we cheer louder for the glory of God than we do for the glory of man. The victory is God’s, and it is God who will be praised ceaselessly into eternity.

This is very important to remember because justice is carried out by God and to God. Salvation, and any other gift, is a product of God’s grace, but His goodness does not rest upon His grace. It is important that grace does not become an expectation because grace is beyond goodness. It would be good of God to condemn all, for all have sinned and fallen short of perfection, the fact that He does not makes this victory even greater. Let us always remember to praise God for His goodness, and thank Him for His grace as we wait patiently and expectantly for the day of judgment.