Clouded Judgment
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Introduction
This morning I want look at the notion of final judgement and some misconceptions that we often hold of it (thus the sermon title).
And as we do so what we will find is that the picture that Scripture gives of judgment is different in some very important ways from that which is often presented by things like popular media, medieval paintings, and tent preachers.
Importance: the reason for our study is this:
our misconceptions of judgement often hinder our ability to explain that judgment to self or others (especially unbelievers)- things like how could a merciful God send anyone to hell? Or why doesn’t God give everyone another chance to repent after death when they can actually see that God is real?
Thus a clear and biblical picture of judgment will assist us in our own understanding and our own witness.
A] The first surprise about judgment that we find is that throughout Scripture judgment is presented (not only as a sober warning) but also as a comfort. In fact, it is presented as a comfort both to believers and unbelievers. How?
1. First, throughout Scripture God’s judgement against evil is always simultaneously a deliverance of His people. Thus God’s judgment is presented as a great comfort and assurance to believers.
Exodus 6:6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. Indeed, I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. (Rev 18:20-21)
Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, 28 “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Rev 18:20-21; I Kings 19:34-35)
2. Second, throughout Scripture God’s judgment is a relief to the unbelievers. How? In place of the injustice, violence, and oppression of man, God will judge the peoples with fairness and righteousness.
Psalm 96:11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; 13 Before the LORD, for He is coming; For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness.
Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. FN#1
B] The second surprise about judgment is that Scripture teaches that it is allocated by degrees. That is, judgment is not one size fits all. Instead, judgment is just.
Luke 12:47 “That slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few.
Luke 20:47 Beware of the scribes, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
Now this is no surprise. Think about it: it is God who commands an eye for an eye (Ex 21:24). In other words, the penalty is not to be excessive. Rather, the penalty is to match the crime with exactness FN#2.
C] The third surprise we find is that the picture of judgement and hell that Scripture provides are not that of a divine torture chamber where God delights to inflict misery on sinners and is indifferent to their fate.
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Instead, while hell is quite torturous, a major cause of its misery is that God gives man over to his own desires, devises, and allegiance to Satan’s dark kingdom. In other words, a primary part of what makes Hell, hell is man’s own unbridled actions FN#3
Romans 1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper
In other words, in final judgment God grants to fallen man his unwavering desire to be done with God.
Job 21:14 “And they say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Thy ways. 15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him? (Ps 10:4)
Notice the result: fallen man’s persistent and insistent rebellion against God means that a second chance to repent after death is both pointless and unwanted by fallen man.
Revelation 6:14 And the sky was split apart and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
As such, condemned man will be beyond pity.
D] Finally, the fourth surprise is that even in judgment God is a God who always shows the maximum amount of mercy possible (that still remains just).
1. God’s first response to the fallen world is not to blow it up. Rather, it is to send His church into that world as witnesses of the Gospel.
John 20:21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
2. God does not abandon the sinner nor does He allow the sinner’s rebellion to go unchallenged. Instead, judgment begins as a merciful warning and a call to repent. (Rev 8:6ff)
Luke 13:2 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? 3 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
3. Even in the final judgement, God places that judgment in the hands of His redeemed children. That is, God places judgment in the hands of those who know sin and who have received mercy FN#4.
1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
Footnotes
1] Importance: at once the entire subject of judgment is based on and comprehensively informed by God’s fairness and righteousness (not cruelty and some manner of divine spite/malice). As such, it is a great blessing and assurance to know that when man stands to give a final account of himself, it will be a fair and just God who will decide the matter.
2] This notion that judgment is graduated and just is a concept that we see over and again throughout Scripture (Matt 11:24; Luke 20:46-47; I Cor 3:8; Ps 62:12; II Cor 5:10). This is no surprise. Think about it: it is God who insists on a fair measure/ scale (Prov 11:1; 20:10). It is also God who commands an eye for an eye (Ex 21:24). In turn, it is God who abhors unjust treatment (especially of the vulnerable and helpless- Isa 10:1-2; Mic 6:8).
In the same way, the justice of God’s judgment goes a long way to explain the point we saw back under [A] – i.e. that judgment is meant to bring comfort/relief even to the unbeliever. Thus, the unbeliever no longer suffers unjustly or beyond his desert at the hands of wicked men. Instead, his punishment is fair and exactly matches his crime.
3] In other words, a major cause of hell’s hellishness is:
a) God removing his restraint from man thus resulting in the free reign of man’s own wickedness and paranoia
b) The consequences of man’s willful allegiance to Satin and the mistreatment that results
Importance: we see this paradigm of judgment as “God handing man over” throughout Scripture. In fact, it is the primary picture of judgment in the Bible
· At the fall God judges man by casting him out of the garden and giving him over to a world defined by sin and death (the very consequences of man’s decision to turn away from the God of life and righteousness)
· Throughout the current order of fallen creation God sends judgment against the unrighteousness of man by allowing man to experience a taste of the misery and death that his sin and rebellion bring (Rom 1:18).
· When Israel insisted on being like the nations around them, God gave them over to their own desire and its consequences. As such, God removed them from His land and “gave them over” to the very nations they desired.
However, please note this notion of “God giving man over” does not mean that God is passive in judgment or that His part is only permissive. Instead, judgment and hell are actively punitive. In fact, the active judgment of God is largely expressed in the action of handing man over to his own willful rebellion. Notice then Scripture teaches that God actively judges and declares man guilty; He actively sentences, removes, and confines man to hell; and God actively removes His restraint, favor, pursuit, and blessings from man. In fact, it is this punitive removal of God’s favor that actively creates the context of misery and anguish that define hell.
4] One final point: the standard of judgment by which man will be judged is the revealed will of God. Thus, the pagans will be judged according to natural law; Old Testament people by the Old Testament revelation and promise; and New Testament people by the full light of the Gospel (Rom 2:12-15).
However, it is vitally important that we remember that at no point is man judged by his compliance to an anonymous, athos, generic morality. Instead, be it the laws of nature or Scripture, God’s law always points man to faith in the one true living God (Rom 1:20-21). Thus when man sins (be it against conscious, Old Testament law, or by rejecting the Gospel of Christ) it is always a direct rejection of the one true living and triune God. The result is that the notion of a noble pagan who never knew God is fictitious. This is our Father’s world and God confronts man at every turn, inside and out, through the whole of creation. Instead, the correct picture is of a man who no longer sees fit to acknowledge the God who meets him in every detail of his life (Rom 1:28). As such, Paul says they are without excuse (Rom 2:1,11-12).
In turn, regardless of the manner in which the revealed will of God is given to man (nature, Old, or New) Scripture tells us that all men fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). That is, they all have knowingly rejected that which reflects God for that which reflects their own desires. The result is that the varying degrees of revelation do not suggest differing requirements for salvation (the only hope for any of us is faith in Christ). Instead, the varying degrees of revelation point to the varying degrees of guilt and accountability that a rebel will face in judgement (Luke 12:47-48).
Afterword: even for those concerned about a friend or loved one, Scripture’s teaching on judgment offers great comfort
· You do not know the true state of another’s heart. Only God knows.
· God’s grace and a person’s previous call to God are greater than that person’s later wanderings
· Your love and concern for a person are direct reflections of their heavenly Father’s own love and concern for them.
· Their story may not be over. Thus, you have no idea how God intends to use your prayers, witness, and kindness.
· Even in judgment, God is fair and just.
· Finally, no one will spend eternity except in the place where they ask to be.
Outtakes (cut from the sermon as preached)
E] Another surprise we find throughout Scripture is that the purpose of judgment is not mindless destruction (though it is horrific and destructive). Rather, the purpose of judgment is to cleanse the earth of wickedness, sin, and defilement.
Malachi 3:2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 “And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. (I Cor 3:13-15; also Deut 29:28; I Kings 14:15)
2 Pet. 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be dissolved by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (c.f. Romans 8:19-21)
F] Another surprise is that God’s Judgement (just like God’s grace) is already and not yet. That is, God’s judgment is already being poured out on man as a warning and call to repent (e.g. disease, war, nature’s opposition, wicked leadership, the futility of unrighteous policies, and the self-inflicted misery of sin). However, this judgment is not yet fully revealed/manifested/realized.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rev 8:5-7)
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the earth and its works will be burned up.
G] Finally we need to clarify the believer’s relationship to judgment
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Scripture tells us that the believer is now under no condemnation. Instead Christ paid the full price and bore the full judgment of all his sins. Importance: salvation and Christ’s atoning sacrifice has two vitally important ramifications for our discussion on the believer’s relationship to judgment:
1. First, while God’s judgment is already being poured out on all mankind, the believer experiences this judgment under promise (not condemnation). In fact, this is the very dynamic that Christ established for His people in the grave, after the crucifixion, on Holy Saturday.
Remember the grave represents the full death and separation of fallen existence. Thus, between the full completion of salvation (the Cross) and the reception of the full measure of that salvation (the Resurrection) there is a delay (Christ was in the grave). During this delay Christ did not suffer any further punishment or penalty. Instead, He endured the grave under the promise that His victory on the cross had utterly defeated death’s power and hold. The result is that Christ’s burial establishes the very context necessary for the Church’s earthly mission. Thus, between our salvation and our reception of its full blessing there is a delay- a delay in which the church is sent out to endure the full conditions of the fallen world under promise not judgment.
The result is that we suffer the same conditions as the world but not under God’s judgment and displeasure but as a part of God’s mission to that world. As such, we are translators who are able to translate hardship of our shared struggles into the language of hope and the Gospel.
2. The second ramification that salvation has for the way believers experience judgment has to do with the objective of that judgment. Notice then Scripture clearly teaches that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (believers and unbelievers). Not only that we will all be judged according to what we have done (believers and unbelievers alike)
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
However, while the unbeliever’s fate is determined solely by his own merits, the believer’s fate is determined by the merits of Christ alone. Nonetheless, the believer’s works will still be judged. The difference is that in the final judgment it is the unbeliever’s person that is judged, while for the believer it is the value/faithfulness of his works that are judged.
1 Corinthians 3:13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built upon it (i.e. built upon the foundation of Christ- verse 3:11) remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
Simply put, any work of the believer that is wrought by grace and done with God’s purpose as its objective will remain. Notice then, here is what Jesus spoke of when He talked of “fruit that abides” (fruit that contributes to the eternal shape of God’s Kingdom -Jn 15:16). Not only that, here is the grace that saves and changes you for good works, to the end that you may have an active role in your Father’s Kingdom (Eph 2:8-10). By contrast, any work where the believer ignores or resists grace, thereby seeking a foundation/ purpose other than God’s, will be burned away as with a refiner’s fire.
Bottom line: the Cross means that the believer’s relationship to judgment is on completely different grounds than that of the unbeliever. The believer is not judged on the basis of his own merit but on the basis of Christ alone. In turn, the believer experiences the conditions of the fallen world, not under God’s wrath and condemnation, but as a part of God’s mission of mercy to that world.