There are a lot of people, many of them followers of Jesus, who live in constant fear that God is out to get them. There is idea in the Christian community that God is waiting around with His quiver of spiritual lightning bolts just waiting to fling them down at people to inflict them with all kinds of suffering because their misdeeds.
God passed judgment on his people throughout the Bible. Did that stop after Christ was crucified?
I’m looking at judgment in the Bible it helps to consider who is being judged, and what their relationship with God is.
For example, we’re they in a covenant with God? If not God had no legal obligation to bless the. ( That was Satan’s big beef in the case of Job. Job had no right to God’s protection. That was Satan’s big beef in the case of a job. You had no right to God’s protection. It was like God was blessing job “illegally” if you will).
When people are in a covenant with God they are treated accordingly. For example Abraham’s covenant was simply that God would bless him. It was independent of Abraham’s behavior. So, even though Abraham did some pretty messed up thing, he was still blessed.
In Mose’s time Israel entered into a different covenant with God. That one said if you behave correctly (follow the law) you will be blessed. If you don’t you will be cursed. So, when Israel, of individual Jews, strayed from keeping the law they brought judgement on themselves per their covenant with God.
Our Covenant With God
You just came along and fulfilled the Law on our behalf.
He himself is the sacrifice that are tones for our sins – and not for n,t our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:2
This means we have a better covenant. Today all sins have been paid for and covered. All but One.
The only way people can bring judgement on themselves now is to reject what Jesus has done from them. If they refuse to enter into th covenant they will be judged accordingly.
But here’s the thing. That judgment isn’t going to happen until the final day of judgment.
Results of Sin vs Judgment
What we see today are natural consequences of sin on the earth, not the judgment of God. For example if I had continued relying on pain pills to cope with my emotional issues there are some natural consequences to that. Being addicted to pain pills will destroy the liver, it effects decision making, and self control, and learning, and cause too little oxygen to go to the brain. and cause financial problems.
Each one of these consequences result from behavior. They are not the judgment of God on our lives.
It all starts with agreeing with, and believing any of myriad of lies of the enemy. The euphoria and numbing of being high feels good at the beginning. But Satan is the master of bait and switch. His mission is to steal, kill and destroy you and I.
When we get sucked into believing his lies we end up someplace we never intended to go. And our lives collapse around us as we add sin upon sin. Our poor decisions compound problems for ourselves and everyone around us.
That destruction is our own making, not the judgment of God.
Natural Disasters
The obvious question is what about natural disasters? Aren’t those the judgment of God on communities for their sin?
In fact, natural disasters are related to sin. Did you know that skin is so destructive? Did it actually has a tangible negative impact on nature around us? It’s true.
Paul talked about it in the book of Romans as he lays out the keys for the good news of Jesus sacrifice on our behalf. The bet he says about creation is enlightening.
For the earnest expectation of the creation, eagerly wait for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation, was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For you know the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Romans 8:19-22
Mankind, sin subjects, the planet to the bondage of corruption and earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunami‘s, drought, etc.
These are natural affects of sin on our world. But they are not the judgment of God because of people’s sin.
Discounting Sacrifice of Jesus
Here’s what is happening when people claim God is judging people today because of their sinful behavior. They are trivializing what Jesus did on the cross.
Either God poured out all his wrath on Jesus, or He didn’t. When Jesus said, “it is finished” He was either telling the truth, or He was lying.
If God is judging sin today by sending disaster on people, that means what you Jesus did wasn’t enough, in that case Jesus blew it by not taking care of the entire sin problem once and for all.
And if that’s the case, we better throw out huge chunks of the New Testament. We can start with Hebrews 10;12-18:
But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. For by that one offering the forever made perfect those who are being made holy. And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says. ‘This is a new covenant I will made with my people on that day, says the Lord I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Them He says, I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds’ And when sins have been forgiven, there is o need to offer any more sacrifices.’
Hebrews 10:12-18
Either Jesus paid it all, or He didn’t, if He didn’t then we might as we,k pack it all in. In that case, the whole Gospel falls apart and there is no good news. Were that true we’d all be doomed.
Judgment Day
One big question comes up about the book of Revelation. What about that?
I’ll say it right out I am not an end times Scholar. So there’s a plan in revelation that I don’t have any insight on.
That said, here what I do understand. There is judgement coming for all mankind. Basically it’s two-fold.
That will be a general judgment of all mankind. There will only be one item, considered there that matters – whether a person accepted or rejected Jesus’s payment for their sin.
Those who have accepted Jesus as payment, and had chosen to be, with God, will be judged, based on Jesus his performance. As a result, they will be found ‘not guilty’ of sin, and get to spend all of eternity with Him.
Those who have rejected Jesus is aiming for their sins, get to be judged on their own performance. Since everyone has blown it at some point, those who have chosen to reject God will get what they have chosen and be sentenced to spend all of eternity separated from God.
The second judgment is just for believers. They will be evaluated on what they did with the Gospel. It’s not a judgment of punishment, but rather a judgment of rewards. Rewards will be passed out based on peoples obedience to Christ.
But they get to skip the punishment part because they accepted Jesus’s payment for the punishment they deserved.
Absence of Blessing and Judgment
I don’t think it’s possible to cover this entire subject. But there is one thing I want to mention.
When I became a follower of Jesus. God completely delivered me from my pain pill addiction. It’s a long story. But I have had no desire whatsoever to take pain pills for more than 20years now.
That’s the blessing of God working in my life. I know it is because before I became a believer, I tried everything in my power to quit.
Some people might be thinking that, as my life was falling, apart, due to my addiction, that I was being punished by the judgment of God. But that’s not true. Mostly it was due to my own ignorance and incorrect understandings of God, His character and His ways.
But regardless of the reasons for it, the bottom line is, I can only enjoy the benefits of the blessing when I called to receive it. Until I received the blessings they are inoperable in my life.
Many people mistake that the absence of God’s blessing is being under God’s judgment. They aren’t the same thing. Sin is not the issue between us and God, even though you are natural mind, it can seem like it is.
God’s not judging us, because Jesus satisfy his judgment. Jesus paid the price for both those who believe in those who never will (1 John 2:2). We simply have to accept that He paid the price on our behalf. He received the benefit of that payment. But the price has already been paid regardless. Since sin is already completely paid, for there is no longer any room or the judgment of God on people today.
From Pity to Praise 