Judgment and Mercy

“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13

The other day, I noticed a Facebook discussion. One lady commented, “I thought God doesn’t judge.”

Really?

I thought of all the times in the Old Testament when God certainly did judge both Israel and other nations for their sins and idolatry. I thought of the Book of Acts when Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit and they instantly die (5:1-11). I thought about when an angel struck King Herod for accepting the people’s praise that he was a god (Acts 12:20-23).

I thought of all the passages in Scripture that promise a day when the wicked are punished and the righteous live forever in peace. In fact, isn’t that the Lord’s promise to those who suffer for the case of Christ? (Revelation 6:9-11)

Although Jesus told us not to judge one another, it is vital we understand that God is and always will be Judge.  Pastor Nick Gough at Faith Center says, “Scripture needs to dictate our attitude.”

The Apostle Peter declares, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (II Peter 2:9).

Psalm 96:10,13 proclaims, “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns…He shall judge the people righteously.’ For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”

I thought, “Probably a lot of people think Jesus’ sacrifice took away God’s judgment.” Graham Cooke on his DVD series The Art of Thinking Brilliantly said, “God has no wrath left to pour out because He poured it out on Jesus” (see Isaiah 53:4-6). Yet, John the Apostle had his visions of the Bowls of Wrath being poured out on Earth after Jesus' Ascension (Revelation 16:1). So, how can both be true? The answer, of course, is the Gospel.

Jesus said, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).

The Apostle Paul elaborates on this truth in Romans 6-8. He sums it up by saying, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (8:1). In II Corinthians 5:10, he reminds us, however, to live with Godly fear because, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

James shares a similar warning: “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (5:9) Finally, the Book of Revelation emphasizes the terror of that Last Day when we are either protected by Christ’s sacrifice or found guilty in the eyes of our Creator. The Apostle John states, “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books…. And everyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (20:11-15).

We’ve been freed from condemnation, not because the Judge left or cancelled the Final Day of Reckoning, but because when we accept Jesus as Savior, the Judge sees us every day with the precious blood of His Son covering us. All is forgiven. We’ve received a Heart Transplant and the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. We’re Family.

And that’s Amazing.