Recently there’s been a lot of talk about judges. The MLB playoffs are just beginning so Aaron Judge and his undeniable charm and electrified bat (curse you Judge for making me root for a Yankee) will certainly be making headlines. NFL officials, specifically in Browns’ games, make some rather noteworthy judgment calls. But that’s not what I’m referring to, is it?
This is not a post about Judge Kavanaugh and the controversy swirling around everything that may or may not have happened. We’ve got enough of those articles on the web.
This post is about judgment – specifically, judgment day.
Whether it be a politician, an athlete, or a movie big-wig, people are having all sorts of dirty dug up. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s indicative of who the person currently is, but it’s always an issue of someone being accused and judged by imperfect people.
I fear for my church elders. I fear for decent men and women in DC. Our world judges using unfair measures. The standards the media puts forth render no man or woman suitable to hold public office. Their understanding of justice is skewed and because of that I fear for anyone who gets put under their microscope.
Yet my greater fear is for those who escape this life thinking their life is indeed one that’s been lived above reproach based on their own standards, their own merit, and/or their having never been outed or simply accused. Anyone who dies in their sin, having never been reconciled to the only One who is just and justifier will face a judgment so severe that they’ll be envious of Kavanaugh’s life these past few weeks.
God’s judgment is perfect. He judges based on His perfect knowledge of everything you’ve done. He’s qualified to judge because He is perfectly good and incapable of sinning. His judgments are carried out and are weighted to precision. There is none who can escape His judgment. We should fear God’s judgment, not because He’s big and mean, but because He is just, and He is holy, holy, holy.
Take heart, friend. That’s only 1/2 of the truth. Jesus came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, rose from the grave, and if you repent of your sins and believe in His name, you will be saved from God’s judgement. Your works, though they may be comparatively better than someone else’s, will not justify you before God. Only Christ can wash away your sins. He is the standard of righteousness, and His life can be credited to your account. Pray to The Judge and He will have mercy on you, a sinner, just as He had mercy on me, a sinner.
This Tim Bates is a theological giant and I am not prejudiced.