Judgment and Discernment

The biggest lapse of understanding that I've seen through the years among God's people, is the inability to see that God is a God of judgment and wrath at the same time as being a God of love and kindness. God is simply who and what he is, and he never changes (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Jas. 1:17). Never has in fact, and never will. And yes, as the scripture clearly says, "God is love" (I Jn. 4:8). If we can't acknowledge and believe that God is now who he has always been, and that he will remain the same forever, then we can't get anywhere with this understanding. Since most of us won't argue with that fact, let's look at a few scriptural facts that show us the different facets of God's holy love. I believe the heart and soul of this truth can be found in the way God expounded his name and what it means, to Moses: "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation" (Exd. 34:6,7). So there we see the two ends of God's love, and the reality that he is gracious and kind; as well as unwavering in judgment at the very same time. It's evident that those whom he forgives are those who confess and repent of their sins before him. As it is written: " He that covereth [hides] his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13). It is equally as evident that he will NEVER forgive anyone who does NOT confess their sins and turn from them. That is what he meant when he said he "will by no means clear the guilty." He obviously clears the guilty when the guilty are sorry for their sins and are willing to turn from them. It is the unrepentant guilty who make excuses for their sins, and do NOT turn from them, that will NOT find mercy or be cleared of their guilt. God was love when he spared Noah and his family from the world ending flood, and at the same time killed everyone else on earth. How was that? Noah believed God, and the rest of the world DISBELIEVED the word of the Lord that Noah preached to them (Heb. 11:7; I Pet. 3:19,20). God did not 'get mad' at the world and destroy it, but rather holy love was finally provoked to judgment against an unbelieving and sin loving world.

It is God's love that MUST judge all who are opposed to it, because it is the only just, and right, and sensible thing to do. Would it be good or right for God to accept into his company those who are contrary to him, or to give equal reward to those who hate him, as he does to those who love him? Come on now, who are we trying to kid? Who among men think like that? The scripture says that he is "not willing for any to perish, but that all should come to repentance;" and that he "would have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (II Pet. 3:9; I Tim. 2:4). It also says the he has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 33:11). All of those things are stark evidences and witnesses of the immensity of God's love for mankind. So if we refuse to turn from our sins and obtain promised mercy from the Lord, it is actually we who judge ourselves. If we judge ourselves "unworthy of everlasting life," as the apostle Paul told some who disbelieved; then we leave God no choice but to send us to a place reserved for all who have demonstrated that they do not want his company, ever (Acts 13:46; Mat. 25:41). When billions are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone at the great white throne judgment, God will be every bit as much love as he has ever been (Rev. 20:15). It will be the fault of those who hated him and have refused his love, and have shown very clearly that they wanted to be anywhere but with him. In other words, everyone is going to get exactly what they proved that they wanted while on earth. Those who loved him in this life will have already been filled with the glory of his love, and will have lived in that love here; so they will go to where he and his love will be forevermore (Rom. 5:5; Eph, 5:1,2). God manifested his love in Jesus when he sent him to the earth, and there were those who loved that love, and those who hated that love. Those who hated the love of God ended up putting Jesus to death, showing very clearly that they did not want to be in the company of God's love (Jn. 8:21; Jn. 15:24). So God judged them to be left to their self imposed curse of spiritual blindness and unbelief, simply because it was what they showed that they wanted (Jn. 9:39-41; Rom. 11:10).

People like the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, were blessed and forgiven because they clearly demonstrated that forgiveness and mercy is what they desired (Lk. 7:47,48). God was love when he immediately forgave a repentant David for his great sin of adultery and murder (II Sam. 12:13). He was just as much love when at the same time he passed judgment to take the life of the baby that resulted from that adultery, and fulfilled that judgment in spite of David's seven day fast of prayer and trepidation before the Lord, hoping to change the judgment (II Sam. 12:14-19). David knew that God was love in both of these facets, and that is why he immediately got up from the ground after learning of the baby's death, and went in to worship the Lord (II Sam. 12:19,20). God will be love, as will Jesus, when Jesus comes from heaven and obliterates the greater part of a world that has defiantly shown that they want absolutely nothing to do with his love; but rather have chosen an evil "false Christ" instead (Mat. 24:24; Rev. 19:11-21). Holy love can become angry with enough unholy defiance and rebellion thrown at it for a long enough time. God made us because he wanted our company, and he sent his Son to redeem us back to his company after we threw our opportunity away. The love known and experienced by those who let him love them is the most glorious experience and privilege that man has ever known. If we reject and "trod under foot the Son of God" who gave his life to get us back to his and his Father's company, then we clearly show that our motivation is to be judged to everlasting separation from that company into a place where love will never be even remotely felt by anyone (Heb. 10:29). God's love does not impose itself on anyone, but rather it is what it is, and the opportunity to have it is there for us. I invite anyone to show me where the God of love is at fault by also being the God of judgment. I also hope that this can help some who are afraid to acknowledge God as the God of judgment, to be more comfortably able to do so. God is love, and love's judgment and vengeance is perfect, as is its graciousness (Heb. 10:30). God never changes natures in order to execute judgment and wrath upon the wicked. He is always who and what he is, and that is holy love. Amen.