“Vengeance is Mine …sayeth the Lord.” [Romans 12:19]

JUDGMENT

A question I recently received from one of my readers asked for some clarification of what I meant by Judgment.  They said that they were not sure exactly what this meant from a Christian viewpoint and asked if I could provide some insight or clarification.   This is a pretty “deep” subject and it will require more than one post to cover.  Also, please remember that my comments are limited by my personal understanding and interpretation.  With those cautionary comments in mind ….

The term Judgment as used in the Bible can have a variety of meanings:

1. The act of being judged. This involves a person, community, tribe, or society receiving judgment (i.e. being judged by) from a higher authority. The accused in a trial is judged to be either innocent or guilty.  In this sense, the judgment is the determination of the accused’s guilt or innocence.   When people have rebelled against God’s laws, God’s judgment is that they have sinned in their rebellion.  It is God’s judgment (i.e. determination) that a society which routinely encourages, and practices immorality is evil.  So, in this context, “judgment” refers only to the determination (by a Judge in a Municipal Court, or God in Heaven for example) that some wrong has been committed by the accused.  The act of deciding whether the potential offense is allowable or should in some way require punishment or recompense is the act of Judgment.

2. Once the act in question has been determined to have been wrong or inappropriate, then “judgment” refers to having some form of appropriate punishment or recompense visited on or required of the offending party. In this context the person receiving forty lashes for a crime has been judged to be guilty and is receiving his judgment (or “just” punishment).  The person who is sent to prison for five years has been judged to be guilty and is receiving his judgment for having committed their offense.  A society is receiving its judgment when all the first-born of that society die because the parents in the society did not spread the blood of a lamb onto their door-jambs as instructed by God’s prophet. [Exodus 12:29-30] Here, we are talking about what happens to an offender whose guilt has been determined and they receive their judgment as a consequence of their guilt.

3. The term is also used to describe both ideas together. As in, “…the Judgement of the Lord is righteous.”  [2 Thessalonians 1:5] Here, the speaker is saying that the determination of the offense is combined with delivery of whatever proportional punishment is required.  The offender’s act is both determined (i.e. judged) to be inappropriate and an appropriate response (payment, sacrifice, etc.) is simultaneously extracted.  Judgment means both the act of deciding the propriety or impropriety of the action together with the resulting punishment or required recompense.

4. Sometimes, the two meanings can be used in the same sentence to mean two different things. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the standard you use will be the standard used for you.” [Matthew 7:1-2] Here, Jesus is saying that not only should we not judge (i.e. pass judgment on or be critical of) another’s actions, but that we should also be careful of the judgmental actions (thoughts, reprisals, return offenses) we might take against others.  Jesus goes on to say that we all have way too much baggage of our own to be pointing out and criticizing the baggage of others (paraphrased).  He is also making it clear that our thoughts/actions WILL have repercussions when our time for judgment comes. [Matthew 7:3-5]

Judgment can also be applied to the here-and-now as well as to our own personal day of judgment in the future.  When we say someone is “getting their just deserts,” we’re saying that judgment is being visited upon them while they’re still alive and is the result of their poor behavior up to that time.  It is an unfortunate truth that most of us feel a sense of glee when we witness other’s misfortune whom we’ve judged to have failed to live the kind of life we believe they ought to have lived.  It is also true that sometimes our misfortunes are due to our own life mistakes, and we experience/suffer the unpleasant results (i.e. our own judgment) before we die.  And, we’ve already referred to judgments made in a court of law.  Again, cases in court are usually aimed at determining a person’s guilt or innocence, and then levying some sort of punishment upon those found guilty.  Thus, the accused are judged to be either innocent or guilty, and if guilty then further judgment is made as to the nature and duration of their penance.

The term has also been applied to the success or destruction of cities, governments and empires.  The fall of the Roman empire is seen by many as “God’s Judgment” on that empire’s cruelty and immorality.  The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is also referred to in this way.  The rise of the United States from a fledgling group of disparate colonies to one of the greatest nations in the World is sometimes referred to as its having been the recipient of God’s favorable judgment.    The current environmental events characterized as Global Warming are seen by some as the result of our civilization’s “reaping what it has sown” and receiving judgment accordingly.

But, what concerns most people who are curious about this issue aren’t the semantic differentiations that can be found in the Bible.  The Church tells us that we (our spirits/souls) will be subjected to Judgment after our physical death.  And, it’s this kind of Judgment that interests most people.  Again, multiple answers are available.

The orthodox and most commonly expressed understanding of this is that each person’s spirit/soul will, after their physical death, come into the presence of God, and have the way they lived their Earthly life assessed (judged) by God for its quality and worthiness (Actually, the Scriptures say that Jesus will be the one to judge us, but for this discussion, we’ll just use “God” euphemistically).  In other words, did the person being judged live a life that exhibited qualities that are pleasing to God? (I.e. did they exhibit gentleness, honesty, charity, helpfulness, etc. and how closely did they follow Jesus’ two primary commandments?) [Mark 12:29-31] Or, did they ignore God’s commands regarding how their lives were to have been led and follow their own ‘baser’ instincts (greed, selfishness, dishonesty, immorality, etc.)?  Of course, we know that all men’s lives will be found to have been “lacking” to one degree or another, because of self-will (see prior Posts).

For those who, in life, repented of their sins, tried their best to live “Godly” lives, and accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins as their undeserved Gift of Grace, God makes the judgment that their lives were worthy (my word) or acceptable.  It is His further judgment that they will then enjoy everlasting life in Heaven.  They will have been deemed worthy not because of their own efforts (mortal man cannot by his own merits “earn” his place in Heaven); but only because of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.  Only through God’s Grace as evidenced in Jesus’ sacrifice are they found to have been sanctified and made worthy of a place in His presence for evermore.

For those who did not elect to accept Jesus as their Christ, and the Grace of forgiveness that He represents, God’s judgment is that their lives were not worthy.  It will then be His judgment that they may not enter Heaven, and there must endure Hell.  (As a brief aside, the catholic church offers a third, or intermediate ‘stage’ for the soul; that of Purgatory.  Purgatory is an ‘in-between’ place where souls go to await their Judgment before they are sent to either Heaven or Hell.  A soul’s time spent in Purgatory can be restorative and can be affected by actions of their loved ones still alive on Earth.  The Protestant denominations do not generally recognize Purgatory.)  Here again, we see the same word, “judgment”, used to define two distinct processes.   There is the judgement of the quality of the action/life, and the judgement/application of the appropriate response to the action/life.  In this explanation, “judgement” is something largely ‘done to’ a person because of their thoughts/feelings/actions during their lifetime.  They’ve lived their lives and it is time for Judgement.  Judgment is God’s alone to give.

Another similar but crucially different understanding is suggested by the great Christian author and apologist C.S. Lewis.  In his book, The Great Divorce, he imagined that at each person’s Judgment, “…there are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.”  In his explanation, the first kind of person has recognized their sins, has asked for forgiveness (repented), and trusts that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice has already atoned for all mankind’s sins, including theirs. This kind of person leaves judgment of their life and of what’s to become of them in the ever-after up to God because they are confident that God’s decision/judgment about their Earthly life will be gentle and accepting thanks to Jesus’ intervention.

When God says, “Thy will be done,” to the second kind of person, He is simply allowing that person’s life and lack of belief to result in its own consequence.  God respects that person’s choices made with his free will.  People who have utilized their free will and capacity for self-determination to reject God’s ‘advances’ and who have chosen to live without nurturing a relationship with Him are simply “reaping what they’ve sown”.  In this possible example, God is not passing judgment on them, for there is no need.  The judgment is provided by the persons themselves because they’ve used their will to place themselves outside His embrace.  Since they’ve used their free will to commit sin, to reject their need to recognize and repent of that sin and have refused to accept Jesus and His sacrifice as their means of salvation, there’s really nothing that God can do for them at that point.  They’ve chosen their own judgment and He respects their choice.   That it results in their spending eternity outside His presence (or in Hell, if that is how you choose to see it) is not what He intended or wanted for them.  But he loves them enough to allow them to make that choice and to respect their decision.

As compelling as these two scenarios are, they are not the only ones.  There are a huge number of others about which Theologians and Scholars have debated for centuries; and more are being proposed each day.  To that point, I will offer one of my own in next week’s Post.  It is not supported by Scripture or by religious Teaching.  It is my own supposition.  It is a variant on the one offered by Mr. Lewis, but with a slight ‘twist’.  I will offer it only to provoke thought; not to present it as fact or even as a viable alternative.  We’ll call that one, “A Third Viewpoint.”

Until then,

God’s Blessings on You All

Richard

August 3, 2018