Title: Judge
Author: Gary Witcher
Company: none

Jesus: Judge

     Of all the roles of Jesus, there is one that most people would like to ignore.  Yes, He is the Messiah, the King, the Lamb, the Shepherd and the door.  But He is also the Judge.
     It is common in the Old Testament for God to be referred to as, "the Judge."
     "Far be it from Thee to do such a thing," Abraham argues with God in Genesis 18:25 about the destruction of Sodom, "to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike.  Far be it from Thee!  Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"
     "And the heavens declare His righteousness," David exclaims in Psalm 50:6, "for God Himself is judge."
     "For the Lord is our judge," Isaiah 33:22 acknowledges, "the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us."
     God's judgment takes various forms.  Sometimes He is called upon to judge between two individuals or groups of people.
     "I therefore have not sinned against you," Jephthah reminds his enemy in Judges 11:27, "but you are doing me wrong by making war against me; may the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon."
     "May the wrong done me be upon you," Sarah tells Abraham in Genesis 16:5.  "I gave my maid into your arms; but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight.  May the Lord judge between you and me."
     God's position as judge gives Him the opportunity to reward those who obey Him.
     "But God is the judge," we read in Psalm 75:7, "He puts down one, and exalts another."
     But, as we notice from this verse, He also punishes those who do not obey Him.
     "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," God points out in Ezekiel 18:30.  "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you."
     As judge, God protects the rights of the defenseless and oppressed.
     "O Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble," Psalm 10:17-18 states; Thou wilt strengthen their heart, Thou wilt incline Thine ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may cause terror no more."
     According to Psalm 94:2, God is also against the proud.
     "Rise up, O Judge of the earth," this verse requests; "render recompense to the proud."
     God is clearly ready to protect the rights of the defenseless and oppressed, and to oppose the proud.  But there is another basic truth involved here; a truth which many choose to ignore.  As a result of this ignorance, we are encountering a number of problems and frustrations in our society today.
     According to God, the foundation of justice is impartiality.  It is wrong to favor a poor or oppressed man in a dispute, just as it is wrong to be prejudiced against a rich man.  Protecting the rights of the defenseless and opposing the proud is no excuse for distorting justice.
     "You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil," God orders in Exodus 23:2-3, "nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute."
     "You shall do no injustice in judgment," God instructs in Leviticus 19:15, "you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly."
     God makes similar statements in Deuteronomy 1:17 and 16:19.
     Who does God judge?  Passages such as Isaiah 3:13 and Psalm 50:4 tell how God judges His own people.  But it does not stop there.  Joel 3:16 notes that judgment is also visited upon neighboring nations.  But it is in Psalm 82:8 and similar verses that we see the complete picture.
     "Arise, O God," this verse says, "judge the earth!  For it is Thou who dost possess all the nations."
     There is one more thing which should be said about God's justice.  His judgment vindicates.  In other words, things may not always go the way we think they should; but God will set every thing straight.
     "For the Lord will vindicate His people," Deuteronomy 32:36 promises, "and will have compassion on His servants."

     In the New Testament we continue to find references to  God's judgment.
     "Therefore you are without excuse," Romans 2:1-3 teaches, "every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
     "And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.
     "And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?"
     Hebrews 12:23 refers to God as the judge of all.  1 Peter 1:17 speaks of the Father as the One who impartially judges according to each man's work.  But Acts 10:42 adds a new twist to the discussion.
     "And He ordered us to preach to the people," Peter explains of Jesus in this verse, "and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead."
      In 2 Timothy 4:1 Paul identifies Jesus as the One who is to judge the living and the dead.
     Who, then, is the Judge?  Is it God or is it Jesus?  The answer to this question is, "Yes."  You see, God and Jesus are not in competition with each other.  They are not involved in an "either-or" battle.  They are working in perfect harmony, even though they may have different roles to fulfill.
     "I can do nothing on My own initiative," the Master explains in John 5:30, "as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just; because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me."
     "You people judge according to the flesh," Jesus states in John 8:15; "I am not judging anyone.  But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me."
     But another question arises when we examine this verse as well as others such as John 3:17 and 8:15, where Jesus claims that He has not come to judge.  On the other hand, the Lord claims in John 5:22 and 27 that all judgment has been given to Him.
     "For judgment I came into this world," Jesus states in John 9:39.
     Again, the situation is not as difficult as it might seem.                      The word, "judgment," can mean different things.  Sometimes it refers to the making of a decision based on the facts.  However, it can also imply handing down a sentence; it can mean to condemn.  While Jesus is the Judge, He did not come to condemn.  He came to save.  But those who do not accept His offer of salvation are judged already.  We don't need anyone to condemn us.  We do a good job of that all by ourselves.
     "And if any one hears My sayings, and does not keep them," the Lord stresses in John 12:47-48, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
     "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day."
     The judgment is an integral part of many of the Lord's parables.  In fact, many of the parables dealing with the kingdom also contain teaching about judgment.
     In agreement with what we found in the Old Testament, judgment begins with the household of God.  We read this in 1 Peter 4:17-19.  Other passages such as Hebrews 6:4-8 show that judgment involves those who are close to the kingdom.  But, once again, the question of judgment is summed up with a statement that no one is exempt.
     "For we must all appear before the judgment seat," Paul clarifies in 2 Corinthians 5:10.
     We saw through Old Testament references that God's judgment involves reward, punishment, protection of the defenseless and oppressed, and opposition of the proud.  We note in various New Testament passages that the same is true of Christ's judgment.  In 1 Peter 1:17 we notice that judgment remains impartial.
     Jesus is the judge.  But what about us?  Paul writes in Romans 2:16 that our hearts and secrets will be examined.  Passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 1 Peter 1:17 add that our works  are taken into consideration.
     But the most important thing to understand is that those who obey Jesus don't have to worry about the judgment.  He came to save those who follow Him.
     Remember what He says in John 12:47-48?  His word is what will judge us at the last day.  All we have to do is obey this word, the truth, in order to be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)