The Purpose of Judgment - Is NOT Retribution but Restoration!
Much of the world has missed altogether the scriptural purpose of God's judgement. Many have assumed it is what God has to do to "get back" at people who have been bad so that they "get what's coming to them." We are told sometimes that this is a balancing of the scales and therefore God is obligated by His own justice to do this. The question, however, is not what our human minds conceive in this area, but rather what the scripture says. The scripture paints a much more powerful and hopeful vision of God's judgements and their purpose.
Man seems to have a need for punishment to exist for punishments sake. Man’s concept of judgement and justice is rooted in the carnal mind and it’s need to get even, or have revenge. This is contrasted with God who only uses punishment to create a Godly benefit that extends far beyond only satisfying the carnal lust for vengeance. Man has a problem with that idea because of our own selfishness and pride that wants to seek revenge and make those who hurt us to hurt as well. This is unscriptural of course. Let us launch into phase one of our study on Judgement and Justice.
Interestingly, the scripture refers many times to the combination of Righteousness, Judgement and Equity. This shows us that the purpose of Judgement is to bring about Righteousness (through purging people from evil ways) and Equity (from balancing the scales of Justice through restoration).
Prov. 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
Interesting to note that we are admonished to understand, in a very personal way, judgement. It is a “good path”. We are told to “keep the paths of judgement”. The most common way for us to think of judgement is as something to be applied to someone else. We look for the coming judgement on the wickedness of the world. We look at those we see as worse sinners than we are and long for the day they experience judgement. However, we would do well to remember that judgement begins at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17) and WE are God’s house(1 Peter 2:5, 2 Cor. 6:16)! This argues for a broader view of judgement; a view that understands judgement within the context of the fatherhood of God as well as the lordship and messianic mission of Christ. Judgement is far more than just the simple revenge that makes a fallen man feel like the bad guy got what was coming to him. No, vengeance, as we shall see, is designed with a beautiful and majestic purpose in mind. The purpose, from the mind of God, of righteousness and redemption from sin and death, which all creation suffers under because of the transgression of Adam. Judgement is cleansing and purifying.
Is. 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness
Is.26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Kingdom age)
Notice in the verse above that it is when God judges that the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Obviously, the more the judgment, the more righteousness. Further, it is obvious that today, evil runs unchecked, therefore the Judgments of the Lord are not yet operating in great measure. There are judgements that we observe in the every day sowing and reaping that are intrinsic to creation. Judgement is part of the natural course of the creation. However, that true moral judgement is not widespread is attested to by the fact that the world or Age is not a righteous one. This clearly indicates that the verse is dealing with the kingdom age and very specifically, the coming judgments during and at the end of the millennium (see John 5:28-29) Also, we can see from the language that it is not limited to Israel or the church, but all inhabitants of the world. What a day it will be when Jesus “rules the nations with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15) and all the world bows to His righteous command! Then, when judgement is swift and righteousness guaranteed, godly and ungodly will “learn righteousness”. And we shall see the great benefits of godliness, so that the world sets their minds to learn of God! This will be part of the massive world-wide evangelistic effort of that age. So successful will it be that those who are to be evangelized will come to the King to learn of Him (Isaiah 2:2-5) of their own volition.
Jer. 4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. 2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Notice again the reference to “nations”. This indicates that this is a time when the nations in general will come to a knowledge of the Lord. Since Israel is the firstfruits of the Nations (or the first nations to receive God), then this prophecy must have to do with a time yet future, as Israel has not yet fulfilled her primary mission of being a light and a blessing to all nations. This role for Israel and the nations “glorying in God” will not happen until the Kingdom age. (See Isaiah 2:2- 5)
Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD
Jer. 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (all judgment is committed to Jesus - John 5:22)
Ps. 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Ps. 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
2Cor. 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
Interesting in the above verses that Condemnation (judgment) is glorious. Why? Because God uses it to bring about righteousness. It is better, however, to become righteous through Grace (the ministration of righteousness). Either way, judgement is through Christ and Grace is through Christ and both are for the express purpose of bringing us to Christ, who is our righteousness!
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
In studying Judgment, it is crucial that we understand the differing judgments that are to come to the earth. If we realize the purpose and the times and seasons in which God judges through Christ, we will have no conflict in the scriptures. If, on the other hand, we apply a scripture having to do with the return of Christ to end of the millennium and the judgment there, we will be incorrectly dividing the word of truth. For instance, the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matt 13) as well as the age-lasting punishment consisting of alienation from God’s presence for the millennium (2 Thes 1:7-10) are both examples of judgment that accompanies the RETURN of CHRIST. This is not the final judgment, nor does it endure endlessly, for the Greek word connoting Endless - Akatalutos (Heb 7:16) - is not used here. Only the word indicating age-lasting is used (See Youngs Literal Translation, Rotherham’s Emphasized, The Concordant Literal New Testament). Without a proper understanding of these things, many scriptures begin to contradict one another and create confusion for the honest student of scripture. When, however, we see the continuity and oneness of the Word, all contradiction vanishes and we do not have to rationalize obvious problems away.
Just shall live by faith
Is. 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness
Is.26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Kingdom age)
Notice in the verse above that it is when God judges that the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Obviously, the more the judgment, the more righteousness. Further, it is obvious that today, evil runs unchecked, therefore the Judgments of the Lord are not yet operating in great measure. There are judgements that we observe in the every day sowing and reaping that are intrinsic to creation. Judgement is part of the natural course of the creation. However, that true moral judgement is not widespread is attested to by the fact that the world or Age is not a righteous one. This clearly indicates that the verse is dealing with the kingdom age and very specifically, the coming judgments during and at the end of the millennium (see John 5:28-29) Also, we can see from the language that it is not limited to Israel or the church, but all inhabitants of the world. What a day it will be when Jesus “rules the nations with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15) and all the world bows to His righteous command! Then, when judgement is swift and righteousness guaranteed, godly and ungodly will “learn righteousness”. And we shall see the great benefits of godliness, so that the world sets their minds to learn of God! This will be part of the massive world-wide evangelistic effort of that age. So successful will it be that those who are to be evangelized will come to the King to learn of Him (Isaiah 2:2-5) of their own volition.
Jer. 4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. 2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Notice again the reference to “nations”. This indicates that this is a time when the nations in general will come to a knowledge of the Lord. Since Israel is the firstfruits of the Nations (or the first nations to receive God), then this prophecy must have to do with a time yet future, as Israel has not yet fulfilled her primary mission of being a light and a blessing to all nations. This role for Israel and the nations “glorying in God” will not happen until the Kingdom age. (See Isaiah 2:2- 5)
Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD
Jer. 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (all judgment is committed to Jesus - John 5:22)
Ps. 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Ps. 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
2Cor. 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
Interesting in the above verses that Condemnation (judgment) is glorious. Why? Because God uses it to bring about righteousness. It is better, however, to become righteous through Grace (the ministration of righteousness). Either way, judgement is through Christ and Grace is through Christ and both are for the express purpose of bringing us to Christ, who is our righteousness!
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
In studying Judgment, it is crucial that we understand the differing judgments that are to come to the earth. If we realize the purpose and the times and seasons in which God judges through Christ, we will have no conflict in the scriptures. If, on the other hand, we apply a scripture having to do with the return of Christ to end of the millennium and the judgment there, we will be incorrectly dividing the word of truth. For instance, the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matt 13) as well as the age-lasting punishment consisting of alienation from God’s presence for the millennium (2 Thes 1:7-10) are both examples of judgment that accompanies the RETURN of CHRIST. This is not the final judgment, nor does it endure endlessly, for the Greek word connoting Endless - Akatalutos (Heb 7:16) - is not used here. Only the word indicating age-lasting is used (See Youngs Literal Translation, Rotherham’s Emphasized, The Concordant Literal New Testament). Without a proper understanding of these things, many scriptures begin to contradict one another and create confusion for the honest student of scripture. When, however, we see the continuity and oneness of the Word, all contradiction vanishes and we do not have to rationalize obvious problems away.
Just shall live by faith
The balance and fairness revealed in Scripture ensure that limited sin requires limited payment. Punishment is always in proportion to the sin, as shown by the fact that the old testament law using the original loss of the victim as a multiplier (IE punishment comes in factors of the loss times some factor. 2 times the loss of, 4 times, etc.
Also, see where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. It is the same principle. When sin took place, restoration had to abound in much greater measure, using the sin as the measure to which the grace “much more” abounded, comparitively. This illustrates the principle of God's grace, which exceeds all the sin of all the ages. The question that we all must come face to face with is, "What is greater - the sin of Adam or the cross of Christ?" The Bible is clear on the subject. Are we? See however the parable describing one who must pay his own way, he will not come out til he has paid, but he indeed will come out. This is associated with the phrase "weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth" showing the correlation to the other parables using this phrase. It is not only an indicator that that the fires of Gehenna are symbols of divine justice, but that also they involve restoration of the victim and purification of the criminal. Fire, you may recall, is gods purifying agent, as told us in Malachi chapter 3. He uses it on those he loves. The Baal preists of the old testament perverted fire and turned it to a tool of paganism. They sacrificed humans to the fire. Unfortunately, when we miss God's purpose in fire, that of purification, we run the risk of falling into the same trap.
Lessions To Be Learned:
• God's Judgment always brings forth more righteousness (Psalm 36)
• God judges only those he loves (Heb 12)
• There are multiple judgments which must not be confused in either time or purpose, culminating in the great judgment at the end of the millennium which results in the great blessing of God being All in All with all reconciled to Him.
• Those who do not yet endure judgment now, will in the future (Psalm 37)
• God judges in order to make those he loves better. Corrective as opposed to vindictive judgment. (Heb 12)
• All will stand before the Great White Thone judgment, therefore, God who made all will correct every one as a true and righteous father. (Rev 20, John 5)
• Judgment is good, for it will be the process that God will use to purify the earth completely, by making those who are contrary to God and His righteousness to learn righteousness and come to Christ. As Jesus said, If I be lifted up, will I draw all men unto myself. Some through Grace and some through Judgment. Either way, all must learn righteousness, be drawn to Christ and serve the Lord throughout time, for every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (confession is made unto salvation - Rom 10:8-13).
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