Judgment, a good and a bad thing

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:7).

The coming kingdom will be filled with obedience and empty of rebellion.

On my April 13 post I wrote about eternal performance evaluations (ughh)! It seemed an intolerable idea, based on the performance evaluations done in this proud world filled with proud hearts. Judgment, judging the performer, guilt, feeling unprofitable (worthless), all seem to go with performance evals.

But performance evals need not be intolerable. I realized something the other day. As I worked for my brother-in-law, who I dreadfully want to please, I began desiring him to be present as I worked. I desired his instant evaluation of my work because I feared to upset him by a less than perfect product. This is my disposition for anyone I do work for. When I know a customer is happy with the work I did for them, then I am happy and satisfied. I wanted my brother-in-law to evaluate me. I wanted my performance to please him because he is my brother-in-law. So it’s not a hardship at all! Even for all eternity! Hard things are not a hardship when a relationship is involved.

This is what the fear of God is all about—fearing to displease God who we want to please. Obedience is not a hardship at all, and neither is His judgment of our obedience. That kind of fear is easy to do. It comes naturally with reverence, which comes naturally with love. And love is what the human image of God lives for, even for the hardest heart, and especially for the humbled, softened heart. We don’t want our Father to be displeased with our obedience to Him. We don’t want Him to be disappointed with our performance.

That is how we can know that we are saved.

“Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him…. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.” Steps to Christ, p. 58.

    

But, the rebellious heart doesn’t think that way. Love and affection are missing because repentance has not happened. Reverence is non-existent because the uncircumcised heart has not accepted the punishment of its iniquities. The irreverent, non-repentant rebel doesn’t want an enemy to get in the way of his convenience and ease, his sloppy treatment of others. “I’m not going to stop doing what I want to do, the way I want to do it.” “No one better stop me. He’ll be sorry if he does”, is the rebel heart’s on-going attitude.

The rebel believes no one is smarter than him, no one is better than him, no one deserves respect like he deserves respect. And he will even convince himself that God Himself doesn’t rate respect. “Don’t You tell me what to do!” “Don’t You tell me how to do it!” He also convinces himself that God is out to get him. He contrives of God to be an unbearable taskmaster.

“I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.

Behold, He findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for His enemy,

He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths.” (Job 33:9-11).

Such unwillingness to admit to personal responsibility for the humbling consequences of sin leaves the rebel hateful toward God and devoid of accountability. It leaves the rebel’s conscience on the road to be seared. Rebellion makes it impossible to obey God or be subject to His Law, or even to desire to please Him in any way. This is what causes God to be harsh and strong against such a person.

“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew Thee that Thou art an hard man, reaping where Thou hast not sown, and gathering where Thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid Thy talent in the earth: lo, there Thou hast that is Thine.” (Matt. 25:24,25).

But, he wasn’t really afraid; and he wasn’t sorry in the least. That’s why his Lord was so powerful against him and, for all time, against everyone wicked.

 “His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed.” (Matt. 25:26).

“Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou

knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: wherefore then gavest not thou My money into the bank, that at My coming I might have required Mine own with usury?” (Luke 19:22,23).

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee…. Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee.” (Deut. 28:15,45).

But, Jesus, the God of fallen man, has a larger purpose for His curses against their rebellion. He has a merciful purpose behind all of His justice. Can He see signs of rebellion wearing away? Are there hearts not completely poisoned by Satan and beyond hope? There has always been a remnant elect, the Lord’s chosen who relented and repented.

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,

And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.” (Deut. 30:1-4).

“But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” (Jer. 16:15,16,19).

“And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.

And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day.

And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers.” (Deut. 30:7-9).

“If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.” (Deut. 30:10).

“Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know Mine hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is The LORD.” (Jer. 16:21).

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is His name:

If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.

Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 31:33-37).

Then the heart will no longer be “enmity against God.” (Rom. 8:7). But it will be “subject to the law of God.” (Rom. 8:7). And indeed so.