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But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD.
(Jeremiah 9:24)
Scriptures to explore: Psalm 33:5; Psalm 37:28; Isaiah 5:16; Isaiah 30:18; Isaiah 65:12; Jeremiah 35:15; Ezekiel 18:32; Ezekiel 33:11; Matthew 23:37; Matthew 25:31-46; John 1:29; John 3:17-21; John 3:16; John 3:36; John 5:21-29; John 5:40; John 6:40; John 9:39-41; John 10:10; John 12:47-50; Acts 10:42-43; Acts 17:30-31; Romans 2:4-8; Romans 2:16; II Corinthians 5:18-21; Galatians 3:13; I Timothy 1:15; II Timothy 4:1; II Peter 3:7; I John 2:2; I John 4:8
We enter this world ignorant of God and His warnings. Born into this fallen world, we need to be taught to look to and listen to God. Yet most of us are not raised to know God. Thus, we know nothing of what God says about sin or its cause even though it permeates every aspect of our being. We remain unaware of His judgment until someone tells us or we stumble across this truth. Those around us are blind or indifferent to the truth, so we go on in ignorance. What's more, for us to be concerned that sin brings God's judgment upon us (Ecclesiastics 12:14; Romans 8:13), we must know ourselves as sinners living in a world bound in sin (Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 3:5-7; Titus 3:3). Yet we do not identify ourselves as sinners, but judge ourselves to be fairly good, pointing to various aspects of our circumstances that make us think we are doing well (Acts 22:3-5; Galatians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:4-6). We may even do things that we think God would approve (John 16:2; Matthew 10:17; Romans 1:21; Romans 10:2-3). Our focus is on ourselves for we have no knowledge of God. Any snippets we hear about God, sin, and judgment do not stay with us.
Somewhere along the way we hear that God judges sin and that one day we will stand for judgment before God. This strikes us as unfair, ridiculous, and even narrow minded (I Corinthians 1:18). Whatever thoughts we have about God, they are not shaped by Scripture, but the wisdom of people (I Corinthians 1:21; I Corinthians 2:14). We claim that we have not done anything to deserve God's judgment. God says we have sinned and calls us to repentance, but we claim we have not sinned and need not repent (I John 1:9-10). Like a child complaining of the unfair rules our parents have established, we say God is unfair. In reality, we refuse to face the truth about ourselves. We deny that God has standards by which we are accountable to live. We buy into the serpent's lie in the garden of Eden that our choices have no consequences (Genesis 3:4). God's standards are given for our good, but we say He is unfair as we pursue things that lead to death. In doing so we deny God. Not believing God, we miss God's righteousness in judging the world. Blind to sin, particularly our own, God's judgment sounds like the nitpicky biases of people who refuse to be tolerant of us. The truth eludes us for we cannot see the necessity of God judging sin nor our own guilt unless we acknowledge our sin. We need the Holy Spirit to convict us (John 16:8-9).
From early on we can recognize some sin when we see it, but we do not call it sin. We see sin in others, not ourselves. Sin touches us in the hurtful words and actions of others, especially when it happens within our family. Selfishness is seen in others, though we miss our selfishness. The obvious unfairness of life gets our attention. When circumstances reveal our sin nature, we fail to see it, but hate it when it shows up in others and impacts us. We suffer the consequences of sin. Only when our wrongs are pointed out and it seems worth the effort to us to change will we acknowledge our sin. Yet we continue to reject the truth that we have an underlying sin problem. We are not willing or able to hear the truth about ourselves. We like believing that we are basically good. When we sin, we deny it if we can. Perhaps we blame others; maybe we justify ourselves, giving reasons why we had to do what we did; anything we can say or do to keep from facing the truth. Like Adam and Eve we try to hide and cover ourselves if we sense that we were wrong (Genesis 3:8). Should we happen to admit our guilt, we still miss the root issue of being born into this sin infested world and that we are sinners. But let us be wronged, let someone's sin impact us, and we cry out for justice. We want others to get what they deserve. Deep down we still have a sense of justice which God designed into us. We know when someone wrongs us, but we fail to see the harm we cause nor do we hear others who may be crying out against us. When we become Christ's disciples, we come face to face with the reality of our sin nature. Maybe we have to admit an addiction that controls us. Possibly we recognize that we are causing others pain by something we repeatedly say or do cannot stop doing. Maybe we confront someone who says that we do the same thing or worse (Matthew 7:3)! Circumstances vary, but the reality hits us and we are confronted with our sin (Romans 2:1). Though we may not see the depth of our sin nature, we acknowledge it in at least one area, knowing that we are completely wrong and need help. We are selfish, thinking of ourselves, and considering others when it is for our benefit. It is a painful awakening (Acts 2:37; Psalm 32:3-4), but a necessary one so that we come to know God and His warning of judgment. In a sense we are encountering God's judgment for sin, which starts with conviction. By God's grace we see sin for what it is and we are broken in the process. To mature in Christ, this internal confrontation must take place. Looking in the mirror, we begin seeing our selfishness; sinners far from God and His standards. The more clearly our sin appears, the more likely we are to recognize our helplessness and the judgment we deserve.
God's mercy awakens us to our sin and prepares us for the truth of God's judgment. For some, awareness of sin leads us down the road of self-judgment. We condemn ourselves, seeing no hope of our being delivered from God's judgment. We may be aware of the seriousness of our sin and the infestation of the sin nature, but lack the good news regarding God's judgment. Good news about judgment? Yes! It is good news that God has made known the destructive direction we are heading and He has provided the means by which we can be redeemed. His good news hinges on the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 3:18). When Jesus died on the cross, it was he who received the wages of our sin (Romans 6:23). Humanity's original unbelief and disobedience, which brought death into the world, is countered in Christ's obedience, even to death on the cross (Romans 5:17-19; Philippians 2:8). His resurrection is the victory over death that stirs hope and promises us victory when we believe the good news (I Corinthians 15:20-22). In the death of Christ, God's judgment against sin is accomplished. It is not as if we have been cleared of our sin without any consequences, but rather that God's love led Him to send His Son to take the consequences of humanity's sin. The sinner is guilty of disobedience and unbelief, so a judgment has taken place. In coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that God has to judge sin. Our sin harms others, brings pain, builds walls of mistrust and deception. It separates us from God and others. We are unable to free ourselves from sin. We can never undo the harm we have unknowingly done, let alone the harm have done with intent. We now recognize our sin and that its consequence is death. We grasp this reality through the good news of God's love in Christ. We hear that in Christ we have forgiveness of sins which we do not deserve. We are forgiven, along with everyone who trusts Christ because he has established a new covenant in his blood to produce just this result (Matthew 26:28). In coming to terms with our sin, its consequences, and the gospel which announces our forgiveness in Christ, we are humbled by God's judgment, mercy, and grace revealed in Christ. We no longer ignore sin or look upon it lightly. We can no longer disregard any sin in ourselves, but respond in grace and mercy towards those who sin against us. We know what we deserve and the burden that Christ bore. We are grateful, seeing God's judgment and Christ's death as a revelation of God's love (Romans 5:8).
Having come face to face with our sin and encountering the grace of God in Christ's death and resurrection, we have a new view on God's judgment. Continuing to mature in our understanding of God's judgment, we recognize that it is necessary for God to judge all sin. Not just obvious sin, but those that seem insignificant because we now understand that all sin separates us from God. Increasingly aware that injustice demands that God deal with it in righteousness, we realize that is what He does through the cross and will ultimately do in the coming judgment. Because God loves His Creation, He must and does judge sin. The transformation of our view of God's judgment also revolutionizes how we respond to our sin. We now identify sin as sin when it shows up in our lives. Becoming aware of the slightest sin within us and knowing the price paid to reconcile us, we quickly confess it and repent before God, then sin that way no more. We no longer hide our guilt, but bow before the Holy God and admit what we have done, knowing that God is faithful and just to forgive us. Being free from sin and death enables us to make things right with those we harm. No longer bound by sin, we know that God does not tempt us to pursue sin (James 1:13), for we were not created to pursue sin. The source of temptation is the devil who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10), prompting us to satisfy passions and desires which lead to death (Genesis 3:6). Grasping the gospel and growing in our knowledge of God, we choose obedience to God and crucify our flesh along with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24), rather than seeking to satisfy our lusts. Our transformation also changes the way we respond to the sins of others. We recognize that we are maturing in Christ, not so much because we are quick to deal with our sins, by how we respond when others sin against us. A key to our new response is that we know that their sin is ultimately against God (Numbers 21:7; II Samuel 12:13; Acts 9:4-5). Suffering the consequences of their sin, we understand that what they did reveals that they do not know God's grace and are not reconciled to Him, or that there is an area in their life that needs God's grace and love, not a brow beating. This does not diminish their sin; it is serious. It means we grasp that God, not us, renders the final verdict on sin. In fact, we understand the seriousness of sin such that we pray for their transformation, not desiring that they suffer the consequences of their sin. Our respond mirrors Christ, who prayed from the cross for those who had crucified him and were hurling insults at him (Luke 23:34). He prayed for them, because we know that they did not know what they were doing. We respond in the love of Christ accepting that they are blind. They will have to face their sin, if not through Christ in this life, then in the day of judgment when God deals with all who refuse His gospel. We trust God's warnings knowing that God is just and no one will be treated unjustly. Heeding His warnings of judgment, we pray for those who sin against us and plead with them to be reconciled to God. We share the gospel with them, speak of the kingdom of heaven, and warn of the coming judgment. If they listen and believe, we have gained a brother or sister in Christ. If we are ignored or rejected, we continue praying, for it is ultimately an issue between them and God. We are not indifferent, trusting God even when He allows people to walk away and remain in sin. Woe to those who reject God's grace and believe He is unjust and see sin as a non-issue. Oh that their eyes would be opened to see and their ears opened to hear the message of Christ and the warning of God's judgment. Oh if they would only avail themselves to the love of God that judges their sin here and now in Christ, rather than bound in sin that last day, cursing God, and facing the second death (Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:9-11; Revelation 16:21; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:8). Sin will not be left upon the earth. God will deal with sin in judgment, for sin does not have the final word, God does.
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