““There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.“
Words spoken by Jesus and often taken out of context.
We like to stop right after the fourth word and walk on thinking judgment doesn’t apply to us.
Or we might make it through the whole first sentence and live thinking that as believers we experience no judgment.
Trouble is, we have to read the surrounding verses to fully grasp what Jesus said.
These words come on the heels of “for God so loved the world…” and “not to judge the world, but to save the world.”
This judgment that Jesus spoke of is the final judgment on our biggest life choice. If we chose to make Jesus the King of our lives, that final judgment died at the moment we surrendered. If we chose to keep self as god of our lives, the final judgment is set and sorry: eternal death. (And that doesn’t mean sleeping forever.)
The good news is, as long as we are breathing, we can choose life. As long as we’re alive, we can choose to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, ask Him to redeem our souls and restore us to righteousness.
At that point, the final judgment holds no sway over us. Done and done.
Just don’t get all upset when you experienced other forms of judgment. We think of that as a horrible thing, but where would we be if no one judged a criminal wrong and in need of punishment for his crimes?
God judges us daily. Yeah, He does. He sees all we do and think of doing and He judges – determines – if it measures up to Him. If it doesn’t, His Spirit nudges us to move into that holiness of God. If we’re paying attention, He doesn’t allow us to run off the rails for long.
What we really don’t like, though, is when He uses other people to speak His judgment. Oh, no. no, no. He or she has no business questioning ME!
Except, as believers, we are SUPPOSED to question each other, helping to keep one another from sin. (See 1 Corinthians 5:12-13.) It’s a responsibility as a believer that we can’t continue to ignore.
Let’s tune in to the Spirit today. Let’s bask in the freedom from eternal condemnation that is ours as followers of Jesus.
If you’re not a follower of Jesus, make that choice today. He’s ready and waiting.
If you’ve had other believers try to correct a behavior in you, stop a moment today and evaluate that. Examine yourself and return to the Lord (Lamentations 3:40).
Mostly, let’s choose to reframe judgment and receive it as guidance instead of balking at its existence. Ask God to show you His direction clearly. He’s really good about that.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
