Unfortunately, Protestant and Evangelical churches teach very little on the Judgment. (Having limited exposure to Catholic, Orthodox, or Messianic churches, I don't know how much they teach on Judgment). I believe that a primary reason for Protestant and Evangelical churches teaching little on the Judgment is because of our emphasis on Salvation being by grace through faith and not of works; and yet scriptures that refer to the Judgment are universalistic in scope indicating that all humanity (including us Christians) will face the Judgment! And scriptures concerning Judgment are consistantly based on works, how we live our lives, and not on our faith in God.
In fact, judgment begins with the church. Why would judgment begin with us? Likely there are several reasons, one of which being that we, the church, are most responsible before God for our actions because we've received the revelation of God's love for us and have given our lives to God. Like the men in the parable of the talents, we've received awesome blessings from God!
We've had our eyes opened through faith and we see the Lord. We've been regenerated. We’ve had the Law written upon our hearts and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live righteous holy lives. We are the most responsible to live right, to act right, and to have right attitudes! Thus judgment begins with us!
Not only are we the most responsible because we've received Christ, but just as we’ve embraced the eternal reality of heaven and are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we can also kneel before the Lord in judgment allowing Him to purify our hearts and lives today; we need not wait until we die to access the eternal reality of God's Judgment!
Unbelievers however have not embraced the love of God, have not been regenerated, and are often under the influence and blindness of demonic spirits. Even so, they too are accountable for their actions for the basics of right and wrong are written on the conscience of every person, to a greater or lesser degree. Even those who have hardened their hearts, their conscience against God for they have resisted the Spirit of God impressing upon them what is right and good.
Thankfully, the Lord is the Righteous Judge whose judgment is tempered by grace and mercy. His judgments are completely for our good, though it is a flame of fire. The beauty of His holiness draws us all to Him like moths drawn to a flame; and yet He is a consuming fire that will burn away all that is unrighteous in us. Even Isaiah suffered the awesome holy burning fearful presence of the Lord. “Then I said, ‘My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!’ Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’”
What an awesome revelation of the holiness of God! May we all today embrace the Judgment of God, allowing His very presence to purify our hearts, His Word to purify our minds, and His will to purify our “doings”!
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