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Images of God (Judge)


We live in an age of increasing danger, threats and opposition to those who worship the name of Jesus Christ. Those who are not willing to compromise with the secular demands of our age. All around the world, Christians are suffering increasing persecution.  Persecutions and other struggles of the Christian life have the capacity to reduce our trust and confidence in God. In our weakest moments we can find ourselves asking “who is truly in charge”? It is in such times that we must turn our attention to God. We must constantly be reminded of God's amazing character. When we face difficulties and focus on God, we begin to see the challenges of life, of whatever origin, from a fresh perspective - from God's perspective.  And one image of God provided for us in scripture that we must never lose sight of is that of God as Judge. The Bible presents God as the judge of the whole earth!

When Abraham interceded for his nephew Lot, he asked God the rhetorical question, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25). This image of God as Judge emphasizes the Lordship of God as the final authority on everything  God is the one who evaluates all his creatures and gives to each what is due. He rightly punishes the wicked, but justifies those who have repented and come to faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Lord who judges the false gods of this world (Isaiah 41:21), exposing their futility. He is the Lord for whom the Philistine god Dagon couldn't help but to bow down (1 Sam. 5:1-5). As the Judge of all the Earth, God is the divine bookkeeper, who keeps a record of all the works of his creatures. Some judgement takes place immediately in this life, but most will take place at the end of history, when the books will be finally opened. 

This image of God as Judge is there to comfort us and remind us that one day justice will be done. The righteous Judge executes incomparable justice. He judges all people. He overwhelms, frustrates and destroys those found guilty in His sight. The good news is that God in Christ is not only our Judge, but also our peace! If you have repented God no longer counts you as His enemy, but his child! God’s justice is now our justice in Jesus Christ. God’s judgements against his enemies are for our good! So, are you facing injustice at work, home or local area? Look to the Judge of whole the earth!

But there's more. Because God is the judge of the whole earth, all believers now live with hope! For we know that not only does God act in this world, but every act of God’s judgement in this life against those who oppose his rule points to our glorious future. The judgements of this world are not sending the world into nothingness, but through God's own divine order, they are pointing to that final judgement when he fully judges the world. The Kingdom of this world will ultimately be the Lord’s no matter what! It may not look it, but evil will be vanquished! As a result we don’t face life like those without hope. We live faithfully in troubled times because our Judge is on the throne. He is executing righteous judgements on our behalf! This is good news! All true children of God worship the perfect Judge of whole the earth. And this Judge is Jesus Christ! 

Related Posts:

Images of God (Warrior)
Images of God (Sovereign)
Images of God (Shepherd)
Images of God (Potter)
Images of God (Whirlwind)
Images of God (Stronghold)
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