Jesus Will Judge

"Moreover I saw under the sun: in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

King Solomon recognised the irony of wickedness is a place of judgment, and iniquity in the place of righteousness.  In the face of injustice or wickedness Solomon did not charge God with wrong or doubt God's existence as many do.  He saw hypocrisy and evil as contrary to God and His righteous judgment, and ultimately the holy God of all will hold accountable those responsible.  During our short time on earth, the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts are heard and seen clearly by God.  The fact evil exists is not an indictment against the goodness of God, but rather confirms His righteousness.

A good judge will not allow guilty lawbreakers to escape punishment, and God is a good Judge.  The Bible tells us every word a man speaks will be weighed according to God's righteous Law, and to be guilty of breaking the Law in one point makes a man guilty of breaking all.  Because all have sinned, every man faces the full weight of punishment the Law demands:  the death of the body and ultimately the second death of the soul.  Having recently celebrated Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, a time to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the implications of Christ rising again is a sign to all everywhere.  Paul spoke to seekers of truth in Athens concerning Jesus Christ in Acts 17:30-31:  "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."  Jesus Christ is the Judge of all the earth, and He only does what is right.

The amazing truth is Jesus has paid the price for sin with His shed blood on Calvary, and His resurrection is a clear demonstration of His power over sin and resulting death.  All who repent and trust in Jesus can be forgiven of all sin and declared righteous through the Gospel.  The world is saturated with wickedness and righteousness.  We know God will ultimately judge the righteous and wicked:  the believer who lives righteously or wickedly, and the wicked who believes himself innocent.  The entire world is guilty before God according to His Law (Romans 3:19), but through the Gospel we can be cleansed and born again.  Jesus is the Son of God written of in 1 John 5:11-13:  "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

Ask In Faith

Times change, but people manage to stay the same.  The way people responded to the Gospel in Paul's day is strikingly similar to how people do today.  Acts 17:32-34 records the response of listeners to the doctrine of Christ's resurrection, "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed..."  To this day some mock in unbelief, others are temporarily intrigued but ignore the implications of Christ's resurrection, and there are a few who believe.

I read through Luke 23 this week and was struck by King Herod's response to Jesus.  A passage describes the occasion when Jesus was sent by Pilate to Herod Antipas in Jerusalem before His crucifixion.  Luke 23:8-11 says, "Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ¹¹ Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate."  King Herod responded as many people do today concerning Jesus.  They have heard of Jesus and are curious to see if what they have heard is true.  They would love to see blind men see, the dead raised, and thousands of people fed with only a handful of small loaves of bread.  People thirst for entertainment and would be dazzled to see a man actually walk on water without secret tricks.  People are drawn to power.  They want to see it for themselves, and that is what Herod hoped for.

Herod was disappointed with Jesus, who refused to even speak with Him!  Herod asked many questions, but Jesus gave no answer.  Herod did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of the Jews.  This is evidenced by his treatment of Christ when his expectations went unmet.  He and his men of war treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him.  Herod was curious to hear Jesus speak and do something, but when Jesus did not act according to his desire he despised Jesus and treated Him like a fool.  Many seekers of the world are like Herod, desiring Jesus to accomplish their will rather than abdicating the throne of our hearts for Christ alone.  So many people go to church for a season and even serve in various roles in churches with the heart of King Herod.  They are willing to jump through a few hoops to obtain their desire.  But when their prayers are met with silence, and nothing seems to be happening, they abandon all hope in Christ.  This is a tragic choice, for in forsaking Christ they deny their only hope of salvation, joy, and peace.

We ought to be as Christ who was obedient to the Father.  Even when the cross loomed before Him, Jesus asked if that cup might pass from Him.  "But not my will, but your will be done."  Christ laid down His will in Gethsemane, and laid down His life on Calvary.  If Herod had humbly approached Jesus in belief, Jesus would have spoken words of peace - even as He did to the criminal on the cross who begged Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom.  Jesus answered, "Assuredly, today you will be with me in Paradise."  God is not interested in satisfying the curiosity of men.  But He is interested to give wisdom and insight to all those who ask in faith.  James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."  How important is faith in establishing a genuine relationship with God!

The Issues of Ethics

One thing I love about Australian culture is the high value placed on volunteerism and being involved in the local community to make a positive impact.  For over a century in Australia, scripture teaching has been provided in public primary schools.  I have been delighted over the last year and a half to volunteer to teach one class a week at a local school.  While scripture teaching is available to all students, parents are free to have their child "opt out" of these classes.  I am in agreement with this policy.  As much as I believe in the power, truth, and necessity of scripture for life, I respect the rights of parents to choose for their kids.  May God use the children who attend scripture to positively live out the scriptures before their classmates in obedience to Christ - a far more powerful and persistent influence than I could ever wield.

In recent years there have been additional options provided, such as "philosophical ethics."  It has been put forth as a secular alternative to scripture with the slogan, "Just Think About It."  Truly, this is the desire of all who teach scripture as well.  Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias has an aptly named radio program called, "Let My People Think!"  I do not view any tension between scripture teaching and philosophical ethics as in any way being in competition with one another, as if "anything you can do I can do better."  The fact is, the worldview and philosophies of scripture and ethics are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  From a biblical perspective, the approach of ethics saddens me for many reasons.

The basic claim of scripture is it is the divinely inspired Word of God.  It is the unchanging truth of an unchanging God who created all things, loves His creation, and created man in His own image.  He holds forth absolutes concerning the fall and subsequent sinfulness of man, the consequences of sin being death, and He has demonstrated His love for all by sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the World.  Through Jesus alone does man find eternal life and the power to live life now in the way that pleases God.  God has revealed Himself, and man can have a relationship with the God who created and loves Him through faith.  The Bible teaches us only God is good, and man despite his best efforts is futile and lost.  Man needs God, and that is a critical problem in ethics.

Since anything good comes from God, anything "good" (by the scriptural definition) must come from God.  Anything "good" therefore in the philosophies of men has been borrowed from the Bible and repackaged.  Ethics appeals to the supposed good found within people which God's Word says does not naturally exist, nor is it fostered through the efforts of the flesh (Ps. 53:3).  Even if the right thing is done, it can be performed with the wrong attitude.  Philosophy is powerless in itself  to provide the actual means, motive, or ability to do the good which only comes through the Holy Spirit empowering a person to do so.  The very nature of a secular approach to ethics suggests man can be good or do right without God.  Humanistic ethics denies the necessity of repentance, spiritual regeneration, and salvation.  It substitutes man's wisdom (which the scripture deems folly) for God's wisdom - the true wisdom from above.  Instead of mere behaviour modification, God desires to transform us from within by His grace.

The scripture says in Colossians 2:8-10, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."  God is not like a man, and God's wisdom is not like man's wisdom.  The Bible is a spiritually discerned book, and we can only implement the truth into our minds and lives by the power of God who dwells within born-again believers.  Most men will proclaim their own goodness, and there is a rare man who sees his faults and acknowledges them.  Without the power of Jesus Christ, however, no man has within him the power to change himself or earn forgiveness of sin.  Jesus Christ is the Way, Truth, and the Life, the wisdom from above who powerfully transforms all who trust in Him!

So the question which must be asked is, has scripture teaching been reduced to ethics or an exercise in behaviour modification?  Or is an opportunity been provided to experience the truth of God's Word and a life of faith in Christ so the change comes from within?  One of the expressed purposes of scripture teaching in New South Wales is for children to hear the scriptures from people who personally exercise faith in their lives.  Information is important, and a relationship with God far more important still!  If scripture is ever reduced to focusing on sharing information or addressing behaviour, it is sorely missing the point.

Never Return to Egypt

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!"

Isaiah 31:1

God delivered the children of Israel from hundreds of years of bondage and slavery in Egypt.  With miraculous signs and a mighty hand God brought forth the Jewish nation and gave them His Law.  Centuries later, a day came when Israel faced the threat of the Babylonian nation.  Desperate to save themselves from occupation, captivity, or annihilation, some Jews decided to take refuge in Egypt from the advancing army.  God pronounced woe on those who looked to Egypt for help rather than look to the Holy God of Israel in faith.  It was folly to return to the "iron furnace" from which God had delivered them. (Deut. 4:20, Jer. 11:4)  How quickly we can forget how horrible our bondage was!

God proved His power and authority over all Egyptian gods through miraculous plagues before the exodus.  After the tenth plague, the children of Israel were released by Pharaoh.  Not long after they departed from his lands, he and his princes had second thoughts.  So hard were their hearts they decided to pursue the freed slaves with chariots and horsemen.  God protected His people and caused the Red Sea to part so the people could pass through on dry land.  When the Egyptian armies attempted a pursuit, it was to their destruction.  The entire army perished, for God fought for his people.  As the people saw the corpses of their enemies washing up on the shore, Exodus 15:1 tells us:  "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!"

The Jews going to Egypt was far more significant than traveling to a distant city to avoid conflict:  it was telling of the people's hearts before God.  They had forsaken the God who delivered them and returned to a place of bondage.  They hoped for safety from those who had oppressed them, and trusted horses and chariots to save them - the same horses and chariots God had vanquished in the depths of the Red Sea.  The people had departed from serving the living God and did not trust Him to save them.  Israelite kings were given victory by the power of God, but foolishly gathered up the idols of the kings they destroyed and worshiped them instead.  Jeremiah 2:12-13 says, "Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate," says the LORD. ¹³ "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Having been given salvation freely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it is possible for Christians to do the same thing:  to seek deliverance and salvation from current conflict by returning to a life of bondage which could not save at all.  When we lean on our own understanding, walking by sight and not by faith in God, the old ways of thinking and living prove alluring.  But we should never be duped to return to Egypt.  It is God who has saved us and He is our God and King.  He is the One who fights for us.  It is He who vanquishes our enemies and provides rest for our souls.  Consider the wisdom of David in Psalm 20:6-9:  "Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. ⁸ They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. ⁹ Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call."  Do you trust the One in whom you have believed?  Let us seek our Saviour who provides living water, and refuse to hew for ourselves broken cisterns.