God's Principles of Judgment
Dear Sister Juli Camarin,
Peace be with you, as you do great work for the God.
Could you tell us as you know that in Romans 2, Paul describes God's principles of judgment. How are these related to: A) Gentiles B) Jews C) Christian believers please?
Thank you.
With much love and affection, in Christ the King!
Yours In Christ The King
Nawab
Dear Nawab,
Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so glad that what I have written is confirming what the Holy Spirit is showing you in the Word. It is awesome that we can unite as believers even though many thousands of miles separate us. God Bless you as you seek Him!
In Romans chapter 1, 2 and the beginning of chapter 3, Paul is building a case against the world that we, in ourselves are guilty before God and deserve to be judged. Whether a Jew, who lives by the letter of the Law, or a Gentile who is oblivious to the commands of God. It doesn't matter, the whole world is guilty. Paul does this to show us that our righteousness is not enough. He expertly lays the prosecutions case so that he can begin to describe the righteousness that we obtain through faith in Christ Jesus. Chapter 3, verse 21 is where he starts transitioning to the defense building the case for grace.
As far as judgement goes to the Jew, the Gentile and the Believer, All judgement against sin was place on Jesus at the time of his death, John 12 gives the detail, This is Jesus talking, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die." ( John 12:31-33 ). If you look at the original Greek Text, the subject of this statement was not there, so the translators added "men" to vs. 32 so it would make sense to us. But what it should read is that is that when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself... the all he is talking about is judgement. Which makes sense since he took the sins of the entire world on himself ( I John 2:2 ) and was crucified for it. Isaiah 53 shows us the behind the sense footage of what happened on the cross. Look at verse 10, "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering" ( Isaiah 53:10 ). The guilt offering was given to appease judgement. Jesus took the judgement we deserved and also appeased the wrath of God against sin. Therefore God will not judge the world at this present time. Jesus confirms this in the same passage in John 12, "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day" ( John 12:47-48 ). We are living in a state a grace and even nonbelievers who have rejected Jesus benefit from the peace treaty Jesus initiate and upholds for us. I am not saying that nonbelievers will not eventually be judged and stand condemned at the end but right now, God deals with us in His infinite mercy and grace because of Jesus not in the role of a judge.
I hope I explained this well enough, please let me know if you have further questions or need clarification.
In Christ,
Juli