Finally, God’s Word is also our judge. Throughout the entire Bible it is emphasised that by sovereign eternal right, the office of judge belongs to God alone. This theme runs through the entire Old Testament. For instance, Abraham says to the Lord, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). Jephthah said, “May the Lord, the Judge, render judgement this day” (Judg. 11:27). The psalmist wrote, “Surely He is God who judges in the earth” (Ps. 58:11). And Isaiah said, “For the Lord is our Judge” (Is. 33:22).
As we move on into the New Testament, we enter into a fuller revelation of the motives and methods of God’s judgement. Christ says:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17)
Again we read in 2 Peter 3:9:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
These verses – and many others like them – reveal that God delights to administer mercy and salvation, but He is reluctant to administer wrath and judgement.
This reluctance of God to administer judgement finds expression in the way in which, as the New Testament reveals, God’s judgement will ultimately be carried out. In the first instance, by sovereign eternal right, judgement belongs to God the Father. Peter speaks of “the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work” (1 Pet. 1:17).
Here judgement of all men is plainly stated to be the office of God the Father. However, Christ reveals that the Father has chosen in His sovereign wisdom to commit all judgement to the Son.
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son, that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father.” (John 5:22-23)
Again, Christ says:
“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgement also, because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:26-27)
Here we see that the office of judgement has been transferred from the Father to the Son. Two reasons are given for this. First, because with the office of judge goes also the honour due to the judge, and in this way all men will be obliged to show the same honour toward God the Son as they would toward God the Father. Second, because Christ is also the Son of Man, as well as the Son of God – that is, He partakes of the human as well as of the divine nature, and thus in His judgement He is able to make allowance, from His own experience, for all the infirmities and temptations of human flesh.
However, such is the grace and the mercy of the divine nature in the Son, as in the Father, that Christ, too, is unwilling to administer judgement. For this reason He, in turn, has transferred the final authority of judgement from His own Person to the Word of God.
“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:47-48)
This reveals that the final authority of all judgement is vested in the Word of God. This is the impartial, unchanging standard of judgement to which all men must one day answer.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, it fills me with gratitude, that when I will appear before Your Judge's seat - I will be found holy and clean, not because I have done everything right, but because You - dear Lord Jesus - in my place have taken upon You and endured all punishment. That is why I am free forever!
