Once upon a time the Bible and all that is in it was considered to be absolutely true in every respect (as history, geology and biology). Then Western Europe moved into the Enlightenment. The world moved into an era of reason and science. As scientific discovery accelerated people began to question many of the most reverently held beliefs of the scriptures. Could there really have been miracles that violated the rules of Newtonian physics? Could Mary really have been a virgin after conception and after giving birth? Could the world really have been created in six days (and be only 10,000 years old) when we can see layers and layers of fossils stretching back over millions of years? Christians had their faith in and understanding of scripture put to the test, as many of us still do as we struggle with some of these same questions.
Along this enlightenment path we have also struggled with our image of God. We have moved away from a God who is very "Old Testament", meaning angry and vindictive and have moved to a kinder, gentler God. We have imaged a God who is completely tolerant, who loves the sinner, but not the sin, and who opens God's arms to all regardless of who they are and what they have believed or done. This image of God then has put into question one of the most widely used (in both the Old and New Testaments) images of God; that of judge.
God as judge is part of the language of the prophets, the psalms, the teachings of Jesus, the letters of Paul and the Book of Revelation. It has a long history of usage within the Christian tradition in which God is portrayed as the wise old man, sitting on a throne, who judges each person either according to their deeds (Old Testament) or their faith in Jesus (New Testament) and then makes a decision about their ultimate destiny. If you are faithful the judge sends you to heaven. If you are not faithful God sends you to hell. We can see this image in Jesus' language about separating the sheep and the goats (one of my son's once favorite songs had a line, "Sheep go to heaven and goats go to hell."). This image makes us nervous because God is supposed to be nice and kind. God is supposed to look at all of our sins and the world's ills and like a loving aunt say, "It's OK, you really didn't mean it. Here, have a cookie." God is not supposed to hold us accountable for our actions.
While we may wish God were so, there is a significant problem with casting aside the image of God as judge; and that is how then will God be able to recreate the world as a place where justice is done? As we consider the image of judge let us remember what God's saving plan is all about. God's saving plan is not simply getting people into heaven; it is about redeeming this world and everything in it. God is about recreating this world as a place where we love God, one another and care appropriately for creation. This being the case then, God must make first make some decisions about what conduct brings this about (life giving ways of being) and what conduct does not bring this about (death dealing ways of being). This is the first part of God as judge. God judges which ways are proper for restoration.
God then must also decide if our actions (both as individuals and as societies) help to establish this new creation or diminish its restoration. God must judge whether we are being partners with God or standing in opposition to God and God's work. God must make a judgment. If there is no judgment, if God merely allows everything regardless of whether it enhances God's rule and reign or restricts it, then injustice, pain, death and destruction will be the final outcome of this world. There will be no new creation and new world in which there is neither, death, mourning or crying. God must ultimately hold us accountable for our choices and beliefs or we will never become the people God wants us to be. God will judge because God desires us to become fully human and fully alive and not crippled by the evil we have created. God as judge leads to life and hope.
Next week: God as Forgiving
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