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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Christian and Judgment, #5
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
John 5:24 is not referring to when we die and go to Heaven, it is speaking of our condition before God now.
. . . as he [God the Father] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another [the saint has fellowship with the Father], and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)
Under what condition does the blood of Christ cleanse us from all sin, thereby keeping us free from all condemnatory judgment? Under the condition of our continuing to walk faithfully and steadfastly in the Light of God's Presence and will.
What happens when we turn away from the path of righteousness? We lose our fellowship with the Father, and it is fellowship with God that is eternal Life (John 17:3).
There is no question either from the New Testament writings or from our experience as saints that the believer who leaves God's Presence and His will does indeed come under judgment and condemnation. He or she no longer is "in Christ." He or she is "in the flesh," and walking in the flesh causes spiritual death (Romans 8:13).
As far as we know, the New Testament writings never once present Christ as an advocate who stands with us after we die and defends our conduct in the Presence of God. This currently held unscriptural doctrine so colors our thinking that it is quite difficult to perceive what John 5:24 actually is stating.
Christ not only is our Advocate, He also is the Judge of all men—including us (John 5:22). He is judging us now and also making intercession for us before the Father. Christ sends various tribulations and afflictions on us with the purpose of insuring we are not condemned with the world (I Corinthians 11:32).
Christ knows our sin and self-seeking. He deals with us in various sufferings so we will be ready for His appearing. These sufferings are a judgment on us, as the Scriptures state. They are not a punishment for our sins primarily (although sometimes that), but a chastening for our benefit so we may become holy as He is holy.
Which is a manifest token [your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure] of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (II Thessalonians 1:5)
We are not under Divine condemnation, provided we are walking in the Light, because the blood is answering to God's standard of justice. In the sense Peter was speaking (I Peter, Chapter Four) we indeed are experiencing the Divine chastening so we will not be condemned with the world.
We must serve God with a pure heart through all our tribulations because even the righteous are saved with difficulty (I Peter 4:18). To be fully saved is to be fully removed from every aspect of Satan and to be totally reconciled to God in every element of our personality. Divine judgment causes us to suffer. Our correct response to suffering moves us from Satan to God.
To be continued.