| E-MAIL SERVICE | Sign me up to receive the daily Word of Righteousness free via my E-mail address! ( ONLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH ) | |
| ARCHIVES | I want to check out the daily Words of Righteousness for any of the last fourteen days or from previous weeks. ( ENGLISH ONLY ) | |
| FEEDBACK | I have a question or comment about today's Word of Righteousness. ( ENGLISH AND SPANISH ONLY ) | |
| BOOK LIST | I would like to see the complete book list of the Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson. (SOME SPANISH TITLES AVAILABLE ) |
The Daily Word of Righteousness
Judgment Begins With the Household of God
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)
There is a difference between Divine judgment and Divine wrath. Divine wrath destroys. Divine judgment brings us to repentance. God leads every saint through much tribulation and suffering. Such suffering is a judgment on us, a separating of the good from the evil in our personality. Judgment begins with the household of God. It begins with the saints. It begins with those who are closest to the Lord. The Divine judgment is not a bad thing. It is a good thing, a blessing, a working of the grace of God in our life.
From the above verse and the verses surrounding it in First Peter we learn some important facts concerning the Divine judgment.
We learn that the Divine judgment has been in operation since the Holy Spirit fell in the form of tongues of fire. The saints are to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with the fire of Divine judgment.
We learn that the Divine judgment comes upon the saints first and then upon the world.
We learn that the Divine judgment comes upon the saints in the form of a chastening of our flesh.
We learn that the Divine judgment is so rigorous the righteous are saved with difficulty (I Peter 4:18).
In order to be saved we must maintain our confidence in Christ until we have come to the end of our testings and tribulations. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
There is an important difference between judgment and condemnation.
Judgment is the separation of what is good from what is evil.
Condemnation is the guilt and the disapproval of the Lord that are directed toward all persons, Christians included, who are transgressing God's laws or His known will.
There is no condemnation resting on those who are abiding in Christ and walking in the light of God's will. But numerous Christians do not abide in Christ. They know (or suspect) the will of God and are not doing it. They are under condemnation because they are working evil in the sight of the Lord (Romans 2:8; 14:23; James 4:17).
The current concept that Christians are not judged and rewarded according to their works as are other people arises in part from a misunderstanding of John 5:24, and in part from a misapplication of Paul's arguments against the Judaizers. Paul stressed righteousness apart from the works of the Law until it is very easy to assume that faith can live apart from works of righteousness and that by some "magic" God does not see the sin and disobedience of the believers (Romans 3:21).
To be continued.