““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Jesus bore God's wrath and judgment for sin in his body on the cross as the sin offering for the world. Now that Christ is in you, you don't ever have to worry about being judged by God. Jesus explains why throughout the Gospel of John.
While speaking with Nicodemus, Jesus explained that God would judge him on our behalf.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up
Jesus is speaking of an event during the Israelite's time in the desert.
Numbers 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Our first response to this story should be thankfulness that we are not under the Mosaic covenant, otherwise known as the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is not the whole of the Old Testament, it's just the arrangement the Israelites were in from their deliverance from Egypt to the time of Jesus when he enacted a New Covenant.
The Old Covenant included blessings AND curses. The Israelite's complaints against God and Moses brought upon themselves a judgment in the form of poisonous snakes. But when they repented and asked for deliverance, God gave them a way to be free from the judgment of their sin.
Under the New Covenant, Jesus has already been tried, judged, and punished for all your past, present, and future sins. You never have to wonder if God will judge you for your mistakes and sins. You have already been delivered from the curse of the Law. Also - you don't ever have to wonder if what you're going through is some judgment or trial from God because he is not relating to you that way because of the kind of covenant we're in through Christ. God is not sending poisonous snakes into your life in the form of depression, job loss, troubled relationships, poverty, disease, etc.
I love the glimpses we have into Jesus' heart. For example, he was highly stressed about the kind of death he was going to face. In several cases, he prayed to God for a different plan.
He said this about the kind of death Jesus would face.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
I believe the word "peoples" in verse 32 should be the word "judgment." Some translations read, "I will draw all men unto me." But the word "peoples" or "men" was not in the original editions of John. It was added at the discretion of the translators.
When you think through the context of this story, you understand that Jesus is drawing the judgment on himself, not on people. When the Israelites looked to the serpent on the pole, they understood that their judgment was being transferred to the serpent. As long as they beheld the serpent, they were delivered from judgment.
The same is true for Christ on the cross. When we behold him and place our faith in what he's done on that cross in our place, we understand that our judgment has been removed from us and put on/in him on the cross.
When Christ was lifted up on the tree, he took in Himself our curse to deliver us from sin and death.
How can we live out this powerful truth in practical ways?
1. Don't sin, but if you do, don't forget about Jesus.
As I mentioned, you can live free of fear because Jesus has already eternally atoned for your sin. So don't sin, but if you do, remember that was already tried, judged, and punished for it.
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
When you feel the guilt and shame from life's failures, and those fiery serpents come to bite you, behold him and allow the sting of judgment to roll over to Christ rather than worrying if you'll lose your salvation.
2. Don't judge others.
Living with the awareness that you are forgiven allows you to be more understanding of others.
Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
The context of this instruction from Jesus is horizontal, not vertical. Meaning when you judge others, others will judge you. This is not a warning and a threat of judgment from God.
Very simply, when you feel the desire to judge someone else, remember that Christ was judged for your sin. So if you sin or are tempted to judge others, the prescription is the same - remember that Jesus was cursed and judged for your sin.
If Christians lived aware of this truth, we would be much more effective in the world. Of course, we should not compromise God's truth and deny his natural order of sexuality and morality, but we should live judgment free of others because we live judgment free from God.
I pray this video is a blessing and helps you live free from the fear of God's judgment.
Clint and Sara Byars
Forward Ministries
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