Quath
I read your post in the morning when I was checking my e mail and you bring up points that have been brought up for 2000 years. Nothing new under the sun. As I work on my web site I started thinking and pondering about the Sermon on the mount and in particular Matt 7:1-6.. Anyway Why does the Bible so often speak about judgment? Page after page of the Old Testament seems to be filled with sobering descriptions of terrifying wrath and punishmentâ€â€ultimately brought about by God. Why the emphasis on judgment?
The short answer is because the judgments of God are real. The Bible is straightforward about the Lord’s wrath against evil and sin. God hates evil (Ps. 45:7) and condemns it whenever He sees it. Ultimately He will do away with it (Rev. 21:4–5).
But in reading the judgment passages of Scripture, it is important to notice that a warning of the Lord’s judgment always leaves room for repentance. For example, Joel’s spine-tingling description of the “day of the Lord†(Joel 2:1–11) is followed by a call to turn to the Lord “with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning†(Joel 2:12).
God wants no one to fall into condemnation and come under His judgment (2 Pet. 3:9). He warns people ahead of time so that they will recognize their sin and experience the “godly sorrow†that leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). The God of judgment is also the God of mercy, “slow to anger, and of great kindness†(Joel 2:13).
If you’ve ever spent much time around a courtroom, you know that a constant tension is at play there between judgment and mercy. At issue is the determination of justice. What extenuating circumstances should be taken into account? What sort of punishment fits the crime? When should judges show mercy, and when should they “throw the book†at a criminal?
In thinking about these matters, it is commonly assumed that judgment and mercy are irreconcilable opposites. But even though we as humans may see them that way, that does not mean God does. From His standpoint, judgment and mercy need not be reconciled because they are not opposed in the first place.
Human beings tend to think of mercy as ignoring, excusing, indulging, or even approving of wrongdoing. God never does that. Indeed, He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness†(Hab. 1:13). Thus when He withholds punishment, it is not because He is indulgent, but because He is patiently waiting for repentance, allowing people ample time to change their ways (Is. 30:18; 2 Pet. 3:9, 15).
However, if repentance from sin never comes, the Lord’s very mercyâ€â€or chesed, a word often translated “mercy†but with the fundamental sense of loyalty to the people with whom one has a covenant, and loyalty to the covenant itselfâ€â€moves Him to enforce justice (Deut. 5:9; 7:9–11).
Perhaps a modern way of describing this response is the term “tough love.†Genuine love means genuine commitment to the welfare of another. Thus love must sometimes act punitively in order to bring about, if possible, the best in and for the beloved. God loves us too much to let us drown in our own sin. His infinite love sometimes moves Him to judgment when we refuse to seek His best. So I asked the question in another thread. When we say ''we are saved'' What are we saved from? Are we saved from Hell? Are we saved from the devil? Are we saved from getting food poisoning? What are we saved from? What the Christian who has put his faith in Jesus Christ, God in carnite is saved from is GOD.. Yes we are saved from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:99 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
I would strongly suggest reading the whole chapter of Romans 5 to capture the complete context of what the Apostle Paul is saying..
Blessings
Jg
