Knowing God: Chapter 14 - God the Judge

-

Chapter 14 of Knowing God brings us to the reality of God as Judge. That God is Judge is stated in Gen 18:25; Judg 11:27; Psa 75:7; 82:6; Heb 12:23 plus a host of other passages through the Old and New Testaments leaving no doubt that God is the ultimate Judge of all mankind and will judge us all. 

Dr. Packer points out 4 characteristics that are true of a judge in the ancient near eastern world and thus of God:

  1. The judge is a person with authority. 
  2. The judge is a person identified with what is good and right.
  3. The judge is a person of wisdom, to discern truth. 
  4. The judge is a person of power to execute sentence. 

Because God is the God of perfections, He is the perfect Judge in all 4 of these aspects.


That God is Judge is both a sobering and joyous reality for it brings to our attention that all people, Christians and non-Christians alike, will give an account of their lives (words and deeds) to Jesus Christ Himself at the coming day of judgment, ensuring that retribution for good and for evil will be given.


And while this can and should be terrifying to us (2 Cor 5:11) that terror should lead us not to flee from Christ but to flee to Him. That is the great news of the gospel: the work of God makes it possible for us to “call on the coming Judge to be [our] present Savior!”


As Dr. Packer points out, “Run from Him now, and you will find him as Judge then—and without hope. Seek Him now, and you will find Him (for ‘he that seeks finds’), and you will then discover that you are looking forward to that future meeting with joy, knowing that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom 8:1).” Ah the great truth of the gospel: the One who is to judge us is the One who saves us!

Popular posts from this blog

Knowing God: Chapter 11 - Thy Word is Truth

-
The focus of chapter 11 in Knowing God is truth: the word of God is true because God is truth in His very nature. Therefore, what He says must be true.   As we read the Bible it is helpful for us to know that there are three overarching categories (or characteristics) to what the Bible says: Law - Commands and prohibitions with sanctions (consequences) attached Promise - Favorable and unfavorable, conditional and unconditional realities that can and will come about Testimony - Information given by God about Himself and people As we read Scripture it is helpful to look to see which of these three categories particular truths fall into. And as we read we must remember that “what [God] says goes” (always and without exception...Isa 55:10-11).   This means that... God’s commands are true. (Psa 119:151) God’s promises are true, for God keeps them. (Heb 10:23) In regards to the prior, Dr. Packer notes, “[God’s law] shows us what we were made to be, and teaches us how to be truly human,
Read more

Knowing God: Chapter 1 - The Study of God

-
Today we begin reading through Knowing God by J. I. Packer. If you haven’t already, make sure to read the prefaces. We will be reading a chapter a day each weekday of the month of September. It gives us the weekends to rest, get ahead, or catch up if we miss some of the reading. As John 17:3 tells us: “...this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (ESV) As we read through this book I pray it will be beneficial to us by helping us to truly know God. God has used this book in the lives of many in that regards including my own life.  Chapter 1 “The Study of God” begins by helping us to see the importance of knowing God, His nature and character: “...a study of the nature and character of God...is the most practical project anyone can engage in.” Take note of the five (5) principles the study is grounded on and how they focus on the supremacy of God and the centrality of the Word of God in the life of the follower of Christ, in the li
Read more

Knowing God: Chapter 13 - The Grace of God

-
Chapter 13 of Knowing God brings us to consider “The Grace of God.”   To truly grasp and appreciate grace we must realize basic realities about both God and man.  The moral ill-desert of man -  All people are “creatures fallen from God’s image, rebels against God’s rule, guilty and unclean in God’s sight, fit only for God’s condemnation...” We are not inherently good; we are inherently sinful.   The retributive justice of God -  “...retribution (judgment of sin) [is] the moral law of God’s world and an expression of His holy character...God is not true to Himself unless He punishes sin.” (Thus, our need for someone to stand in our place as our representative and substitutionary atonement.) The spiritual impotence of man -  We are incapable of saving ourselves from the wrath and judgment of God. The sovereign freedom of God -  God is under no obligation or compulsion to love us or save us. Yet He freely chooses to love us and save us.   And as we consider grace, there are three mira
Read more