You Give Judgement a Bad Name
You give judgment a bad name.
Just like the woman Bon Jovi imagines in “You give love a bad name,” humans give judgment a bad name. We misjudge things all the time– distances, reactions, times, beliefs, and perceptions, to name a few. Additionally, many people are judgmental, wielding their position of power to judge someone else, creating division and separation. Jesus spends a good bit of time instructing humans not to be judgmental. Why? Because they are not equipped to give judgment a good name.
Judgment has a bad name, but God’s judgment is worth rejoicing in. This is one of the main messages of Revelation.
First, judgment in the scriptures is towards the restoration of humanity and creation, not its destruction. Here are a few examples:
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. (Mal 3:2–3)
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. (Ps 96:11–13)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed…But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. (2 Pe 3:10,13)
In each of the above passages, God’s judgment is used to refine and restore. That’s good news!
Evil is a problem in this world. It’s the dark side within us that is drawn towards finding life in things that bring ourselves and others death. Evil is around us in our systems, fostering corruption, strife, and division. Finally, there are evil forces in the world that fuel and give energy to this darkness.
I’m connected with a group that helped begin the good work of freeing enslaved children from Lake Volta in Ghana. It is estimated that tens of thousands of children are held captive, abused, and forced to dive into the dangerous waters to undo fishing nets that get caught on the trees and scrub below the shallow lake. International Justice Mission has made significant investments in staff, training, policy, enforcement, and counseling. Three hundred children have been freed! There are thousands of more children in need. This harsh reality reminds us that our world needs God to judge evil and eradicate it forever, as the book of Revelation envisions.
Finally, God’s judgment can be trusted because it is obtained through sacrifice. Why evil exists is a mystery. But I trust that the God of love, revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, will one day judge and destroy evil forever, restoring creation and humanity to its full radiance.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations! (Rev. 15:3)
