Why Judgment?
Updated: December 2, 2025
Good means nothing if there is no punishment or consequence for sin. Why do “good” if anything and everything brings the same outcomes? In fact, we would not even know that we were doing good if it was not contrasted by evil.
One need not watch today’s news very long before one finds that there is most certainly evil in this world. Most feel that this evil should not be allowed to continue indefinitely. Something inside us yearns for true justice, for good to prevail and evil to be destroyed. This desire is reflected in our most popular movies and stories. As impartial observers, we feel well qualified to judge both hero and villain. Yet God is the only one capable of totally righteous judgment. Only He knows everything: the motives and influences of every decision, the ignorance or knowledge of consequences, the guilt or innocence of the accused. We can trust then that no one will go to a Lake of Fire on a mere technicality. Everyone will have their moment in God’s courtroom where the unvarnished truth will be evident to all.
Believers need not worry about judgment, because we know that Jesus took all of the judgment for sin upon Himself (See Why Born Again?). It is already done – we don’t have to wait for justification because we already have it. However, Jesus said that we will be judged by the same standards we use to judge others. The obvious takeaway is that we should learn to be merciful for our own sake! Trust and obedience to God’s Word gives us confidence so that we never have to fear judgment.
So when the Bible says that we should “judge righteously,” what does it mean? It certainly means “use your brain!” but it also means “use the Word!” God expects us to ask for, receive, and exercise Bible wisdom in every area of our lives. If the Word says that it’s wrong, it’s wrong. We can be compassionate but firm in this, speaking the truth in love. God’s Spirit within us lets us know if we are judging correctly, even if our head may not fully understand yet. The wisdom we practice here in this age will be put to good use upon Jesus’ return, when we will reign with Him over the nations.
(James 1:17, Genesis 18:25, Romans 12:19, Romans 13:2, Romans 2:12, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:16-18 NLT, John 5:24, Ephesians 4:15, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 20:4,12,13, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, John 15:22-24)