Judgement and Discipline – two very real aspects of God’s dealings with man, yet very different in their source, their target, and their objective. Perhaps this is obvious – or, perhaps it’s something we take for granted without truly understanding the implications for us as the children of God.
What is judgement? God’s judgement amounts to rejection. It is God’s very real hatred of all that is contrary to His nature, which will be fully expressed when He forever condemns the children of wrath. It is an inseparable part of God’s nature as the God of love. Why? Because real love does not tolerate that which destroys, hinders, and mars the object of it’s affection. First and foremost, God loves His nature. Therefore, He will remove that which wars against His person. Second, God loves His creation (of which mankind is the pinnacle), which is an expression of His attributes. Similarly, therefore, He will expel and abolish all that has tainted His reflection in creation. If you remove or separate from God’s character His just wrath, you diminish His love to mere sentiment – an apathetic and perhaps occasionally fond toleration.
Here is my favorite reality about God’s judgement, though – the children of God are forever exempt from it! Did you know that it is impossible for God to feel wrath towards you if you are in Christ? You have been joined with Christ and are one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17, Eph 5:29). Or, do we believe that the propitiation of God’s Son was somehow ineffectual in our behalf? Are we still living under the law of sin and death, measuring our rapport with the Father on the basis of our performance (Rom 8:2-4)? In so doing, perhaps we think we’re doing God a favor by not “presuming too much upon the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and patience (Rom 2:4)”, but instead making sure we foster an (imagined) awareness of His displeasure at our imperfection. It is a travesty to show contempt for the grace of God by using it as a license to sin freely, that’s true. An even bigger travesty, though, is to think that you are correcting that propensity by rejecting the grace of God (Gal 2:21).
The verse in Romans that talks about presuming upon God’s patience is actually part of a larger narrative in which Paul is addressing the mentality that acceptance with God can be derived on the basis of identity under the law. The law represents God’s forbearance; under it’s covenant He “passed over the former sins; for the demonstration of His righteousness, so that He might be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ” (Rom 3:25-26). Paul targets the false sense of security originating from the covenant of the law – explaining that the law never had the power to save or justify, because of the fallen state of our flesh. Rather, the law was given to bring awareness of sin (Rom 3:20, Rom 7:7). It proves our state of depravity – just how much the image of God has been distorted in us as a result of the fall. But, it is faith that justifies, grace alone that saves (Rom 5:1-2). He’s not inviting us to condemn ourselves, but rather to respond to the revelation of salvation, culminating in Romans 8.
When we condemn ourselves as an act of self-abasement, we are cheapening the cross of Christ and maligning the nature of the Father. In the same way, when we feel a false sense of confidence and acceptance on the basis of how well we think we’re doing, we are exchanging the raiment of Christ for our own filthy rags – scorning the gift of God, and building upon a foundation that will ultimately bring us to ruin (Isa 64:6, Phil 3:3-11).
I don’t know about you, but I want to give Jesus exactly what He gave everything to purchase. My complete and total devotion, confident sonship, and joyful obedience – all unhindered by the shame and guilt that characterized our separation from God. The immediate outcome of the fall was shame. It was the first thing Adam and Eve felt after they broke covenant with God, and it caused them to hide their bodies from one another, and more importantly, hide themselves from God. Just as we inherited that portion from the first Adam, though, we’ve inherited something altogether new from the second Adam (Christ). Righteousness. Confidence before the Father. Why would we exchange our inheritance in Christ for the very curse which He was crucified to bring us out of? No. We must live with the bold assurance of our acceptance in the Beloved (Eph 1:4-8).
We hate sin because our Father who loves us hates sin. Not because He hates us. The reality is, I feel so much more strength to resist sin when I’m keenly aware of the Father’s affectino – and when I’m receiving that love on the basis of the finished work of Christ, not on the condition of success in the battle. This isn’t about whether we fight sin or not. We need to war with every ounce of strength we have! It’s the joy of being loved, though, that gives us the strength to fight in the first place. In reading through the epistles, just about every warning against sin is prefaced with an assertion of our new nature in Christ (Romans 6 is one of my favorites). We flee sin because of who we ARE in Christ, not because of who we are trying to be.
Sadly, even though we know these things, I feel that we as believers still view ourselves as objects of wrath at times, and still relate to God on the false basis of the law, under which we are worthy of judgement. Furthermore, we confuse His discipline and His judgement, lumping them together, and further distorting our understanding of how God views us. If you are in Christ, you’ve forever been redeemed – no longer to be a recipient of wrath or judgement, but an eternal object of His affection (Eph 2:1-9). He is your Father. Abba. Daddy. He chastises you because He is so intently interested in your life, and so completely committed to ensuring you belong completely to Him. While it may sometimes feel similar to judgement, in bears no resemblance to it, either in origin or intent.
We are accepted at every moment and stand unwaveringly justified before God based solely on our faith in the finished work of Christ, by which our works (both the worst of them and the best of them – all of which amount to nothing before God) are exchanged for the very perfection of Jesus. We are sons. Therefore, if we are truly now His sons – forever objects of His joy and affection – then He cannot possibly endorse, permit, or tolerate in our lives anything which brings forth death. And so, we come to discipline. Discipline is a byproduct of acceptance – a “consequence” of our adoption as Sons (and Daughters). “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. (Heb 12:6)” It should make us feel secure – confident in the knowledge that He is intimately acquainted with us and invested in our lives.
God’s love for us doesn’t vacillate. Yet, we should not have such a finite view of God as to see His love for us as always and only an effervescent, whimsical pleasure. God’s love can be playful. But, it also goes so much deeper – it at once draws us and terrifies us. Crushes and heals. Comforts and disciplines. It is His loving (and sometimes severe) reproof that legitimizes His affection. Would you trust a Father who was grinning at you while you caused yourself harm? No. God is moved by our sin. He feels unfathomable pleasure in us, yet He can feel displeasure also. It is the very fact that we can cause Him displeasure and grieve His heart that testifies to the unsearchable riches of His love – that He is not a Father who merely watches from afar, placidly approving of us simply because we are His sons. Rather, because we are His sons, we move Him. Because we are His sons, He both rewards and disciplines us.
When God first adopts us into the family, regenerating our nature and transferring us from darkness into His light, we encounter something unimaginable. He delights in us! The fact that God feels pleasure in us blows our minds and revolutionizes our lives. He lavishes us, curing the emaciation under which we have languished in the midst of our separation from Him. And, the best part is, we never graduate from His love. We only go deeper. The roots only go further. Yet, in the midst of this growth, something begins to happen. Instead of remaining passive, inebriated recipients of love, we begin to more maturely express love ourselves (Song of Songs is a beautiful narrative of this journey into mature love). Instead of perceiving a Father who is only mirthful, we are invited deeper into His councils and the many facets of His nature. Instead of only laughing, we learn also to tremble. Instead of only basking, we are counted worthy to suffer with Christ. As sons who grow up to co-labor and share council with their earthly father, so the Lord raises us up under His nurture and admonition. This is His discipline, and it is glorious.
What I’ve written here is something born out of my personal dialogue with God lately. It felt like the perfect time to share it because of how closely it ties in to what God is speaking and doing in the midst of our church. Brandi and I are members of Awakening Community Church, and right now, our community is in the midst of a series on the family of God. The last few weeks have focused on the love of the Father and our identity as Sons. These are amazing foundational truths, which sadly every one of us struggle to steadfastly believe in our heart of hearts. If you haven’t been a part, you can download these messages at www.awakeningcc.org. Also, just as a disclaimer, the things I share on this blog represent my personal perspectives. This blog isn’t officially affiliated with or endorsed by Awakening Community Church.