Hello my friends!

I hope you've had a wonderful week.

After my last two newsletters about the Mark of the Beast and the Rapture, many of you naturally asked about God’s judgment.

So, I thought I would do one final newsletter in this short mini series on the nature of divine judgment.

But before we dive into that, here are a few resources for you this week:

• I recently had a conversation about church culture with Blake Fine, who hosts the "Rethinking Christianity" podcast. If you'd like to hear our conversation, you can do so here: Benjamin Cremer | Deconstructing and Reimagining Church Culture - EP #49​
• A great book about Paul's view of justification is called "Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology," by Michael Gorman. It really is a groundbreaking book.
• What is now a classic theological work on this topic, I cannot forget to recommend Jürgen Moltmann "The Crucified God."​
• Probably one of the most powerful books I have ever read as well as speaking to this topic is "The Cross and the Lynching Tree," by the late James H. Cone. The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful work, Cone explores these symbols, the theology behind them, and their interconnection in the history and souls of Black folk.

Okay, not onto today's content.

Unpacking God's Judgment

Divine judgment is one of those topics on which you will hear vastly different perspectives depending on one’s theological tradition and one’s interpretation of the Bible.

If one’s theology leans heavy upon God’s sovereignty, one might envision divine judgment that executes legal and punitive measures against evil and those who carry it out.

If one’s theology leans heavy upon God’s love, one might envision God’s grace being able to heal and restore even the worst humanity has to offer in our world through divine judgment.

The tension with judgment is the topic of justice. No matter the theological traditions, we all really want there to be justice in the world. We really do want God to respond and condemn evil and those who carry it out, especially against the most vulnerable.

Yet, where the tension comes into play is how that justice applies to us. We like the idea of God’s divine judgment towards others, especially the evil doers, but what about our lives and the evil we have done? What does our picture of divine judgment say about us?

Do we want the same kind of justice applied to us as we would want for our greatest enemy? The same amount of mercy? The same amount of wrath? Not to mention how much shame we may be applying to our understanding of God’s judgment for ourselves. These are really important dynamics to consider as we think about this topic.

The passage of scripture I want to look at together for this topic might surprise you. It isn’t from the book of Daniel or the Book of Revelation. It is from the gospel according to John. It is from the most quoted chapter of John actually, chapter 3.

Growing up in the church, John 3:16 was one of the first verses I had memorized. I didn’t have a clue what the rest of the chapter said, but I knew that verse. Such a profound verse it is, right?

The reason I want to look at it though is precisely because of how it portrays God’s desire for the world through Jesus Christ. It has powerful implications for how we see God's judgment.

Setting The Stage

Let’s set the stage of this chapter before we read the passage.

As you probably know, Jesus is having a conversation with a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus. He has come to Jesus out of curiosity, wanting to better understand the message Jesus has been teaching. Later in John 19:39–42, we actually discover that he became a disciple of Jesus and was among those who laid Jesus in his tomb.

As John does throughout his whole gospel account, he plays with light and darkness, flesh and spirit, eternal life and judgment. This chapter is no exception.

Another aspect to keep in mind here is what John meant by “world.” In many circles of Christianity today, “world” is synonymous with “evil” or “corrupt.” As in, “that is so worldly.” It is an overly negative word.

This being in spite of the Genesis account, which shows God creating the world and calling it “good,” and John 3:16 saying, “for God so loved the world…”

In John’s context, the “world” was seen more as a “realm” or “paradigm” or “age.” Evil was certainly set loose in the world and seemed to dictate so much of the world, but the "world" is also the object of God’s love, not hatred. God desires to save the world and heal it, not condemn it or destroy it.

This context helps us to understand this passage from John 3 a bit better. Especially when Jesus refers to a super obscure part of Israel’s history having to do with Moses and snakes.

We will get to that really interesting part in just a second.

Let's read John 3:14-21 together:

John tells us that Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Okay, so what is this business of Jesus comparing himself to Moses lifting the snake in the wilderness?

Well, in Numbers 21, we see this really interesting situation happen. Israel is in the wilderness after being liberated from Egypt. God is providing for all their needs and acting as their guide. Yet, the scriptures tell us, even in light of all this, they are still grumbling against God and began to become indifferent to God’s purposes and desires for them.

During this time, a pandemic of poisonous snakes entered the nation and began biting people. People were dying. (Divine judgment?)

In the face of this disaster, God instructs Moses to build and hold up a brass serpent on a pole. Telling him that if anyone looks upon it, they will live (Numbers 21:8).

There were those who did look upon it and those who didn’t. Those who did look upon it lived. Those who didn't, perished.

Interesting side note: this event is where the symbol for medicine comes from. Serpents coiled around a pole.

So what are we make of this and how does it connect with Jesus?

It really is actually a really powerful example of “judgment.”

First, Israel had to acknowledge and confront what was causing death among them: poisonous serpents. Just like their grumbling in the midst of provision, they were indifferent to their liberator and what they had been liberated from. Whether it is the trauma of Egypt or the threat of poisons snakes, they could not change what what they refused to face head on.

Second, what was causing death was also turned into a source of life by God. Once God instructed Moses to hold up the literal thing that was killing them, they could confront it, “come to the light,” and come out of death into the life.

This is interesting, because this is how vaccines or antidotes work. Confronting that there is venom or a virus that is taking people’s lives then taking a small dose of that same venom or virus to build immunity enabling us to pursue life rather than fall prey to death.

This concept of bringing to light what is harming us, facing it head on, and allowing it to help us move away from things that destroy us towards life giving things is at the very heart of divine judgment that is being described in John 3.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” -John 3:19-21

Light exposes not only the evil in the world but how we are participating with that evil. Light represents greater awareness, deeper understanding, and wisdom. Yet this awareness always brings about the understanding of how we have participated with evil in the world. In another word, it brings about judgment.

I remember the first time I was made aware of how I was participating in a global economy and how certain products were directly tied to exploiting people and even children to produce them so that people like me could buy them. It made me feel awful.

I had a decision to make. I could either burry my head in the sand, pretend I didn’t know what was happening, and go on as I had before. Or, I could be more intentional about the products I purchased, make changes to my own life, and find ways of holding companies accountable for unethical practices towards my fellow human beings.

Confronting that within myself and changing my lifestyle was no comfortable or easy task. Yet, as one who follows Jesus, I believe that this is the way of eternal life and opposing the ways of death. I believe this applies to all areas of life. Where is the darkness I have yet not introduced to light?

Believe vs Trust

There’s that word again, “believe." This is all through chapter three and it really makes us think about judgment in a particular way. So, a quick reminder on this word is needed. It is best that it is read here as “trust.”

The Greek word we translate here as belief (pisteuó) is a verb. It is active. In the Greek it also means faith, trust, trust in, or entrusted with. All active postures.

This is an important distinction in our Western World as “believe” often means the cognitive acceptance of a list of ideas about God in Jesus Christ. Where as “trust” has a different and more important connotation. Ideas about Jesus may make logical sense to me, but do I trust in Jesus or just my ideas about Jesus?

For example, understanding that medicine will help with my sickness is one thing. Taking the medicine is another. That is the important distinction needed in our Western culture today. Otherwise, we may lean heavy on people being judged by God based solely on their beliefs or "ideas" about God. As many do.

In light of that, I think it is best when John 3:16 I sread this way: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever trusts in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Here is the very heart of divine judgment. God loves the world. God wants to save the world. God wants to heal the world. Through Jesus Christ, God brings the light and awareness of what is currently destroying our world, ourselves, and others.

Just like when Moses holds up the very thing that is destroying Israel on a pole, Jesus has been held up on a cross to show us how Evils like greed, lust, violence, and so many other things that we participate in individually and collectively are bringing about destruction rather than restoration.

They bring about death rather than life. God in Christ brings the enlightenment of what is destroying us to light so that we might "not perish, but have ever lasting life."

Those who trust in the way of Jesus, are those who are resisting these evils, not only allow them to be brought to light but confront how they have participated with them as well, are those who will not perish, but participate with eternal life.

However, those who resist the light. Those who insist on the darkness. Those who would rather allow injustice to consume them and the world around them and do not care how they participate with that injustice, they are the ones who are “already condemned.”

It is this difference between those who see the way of healing and restoration and take it and those who ignore and even resist that way for its alternative instead.

We can even see this in Matthew 25, where Jesus is shown judging between “the sheep and the goats” after his second coming. They are not judged based on their ideas about God or their religious orthodoxy. They are judged based on their compassion or lack of it towards the most vulnerable.

They were judged based on how they confronted injustice and suffering in this world and brought healing to those who were impacted by it the most. Just like Jesus did during his ministry.

Understanding this important approach to divine judgment here in John 3 not only helps us to understand the “final judgment” a bit better, but also how we think about “believers” and “nonbelievers.”

What about those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus? What about those who have heard a distorted version of the gospel? Like in Cambodia, Vietnam, or Japan where their only Idea of Jesus is America dropping bombs on them. Or other countries where their only idea of Jesus is the western world enslaving them? Or those in our own culture where their only idea of Jesus has been church hurt, religious trauma, and abuse?

Well, instead of saying “believers” and “nonbelievers,” what if we said, “healers” or “destroyers?”

When we look at someone’s life, even if they identify with another religion or no religion at all, do we see light or darkness? Do we see them opposing injustice or denying it exists? Do we see them pursuing healing in the world or indifference to the world? Do we see the way of Jesus in them, even if their ideas about Jesus may be distorted or not present at all?

Most importantly, are we asking these questions about ourselves more than we are about other people?

Now I'd like to hear from you. How do you resonate with what I have written here? Are there things you would add? I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you benefit from this project and would like to support it through a recurring gift, you can do so here: There's a $5/mo, $10/mo, and a $25/mo available.

If you’d like to support it through a one time gift, you can do that here: one-time-gift.​

Thank you all for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every week.

I deeply appreciate you all,

Ben

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