For me, the idea of God as a judge or as wrathful is that image of God seems to be an Old Testament view of God.  I think I like to divide the Old Testament and New Testament “versions” of God in my mind.  While I realize that God is unchanging, I think this division gives me peace and comfort.  It is much easier to think of God as peaceful and kind and as the same Being who eradicated cities for sinfulness that our society now rivals!

I’ve been pondering the attributes of God recently, specifically God as judge. I think it’s uncomfortable for many because we project our own image of judges/judging onto God, painting Him as this angry Being hovering above us, as if God is somewhere else outside our world judging our actions. But I’m learning to appreciate this characteristic of God, because God is present and active in our world; He cares about injustice and is willing to do something about it. I love that God will right every wrong and hold evil people accountable for their actions. There isn’t a dichotomy between God’s love and His justice; the two are perfectly and infinitely interwoven.

Good Day Bethany,

I think it comes down to approachability. 

Even those of us who want to fight for injustices around the world know that in our hearts on a regular basis we are guilty of acting unjustly toward our Father.  We are much more prone to find comfort in worship of a God who doesn’t hold us guilty so we tend to completely focus on the grace and love that is Jesus.  That isn’t a bad thing to the extent that we know what His grace and love covers.  Our injustice… our sin. 

We also don’t like to think of God as judge in part because if we keep with that metaphor we feel we belong in the defendants chair.  While we comprehend intellectually the theology that in Christ we no longer sit in condemnation but during those times when we struggle with the weight of our own guilt we can’t help but to place ourselves in the chair of the defendant.  That’s a very uncomfortable place to be so we prefer to leave the proverbial courtroom and worship the God of the flower shop around the corner. 

As Christians we should be able to get to a place where we observe God as Judge in a similar way to the child of a real life trial judge who happens to see mom or dad during ‘take your child to work day’.  The robe then becomes one part of the wardrobe, not the only way we see Him.  While we may feel uncomfortable at times we cannot ignore that God is judge because if He were not then grace and mercy would become trite phrases.

In the Old Testament, God does some things that I am definitely not comfortable with: drowning the whole world except for one family, killing entire cities just to show the Israelites how powerful He is… It’s hard to understand that the God who made those choices is the same God that I pray to, try to be like, find comfort in, and worship.  I can’t wrap my brain around how those people’s purpose was to die.  I’m not sure that having mercy on some of those people wouldn’t still have accomplished God’s plan for His Kingdom, you know?  I can say that God isn’t coming down here right now to rescue us all because I know that the Bible says He’s waiting until the appointed number of believers come to faith, but it’s hard to believe that the same God who allowed such widespread death so long ago is holding back His wrath now, letting all this evil reign on earth. 

I agree with Tally above, who says that grace and mercy would mean nothing if not for our knowledge of what we are being saved from.  For the Good News to be understood as truly good, we need to know the Bad News first.

I recently had an e-mail conversation on this very topic with a girlfriend of mine. Rach spent last summer in Africa. She is a photographer. She saw things on levels she never thought possible. She held a baby in her arms as it breathed it’s last breathes, then held it’s mother in her arms and sobbed with her as the nurse took the baby away. She was confronted with hardness and cruelty as a result of sin in the world. And she didn’t know how to deal with it.

This is what I wrote to her:

“This summer I spent a lot of time praying and processing through how to handle the pain, the injustice, and the wrongs that take place every day as a result of sin in the world, and what MY responsibility is, before God, when confronted with these realities, either in person or in concept.

“One of the biggest ideas that helped me came from a friend of mine who is a missionary in Ukraine with YWAM. This quote is from a former teacher of his:

“Sometimes things in Scripture (or in the world, or in life) make it seem like God isn’t very just, or merciful, or loving because of the injustice, the hardness, and the hatred that we see. We try to filter God through our own understanding. BUT we can’t teach God justice or love. He is the definition of these things. So the question isn’t, “God, what’s wrong with You here?” Instead, the question really is-- “What’s wrong with ME here? How is my perspective wrong?” God IS just. God IS loving. God IS merciful. If He appears less than so to my finite mind, it’s because He’s BIGGER than my mind can comprehend.”

The second thing that helped me in my processing and praying and thinking is a continuation of this thought: this is God’s story, not mine. I can’t understand His plot. I don’t know the ending. I beg for it, I wait for it with expectation. Still, I cannot see. BUT God knows all things. He never changes. He WILL NOT go back on His promise to remain faithful and to bring glory to His name. Sometimes His manner and means confuse the heck out of me. But that doesn’t change the fact that He is the same. (Ps. 22:2-5; 1 John 3:20).

Another thing that is helpful for me to remember is that when God owns my heart, He claims the right to turn it in whatever direction He chooses, even if it hurts or it’s outside of my comfort zone. And as I pursue God wholeheartedly, He gives me eyes to see people as He sees them. This is a beautiful, precious gift. And a heavy burden to bear.

You know this burden firsthand. You have those 2500 images that weigh on your heart and on your mind. Remember, my friend: things are not as they appear. Christ redeems the pain and sorrow and suffering, turns ashes into something beautiful, and makes all things good.

I can’t tell you how or when or what it will look like.

I can only tell you of our God.

Hold fast to Him. Press on and grasp hope.

Cheering for you,
Sarah
_____________________________

“Begone, unbelief, the Savior is near,
And for my relief, will surely appear.
By faith let me wrestle with God in the storm,
And help me, my Savior, the faith to adorn.

Though dark be my way, since He is my guide,
‘Tis mine to obey and His to provide.
Though cisterns be broken and creatures all fail,
The Word He has spoken will surely prevail.”
-- John Newton--

“there’s a time for peace and there is a time for war
a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
a time for babies to lose their lives
a time for hunger and genocide
but this too shall be made right”
-- derek webb—

Sarah,

thanks for sharing.  especially that quote from the teacher of your missionary friend.  how very true and difficult to remember.  i have a friend who is struggling with this issue.  i will definitely be pointing him to this blog and this post.

I think that I have begun to focus more and more on the love/acceptance/grace/mercy of God more and more because those are the things I am surrounded by. As a child of God, which is apparently how God views me, I should view, interact with, and talk about God in a way that lines up with that relationship. If I’m “just a sinner” in the hands of an angry God, then I probably can’t stop thinking about the wrath, or picturing God on his judgment seat just waiting to pounce on me. God has already shown that he can wipe me out if he wants, but I’m still here.
I used to be a total wretch of a person. I stacked up a few felonies in my past, and hurt a lot of people any more. But that’s not me any more. I don’t judge myself by those things any more. I’m not under God’s wrath any more. Jesus became sin so that I might become blameless. So I live like someone who is blameless, and I talk about God as though he’s that kind of God.

Or something like that!

I am sorry to be jumping in the conversation so late, but it seems like I missed a great one.  Often it is difficult for me to justify some of the things in the old testament in light of the new testament.  It really does make me appreciate Jesus so much more, knowing that God’s just decision was made; however, I did not have to pay the penalty.  Talk about a blow away!  As I think about God’s Justice it really does drive me closer to Christ, and really creates a sense of thankfulness that I might have not had otherwise.  Further, I truly love that God is just, that his character is fully just because it allows us to know where we stand with Him.  He is not a confusing God that acts on a whim!  As my friend says he is so consistent yet extremely unpredictable.  His character is consistent and this allows for his actions to be beneficially unpredictable.  Thanks for the conversation it is a great one.