The Judgement of God Revealed
Tune in to the Live to Love Scripture Encouragement podcast by using one of the following links:
John 3:18
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Before we unpack this verse, we need to understand something about God’s judgment. God’s judgment isn’t like man’s judgment. When man judges, an action occurs, then judgment follows. In the kingdom of God, a sinful action reveals God’s judgment. Let me explain it from Paul’s epistle to the Romans in 1:17-24.
“For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.”
How is God’s judgment that a man is righteous before Him revealed? God sends them the gospel through which the gift of righteousness is manifested as God gives Him life in Christ, and he believes. God-wrought faith is the evidence that God’s judgment is true, namely that the person’s sins have been judged in Christ, therefore, he is not judged. This God-wrought work in the heart of men will be mentioned later in John 3. The judgment of God preceded the action of a faithful response to the gospel. God sees the man in Christ, proclaims Him righteous, and reveals this reality through the testimony of faith which God gives him when he hears the gospel. If this is a new thought to you, then I encourage you to look closely at Rom. 1:16-28 and meditate on it, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand.
Now consider how God’s wrath against sin is revealed. God gives a man over to what He sees inside him. He judges that he is unbelieving, and then to reveal His judgment is right, He reveals Himself in creation and through the gospel, and his unbelieving response proves God’s judgment is true. Again, God’s judgment precedes the unbelieving response to the gospel or God’s revelation. He sees the unrighteousness and ungodliness in the man that suppresses the truth, judges it, and then reveals His judgment by leaving him to himself to do what God sees in his heart. So when the Son of God comes into the world as the light of the world, and a man doesn’t believe, it is evidence that he is already judged.
That’s why Jesus said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” So here’s the encouragement for today. If you are living to love with Jesus, you believe that your sin has been judged in Him at the cross. Your unbelieving, self-directed life has passed away. You are not judged like the unbelievers are. You also believe that He lives and that He is your life. That’s why you live today—to love with the living Christ who dwells inside you. Does this encourage you? I hope so. Otherwise, you have been judged already, and I encourage you to repent of not believing in Jesus.