Understanding God’s Judgment

Is the corona virus a judgment from God?  As I shared in my last article, a minister friend of mine stated in his newsletter that it cannot be.  This is a common belief, in some charismatic circles, which is based on John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  It also goes along with the preaching of the Apostle Peter, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:37,38).  My friend went on to say that when a person ignores the love and redemption offered, then a door is opened to the enemy to steal, kill and destroy.  There is very little difference between what my friend is saying and what others are saying, if we go beyond the words and look at what we mean by those words.  To my friend, if you say God is sending judgment, then you are saying that Jesus came to judge rather than to save.  When others say God is sending judgment, they mean that sin must be punished so we need to repent in order to obtain mercy.  Both are looking to God for mercy. 

What difference does it make then if we are saying the same thing but using different words?  It makes a lot of difference to the hearers because people react to what they think they are hearing.  If I use words that you understand differently than what I mean, then my message is misunderstood.  Your response will be to what you understood, not to what I said.  If the Church is to come to maturity, it must come to “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13).  Unity is at the heart of what God desires for the Church.  It is something that Jesus prayed for before the end of His earthly ministry (Jn. 17:21).  It will come as the Body is edified by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).  We will not come to unity unless we discuss these differences while “endeavouring to keep the unity in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).  It takes effort to maintain a unity of fellowship when we see things differently, but a commitment to love will see us through to maturity.

What then are these differences?  The religious view says that God is putting sickness on us to develop character, so we are instructed to accept it as “suffering for Christ”.  Faith, on the other hand, says that Christ is our healer so we should resist the enemy who tries to oppress us.  It is important to fight the enemy, but it is more important that we fight with truth.  Presumption tries to claim the promises of God without obedience.  The Scriptures say: “Submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Jas. 4:7).  We cannot effectively resist the enemy apart from submission to God. 

What does submission to God have to do with resisting the devil, besides the fact that God in us is the power we need for resisting?  It has to do with God’s justice.  The devil is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10).  He is the prosecuting attorney going before the Judge because we have done something wrong.  He is the jailer who will torment those who refuse to forgive others (Matt. 18:34,35).  The devil does not have free reign to do whatever he wishes against God’s people.  He is limited by God’s justice.  If there is cause for judgment, the devil will demand it; and unless we obtain mercy, because of Christ’s sacrifice, then we will receive punishment.  Not all sickness or oppression is a result of sin, but if what we are facing is, then what we need first is mercy.  Without mercy, punishment will come.  We must “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). 

In a general sense, all sickness is the result of the fall of man.  As Paul said, “The sting of death is sin” (1Cor. 15:56).  Since our bodies are all currently subject to death, we are also subject to sickness, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Cor. 15:57).  Although sickness and other calamities are the result of sin in general, that does not mean that they are the result of individual sin.  There are all kinds of natural causes, accidents, evil acts, etc.  Regardless of the cause, however, James says that we should pray in faith for healing, and if sin is the cause, God will grant forgiveness which will allow for healing (Jas. 5:14-16).  The need for forgiveness is very important.  Even when judgment comes to a nation, Christians should, as priests of God, intercede for that nation.  We can by faith ask God to forgive the sins of the nation, because of the sacrifice of Jesus.  (See 1Jn. 5:16,17).  We have examples of that type of intercession in the prayers of Nehemiah (Neh. 1:4-11) and Daniel (Dan. 9:1-19), who confessed the sins of the nation as their own sin to obtain God’s mercy.  When you know God, you know His desire for mercy, but you also understand the universal need for justice. 

There is one more aspect of judgement that we have not yet discussed, and this is God’s discipline.  If all we must do after we sin is ask for forgiveness, then what would prevent us from committing that sin again?  If we love God, you may be thinking, we won’t do that, but what if we lack self-control?  God loves us too much to allow us to continue in sin, so He disciplines us (Prov. 3:11,12).  What does this discipline look like?  Is it only a chastening in our spirit, like a rebuke?  The Apostle Paul would not agree.  He said that this discipline may even take the form of judgment.  “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.  For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” (1Cor. 11:30-32).  There are many examples in Scripture where God forgave someone, but punishment was still administered.  Miriam bore the punishment of leprosy for one week (Nu. 12:9-15).  David was punished for his sin with Bathsheba (2Sam. 12:1-15).  God’s discipline, even if it involves judgment, is meant to help us overcome sin.

A final judgment is coming to this world, and it is God’s goodness that delays it (Rom. 2:3,4).  It is also God’s goodness that allows some preliminary judgments to come as warnings of the final judgment.  The way to overcome this world is to resist the enemy and draw near to God in repentance and faith (Jas. 4:8-10).