Jesus: The Judge

“Bright Hope for Tomorrow” — Chapter 6 Reflection

Nothing Remains Hidden

There was a good portion of my life that I spent with one foot in the church and one foot in the world. I compulsively fit in wherever I found myself, regardless of whether I should or even wanted to fit in. I had some measure of belief in Jesus, but what I really believed in was the opinions of others. I embraced a superficial level of worship in the church that would be enough for anyone around to think, “Wow, he’s a good kid.” In other contexts, I embraced a level of recklessness and experimentation with all sorts of sinful and destructive behaviors that let my peers know that I was “cool.”

Anyone who has lived like that for any amount of time knows the fear you feel of ever being found out.  Would anyone in my church find out that I really wasn’t “good” and how devastating would their judgment feel?  Or would people outside the church find out that I actually regret my actions and that I’m not “cool”? Not to mention I wasn’t even sure what version of me was the real me. I’m so thankful that God guided me through a process of healing all the fractured parts of my life.

Encountering The Judge

Chapter 6 of Bright Hope for Tomorrow paints the picture of Jesus appearing on “that day” as The Judge. My initial reaction to that idea is drastically different than it would have been in my adolescence. I have found so much healing in my life in confession. I have spent painful but life-saving time confessing to pastors, counselors, my wife, and trusted friends and family members. I can’t think of a sin in my life that remains hidden. The feeling of that freedom is so valuable that the moment I have any desire to hide something is the moment I run to confess whatever I want to hide and get it away from me. If you’ve never known that freedom I can’t express strongly enough how much you need to seek it out.

So the idea of Jesus coming as the judge is initially appealing to me.  Christ has taken all my sin and I have left nothing hidden from him. But this chapter points us to more than just Jesus coming to judge sin. In this chapter we see that judgement doesn’t just come for our sin alone, but also for our motives and for our Gospel work. Now that judgement feels increasingly uncomfortable for me.

The Evidence We Present

When Jesus comes again and we stand before him, I think we all want something better to say than, “Lord, look at all the stuff I stopped doing for you.”  The Christian life should be marked far more by what we do than by what we don’t do. 

Christ Davis quotes the Apostle Paul saying, ‘Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed, by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one had one.” (1 Cor. 3:13)

This instills fear in my heart. And it’s a fear that is far more motivating than the fear I felt about being found out as a young person still deciding who I would really be.  This is a fear that I believe to be holy and right.  When the day comes, I want my life to have meant something, not so that Kody is remembered, but so I can please the King of the eternal kingdom I am welcomed into.  Davis says, “This brings a laser focus to our ministry: Am I pointing others to trust in Jesus Christ Alone?”

I agree. What do the opinions of others about me matter, when I am making much of the one I will be united with forever? On that day, I won’t regret not making more people like me, but I know I’ll regret the time wasted and the words left unsaid when I could have promoted my Savior and led others to find healing and salvation in his name.