The Judge

DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE JUDGE

Gen 18:20-25

20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.   23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

NIV

There is far more to this exchange between Abraham and the Lord, but we need to repose in this moment first. As the Lord had determined, he revealed to Abraham his intent regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather than throwing up his hands in surrender, Abraham begins to petition the Lord certainly on account of Lot living there. The technic or method Abraham uses in his attempt to save Lot from this coming wrath is by reminding God of his own character. “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Then he adds, “Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Here is our truth, our lesson. God does not treat the righteous and the wicked alike. But who are the righteous and who are the wicked?

Rom 1:17

17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."  

NIV

The righteous are those who live by faith. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Lamb of God, who died for their sin and is their Lord and Savior.

There is so much scripture which talks about the righteous and the wicked it would be difficult to include all of it, yet there is evidence God does not treat the righteous and the wicked alike.

Mal 3:17-18

17 "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked , between those who serve God and those who do not.

NIV

Those who serve God and those who do not. This is what is comes down to. There is not a single person on earth who is righteous in and of themselves. We are all sinners. But Jesus is our righteousness.

1 Cor 1:30-31

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.   31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."  

NIV

Let us boast about Jesus Christ, not about our righteous acts, for we have no righteous acts, all being sinners. The difference is those who are considered righteous are those who are in Christ Jesus. Those who refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who form some type of allegiance with a false god are considered the wicked. We could enumerate many of the false gods which would take a long time, but we know for certain, the god of self is one of the most popular. They is also a distinction between those who say they believe in God, and those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is far more difficult to notice the difference and we should leave than up to God, for we would be acting as a judge whom we are not qualified to be. Yet it is clear the in order for a man or woman to see the kingdom of God they must be born again.

John 3

 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 

NIV

This may be the distinction between believing in God, and being in Christ Jesus and thus being considered righteous. Yet the point of all this is God does indeed treat the two differently. The righteous will inherit eternal life, the wicked will not. The end of the wicked is of some debate. Some believe the scripture proves they will be in eternal punishment in hell. But Hell and or hades is cast into the lake of burning sulfur and thus is destroyed. Some believe the scripture proves the wicked are also cast into the lake of burning sulfur, which is true, but the rub is what happens then. Do they burn forever, or do they perish? Either way, the wicked are not treated to eternal life as the righteous are. God treats those who serve him way differently than those who do not. In the famous words of Joshua, “Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” Then there is no fear when we stand before the Judge.