Evidence of Righteous Judgment

The saying is true, things are not always as they seem.  Consider for example Paul’s statement regarding the Thessalonians’ suffering.  Their endurance through persecutions and afflictions is evidence of the righteous judgment of God (2Ths 1:4-5).  Who would ever believe that if the Spirit had not revealed it?  Would any of us consider public reproach, plundering of property, physical abuse and even death the proof that our Father is judging righteously?  To the eye of sense that seems absurd.  But to the eye of faith it is gospel truth.  As the apostle says elsewhere to the Philippians, This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God (Php 1:28).  As the Christian suffers the indignity and pain of persecution at the hands of malicious evildoers, it is a sign of their destruction and his salvation!  It is evidence of righteous judgment!  What strange irony.  In the midst of such hardship it requires a childlike trust in the wisdom and fidelity of our gracious God to think like that.  But then His kingdom is very different from the kingdoms of this world.  Indeed, it is otherworldly.  Its means and ends and principles are vastly different, even diametrically opposed to those of mere earthly realms.  So this should not surprise us.  It is a wonderful paradox characterizing the experience of Christians as we live in a fallen world and make our pilgrimage heavenward.  Things are not as they seem!  In the midst of affliction and persecution, suffering and weakness the church is growing, advancing, and glorifying God through faith in the crucified Christ.  It makes no sense to fleshly reason, but to the sanctified mind it makes perfect sense.  Scripture teaches us how it is in perfect accord with the infallible plan of God.  Our Lord Jesus has overcome Satan and always overrules his schemes.  By His death Christ has removed the evil of afflictions so that all of them without exception only serve the great cause of our salvation.  Are you enduring some form of persecution or hardship at the hands of evildoers?  It is evidence of God’s righteous judgment!  It is a sign of your salvation!  It is proof that God considers you worthy of His kingdom through our great Redeemer King, even Jesus Christ.

Testimony

Testimony

It may have been a renewed interest in detective stories that triggered the most recent movie about Sherlock Holmes. The film shows the super sleuth demonstrating his amazing skills of observation in solving cases that otherwise would have been left unsettled. Often he manages to untangle a knotty problem based on the slightest circumstantial evidence, which other noble but less observant detectives are unable to perceive. Such circumstantial evidence is valuable not only in the world of super sleuths. It also serves an important function in the spiritual realm. In fact, we are invited to trust in Christ, in part, because of the amazing circumstantial evidence.

As Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure - literally His exodus (Lk 9:31) – He acknowledged their doubts and did not rebuke them. That is not all, for He invited them to believe on account of the works themselves (Jn 14:11). In other words, if they were unable to believe Him, they at least should have concluded from the evidence that He was who He said He was. In this case one need not be in possession of Sherlockian skills to deduce the right verdict logically from the facts themselves. The works of Jesus testify to His deity. They witness to His union with the Father. They are works that no one else did or can do (Jn 15:24). Even Watson could have solved this one. The prophets predicted Messiah’s stunning powers over nature, disease and devils. All those predictions were fulfilled by Jesus Christ who thereby confirmed His messianic mission not only by word but by deed too. His miracles are incontrovertible proof of His identity as God’s Son. Did the New Testament authors fabricate the evidence? They lacked motive and opportunity. Why die for a hoax? What incentive is there in sacrificing one's life for a trick? What's more, the fraud would have been easily detected by malevolent Pharisee-types. They would not have tolerated a fictitious account of recent events. Even if someone refutes the infallibility of the apostolic record, its reliability is beyond question. These were credible witnesses that even the influential Sanhedrin could not intimidate. Their testimony and the evidence they record points to one grand conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth is the very Son of God. He is the Savior of sinners. He offers salvation to all and any who believe. Of course, the natural man will not receive it and, indeed, cannot receive it (1Cor 2:14). But dear Christian, rejoice! For your Savior is indisputably divine. That makes all the difference.