Jesus's view of Judgment
In 'The Lost Message of Jesus,' Steve Chalke says:
The Bible never defines God as... anything other than love. (page 63)
And
When it comes to the God of the Bible there is only one kind of sin in the world - forgiven sin. (page 109)
And he says that
Jesus believed in original goodness. (page 67)
We have already shown that the first two of these statements are just plain wrong, and the third needs so much qualification that as it stands it is extremely misleading.
The Bible certainly does say that God is love. This is vitally important - there would not be any hope for any of us if God were not love. But it also says:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John chapter 1 verse 5)
Psalm 7 verse 11 says:
God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.
We have to hold together that God is love and that God is just. It is a tragic mistake to say that the Bible never defines God as anything other than love. Sadly, Steve Chalke knows the Bible well enough to know that what he said is not true.
Jesus believed that although people were originally good, they are now sinners, in need of rescue and forgiveness. He certainly referred to sins that were not forgiven, and would not be forgiven.
Judgment?
A key question is whether Jesus believed that God judges people because of their sins. In fact, the Gospels are clear on this point. For example, Jesus said:
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew chapter 5 verses 21-22)
In Matthew chapter 10 verses 11-16, Jesus is giving instructions to his followers on their mission, and he says:
Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Jesus says something similar when he is sending out his seventy-two followers in Luke chapter 10 verses 8-15
In Matthew chapter 11 verses 20-24, Jesus says:
Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
In Luke chapter 11 verses 29-32, (and the parallel passage in Matthew chapter 12 verses 39-42) Jesus says:
This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
There is a more extended discussion of Jesus's warning of judgment to come in Luke 13:1-5 here, and a more extended discussion of Jesus's teaching about hell here.
Of course, these things are uncomfortable and politically incorrect in today's climate - but that is a world away from saying that Jesus did not believe in them, or that the Bible does not teach them. It is very clear from these verses that Jesus did indeed believe in judgment.
In the Evangelical Alliance dialogue on October 7th 2004, Steve Chalke asserted that he also believes in God's judgment. However, it is frankly difficult to reconcile this statement with the things he wrote in 'The Lost Message of Jesus.'
Spinning salvation - John 3:16
There is an interesting example of spin-doctoring in the way Steve Chalke treats the most famous verse in the Bible (page 45 of 'The Lost Message'):
John, the Gospel writer and disciple of Jesus, makes one of the most famous statements in the entire Bible as he recounts the life of Jesus: 'God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son' (John 3:16). To which he adds the less familiar, 'God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!' (John 3:17)
Well, so far, so good, except... except that he missed out some rather key words which come between these two quotations:
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.
The two absolutely vital elements in the missing words are:
- That it is possible for people to miss out on eternal life, and
- That the people who gain eternal life are those who believe in God's Son, Jesus
These are rather key points to leave out, aren't they?
In fact, the case for God's judgment in this verse is stronger and clearer than the translation given here indicates. The phrase 'never really die' paraphrases a Greek word for which a more accurate translation would be 'never be destroyed.'
Conclusion
Jesus believed that people were originally created good, but are now polluted and spoiled by sin. As such, we are under God's judgment, and face the risk of his punishment. This is vitally important when we come to think about Jesus's death, because he understood his death against this background of sin and judgment.
More about the 'Lost Message'
- Introduction
- How did Jesus view human nature?
- What does the rest of the New Testament say about human nature?
- Unforgiven sin?
- Jesus' view of judgment
- Jesus saw his death as a ransom for many
- Jesus saw his death as a sacrifice for his people
- When was the message lost?
- Summing up
For more on this vital subject, visit Pierced for Our Transgressions. Better still, read the book...
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