My birth name is Daniel. When I was younger, I remember going into Christian bookstores and looking at all of the different name tag trinkets. Many of them had a name listed, along with the Hebrew meaning of the name. Not suprisingly, I looked mine up and found out that Daniel means “God is my Judge.” When I was a child, I did not understand this entirely. I mean, sure, I understood the basics behind judgement and grace, but nothing of the deeper implications of what they meant.
I am realizing more and more the necessity for me, and for many other Christians, to say as a matter of fact that “God is my Judge” or even “God is our Judge” and finally ”God is the Judge.”
All too often, Christians are criticized for being judgemental toward others. The conservative church is characterized by self-righteousness and intolerance instead of love and compassion. Here’s a great example, which I’m sure many of you have heard. In the book unChristian, research shows that these percentages of people outside of the church believe that Christians are:
* antihomosexual 91%
* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%
Notice that the top three things on the list directly relate to the judgement of others. So I think: What right do I have to criticize someone of wrongdoing when I myself am guilty of wrongdoing every single day (if not in deed, in thought)? It’s quite simply the pot calling the kettle black. Also, my definition of wrongdoing might differ from someone else’s definition of wrongdoing, because not everyone believes in the Bible as the Word of God. And even of those who claim to believe in the Bible, not everyone believes that it is inspired in plenary verbal form, which in effect allows for personal interpretation to cloud the intent of the Bible’s message, if you even believe that the authors of the Bible had an intent to begin with.
I do know this, though. When it comes to matters of accountability for sin, I am accountable to no man, but to God. God is my judge. I believe, based on the Bible, that we will all give an account for our lives, even for every idle word that is spoken. I have no right to condemn my fellow man, but I do have an obligation to bring my fellow man into the knowledge of the good news of Christianity: That there is forgiveness found at the foot of the cross of Christ! I am not ashamed of this message, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
I cannot judge a person’s righteousness or lack thereof, but God can. He is the one Just Judge, and He alone defines morality. No man is accountable to anyone else other than Him. My only goal is to bring people face to face with the Scripture, as I myself was brought into contact with it. Sure, it’s offensive. It hurts our human pride, because we want to think we’re basically good. The prophet Isaiah even considers our good deeds to be polluted garments in the sight of God’s pure Holiness. The scripture reveals to us who we really are: sinful humans in need of a Savior. But…ultimately, what a person does with the gospel is up to them. I am just thankful for the opportunity to preach it and to try and live it out as God works on me.
Hebrews 9:27,28 – “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
