1 Peter 4:17
For it is time for judgement to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
One might read this and think, “Judgement at the household of God? Christians are judged? I thought we were saved from God’s judgement!” Yes and no. Yes, we are saved from God’s condemning judgement, whose wrath was appeased for us in Christ’s death, and we are justified by faith. No, we are not exempt from God’s judgement; yet He judges us according to what Christ has done, no longer according to what we have done. For God’s household, then, His judgement is nothing but good, for we are judged into eternal life based on Christ’s merits.
Since this kind of judgement begins with us, what sort of other judgement can there be for those who do not know God through His saving Gospel of Jesus Christ? The only kind of judgement for them is that of condemnation, which Jesus has saved His believers from.
If you are a Christian, the Good News is that you have already been judged in your Baptism. As Paul says in Romans 6, we have died to sin and rise as new creatures in Christ. In Baptism, you were judged in Christ’s death where God has declared you innocent because of Christ’s perfect obedience on your behalf; and you receive the gift of eternal life for His sake.
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