16 December 2010

Psalm 50; Isa. 9:18-10:4; 2 Pet. 2:10b-16; Matt. 3:1-12

Is the judgment of God simply allowing us to follow the devices and desires of our own hearts? If he abandons us to our own devices do we judge and destroy ourselves? The mercy of God is that He has not abandoned His creation. We would destroy everything and never be satisfied so rapacious are our appetites. One of the tenets of Anglican theology is that without God there is nothing good at all. Even what would seem to be altruistic is deemed to have the taint of sin in it because there is nothing truly and completely wholesome in our human nature since sin entered the picture. We have never had the ability within us to know good and evil, that knowledge resides only with God. In this passage it seems that the Lord has simply said, “Have at it” and this they will experience as judgment.

John’s message was simply, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” To whom did it appeal? Those who knew they were sinners, those who were looking for the kingdom of God and those who understood what the kingdom of God meant. He was a fearless man, who called out the leaders of the people for their hypocrisy, calling them a brood of vipers. He got it right, fruit in keeping with repentance was the standard of measure and circumcision was not the way to measure whether you were a child of Abraham. Life was the measure of the heart. Has anything changed?

Peter speaks of those who follow their sinful inclinations as those who are ripe for judgment. We are to live by the Spirit who will lead us into righteousness. That is a concept that is not taught or preached much anymore. The kingdom of God is characterized by holiness and righteousness but are we seeking it in our own lives or are we comfortable with things the way they are and believe that God must be equally satisfied? Judgment is on one simple basis, is this thing righteous, is it as it should be or is it unrighteous. We need to consider our own lives and whether they are being formed or re-formed into the image of God and if not, it should be our aim to correct them. Justification is the pronouncement of God, sanctification is a cooperative process between us conforming our wills to God’s and Holy Spirit helping us.

Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
"Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge!