I live a good life and do the best I can, why should I look to God as a judge?
In Genesis 2:17 God tells us who is the “Big Brain” and what happens to us if we think we are: “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.’” Have you ever noticed what happens to you and your relationships when you get judgmental?
God alone is to be the judge. He alone is the one who has the knowledge of good and evil and the ability to tell us right from wrong, and decide how we are doing. We were never meant to be judgmental or to usurp His role in the universe. And when we try to play God in this way, we die a little more. As Jesus said, “judge not, lest you be judged” (Matthew 7:1).
To judge places us in the role of God in our lives and in the lives of others. This keeps us from the knowledge found in Him. To think we are so wise in our own eyes to know enough and possess the holiness to be the judge of anyone is presumptuous. The result is always division. If we judge ourselves, we divide ourselves into all sorts of splits. If we judge others, we tear relationships apart. The only way we are to judge is in a spirit of humility and with the information God gives us (Galatians 6:1). When we confront in this way, it is not with the condemnation of the judge of the universe, it is with love. Even Jesus said He did not come to judge, but to save (John 12:47).
Life is meant to be lived in a state of humility before Him and others. We are not to think we know it all, nor are we to play that role in the life of others. Wisdom and knowledge come from Him, and to the extent we know anything useful for ourselves or to give to others, God has given it to us. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Psalm 111:10).
