The spirit of judgment isn't what we think it is!
Why is judgment necessary? Very few Christians are comfortable with even the subject of God's judgment, let alone willing to receive it. This discomfort may come largely from a fundamental misunderstanding of the vital role that judgment plays both in the lives of God's children and the world in general. We hear the word "judgment" and it seems too negative to be of any spiritual help, but this could not be further from the truth. As Watchman Nee makes clear in The Spirit of Judgment, God will accomplish His will through judgment in at least three areas:
- Judgment glorifies God Himself.
- Judgment exposes all hidden things, manifests the true character of a person, and causes us to know ourselves.
- Before God, judgment has a great effect—it puts an end to sin.
"Aside from creation, God has not undertaken a work greater than judgment. The first thing He does is creation; but the last is judgment. Without judgment God's purpose of creation cannot be arrived at. So in His plan, His judgment is constructive, not destructive. Future judgment enables God to achieve His goal of creation. As we know, creation is to manifest God's purpose; but the devil, sin and the flesh soon thereafter came in. How then can His purpose ever be realized if there is no judgment? Let us see that the very last work of God is judgment, after which He has no need to do anything else."
Watchman Nee, The Spirit of Judgment
In The Spirit of Judgment, Watchman Nee ably tackles the difficult issue of judgment and reveals the uncompromising holiness of God that it upholds, as well as the great love always behind it. As Nee states so beautifully, "God will not be misunderstood anymore, for there is power in judgment. God is light; let us therefore walk in the light and not in darkness. Amen!"
