The Righteous Judge

Isaiah spoke reassuringly when he said, "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us" (Isaiah 33:22).

The word judge has some very negative connotations in our world. We usually associate it with a person who is intolerant of differences, who is exclusive, who is self-righteous. We are taught not to judge each other--and the reason is clear: "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:17).

We don't know enough about anyone else to deliver judgment upon them. There are things we can discern about people: whether or not they are a positive influence on our children, for example. But true judgment is the Lord's. Because judge has negative connotation, sometimes we might not reflect often enough on the title that is part of Christ's mission and part of His character. He is our Judge. As I studied about Christ as our judge tonight, I found that most scriptures referring to His role as our judge are rejoicing:

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

"Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

"Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; and his mercy endureth for ever.

"And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise" (1 Chronicles 16:31-35).

In this passage, the people rejoiced at the thought that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming to judge the earth. They rejoiced for at least two reasons: 1. They knew the character of Christ and trusted Him to judge righteously; 2. They were confident in their standing before the Lord. I believe confidence in the Lord's presence comes through knowing Him, repenting, keeping His commandments, and keeping our covenants.

Christ's character
We remember that the Lord's judgment doesn't only mean a punishment for sin; it means that the righteous will be rewarded for their faith and faithfulness. His justice is balanced by His mercy. They are not opposite characteristics. They unite together in a Perfect Being to bring us a righteous judgment.

"So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth" (Psalms 58:11).

To be completely fair, honest, and just, the Lord will reward every righteous act, just as He will punish every unrepentant sin. We know that the Lord loves us with a perfect love. This doesn't mean that He can look away from our sins. To do so would not be to love us perfectly. It would not be just. "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" (Doctrine and Covenants 1:31).

Jesus Christ cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, but when we come to Him with a repentant heart, and do our best to obey His commandments, He will "freely forgive" (Mosiah 26:22).

This is why those who know Christ, who believe, follow, obey, and love Him, rejoice to know that He will be our righteous Judge. Think of it: our Advocate, the Good Shepherd, our Savior and Redeemer will be the One we will meet at the judgment. This can give us great hope and confidence in our future.

Confident in our standing before the Lord
The Lord's promises are sure. That means that if He has promised us blessings, He will bless us according to the promise. Because we know this about His character, we can know that if we do certain things, we can be confident in our standing before the Lord. Christ described His role as our Judge this way:

"And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.

"And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father" (3 Nephi 27:16-17).

A fair, holy, and loving judgment will come to every person who has ever lived. If we have done our best to serve those in need and follow the Savior, we can approach the judgment with confidence.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

If we do our best in this life, we will look forward to meeting our Savior and be able to say with Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).