On the Judgment of God
By Wanderer Margarita
Dear benefactors, when we gather for such assemblies, we pursue one goal—to listen to the holy scriptures. Why do we listen to the holy scriptures? To know God’s law and His will. However, knowing the law is not enough for salvation, as the Apostle Paul says: “It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13). For those who sin without knowing the law will perish without the law, as the same Apostle says, while those who know the law and transgress it will be judged by the law (Romans 2:12). This means that an unbeliever, ignorant of the law, is judged solely by natural reason—conscience, which is present in all of us. But a believer is judged by the law because they know it. Before people, we may appear honest and boast of our righteousness, but before God, it is entirely different: only those who fulfill the law will be saved.
When unbelievers, who are completely ignorant of the scriptures and God’s law, fulfill the law through natural reason, they prove to be better than us believers who know the law but transgress it. Why are they better? Because, despite not knowing God’s law, they live in accordance with it, demonstrating through their deeds what is commanded in the scriptures. As the Apostle says: “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness” (Romans 2:15). Conscience guides a person to perform good deeds in accordance with it. Thus, they surpass those who know God’s law but fail to fulfill it. For those without the written law, conscience and reason suffice.
In earlier times, people lived and were saved by the natural law alone. But when they began to neglect it, disregarding the law of conscience, the written law became necessary. And for its violation, punishment followed. Recall the Old Testament: if someone was seen gathering wood on the Sabbath, they were stoned. This shows how strictly God punished transgressions even in this life, and how much more He punishes those who violate His law. God created humanity with sufficient strength and knowledge to choose good and avoid evil. In all times, including before the law, humankind has been under God’s providence. The Apostle Paul confirms this: “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Romans 1:19). People knew what was good and what was evil, and even now, they can distinguish between good and evil if they so choose.
Therefore, on the day of judgment, our own thoughts will stand before us—some accusing, others justifying us. No other accuser will be needed, for our secret heart’s thoughts will accuse us. Do not think the judgment will be like the one we pronounce on ourselves now, for we often justify ourselves. God’s judgment is far stricter than ours. We often judge only by outward deeds, but God judges the secret things as well. As the Apostle Paul says: “On the day when God judges the secrets of men” (Romans 2:16). What day is this? We all know it is the day of judgment. If we abuse God’s goodness and patience, neglecting His law and the law of conscience, persisting in sin without repentance in our hearts, we store up wrath for ourselves on the day of wrath and the revelation of God’s righteous judgment, “who will render to each one according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-6), as the Apostle Paul said.
Let each of us turn to our conscience, reflect on our sins, and demand a strict account of ourselves so that we may not be condemned with the world. That judgment is fearsome, and the Judge is awesome. The demand to give an account is filled with dread. Recall what the Holy Gospel says about the Last Judgment (Matthew 24): “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect.” Further, the righteous Judge will separate the sinners from the righteous, inviting some into the kingdom of heaven and sending others to eternal torment.
Imagine if, right now, all our secret thoughts and manifest sins were revealed before everyone. I believe each of us would wish to disappear from shame rather than stand among so many witnesses. What will we feel when everything is laid bare before the entire universe at that open judgment, with both familiar and unfamiliar, kin and strangers, witnessing our secret and manifest deeds? The tragedy is that we are driven to fear human opinion, when we should have restrained ourselves through the fear of God from our own awareness, guarding against all unseemly behavior.
What will we do when we stand before God? He threatens us with eternal torment if we transgress His lawful commandments. Therefore, we must grieve over our sins and repent now, for later it will be too late. It is better to be punished by God in this life than in the next. Recall how the prophet David, acknowledging his offense against God, called for vengeance upon himself: “Let Your hand be upon me and upon my father’s house.” Offending God is far graver than being punished by Him, but this applies to those who love God.
Consider an example from earthly life: if you deeply love someone, how you fear offending them, how you strive to please them in everything. But this is not just any person—this is God, our Father, our Creator, our Lawgiver. He has given us commandments and laws that we, His unworthy servants, are obligated to fulfill. Yet look at ourselves: we are in such a pitiful state of spirit that, were it not for the fear of eternal torment, perhaps no one would bother to do anything good. We have grown lazy in virtue, clinging to earthly goods and bodily desires, loving physical comfort and fleshly pleasures too much. Thus, we are worthy of the fiery Gehenna, for we fear it more than we fear God.
If we truly loved Christ as we ought, we would know that offending the Beloved is worse than any punishment. God has done everything to be loved by us. He came to those who strayed from Him through the prophets, ready to give an account, pleading for them to enter into dialogue with Him. And since we were deaf to it all, He even drew us into conversation with Himself. How? “My people,” He says, “what have I done to you, or how have I burdened you? Answer Me.” After all this, people killed the prophets. But what did God do in response? He sent His only-begotten Son. And what happened? The Son, who came to earth for humanity’s salvation, was also killed. Yet this did not extinguish His love for us. He continues to call and do everything to draw us to Himself. He sent the apostles into the world to preach His teaching, as the Apostle Paul says: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). What words! Listen to them: “Be reconciled to God.” We are the guilty ones, we have provoked God, yet He pleads through the apostles, as if through a letter, for us to be reconciled. Paul says, “We are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God Himself were entreating you through us, pleading on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.”
How do we reconcile? Christ died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose for them (2 Corinthians 5:15). We must no longer live for ourselves. Christ shed His precious blood, He redeemed us—we are bought by Him. Thus, we must live for the One who died for us. Every believer in Christ must live not for themselves but for Christ, doing everything in Christ’s name and for His sake. Therefore, the Lord threatens us with eternal torment and promises the kingdom so that we may love Him. He draws us to Himself by every means. Let us not be so callous—let us love Christ as we ought. In this lies great reward, the kingdom, joy, delight, glory, and honor. All that is precious is contained in this. Such blessedness, which no words can express nor mind comprehend, awaits those who love the Lord God with all their heart and soul and serve Him with the same love with which He loved us.
Listen to such people. The Apostle Peter says: “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (John 13:36). That is true love—wherever You go, Lord, I will follow. Not like some who say, “Follow Christ anywhere? No way!” They might say, “I love this person so much, I’d follow them to the ends of the earth,” but they forget Christ, they forget God, who must be first. If the Lord is not first, if we give Him second place, we give Him no place at all. God must be first in our lives. The Lord is a jealous God, and He does not tolerate being neglected. He is sovereign, our Master, our Creator, patient but only for a time. While we are in this life, we must change and correct everything, not with the evil intent of delaying until death, thinking, “I’ll repent later.” No, when we are called, we must act as God’s law commands.
With the same love as the Apostle Peter, or perhaps even greater, the prophet David turned to God, saying: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25). These words show: I need nothing without You, neither heavenly nor earthly. I desire only communion with You. That is love, that is devotion. If we love God in this way, we will attain the kingdom of heaven.
How can we acquire such love? If we consider how many times we have offended God despite His countless blessings, yet He never ceased calling us; how many times we strayed from Him, yet He did not despise us but came to us, calling and drawing us to Himself—if we reflect on this and similar things, we can kindle such love in ourselves. But instead, we provoke God. Are we not worthy of countless punishments? We are insignificant and contemptible, yet loved with exceeding love by the great and wondrous Being. Yet we arrogantly reject His love. God has no need of us, yet He never ceases to love us. We desperately need Him, yet we do not value His love, preferring money, human friendships, physical comfort, relatives, power, and glory. But He prefers nothing above us. The Lord had one only-begotten and beloved Son and did not spare Him for our sake. Yet we do not appreciate this. Is it not just that He threatens us with Gehenna and punishments? What can we say in response if we prefer Satan’s commands to Christ’s laws, neglecting our salvation and choosing deceitful deeds over the One who endured all for us? What excuse or justification is there? None.
Let us finally stand firm, not swayed by unseemly deeds. Let us come to our senses, reflect on all this, and give glory to God through our deeds, for words alone are not enough. May we enjoy His glory and attain eternal life by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ.