Purpose in Judgment

(This message was delivered at Fountain of Life Christian Fellowship on Dec. 28, 2025)

Throughout 2025, I’ve shared a lot about judgment. In January, I shared about word I received the previous November from Father that said, “The judgment has already begun. The mark is everywhere.” Throughout the year we also focused on purpose, and this blog post explains the purpose in judgment.

If we were to define the word “purpose,” we would say that purpose is the reason for which something is made or done. When things go wrong, we usually find ourselves looking for some useful purpose for the inconvenience, the difficulty, or the loss that we have experienced. Sometimes we can identify the purposes right away. Other times, we can find ourselves waiting for years before we see any useful purpose for such events. There are also those times when there is never any good purpose to be found.

What is Judgment?

As we look at the purpose of judgment, we need a working definition for the term. Typically, when we hear the word, our mind automatically equates judgment with something bad, harmful, or detrimental to our current circumstances. We view it as a negative event, but that is not necessarily true in every case, as we will see.

The main Hebrew word used for judgment speaks of a verdict – favorable or unfavorable – that has been handed down by a judge. But this word also carries with it a connotation or feeling of fairness, equity, and wise decision making. These are all positive traits that are included in its meaning. We see an example of this Hebrew word being used in Scripture in Deuteronomy 32:4 where it says, “He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” We don’t see the word “judgment” in that verse. In the NIV, it is translated as “just.” His ways are just, which is truly a positive thing.

In the Greek, the most common word used for judgment speaks of justice or a decision made between what is right and wrong. It refers to the conclusion or settlement of a matter. An example of this is found in John 3:19, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” The word “judgment,” although alarming when first delivered or received, may seem negative or harmful in nature. But in God’s economy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that. A declaration of coming or ongoing judgment is not a declaration that destruction is near at hand. A declaration of judgment upon a people or a nation, however, is meant to bring about three specific actions or outcomes.

Correction

The first goal or intended purpose of judgment is correction. Again, for most of us, this is not a positive word either. We hear this word, and our minds go to our past mistakes, our failures, the times when we have broken the law or bent the rules, or even to those past indiscretions that we strive to keep secret. We hear “correction” and think “punishment.” For most people, correction means paying a penalty for our wrongdoing, but correction isn’t necessarily for wrongdoing. It is not a payment or reprisal for sin, or failure or mistakes.

The Biblical meaning of this Hebrew word is “to help one turn in a new direction.” It speaks of instruction or teaching. It is meant to help us understand the causes and the effects of our actions. It speaks of chastisement or reproof that should increase the likelihood of it not happening again. None of us like to be scolded, but sometimes that is exactly what we need so we won’t do it again.

One of the Greek words used for correction in the New Testament means restoration to a state of being correct again. We see this word used in II Timothy 3:16 where it says, “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, directing, and training in righteousness.”

There are two typical responses to correction being brought into a person’s life. One is that the person’s heart will be softened by the correction. This means that the person is amenable to changing direction and doing things differently. The other possible response is that their heart will be hardened and made even more resistant to change. These are the choices that are available to us have every time correction comes into our lives, and we will choose one or the other. Here is the bottom line: the ultimate purpose of correction is to make us more like Jesus.

Repentance

The second goal or intended purpose of judgment is repentance. Repentance is a key principle in the lives of believers. It is a concept that we are quite familiar with, but repentance is more than apologizing for messing up, falling down, making a small mistake, or failing miserably. Repentance is confessing or admitting that to the wrong that has been done. Sometimes that is hard to do, but repentance involves making the conscious and deliberate decision to turn from doing the same thing again. Repentance means to turn around and move away from the action that you know is sin and that you know you shouldn’t be doing.

We know that as believers, we have been forgiven for our sins, and that the power of sin in and over our lives has been broken. So, what is there for us to repent from? In the world today, there is much that the Church, as a whole, needs to repent from.

One thing that we need to repent from is the wrong beliefs that we hold. God’s amazing grace has become cheap grace and is often taken advantage of. Many believe that grace will cover all our sin, even if it’s willful, premeditated sin. Doubt is growing among believers regarding what we view as a essential beliefs like the inaccuracy of Scripture and the sinless life of Christ. By doubting these key principles, we are giving ourselves an excuse to do wrong. Arrogance and superiority have crept into our national belief and practice because many now belief that being Christians make us better than others. It should go without saying, but none of these beliefs or practices can be found in Jesus’ life. They should not be found in ours.

The Church also needs to repent for its bad behavior. The standard and expectation of appropriate language among believers has fallen. Among some believers, it would be difficult to distinguish between them and nonbelievers these days based on the language being used. Dishonesty has also become a problem. There are those who claim the name of Jesus, especially in the public square, but have no qualms at making blatantly false statements and then justifying their dishonesty. And with the proliferation of personal electronic devices, many believers today struggle with viewing and participating in things online that waste time, consume resources, and scar of the mind.

Thirdly, the Church needs to repent for mistreating others, especially those we view as “less than.” Racism and prejudice are on the rise within the Church and viewed as acceptable more today than they ever have been. People of any color other than our own are looked upon with suspicion. Many Christians approach people of other beliefs, even within the confines of Christianity, with condescension and snobbery. And the judgment, the negative kind, that we level against one another is far from what Christ instructed us exercise, and we would be wise to remember that we shall be judged by the same measure that we use.

We need repent for the hateful words that we say to people and say about others. Gone are the days when personal opinions were kept to ourselves. If we think it, we say it – whether it is hurtful or not. Why? Because people need to hear it. We gossip and ridicule those we don’t agree with behind their backs. We freely damage people’s credibility and reputations, and we disparage those we hold in contempt or who hold opinions different from our own. We rationalize this kind of behavior because our opinion is the right one.

The Church also needs to repent of the apathy or complacency that exists in our Christian walk. For many, apathy and complacency have become a way of life. After the pandemic, many believers have struggled to reengage in church attendance and activities again. I am certain that each of us are aware of people we know who once were dedicated in their church attendance and now stay home week after week justifying their absence with any number of excuses. The level of self-focus among believers has caused us to prioritize what is best for us and our families over the needs of the local church or the needs present in our community. For those of us who do make it to church on a semi-regular basis, we struggle to participate in the various activities available to us. One service a week is enough it seems.

Finally, the Church needs to repent from disbelief. We say we believe the words of Christ and that we agree with what it means to be a believer. Yet we live like we don’t believe and that our life as a believer has no impact and makes no difference in the way we live. The lives, opinions, and actions of many, many Christians do not look much different from the world or from nonbelievers. Truly, the church has much to repent from.

Reconciliation

The third goal or intended purpose of judgment is reconciliation. Reconciliation is the act of restoring a relationship to a state of harmony. It speaks of the restoration of the relationship between God and humanity through Jesus Christ. This reconciliation involves a change from animosity toward God to friendship with God. It speaks of restoring peace and drawing us individually and collectively back to God. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14-16, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” 

Reconciliation means closing the gap that has opened between us and God, between us and our family members, or between us and those we work with or worship with. Paul also wrote this in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” In other words, as much as it is humanly possible, close the gaps that have opened, repair the bridges that have been damaged, and go the extra mile to be reconciled with those you know. This is exactly what Jesus did for us, and that is exactly his will is for each of us.

The purpose of the judgment that our nation is experiencing is reconciliation. It is about restoring right relationships. Within our families, the rifts can be healed, the outcast can be restored, the rejected can be brought home again, and the one who has lost their way it can be restored.

Father wants reconciliation within our local churches with our fellow believers. The minor disagreements we have can be resolved. Major grievances can be worked through, and those who have become inactive or have stopped attending can be reactivated.

There also needs to be reconciliation with the Truth in our lives. There needs to be a conscious decision made to apply the Word to our lives, to live our lives according to what it says, and to model our lives after the example that Christ and the disciples have set for us. We need to decide to shun the ways of the world and break the insidious hold it has on areas of our lives.

We also need to reconcile our lives with holy living. We need to live lives that are set apart for God and dedicated to following his precepts. We need to allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God, who dwells within our spirit. In short, we need to reconcile ourselves to God and come back into a right relationship with him. This is Father’s message for us today.

As we begin this new year, we will be presented with new opportunities and new challenges.

Personally, I am glad to see the end of 2025. It was a very difficult year. We saw destructive wildfires out west and massive flooding in Texas and in the Northwest. We have witnessed a public assassination, multiple airline crashes, political rancor and unrest, riots and protests in the streets of cities across the nation, and massive layoffs and rising unemployment. We endured the longest government shut down in history, rising energy and grocery prices, stagnant wages that are unable to keep up with the growing demands, and the list could go on and on.

An Act of Love

We began 2025 with the word “judgment,” and that judgment continues and will continue as the clock winds down until Jesus’ return. With that being the case, it is imperative that we understand that judgment is an act of love, not of anger. We see this in Hebrews 12:5-6 where the writer quotes the words of Solomon in Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline and do not lose heart when he rebukes you because the Lord disciplines the ones he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as a son.” 

Father’s Invitation

We are his children, whom he accepts and loves dearly. The judgment we are enduring is Father’s invitation for us to return to him, to return to the truth, to return to holy living, and to return to an active belief. It is Father’s invitation to soften our hearts rather than to harden our resolve to do what we want. It is Father’s invitation for us to accept correction and to get back on the path of righteousness that he has intended for us. And it is Father’s invitation for us to be reconciled, to be drawn closer than we have ever been as a people, and an invitation to be pulled into his embrace.

I do need to offer this caveat, however. We are living in the end times, and from what I can see in the Word it doesn’t get any easier from here. Please understand this one thing, there is purpose in the judgment that we have been experiencing this year and for the foreseeable future as we continue to wait on the coming of Jesus. We can take comfort and draw hope from Paul’s words in Romans 8:28-30, “And we know (not simply believe or say that we believe) we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. For those God for knew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his Son so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. and those he predestined he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

To sum up, Father’s purpose in the challenges and in the difficulties, in the pleasant times and in the victories that we experience is all meant to make us more like Jesus, who has made perfect in his sufferings (Hebrews 2:9-10).  And we know that if Jesus was made perfect through his suffering, so shall we.

A Time of Examination

As we have come to the end of 2025 and now stand at the beginning of 2026, we need to be reminded that this is a time of examination. It is a time to examine our hearts, our actions, our motives, and our attitudes. It is a time for discerning whether we are in alignment with what Father has intended for our lives. Are we on the right path? Are our decisions and motives sound? Are we pursuing the best things that are available to us?

If not, it is time to make some corrections to make the necessary changes. It’s time to throw out the things that are not pure or righteous in our life and then to strive to obtain those things that will draw us closer to where Father would have us to be. I Peter 4:17 says that judgment begins in the house of God, and you are the house of God. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

May our Father’s hope, peace, joy, and love sustain us through whatever judgment comes our way, and let’s allow his judgment to make us more like Jesus in 2026.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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