Responsibility and Judgment

Author: Joseph

Date: June 20, 2020

A common misunderstanding is that God’s mercy and acts of lovingkindness somehow dismiss the responsibility of the recipient to repent and turn away from evil. I’ve even heard this lie circulate among believers. This is not Scriptural and is a lie that will result in severe consequences, including separation from God. When God gives us a chance to repent, we must do everything in our will to take advantage of that opportunity and turn to Him with our whole heart, mind, and strength. If we remain unrepentant after we are given the opportunity, we cannot expect anything good will come from it.

When Yeshua and His disciples went among the cities of Israel to proclaim the Good News and perform miracles, some received them well and sought repentance, while others remained hardhearted and resisted their message. Yeshua denounced these cities according to what they had been shown and the good works Yeshua performed for them.

Miracles were performed and the Good News was preached, yet many did not repent. One of those unrepentant cities, Capernaum, Yeshua said would be judged even more severely than the old city of Sodom, from which Lot had been rescued before it was burned with brimstone and fire from heaven (Genesis 19:24-25; Matthew 11:22-24). Sodom and its inhabitants were utterly destroyed by God for their wickedness, which was exceedingly wicked. How much more was the wickedness of Capernaum for having not repented after seeing Yeshua’s miracles? Sodom received no miracles such as those Yeshua performed in Capernaum. The people of Capernaum were extended greater mercy and greater opportunity to repent, therefore, because they did not repent even after Yeshua Himself extended them the opportunity to do so, their punishment will be much more severe.

"We, as believers, have no excuse for ever choosing not to repent..."

The call to repentance is more pervasive and more accessible than ever before in today’s society. We have many resources available to us: God’s word (the Bible), God’s Spirit (who stirs our hearts and convicts us when we sin), fellowship with believers (who hold us accountable when we sin), and many other voices that God uses to call us to repent and seek His kingdom. We, as believers, have no excuse for ever choosing not to repent as we are surrounded by voices that remind us to do so. What excuse are you abusing in order to falsely justify your lack of repentance? You will be judged more severely as a believer since you have been given greater mercy beforehand, having heard personally the call to repentance.

We know that God has mercifully allowed believers to prosper in many places around the world which should encourage us to have a greater influence to preach just as Yeshua and His disciples did and relay the message of repenting and seeking the kingdom of God. Yet, often times the same places we are most tolerated are the same places we are the most silent and complacent about calling lost people to repent and seek God’s kingdom. You are an extension of God’s mercy to the unbelieving world, but if you choose to remain silent, they will be judged having known very little about repentance and God’s kingdom. Do not remain silent or be afraid of their response, be a messenger of God to bring them to repentance, and let God judge their response to the Good News.

Matthew 11:20-24

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright by The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org).