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The Final Judgment | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

0:00
You know when a massive corporate scandal breaks across
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the news? Like, think of a colossal
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financial fraud, the kind of thing where thousands of
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everyday people lose their entire life savings.
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There is this this collective, almost visceral public outcry
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for a trial. Oh.
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Absolutely. We don't just want the
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executives to quietly lose their assets in some private
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settlement behind closed doors, we want them in a courtroom.
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Yeah, we want the spectacle. We really do.
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We want them under those harsh fluorescent lights, with the
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evidence laid bare for the entire world to see.
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Because the victims, they need to be able to look those
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perpetrators right in the eye. A private accounting always
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feels, I mean, it feels totally insufficient to the human mind.
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We crave public vindication. We want the scales balanced in a
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venue where everyone can verify the math, you know?
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Yeah. A place where the innocents are
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cleared and the guilty are exposed.
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It's a demand for visible equity.
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Welcome to reformed thinking. We are taking that innate human
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craving for justice today and scaling it up to the absolute
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cosmic level, Which? Is quite a leap.
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It is a massive leap, but we are pulling from an incredible stack
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of historical theology for this deep dive.
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Specifically, we're looking at an 18th century manuscript by
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the theologian Jonathan Edwards. Right, the final judgement.
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Yes, the Final Judgement and the mission for our time together is
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to look at the meticulous, logical mechanics of how the
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universe finally settles its accounts.
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Because it's not just some dusty old sermon.
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Not at all. It's a rigorous philosophical
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argument about human accountability, plasmic justice,
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and the final resolution of all those earthly inequities that
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just drive us crazy. To set the immediate context for
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this, Jonathan Edwards bases his whole argument here on a very
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specific historical event, right?
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The Apostle Paul's speech at Mars's Hill, which is recorded
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in the book of Acts, chapter 17. OK, yeah, Paul was in Athens,
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and he was speaking directly to Athenian philosophers.
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Specifically, the text mentions Epicureans and Snox.
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I want to break that down for a second because that's a huge
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detail. Who were the and Stoics and why
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did Paul have to change his whole approach for them?
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Well, the Epicureans were. They were essentially the
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materialists of the ancient world.
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They believed the universe was just atoms colliding randomly.
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Oh wow. Yeah, they thought the gods were
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distant, totally unconcerned with human affairs, and the
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highest good for them was just avoiding pain and seeking
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tranquil pleasure. So very detached.
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Highly detached. The Stoics, on the other hand,
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they were fatalists. They believed in this
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pantheistic divine logic governing everything, and their
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goal was strict emotional control, duty above all else.
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Got it? But here's the kicker.
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Neither of these groups believed in a personal, intervening
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creator who actually held humans morally accountable in some
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final. Courtroom.
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So if Paul stands up in front of that specific crowd and starts
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quoting Hebrew prophets like he starts reading from Isaiah or
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Ezekiel, he's going to lose them immediately.
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Totally. They don't recognize the
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authority of those texts at all. Spot on.
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So he didn't start with special revelation, he started with
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natural theology. He used their own city, right?
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Yeah, he walked through Athens, observed and altar dedicated to
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an unknown God and use their own physical environment to
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establish the reality of a creator.
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He builds A logical bridge. Yes, from the natural world
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straight to the necessity of divine judgement.
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And Edwards models his own treatise on this precise
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framework. That makes sense.
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He's building a highly structured, rational defense of
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Christian doctrine, an argument that appeals to reason and logic
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just as much as it appeals to scriptural revelation.
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OK, but before we can look at the specific events of the last
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day, we have to establish the jurisdiction of the court
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itself. The authority question.
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Right. Why does God possess the right
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to judge the world in the first place?
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Edwards makes this fascinating distinction right at the
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beginning between two different types of government, natural
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government and moral government. Yes, and that distinction is the
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hinge for his entire argument. God's natural government
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controls the physical universe. Physics basically.
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Physics, Astronomy. Biology.
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This covers the orbit of the sun, the phases of the moon, the
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turning of the tides, even you know, the tiny moats of dust
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floating in a sunbeam. Oh, managed.
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It is absolute and unbreakable. Gravity doesn't wake up and have
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a choice voice and how it operates, but moral government
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is a completely different category.
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How so? Moral government applies
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strictly to rational, voluntary creatures.
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In Edwards theology that means angels and human beings.
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Because we possess intellect and will, we are governed by laws,
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rules and sanctions. Not just blind physical forces,
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right? It almost sounds like you're
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describing the architecture of a massive multiplayer video game.
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Oh, that's an interesting way to frame it well.
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Think about it. Managing the natural government
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is like coding the physics engine of the game.
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The developers write the code for gravity, lighting, collision
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detection. If a player's character walks
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off a Cliff, they fall. The character doesn't have a
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choice in the matter, the physics engine just dictates it.
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It just happens, right? But the moral government, that's
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like the terms of service, the community rules.
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I see where you're. Going It outlines how players
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should treat each other. It forbids cheating, griefing,
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harassment. The physics engine enforces
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itself automatically, but the terms of service require a
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moderator, a judge, Yes, a judge to observe behavior and actually
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enforce consequences for violations.
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That analogy captures the dynamic brilliantly.
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The physical world runs on code, but the moral world runs on
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accountability. Edwards argues that God acts as
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the supreme judge of this moral government in two distinct ways,
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by right and in fact. OK, let's look at by right
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first. He holds the role by right
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because of His infinite Excellency and our total
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dependence on him. He's the Creator.
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We are the created. Edwards uses a specific
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theological phrase here. He says God possesses a merit of
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condignity. Whoa.
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Hold on, marriage can diggity. That sounds like I don't know,
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18th century legalese. It is very dense.
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What does that actually mean in plain English for the listener
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today? It essentially means an inherent
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absolute worthiness based on status and nature.
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Think of it like this. Say you build a house with your
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own two hands. You use materials you purchase
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with your own money on land you own outright.
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Right, it's my house. You possess an absolute right to
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determine who lives in that house and what the rules of the
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house are. Your right to govern that house
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is inherent to your creation of it.
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All that makes sense. God possesses infinite inherent
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worth. It is simple logical injustice
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to deny the Creator the right to govern the creature sustained
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breath by breath by his own hands.
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So he is the judge by right? What does it mean that he is the
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judge in fact? Being judge in fact relates to
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his omnipotence. Look at human governments.
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A king might have the legal right to rule a province, but if
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he lacks an army, he lacks the strength to enforce his laws.
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His right is pretty much useless then.
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Yes. Useless, in fact.
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Yeah, but God possesses infinite strength.
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No creature can resist his judicial capacity.
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He has the absolute authority and he has the absolute force to
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back up that authority. And Edwards brings up a prime
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example of this resistance failing in the text.
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Isn't he? He does.
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He points to the fallen angels. These were considered the most
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mighty of all created beings, and they attempted to rebel
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against this moral government. They tried to shake off the
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yoke. Yeah, they tried to rewrite the
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terms of service and they failed miserably.
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They were cast out and bound. It's this historical precedent
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within the theology demonstrating that the
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jurisdiction of the court cannot be successfully challenged by
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anyone, no matter how powerful they think they are.
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It proves that while creatures can choose to rebel against the
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law giver, they absolutely cannot withdraw themselves from
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the judge you. Can break the rules, but you
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cannot escape the courtroom. Precisely.
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And that brings us to a crucial piece of Edwards theology that
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we need to clarify early on. He notes that God actually
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judges individuals immediately upon death.
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Right, the particular judge. Yes, the particular judgement.
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The second the soul departs the physical body, it becomes
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instantly sensible of God's presence and its individual
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sentences execute right then. Wow, instantaneous.
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The human conscience is made to testify to the justice of that
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decree, and the soul goes to its designated state, heaven or
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hell. OK, this raises an immediate
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massive question for you. If every single person receives
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a private particular judgement the second they die and their
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eternal state is settled right then and there, why is a massive
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secondary event needed at all? It's the logical question.
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I mean, if I die on a Tuesday and my soul is judged and sent
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to its final destination that very afternoon, why have a
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general day of judgement thousands of years later?
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What is the logical point of a sequel if the sorting has
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already occurred? That is the pivotal question of
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the entire text. Why a public spectacle?
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Yeah, why? Because a private ruling at
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death is entirely sufficient for individual placement, it puts
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the soul where it belongs. But a private ruling does not
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satisfy the cosmic necessity for public vindication.
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OK, unpack that. To understand this, we have to
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look at the way God currently rules the world.
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Edwards points out that right now, God rules in a hidden,
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secret manner. Invisible to us.
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His dominion is not visibly obvious to the physical eye.
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Right, because if it were obvious, there would be no
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atheists. Spot on.
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Because God's rule is hidden, atheists deny his existence
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entirely. Tyrants suppress the weak
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without facing any immediate visible accountability.
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They just get away with it. It seems like it false idols and
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corrupt systems receive the worship and loyalty that belongs
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solely to the Creator. A public judgement is rationally
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necessary to visibly display God's dominion before the exact
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individuals who denied it. I look at human history and, you
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know, so much of it feels like a story missing his final chapter.
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Yes, the current state of the world often looks like a
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completely unregulated marketplace.
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Fraud is rampant. We see wicked people prospering
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constantly. They build massive empires on
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the backs of the poor. They exploit every loophole.
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They die peacefully in their sleep in these giant mansions.
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And then society gives them a state funeral with full honors.
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While the victims get nothing. Exactly.
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Meanwhile, the righteous suffer, they face persecution, they
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refuse to bend their ethics, and they die in obscurity.
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If the story just ends there with a secret, invisible
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judgment after death, the narrative feels fundamentally
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broken to us. Edwards uses a great phrase for
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this. He calls it the World's
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Confusion. The world's confusion that fits.
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He observes that kingdoms, States and cities have been full
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of public injustices for centuries.
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A general judgment is rationally necessary to rectify public
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wrongs publicly. It has to be out in the open.
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Think about the implications of what you just said.
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It is not enough for an oppressed martyr to be comforted
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privately in heaven while their oppressor is punished privately
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in hell. Because no one else sees the
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Ledger balanced. Right.
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True justice requires the public Ledger to be balanced for
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everyone to see. Oppressed individuals must be
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openly vindicated in front of their oppressors.
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Honored wickedness must be publicly disgraced in front of
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those who idolized it. The scales have to be balanced
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in the town square, not just in the backroom.
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That is the core of it. The end goal of this general
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judgment is not just sorting people, it is glorifying the
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absolute righteousness of God. Validating the math.
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Yes, the entire universe, every Angel, every demon, and every
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human being must see the math of God's decrees checked and
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verified. When the books are balanced
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publicly, all objections are permanently removed.
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I can't argue with it anymore. The conscience of every single
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person is satisfied, all blasphemy is silenced, and the
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righteousness of the Creator is proven beyond a shadow of a
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doubt. OK.
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With the sheer necessity of a public trial established, we
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definitely need the town square audit to clear the world's
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confusion. We need to shift the
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conversation to the figure sitting on the bench.
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The judge. Who is the judge?
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Because, Edwards argues this role belongs specifically to
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Jesus Christ, the God man, Why not God the Father?
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He outlined several reasons for the theological fitness of
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Christ acting as the judge. First, there is a profound well,
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a deep symmetry in the idea that one who shares human nature
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should be the one to judge humanity.
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It's a jury of your peers, almost.
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In a sense, the divine nature is united to the human nature in
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Christ, which means humanity will see their judge with their
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own physical, bodily eyes. It's not an abstract force
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judging them, it is a recognizable person.
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And second, he frames this role as a specific reward for
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Christ's earthly humiliation, Right.
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Yes, this is a crucial element of reformed thought.
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The one who appeared in a lowest state, who was mocked, spat
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upon, and unjustly sentenced by corrupt earthly courts, will
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have those very judges brought before his tribunal.
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That dynamic is staggering to think about.
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It really is let. Me try to put this into a modern
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context. I picture a marginalized
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whistleblower at a major corrupt corporation.
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OK, I like this. This employee discovers massive
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systemic fraud. He brings the evidence to the
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board of directors, expecting them to fix it.
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Instead, the board turns on him. Of course they do.
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They fire him, they smear his name in the press, they freeze
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his assets and they completely ruin his reputation.
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He is cast out in disgrace. Oh, ruin.
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Then 20 years later, that same whistleblower returns.
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Yeah, but he doesn't return as an employee begging for his job
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back. He returns as the absolute owner
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and CEO, having bought the entire company in a hostile
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takeover. And he calls that exact board of
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directors, the people who ruined him into the conference room for
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a total, uncompromising audit of their actions.
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The reversal is absolute. Right Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate,
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the Roman soldiers who mocked him, the crowds who demanded his
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execution. They will stand in the dock
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while he sits on the bench. The reversal is total and it is
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entirely by design. Edwards also connects this to
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the finishing of the work of Redemption.
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How does that connect to the judgement?
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Well, we often constrain our view of redemption just to the
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events on the cross, but in this theological framework,
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redemption includes the physical resurrection and the
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glorification of the Saints. It's a longer process.
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Yes, Christ must be the Judge in order to personally finish the
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salvation He purchased. He started the work, so he must
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complete it. Furthermore, as the appointed
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King of the Church, he must conquer all his enemies to put
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an end to the cosmic war. Passing and executing sentence
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upon them is the final complete victory.
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There is a fascinating psychological dual effect here
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that Edwards highlights regarding the identity of the
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judge. The comfort and the terror.
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Exactly. The very fact that Jesus is the
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judge produces maximum comfort for one group and maximum
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conviction for the other. It.
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Splits the room perfectly. For the believers, it provides
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massive relief. Imagine walking into a courtroom
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facing the death penalty for crimes you absolutely committed.
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Terrifying. You look up at the bench,
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terrified, and realize the presiding judge is your own
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defense attorney. It's the very person who already
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paid your bail, advocated for your pardon, and secured your
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freedom. The relief would wash over you
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instantly. But for the wicked, that exact
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same realization provides ultimate conviction.
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The ultimate dread. They are condemned by the very
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person whose grace they actively rejected.
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The realization that their Savior could have been their
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advocate but is now their incense.
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Judge multiplies the weight of the sentence.
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It makes it so much worse. They can't claim the judge is
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unmerciful because he is the literal embodiment of mercy.
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They simply refused it. That psychological weight is a
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deliberate feature of the theology, and knowing the
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identity of the judge brings us to the mechanics of that future
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day. The sequence of events.
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Yeah, Edward spends a significant portion of the text
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examining the actual sequence of events, pulling directly from
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scriptural descriptions. This is where the imagery gets
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incredibly vivid. He described the descent of
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Christ from the heaven of heavens.
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The current inhabitants of the sky are replaced by Angela
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Posts. There is a visible blinding
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light shining. Nature itself begins to tremble,
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and then the trumpet sounds. The great summons.
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The great summons and this sound triggers A literal physical
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resurrection. And he doesn't shy away from the
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gruesome logistics of human history when he talks about this
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resurrection, does he? Not even a.
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Little bit. The physical reality of this
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event is central to the doctrine.
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At the sound of the trumpet, the dead are raised, and those
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currently living are instantly changed.
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He asserts that the earth and the sea give up their dead.
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He really goes after the skeptics of his day who wondered
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how a physical resurrection could even be possible after
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centuries of decay. Right.
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I mean, he talks about bodies that were eaten by wild beasts
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or consumed by sharks or burned at the stake and turned to ash
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and smoke. Or scattered in the ocean
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currents over hundreds of years. Yeah, how do you put that back
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together? Edwards asserts that the all
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wise and omnipotent God instantly reconstructs every
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single body. He is every scattered particle,
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every atom, and he brings it all back together in a fraction of a
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second. It's a display of absolute
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sovereignty over matter. Which prompts a huge question
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regarding the souls experience. We established that souls are
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waiting in heaven or hell after their particular judgement.
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How does this physical restoration connect to the souls
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that are returning? The reunion of the soul in the
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body is described as a vastly different experience depending
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on the individual state. Let's start with the righteous.
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The souls of the righteous descend from heaven with Christ.
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They joyfully reunite with newly glorified bodies.
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These bodies are described as incorruptible, vigorous and
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fitted for eternal pleasure. So it's a happy reunion.
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It is a joyful, highly anticipated meeting.
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The soul and the body are finally in perfect harmony.
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But the experience for the wicked is the exact opposite.
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Completely opposite, the souls of the wicked are brought up out
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of hell, and Edwards notes a terrifying detail here.
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They are not brought out of misery, but merely out of their
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temporary holding state. Oh man, they are dragged up to
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reunite with bodies fitted for eternal misery.
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These resurrected bodies correspond properly to the
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inward moral corruption of their souls.
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So the body reflects the soul. Yes, they enter these bodies
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unwillingly. They view their own physical
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forms as eternal prisons that they are forced back into.
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So humanity is resurrected, soul and body are joined, and the
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vast crowd is divided. The righteous on the right hand,
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the wicked on the left. Then the trial begins.
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The books are opened. Right Edwards describes the
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opening of two specific books that govern the proceedings.
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The first is the book of God's remembrance, and the second is
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the book of Scripture. Let's break down the first one.
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The Book of God's remembrance is the infallible, exhaustive
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record of all human actions. It contains absolutely
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everything. Everything.
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Everything idle words, secret thoughts, omissions of duty,
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public deeds and private motivations.
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Every financial transaction, every hidden grudge, every act
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of charity done in the dark. Nothing escapes this Ledger.
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So you're telling me God has the ultimate undeleatable cloud
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backup of my teenage years? I am, because honestly, that
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concept is far more terrifying to me than any physical fire.
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It is meant to be terrifying. It strips away all the illusions
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we hold about our own privacy. The second book, The Book of
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Scripture, acts as the touchstone or the law.
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The standard. Right.
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It is the standard by which all the actions recorded in that
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first book are measured. The works from the Book of
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Remembrance are the evidence. The Scripture is the rule of
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judgment. OK, I have a major clarifying
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question here. Go for it.
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If every single person's deeds are read out loud and every
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secret thought is exposed for the universe to see, what about
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the sins of the righteous? If the Book of Remembrance
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records everything, doesn't it record their failures, their
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lies, their selfish moments as well?
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Does the whistleblower from our earlier analogy have his own
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petty thefts read to the board of directors?
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This is where Edward's specific theological perspective shines
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most clearly. He introduces what we can call
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the Ledger of Grace. The Ledger of grace.
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The sins of the righteous will not stand against them on that
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day. Why?
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Because their guilt was already taken by the judge himself on
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the cross, the account of their debts is legally canceled.
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Therefore, for the righteous, the Ledger only shows a record
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of credit. Wait, so their good works save
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them? I thought Reformed theology was
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strict about justification by faith alone, not by works.
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It is strict about that their good works are brought forth not
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to justify them. They are already justified by
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faith. OK, then what are the works for?
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Their works are brought out as public evidence of their
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sincerity. It proves their genuine interest
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in the righteousness of Christ. Their faith is tried and proven
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by its outward fruits. Oh, I see.
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The universe sees the evidence that their faith was real, and
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the judge publicly acknowledges it.
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So the books are read, the evidence is undeniable, the
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ledgers are verified, and now the sentences must be
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pronounced. We move into the verdict stage
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of the trial. Edwards breaks down the
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terrifying weight of the two pronouncements to the wicked.
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Christ says Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared
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for the devil and his angels. He really dissects that
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sentence, doesn't. He every single syllable he
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extracts its full horror. He does not let the reader rush
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past it. Not at all.
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Depart signifies total, permanent separation from God,
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who is the source of all light, joy, and good.
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Complete isolation. Yes, cursed indicates they are
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now vessels of divine wrath. The fire is everlasting,
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indicating the endless of the sentence, and it is prepared for
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the devil, indicating the fierce intensity of it.
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It's a sentence of absolute, unmitigated ruin.
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And he contrasts that agonizing sentence with the invitation
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given to the righteous. Come, ye blessed of my Father,
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inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
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world. The contrast is absolute night
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and day. They are invited to draw near
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and dwell with him, to inherit a Kingdom as adopted heirs, and
22:27
they are shown that this joy was prepared for them from eternity
22:30
past. It was always meant for them.
22:32
Through all of this, Edwards highlights the absolute
22:35
righteousness of the proceedings.
22:37
He wants his listeners to understand that no one will be
22:40
able to claim a mistrial or file an appeal.
22:43
The court is flawless. Think about human courts.
22:46
In our justice system, judges fail for two main reasons, a
22:49
lack of knowledge or a flawed disposition.
22:52
Right, human error. Human judges get deceived by
22:54
tampered evidence, false witnesses, or highly charismatic
22:58
slick lawyers, but God cannot make a mistake due to a lack of
23:01
knowledge because of his omniscience.
23:03
Right. You cannot hide a document from
23:04
a judge who can read your mind. Furthermore, human judges can be
23:08
prejudice, They can be bribed, or they can be personally
23:11
vindictive. They have flawed dispositions.
23:13
God cannot judge unfairly due to His infinite holiness and
23:16
perfect justice, He. Cannot be bribed.
23:18
He holds no petty bias. The court cannot fail on either
23:22
front. The verdict is unassailable.
23:25
The immediate aftermath of the sentencing is cosmic in scale.
23:29
Once the verdicts are handed down, the Saints ascend to
23:31
heaven, the wicked are cast out, and the physical world, having
23:35
finished its use as a stage for human history, is entirely
23:38
dissolved by fire. The continents, the oceans, the
23:41
cities, the skyscrapers, the monuments, all of it passes away
23:45
with a fervent heat. The theater is literally torn
23:48
down and burned. Because the play is finally
23:50
over. And following this cosmic
23:51
demolition, Edwards makes a chilling and awe inspiring
23:55
theological point about the nature of human experience.
23:58
He states that both misery and happiness actually increase
24:01
after the judgment. Wait, increase.
24:04
How does the capacity for either change at that point?
24:07
It's a wild thought. If someone is already in heaven
24:10
or hell during that intermediate state we talked about, how does
24:13
it get more intense after the trial?
24:15
What is the mechanism there? The mechanism is the body
24:18
itself. It changes because human beings
24:20
are finally complete again. A soul existing without a
24:24
physical body is, theologically speaking, in an unnatural state.
24:28
Because we were made to have bodies.
24:30
We were created as embodied beings.
24:33
Once the body and soul are reunited at the resurrection,
24:36
the human entity possesses its full faculties.
24:39
The physical senses add an entirely new dimension to
24:42
spiritual reality. So the body acts like an
24:45
amplifier. Right now, we think of our
24:47
physical bodies as things that limit our spiritual joy.
24:49
We get tired, we get sick, we get distracted by physical pain.
24:53
But Edwards is saying a glorified physical body actually
24:57
upgrade your capacity to feel happiness.
24:59
That is the exact concept. The physical senses are
25:02
restored, heightened and perfected.
25:04
Therefore the glorious bodies of the Saints administer greater,
25:08
more intense happiness to their soul.
25:10
They can physically experience it.
25:11
They can physically see, hear and feel the joys of their
25:14
state. Similarly, the bodies of the
25:17
wicked are prepared to receive and administer greater physical
25:20
torment to their souls. You work both ways.
25:22
It does. Furthermore, at this point the
25:25
mediator's work is fully accomplished.
25:27
All enemies are permanently defeated, and the entire church
25:30
is gathered together in one place, which multiplies the joy
25:33
of the righteous exponentially. They are experiencing the
25:36
victory together in bodily form. OK, this cosmic imagery of
25:40
dissolving oceans, angelic hosts and glorified bodies acting as
25:44
joy amplifiers is fascinating, but Jonathan Edwards was not
25:48
writing a sci-fi novel. No, he was a pastor.
25:51
He was preaching to everyday people in 18th century New
25:53
England. How did he expect the merchant
25:56
sitting in the third row or the farmer out in the fields to
25:59
actually process this on a random Tuesday?
26:01
He gave them very specific applications.
26:03
That moves us into a vital part of this deep dive, the practical
26:06
application. Edwards outlined 7 specific uses
26:10
for the listener. He never left his theology in
26:12
the abstract clouds. The first use is instruction.
26:16
Edwards says This doctrine unravels the mysteries of
26:19
Providence. It explains the why.
26:21
Yes, we constantly wonder why bad things happen to good people
26:26
and why the wicked seem to prosper so effortlessly.
26:29
If we can find our views only to our present earthly state, it
26:32
looks like absolute confusion. It looks like God is asleep at
26:36
the wheel. But the doctrine of the final
26:38
judgement provides the necessary context.
26:41
We are currently watching an unfinished story.
26:44
God tolerates temporary injustice right now because He
26:47
has appointed a specific future day to rectify it permanently.
26:51
It gives you the patience to endure a corrupt system knowing
26:54
the audit is already scheduled. Exactly.
26:56
The second use focuses on awakening the careless,
26:59
specifically those who rely on secrecy to hide their actions.
27:03
Edwards calls out people who indulge in secret wickedness,
27:06
thinking that because no human eye sees them, they've gotten
27:08
away with it. They think they are safe.
27:09
Let's pose a modern scenario for this.
27:12
Imagine if your entire Internet browser history, all your
27:15
private text messages, your deleted emails, and every
27:19
internal envious thought you had about your Co workers were
27:23
suddenly projected on a massive stadium screen in front of your
27:27
family, your friends and everyone you have ever known.
27:29
Just horrifying to think about. The shame would be completely
27:32
paralyzing. Edwards is saying that this is
27:35
not a metaphor. This is the exact scenario that
27:38
is coming. The hidden things of darkness
27:40
will be brought into the absolute blinding light.
27:43
The standard of evidence on that day requires only the testimony
27:46
of God and the testimony of your own conscience.
27:48
There is no pleading the fifth. There is no hiding behind a
27:51
lawyer. The truth is just.
27:52
There, this leads directly into his specific warnings regarding
27:56
business ethics, which is one of his most pointed uses.
27:59
He addresses those who use fraud and trade or who take advantage
28:03
of a neighbor's ignorance to turn a quick profit.
28:06
He specifically mentions lying and trading extortion and hiding
28:09
defects and products. But I want to push back here on
28:13
his strictness because I know what the common human excuses.
28:16
Let's hear it. Someone listening to this right
28:18
now might be a middle manager who is told to massage the
28:21
quarterly numbers to avoid massive company layoffs.
28:25
A very real scenario. They might say, look, Edwards
28:28
lived in a simpler time. The modern market is ruthless.
28:31
Everyone else bends the rules. If a 21st century corporation
28:34
forces an employee's hand, does Edwards really argue?
28:37
They face the same judgement. I had to bend the rules to keep
28:40
my business afloat and feed my family.
28:43
Edwards anticipates those exact cultural rationalizations.
28:47
He confirms that the inexorable judge will strip away all such
28:51
excuses. So the excuse doesn't hold up.
28:53
Not at all. Saying everyone else was doing
28:56
it or the market made me do it carries 0 weight when the
28:59
standard of judgment is the perfect word of God.
29:02
The standard is not the average morality of an 18th century
29:05
merchant, nor is it the accepted cutthroat culture of a 21st
29:08
century corporation. The judge is not grading on a
29:11
curve. Exactly.
29:12
If your business practices relied on deceit, taking
29:15
advantage of someone's lack of knowledge, or participating in
29:17
systemic extortion, those practices will be condemned as
29:21
theft. The pressure to survive does not
29:24
grant a license to SIN. That is a tough pill to swallow
29:27
for anyone trying to climb the corporate ladder today, and it
29:31
brings us to a critical distinction he makes about self
29:34
examination versus judging others.
29:36
Right. It is incredibly easy to listen
29:38
to a deep dive on cosmic judgement, hear about the wicked
29:42
being cast out, and immediately start thinking about all the
29:44
people we hope get what is coming to them.
29:48
We all have a mental list of politicians, celebrities or even
29:52
personal enemies we want to see on that stadium screen.
29:54
Which is precisely what Edwards forbids his listeners from
29:58
doing. He outlines A strict command to
30:01
try our own sincerity. Now we are to use the word of
30:03
God as a refiners fire on our own hearts today not tomorrow
30:07
and certainly not on our neighbors heart.
30:09
We have to audit ourselves before the grand odd happens.
30:12
Yes, we must ask ourselves if we are acting from truly gracious
30:15
principles or if we are just maintaining a fair, polite,
30:18
outward show for society. At the same time, we are
30:21
explicitly commanded not to assume the role of judge over
30:24
our neighbor. Because we don't have the
30:26
jurisdiction. Exactly.
30:28
Determining the secret motives of someone else's heart is
30:30
assuming the province of God. It is trying to sit on the bench
30:34
before the courtroom is even open.
30:37
We are told to judge ourselves so that we may not be condemned,
30:40
and to leave the final judgement of others entirely to the
30:43
omniscient bench. God does not need our help
30:46
sorting the wheat from the chaff.
30:48
We have covered massive ground today.
30:51
We looked at the absolute authority of the Creator to
30:53
govern His creatures. We discussed the sheer necessity
30:56
of a public spectacle to clear God's name and balance the
30:59
cosmic Ledger. The world's confusion being
31:02
resolved. We analyzed the identity of
31:04
Christ as the judge, the terrifying physical mechanics of
31:07
the last day, the opening of the books, and the practical
31:10
demands. This place is in our daily
31:11
lives, from our secret thoughts to our business ethics.
31:14
It's a lot to weigh. It is, but as we bring this deep
31:17
dive to a close, we need to look at Edwards ultimate consolation
31:22
because he doesn't leave his listeners in a state of absolute
31:24
dread. He does not, despite the
31:27
overwhelming terror of the law, the burning of the physical
31:30
world, and the strictness of the judgement.
31:32
Edwards ends by assuring those who belong to Christ that this
31:36
day affords no ground of terror for them whatsoever.
31:40
That is huge. For the Saints, he calls it the
31:42
wedding day of the church. The wedding day.
31:46
That is a beautiful shift in imagery.
31:48
It is the day when all earthly afflictions finally end.
31:51
It is the day when the injured and the marginalized are
31:54
vindicated before the universe, and when believers are finally
31:57
presented faultless before the Father.
31:59
Their defense attorney is the judge, yes.
32:02
Their debts are paid. It is a day of ultimate relief,
32:05
rest and boundless joy. The terror is entirely removed
32:09
because the judge looks at them with absolute favor.
32:12
Think back to our opening scenario.
32:14
The corporate courtroom, the harsh fluorescent lights, the
32:17
visceral public demand for justice.
32:19
We all want the Ledger balanced. We all want the bad guys to face
32:22
the music. But Edward shows us that when
32:25
the cosmic Ledger is finally opened, when every secret text
32:28
and hidden thought is read aloud, none of us can survive
32:31
that audit on our own merits. We are all guilty of fraud in
32:35
the moral government. We desperately need the judge to
32:38
be our advocate. So as you step back into your
32:40
daily routine, as you close out this audio and go back to work
32:43
or your commute, consider this. If the absolute certainty of a
32:47
perfect, undeniable and public accounting of your entire life
32:51
is waiting at the end of time, how does that change the
32:54
decision you were going to make in the very next hour of your
32:57
day? Thank you for joining us on
32:58
Reform Thinking.