God's Word Judges Our Hearts

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me” (John 12: 44-50).

Jesus continued with the theme of judgment. He reached out to the Jews who rejected Him with an appeal to consider His words and deeds in the light of God’s word. First he repeated the point that He was God. The Holy Spirit moved the apostle Paul to affirm this truth… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). Then He said that He came into the world to give light to anyone who will believe in Him. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist prophesied this truth… “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16). Jesus did not come to judge, but He spoke the word and did the work of The Judge in order to illuminate the truth of The Judge. He made the point that the truth of God’s word judges our hearts.

The Spirit teaches this important truth elsewhere in God’s word… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). The piercing, discerning work of God’s word judges believer and non-believer alike… “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13). For the believer, God’s word offers tremendous blessings as we journey through this temporal world on the way to eternal life… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24). I believe there is proof of this precious Biblical truth in the life of every believer.

If you’re like me, you may remember how difficult it was to read the Bible before you trusted Christ. I remember trying to read the Bible from beginning to end like a story book. I got confused at the start by sentences like… “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26). I wondered who us was. Then there were the ark and the flood, the Old Testament sacrifices, the virgin birth, the Trinity, and much more. I never got as far as the strange events of the Revelation. But when I trusted Christ, I began to understand the Bible as I read. One of the surest evidences of God’s grace in the believer’s life is the understanding and hunger for more of God’s word.

For believers, God’s word is a guide to judge our lives, keep us in the center of His will, and prepare us for eternity as we listen to and apply His truth every day… “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Spirit teaches that God’s truth is a light to lead and help keep us close to the Lord through the darkness of this temporal world… “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” (Psalm 43:3).

Non-believers avoid and resist the judging truth of God’s word because it illuminates their sin… “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19). But the consequences of not listening to God’s word are serious… “And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:19) and eternal… “For those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Romans 2:8).

 As we grow up into Christ our hunger for His word grows and we become more like Him as…

God’s Word Judges Our Hearts.