Near the end of my message on Sunday, I commented that it is
easier for us to understand judgment than mercy. We like to receive mercy, but
judgment makes sense to us. Following the message I was asked: Why does
judgment make sense to us? Why is judgment our default setting?
In thinking about that question, I was reminded of something
I had just read a few days in the book, Faithmapping by Daniel
Montgomery and Mike Cosper. They noted how “American audiences have a deep love
for tales of revenge.”[1]
For examples of this love they offered Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Supremacy,
Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, NBC’s Vengeance, The Godfather,
and Taken.
Why do we watch those kinds of shows and go to those kinds
of movies? Montgomery and Cosper suggested that though we might be slightly
twisted in wanting revenge, our desire for revenge is connected to a God-given
sense of justice. Within us, there is a desire to make sure that wrongs will be
set right, that justice will be brought. Our default setting for justice is
something that God has given us.
Our God-given desire for justice is in part a pointer for us
to God. Ultimately, God is the One who will bring judgment. We may want judgment,
but it is not our job. It is God’s job, and He has promised that He will set
everything right (Rom. 12:19).
Something that is amazing to me, a very clear statement of
God setting everything right – 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 – is found in the chapter
in the Bible that highlights the Gospel, that speaks very directly to us about
Jesus’ death and resurrection. God’s judgment and dealing with evil is not
separate from His grace and mercy. Judgment is part of our default setting, but
mercy and judgment are a part of God’s default setting. Perhaps as I receive God’s mercy, I will find
that not only is judgment a God-given desire, but so is mercy.
[1]Daniel
Montgomery and Mike Cosper, Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual
Journey (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 69.
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