Is that act of the mind whereby one thing is affirmed or denied of another; or that power of the soul which passes sentence on things proposed to its examination, and determines what is right or wrong: and thus it approves or disapproves of an action, or an object considered as true or false, fit or unfit, good or evil. Dr. Watts gives us the following directions to assist us in judging right.
1. We should examine all our old opinions afresh, and enquire what was the ground of them, and whether our assent were built on just evidence; and then we should cast off all those judgments which were formed heretofore without due examination.
2. All our ideas of objects, concerning which we pass judgment, should be clear, distinct, complete, comprehensive, extensive, and orderly.
3. When we have obtained as clear ideas as we can, both of the subject and predicate of a proposition, then we must compare those ideas of the subject and predicate together with the utmost attention, and observe how far they agree, and wherein they differ.
4. We must search for evidence of truth, with diligence and honesty, and be heartily ready to receive evidence, whether for the agreement or disagreement of ideas.
5. We must suspend our judgment, and neither affirm nor deny until this evidence appear.
6. We must judge of every proposition by those proper and peculiar means or mediums, whereby the evidence of it is to be obtained, whether it be sense, consciousness, intelligence, reason, or testimony.
7. It is very useful to have some general principles of truth settled in the mind, whose evidence is great and obvious, that they may be always ready at hand to assist us in judging of the great variety of things which occur.
8. Let the degrees of our assent to every proposition bear an exact proportion to the different degrees of evidence.
9. We should keep our minds always open to receive truth, and never set limits to our own improvements. Watts’s Logic, ch. 4. p. 231; Locke on the Understanding, p. 222, 256, vol. 1: p. 271, 278. vol. 2:; Duncan’s Logic, p. 145; Reid on the Intellectual Powers, p. 497, &c.
Every one perfectly understands what is meant both by judge and judgment. I should not have thought it necessary, therefore, to have swollen the bulk of The Poor Mans Concordance by noticing the terms, had the mere explanation been the only thing intended. I have higher objects in view. I wish, while directing the reader both to the judgment that is to follow the present life, and the Judge who is to preside at the grand tribunal, to offer a short remark with an eye to the Lord Jesus Christ upon those subjects which undergrace will not fail, I hope, to be profitable. In respect to the Judge, the Scriptures with one voice concur to assure us, that Christ is to be the Judge both of quick and dead. This, among other characters of our Lord, is one which he is to exercise as his own personal and peculiar right. For the Father judgeth no man, (it is said, ) but hath committed all judgment to the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. (John v. 22, 23.) Jesus, and Jesus only, could be the proper person to possess this honour. He who undertook and accomplished mans redemption, hath by right a power to be the Judge of man; and, indeed, it is expressly said, that the Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John v. 27.) Observe the expressionbecause he is the Son of man! Not because he is the Son of God; for in that case no authority could be given to him, for he possesseth in common with the Father and the Holy Ghost all supreme and eternal power. But as the Son of man hereceives this power, and it becomes the suited reward of his labours, and sufferings, and death. And what a beautiful order and harmony there is in this appointment as well as grace and mercy to his people. He who once came to save, will one day come to be our Judge; he who then acted as our Redeemer, will then appear as our Sovereign and our King. And what tends infinitely to endear the Lord Jesus under all these characters is, that while he carries on the authority of the one he never forgets the tenderness of theother. In him is most blessedly blended the judge and the brother. See those Scriptures. (Gen. 18: 25. Deut. xxx2: 36. Dan. 7: 9 - 14. Matt. xxv. 31 - 46. Acts x. 42. Rev. xx. 11. to the end.)
And while we thus contemplate Jesus as our Judge, and the judgment seat his, wee find another sweet consolation arising out of it, in that when he comes to judge the world in righteousness, and to minister true judgment unto the people, he comes to confirm what hath already passed respecting his redeemed, and not to try, but to declare his justification of their persons and state before God. All true believers in Christ are in a justified state now before God, in his blood and righteousness; and therefore they cannot come then into any condemnation. The solemn events of that great day of God, as they concern the believer, are not left to the smallest state of suspense. They have already found pardon in the blood of the cross; they have passed from death to life. There is therefore, now (saith the apostle) no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8. 1.) And if there be no possibility of condemnation, there can be no issue of trial. Washed in the blood of Christ while upon the earth, they will be found without spot and blameless then at the court of heaven: clothed in the robe of Jesuss righteousness now, it is impossible to be found naked then. Awful, therefore, as the process of that day may be, (and most tremendously awful it will be to the unregenerate and unredeemed) yet to the saints of God it is called, and must be found, the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (Tit. 2: 13.) Jesus comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. (Thess. i. 8, 9, 10.) Sweet, consoling, and soul - reviving thought to the believer! Some of the blessed words Jesus will speak to his people are already upon record, and should often comfort them now, as they will ravish them then. Then will the king say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (See Matt. xxv. 34. Luke xx2: 28 - 30.)
DAY OF, is that important period which shall terminate the present dispensation of grace toward the fallen race of Adam, put an end to time, and introduce the eternal destinies of men and angels, Act 16:31; 1Co 15:24-26; 1Th 4:14-17; Mat 25:31-46. It is in reference to this solemn period that the Apostle Peter says, “The heavens and the earth which now exist are by the word of God reserved in store unto fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men,” 2Pe 3:7. Several eminent commentators understand this prophecy as a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem. In support of their interpretation, they appeal to the ancient Jewish prophecies, where, as they contend, the revolutions in the political state of empires and nations are foretold in the same forms of expression with those introduced in Peter’s prediction. The following are the prophecies to which they appeal:—Isa 34:4, where the destruction of Idumea is foretold under the figures of dissolving the host of heaven, and of rolling the heaven together as a scroll, and of the falling down of all their host as the leaf falleth off from the vine. Eze 32:7, where the destruction of Egypt is described by the figures of covering the heaven, and making the stars thereof dark; and of covering the sun with a cloud, and of hindering the moon from giving her light. In Joe 2:10, the invasion of Judea by foreign armies is thus foretold: “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” And in Joe 2:30-31, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is thus predicted: “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” God, threatening the Jews, is introduced saying, “In that day I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day,” Amo 8:9. The overthrow of Judaism and Heathenism is thus foretold: “Yet once and I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry land,” Hag 2:6. Lastly: our Lord, in his prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, has the following expressions: “After the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken,” Mat 24:29.
Now it is remarkable that, in these prophecies, none of the prophets have spoken, as Peter has done, of the entire destruction of this mundane system, nor of the destruction of any part thereof. They mention only the rolling of the heavens together as a scroll the obscuring of the light of the sun and of the moon, the shaking of the heavens and the earth, and the falling down of the stars: whereas Peter speaks of the utter destruction of all the parts of this mundane system by fire. This difference affords room for believing that the events foretold by the prophets are different in their nature from those foretold by the Apostle; and that they are to be figuratively understood, while those predicted by the Apostle are to be understood literally. To this conclusion, likewise, the phraseology of the prophets, compared with that of the Apostle, evidently leads: for the prophetic phraseology, literally interpreted, exhibits impossibilities; such as the rolling of the heavens together as a scroll; the turning of the moon into blood, and the falling down of the stars from heaven as the leaf of a tree.
Not so the apostolic phraseology: for the burning of the heavens, or atmosphere, and its passing away with a great noise; and the burning of the earth and the works thereon, together with the burning and melting of the elements, that is, the constituent parts of which this terraqueous globe is composed; are all things possible, and therefore may be literally understood; while the things mentioned by the prophets can only be taken figuratively. This, however, is not all. There are things in the Apostle’s prophecy which show that he intended it to be taken literally. As,
1. He begins with an account of the perishing of the old world, to demonstrate against the scoffers the possibility of the perishing of the present heavens and earth. But that example would not have suited his purpose; unless, by the burning of the present heavens and earth, he had meant the destruction of the material fabric. Wherefore, the opposition stated in this prophecy between the perishing of the old world by water, and the perishing of the present world by fire, shows that the latter is to be as real a destruction of the material fabric as the former was.
2. The circumstance of the present heavens and earth being treasured up and kept, ever since the first deluge, from all after deluges, in order to their being destroyed by fire at the day of judgment, shows, we think, that the Apostle is speaking of a real, and not of a metaphorical, destruction of the heavens and earth.
3. This appears, likewise, from the Apostle’s foretelling that, after the present heavens and earth are burned, new heavens and a new earth are to appear, in which the righteous are forever to dwell.
4. The time fixed by the Apostle for the burning of the heavens and the earth, namely, the day of judgment and punishment of ungodly men, shows that the Apostle is speaking, not of the destruction of a single city or nation during the subsistence of the world, but of the earth itself, with all the wicked who have dwelt thereon. These circumstances persuade us that this prophecy, as well as the one recorded, 2Th 1:9, is not to be interpreted metaphorically of the destruction of Jerusalem; but should be understood literally of the general judgment, and of the destruction of our mundane system.
But “it is appointed unto men once to die, and after death the judgment.” These two events are inseparably linked together in the divine decree, and they reciprocally reflect importance on each other. Death is, indeed, the terror of our nature. Men may contrive to keep it from their thoughts, but they cannot think of it without fearful apprehensions of its consequences. It was justly to be dreaded by man in his state of innocence; and to the unrenewed man it ever was, and ever will be, a just object of abhorrence. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has brought life and immortality to light, is the only sovereign antidote against this universal evil. To the believer in Christ, its rough aspect is smoothed, and its terrors cease to be alarming.
To him it is the messenger of peace; its sting is plucked out; its dark valley is the road to perfect bliss and life immortal. To him, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” Php 1:21. To die! speaking properly, he cannot die. He has already died in Christ, and with him: his “life is hid with Christ in God,” Rom 6:8; Col 3:3.
With this conquest of the fear of death is nearly allied another glorious privilege resulting from union with the Redeemer; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and “not be ashamed before him at his coming,” 1Jn 2:28. Were death all that we have to dread, death might be braved. But after death there is a judgment; a judgment attended with circumstances so tremendous as to shake the hearts of the boldest of the sons of nature. Then “men shall seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them,” Rev 9:6.
Then shall come indeed an awful day; a day to which all that have preceded it are intended to be subservient; when the Lord shall appear in the united splendour of creating, of governing, and of judicial majesty, to finish his purposes respecting man and earth, and to pronounce the final, irreversible sentence, “It is done!” Rev 21:6. Nothing of terror or magnificence hitherto beheld,—no glory of the rising sun after a night of darkness and of storm,—no convulsions of the earth,—no wide irruption of waters,—no flaming comet dragging its burning train over half the heaven, can convey to us an adequate conception of that day of terrible brightness and irresistible devastation. Creation then shall be uncreated. “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up,” 2Pe 3:10. The Lord shall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, 2Th 1:7-8, arrayed in all the glory of his Godhead, and attended by his mighty angels, Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31.
All that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, Joh 5:28-29. Earth and sea shall give up the dead which are in them. All that ever lived shall appear before him, Rev 20:12-13. The judgment shall sit; and the books shall be opened, Dan 7:10. The eye of Omniscience detects every concealment by which they would screen from observation themselves, or their iniquity. The last reluctant sinner is finally separated from the congregation of the righteous, Psa 1:5; and inflexible justice, so often disregarded, derided, and defied, gives forth their eternal doom! But to the saints this shall be a day of glory and honour.
They shall be publicly acknowledged by God as his people; publicly justified from the slanders of the world; invested with immortal bodies; presented by Christ to the Father; and admitted into the highest felicity in the immediate presence of God for ever. These are the elevating, the transporting views, which made the Apostle Paul speak with so much desire and earnest expectation of the “day of Christ.”
Is put, in Mat 5:21,22, for a court of judgment, a tribunal, namely, the tribunal of seven judges, which Josephus mentions as existing in every city, and which decided causes of minor importance. See under SYNAGOGUE.\par For the expression, "judgment-hall," see PRETORIUM.\par THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, for which the word "judgment" alone is sometimes used, is that great day, at the end of the world and of time, when Christ shall sit as judge over all the universe, and when every individual of the human race will be judged and recompensed according to his works, whether they be good or evil. The time of its coming and its duration are known only to God. It will break upon the world suddenly, and with a glorious but awful majesty. It will witness the perfect vindication of all the ways of God. The revelation of his justice, appalling but unstained, will fill the universe with approving wonder; but the revelation of his yet more amazing goodness will crown him with unutterable glory. The Redeemer especially will then receive his reward, and be glorified in his saints, who shall be raised from the dead in his likeness. He will divide all mankind into tow classes: all the righteous will be in one, and all the wicked in the other; all that love God in the one, and all that hate him in the other; all that penitently believed in Christ while they lived in the one, and all that died impenitent and unbelieving in the other. And this judgement and separation will be eternal: the former will rise in holiness and joy, and the latter sink in sin and woe forever, Ecc 11:9 Dan 12:2 Mat 10:15 12:36 25:31-46 26:64 Joh 5:22 Mal 17:31 1Ch 14:10-12 2Th 1:7-10 2Pe 2:9 3:7 1Jo 4:17 Jer 20:12-15 .\par
Mishpath (
Job 34:17, ’Shall even he that hateth right govern?’ Job 35:2, ’Thinkest thou this to be right?’ Psa 9:4, ’Thou hast maintained my right.’ Pro 12:5, ’The thoughts of the righteous are right.’ Pro 16:8, ’Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.’ Isa 10:2, ’To take away the right from the po or of my people.’ See also Isa 32:7; Jer 5:28; Jer 17:11; Jer 32:7-8; Lam 3:35; Eze 21:27.
Cashar (
The final award or sentence of the human race; also, the times of this
Doing Judgment
Pro_21:3.
Everyone Appearing Before The Judgment Seat Of Christ
Dan_7:9-14; Mat_25:31-46; Joh_5:22; Joh_5:26-27; Rom_14:10-12; 2Co_5:10; Rev_20:11-15.
Executing Judgment
Zec_7:9; Zec_8:16.
GOD Not Perverting Judgment
Job_34:12.
How Judgment Came Upon All Men
Rom_5:12-19.
How Man Judges
1Sa_16:7.
How Not To Judge
Exo_23:2-3; Exo_23:6-7; Lev_19:15; Lev_19:35; Deu_1:17; Deu_16:19; 1Sa_16:7; Pro_18:5; Pro_24:23; Joh_7:24.
How The LORD Judges
1Sa_16:7; Psa_67:3-4.
How To Judge
Lev_19:15; Lev_19:35-36; Deu_1:16-17; 2Ch_19:5-7; Joh_7:24.
JUDGMENT.—The Synoptic Gospels differ from the Gospel of John in their view of a judgment. The former set forth a multitude of external tests which furnish ground for continuous judgment in this life. The ‘deeds’ or ‘works’ of a man are a measure of his attitude toward Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John is more especially concerned with the inner and hidden judgment which is being pronounced continually in man’s soul. The sensuous and external aspects are little emphasized. All the Gospels hint unmistakably at a final crisis or judgment.
Mt. is pre-eminently the Gospel of judgment, for, throughout, Jesus appears as the Judge of men, and is always discriminating and separating the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the grain from the chaff, the sincere man from the hypocrite (Mat 13:38; Mat 25:33; Mat 13:25-30; Mat 3:12; Mat 6:5-6). The predominance of this special aspect of Jesus’ teaching, selected from among His varied utterances, in this Gospel, may arise from Matthew’s Hebrew predisposition to consider Israel as a people separated from the Gentile world. Almost every utterance carries within it an unmistakable voice of judgment which separates men into two classes. The judgment which eventuates in blessedness, as in the Beatitudes (Mat 5:3-10), or as ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father’ (Mat 25:34), is as notable as that which leads to separation from Christ and to eternal wretchedness (Mat 25:46).
1. Jesus is the Judge.—This is the view of all the Gospels. The Father gives all judgment to the Son (Joh 5:22-27). Jesus came into the world for judgment (Joh 9:39). He separates men under moral tests (Mat 25:31-46; cf. Mat 7:23). He pronounces judgment on the Pharisees (Mat 22:15-46). He judges Satan (Mat 16:23). He imparts the authority for judgment to men (Mat 16:19). (Cf. Act 10:42, Rom 14:10, 2Co 5:10, 2Ti 4:1). His judgment-seat is at the same time the throne of His glory (Mat 25:31), as it marks the culmination of the work which He has mediated in creation and in redemption. The judgment will be glorious, because then will be the final enthronement of holiness among men, and the deposition of evil. It is to be noted that He associates with Himself the twelve disciples (like the Roman assessors of judgment) who are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Mat 19:28, Luk 22:30; cf. 1Co 6:2-3). This exhibits the vital union of righteous souls with Christ, for the new life which His disciples obtain through Him would dispose them to pronounce judgment upon the same principles of justice as does their Lord. It is fitting that He who has mediated creation, maintenance, and redemption, should pronounce judgment upon man with regard to his attitude and responsibility toward each of these sovereign acts and relations. All judgment is determined by the attitude which men hold towards Christ. He is set forth as a perpetual challenge to men to live a right thinking and right acting life.
2. The Judgment.—Jesus in the Gospels presents an almost numberless series of tests by which men may judge themselves in this present age. Their ‘works’ or ‘deeds’ are reviewed (Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31; cf. Rom 2:6, Rev 20:12). Every kindness to a disciple will be rewarded (Mar 9:41, Mat 10:42). Every cause of stumbling to one of these little ones (Luk 17:2) will be punished. Jesus presents Himself as the supreme and personal test. What is man’s attitude towards Him as proved by ‘his deeds and works’? This kind of judgment is continuous and cumulative here, and comes to a conclusion at the final crisis or judgment. These are some of the tests:
Following Him (Mat 4:18-22; Mat 10:38; Mat 19:28, Mar 8:34); confessing Him (Mat 10:32, Luk 12:8); failure to appreciate His presence and work (Mat 11:21); failure to come to Him (Joh 5:40); failure to believe Him (Joh 3:18); failure to obey Him (Joh 3:36); failure to honour Him (Joh 5:23); failure to stand with Him (Mat 12:30); failure of right fruitage (Mat 21:31-42; Mat 7:16, Luk 6:44); failure in outward conduct (Mat 22:11-13); failure to help men (Mat 25:31-46); failure to repent (Joh 5:40); failure to use the gifts of God (Mat 25:14-30); making light of His personal invitations (Mat 22:1-7); unwillingness to hear His words (Mat 12:41-42); unwillingness to forgive an injury (Mat 6:15; Mat 18:28-30); being ashamed of Him (Mar 8:38); breaking a commandment (Mat 5:19); the spirit of our judgment on others (Mat 7:2); faith or lack of it (Mat 8:10; Mat 9:22; Mat 9:29; Mat 15:28, Mar 5:34); heart unreceptive to His words (Mat 10:14-15); hypocrisy (Mat 23:13-36); idle words (Mat 12:36); lip service without the heart (Mat 15:7); selfish conceit (Mat 6:2); wicked pride (Mar 12:38); love of darkness (Joh 3:19); rejection of His disciples (Luk 10:10); adultery (Mat 19:9); commercialism in worship (Mat 21:13); blasphemy against the Spirit (Mat 12:31-32); loving others more than God (Mat 10:37); hearing, seeing the Son, with belief or with failure to believe (Mat 7:24; Mat 13:23, Joh 5:24; Joh 6:40); the cup of cold water given to a disciple (Mat 10:42); mercifulness (Luk 6:36); love to Christ (Luk 7:47, Joh 21:16); love to enemies (Luk 6:27); humble-mindedness as a child (Mat 18:4); fidelity of service (Mat 20:14; Mat 24:45-51); endurance in well-doing (Mat 24:13); doing will of God (Mat 12:50); deeds in general (Mat 16:27); inward thoughts and motives (Mar 7:21, Luk 5:22-23).
These are clear, varied, and concrete tests which men may apply daily to conduct and character, and which bring them into continual judgment. They cover almost every phase of human life, both inward and outward. The great first and second commandments in the law which our Lord enunciated to the lawyer (Mat 22:37-39) are in the nature of a judgment, for men know whether or not they have been kept. Judgments are continuous in the sphere of moral life, as conscience persistently affirms. They are continuous in the religious life, and the principles upon which they are based are found in these teachings and in the character of Jesus. No man can plead ignorance of the grounds on which judgment is pronounced on him, because these varied tests cover clearly and openly so much of his life. Jesus always holds Himself forth (‘I am the way and the truth and the life,’ Joh 14:6) as the supreme standard of life; and the invitation to come to Him leads to a comparison and judgment of likeness or unlikeness. The work of the Holy Spirit (whom Jesus sends, Joh 16:7) is to convict men of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Joh 16:9), and He accomplishes this by showing men their unlikeness to Christ. The character of Jesus is thus continually a challenge to men, and the measure of the judgment which they must pass on themselves. In all the Gospels, judgment is determined by the relation which a man holds to Jesus Christ. But the Gospels also teach that this continuous judgment will culminate in a crisis or Final Judgment. The inadequacy and inequalities of punishment here seem to demand a final adjusting of the accounts of all men on principles of eternal equity. The parable of Dives and Lazarus (Luk 16:20-25) exhibits this final accounting and the equitable readjustment of their respective conditions. Lazarus had wretchedness. Dives had luxury. The continuous judgment in this life did not result in the proper rewards and penalties, hence the balances are struck after death. Final judgment and penalty are then reached.
3. The time of this Final Judgment is set forth in the Synoptics as at ‘the end of the world’ (Mat 13:39). Some have held that this means at the end of each man’s life, but the more obvious meaning is the end of this time-order of race, life, and things (cf. Heb 9:27). The words ‘the time’ (Mat 8:29), and ‘then’ (Mat 16:27, Mat 25:1), point to a time which follows the Lord’s appearing in glory with His angels after the resurrection from the dead. ‘That day and hour’ (Mat 24:36), ‘the resurrection of life’ and ‘the resurrection of judgment’ (Joh 5:29), are the antithetical statements of what takes place after the resurrection, which to one class of men is entrance into life, and to the other entrance into judgment followed by spiritual death. The Gospels do not give information as to whether or not the Final Judgment follows immediately on the general resurrection. The weight of impression is that judgment does follow immediately, but it would be by no means an entire misinterpretation of the sayings of Jesus if one held that there was a considerable period of intervening time.
4. All mankind and all evil spirits are to be judged.—‘All nations’ (Mat 25:32) and all men (Mat 12:36, Joh 5:29) shall be judged (cf. Rom 14:10, 2Co 5:10, Rev 20:12-15). It is implied in Mat 8:29 that evil spirits also are to stand in the judgment. But it is clear that the holy angels do not come into judgment, for they accompany and serve the holy Judge (Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31). Judgment would not be necessary for men if it were not for their sin. Wherever there has been need of a redemption, there will be need of a Final Judgment.
5. Some characteristics.—Jesus Christ the Judge in His glory (Mat 16:27; Mat 19:28, Mar 8:38, Luk 9:26) [the glory of Jesus will be as manifest in His judgments as in His forgiveness]; ‘the throne of his glory’ (Mat 25:31); the surrounding holy angels as His servitors (cf. Mat 13:41); mankind gathered before Him; evil spirits awaiting their final doom; the sharp separations; the openness of the facts upon which judgment proceeds; the uncovered moral life of every man; the irrevocableness of the decision (Mat 25:46),—all these, together with the manifestly diverse feelings of the righteous and the wicked, present a scene of surpassing grandeur, extent, and interest. Judgment stands in the Gospels as the natural terminus of an aeon in the life of the race which began with Creation, was continued under a purpose and revelation of Redemption, and demands a Judgment as its proper culmination.
Nathan E. Wood.
By: Solomon Schechter, Julius H. Greenstone
The sentence or final order of a court in a civil or criminal proceeding, enforceable by the appropriate modes of execution appointed by law. In criminal cases, according to Talmudic law, the judgment was pronounced by the chief of the court in the presence of the accused (Sanh. 79b; Maimonides, "Yad," Sanh. xiv. 7; ib., Roẓeaḥ, iv. 7). If the judgment was for acquittal it could not be reversed; but if it was for conviction it could be reversed, and another trial instituted either at the plea of the convict, after presenting a sufficient reason, or at the instance of new witnesses appearing for the defendant (see Acquittal; Execution).
In Civil Cases.
In civil cases, also, judgment was pronounced by the presiding judge. The formula was very simple: "A, thou art guilty"; "B, thou art innocent." The judgment could be pronounced even if the parties concerned were not present (Shulḥan 'Aruk, Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ, 18, 6; comp. ib. 13, 6). If one of the litigants wished to have a written copy of the judgment, the court might furnish him with one before the litigants left the court-room, but not after, because it was apprehended that they might settle the case between themselves outside. The formula for a written judgment was as follows: "A and B came before the court, and in its opinion A is guilty and B is innocent." Neither in the written nor in the spoken sentence should the names of the judges be included (Sanh. 30a; "Yad," Sanh. xxii. 8; Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ 19, 2; comp. ib. 39, 9-10).
The reasons for the decision were included in the judgment only when the judges noticed a dissatisfaction on the part of the litigants, or when one of the litigants asked for the reasons. The prevailing custom, however, was to explain the reasons of a judgment only when one of the litigants was compelled to appear before a certain court, though he wished to be judged by another. In such a case he had to pay the money immediately on the receipt ofthe judgment note; and if the decision was reversed by another court the money was refunded to him. A high and famous court need not assign any reason for its decisions (Sanh. 31b; Tosef., Sanh. s.v. "We'im"; B. M. 69b; Tosef., B. M. s.v. "Ki"; Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ, 14, 4, Isserles' gloss).
The judges were not permitted to divulge to the public their individual opinions of any case after it had been decided. On one occasion a disciple was expelled from the court-room because he related the opinions of the judges in a case twenty-two years after its trial (Sanh. 31a; "Yad," Sanh. xxii. 7).
Reversal of Judgment.
A judgment in civil cases could be reversed at the instance of either of the parties. Even if the court ordered them to produce all new testimony within thirty days, and they brought new testimony after that period, the judgment might be reversed and a new trial instituted. If at the question of the court one of the litigants admitted that he could bring no other testimony, and then produced new testimony, which, however, could have been obtained before, the judgment could not be reversed. But if he brought witnesses who were in a distant land at the time of the trial, or testimony of which he might have had no previous knowledge, a new trial was usually granted (Sanh. 31a; "Yad," Sanh. vi. 6-8; Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ, 20, 1).
For reversal of judgment in cases of appeal to higher courts see Appeals. See also Excommunication; Execution.
Bibliography:
Bloch, Die Civilprocess-Ordnung, pp. 84-87, Budapest, 1882;
Mendelsohn, Criminal Jurisprudence, pp. 148-152, Baltimore, 1891.
JUDGMENT.—Biblical eschatology centres about the Judgment to which all humanity is to be subjected at the end of this ‘age.’ As the introduction to the Messianic Age, it was expected to occur at a definite time in the future, and would take place in the heavens, to which all humanity, whether living or dead, would be raised from Sheol. The judge was sometimes said to be God (Heb 12:23), sometimes His representative, the Christ, assisted by the angels (Rom 2:16, Mat 13:24-30; Mat 13:37-43; Mat 13:47-50; Mat 24:31-45; Cf. Eth. Enoch 48). In Luk 22:30, 1Co 6:2, Christians are also said to be judges. At the Judgment, sentences would be pronounced determining the eternal states of individuals, both men and angels. Those who had done wrong would be doomed to punishment, and those who had accepted Jesus as Christ, either explicitly, as in the case of the Christians, or implicitly, as in the case of Abraham, would be acquitted and admitted to heaven. The question as to the basis of this acquittal gave rise to the great discussion between St. Paul and the Jewish Christians, and was developed in the doctrine of justification by faith.
By its very nature the thought of judgment is eschatological, and can be traced from the conception of the Day of Jehovah of the ancient Hebrews. While the Scripture writers sometimes conceived of disease and misery as the result of sin, such suffering was not identified by them with the penalties inflicted at the Judgment. These were strictly eschatological, and included non-participation in the resurrection of the body, and suffering in hell. (See Abyss, Day of the Lord, Book of Life, Gehenna.)
For ‘judgment’ in the sense of justice see art. Justice.
Shailer Mathews.
A function of the intellect; that act by which we predicate one thing of another. Saint Thomas has defined it as the act by which the mind combines or separates two terms by affirmation or denial. A judgment always implies the presence of two ideas in the mind, a comparison of these two ideas, and the affirmation of their agreement or disagreement. It is expressed verbally by the proposition, such as, "Snow is white." Judgment is the chief act toward which all thought converges, since it alone is true or false. The most important division of judgments is that which distinguishes analytical and synthetical judgments. According to the conception of the Scholastics, if the predicate may be inferred from the consideration of the subject, because it is already contained in its nature or essential relations, the judgment is analytical, or necessary, e.g., "The whole is greater than any of its parts." If the predicate adds something to the subject which cannot be stated previously to the experience of it, something which no mere analysis of the subject would reveal, the judgment is synthetical or contingent, e.g., "This book has 600 pages."
Judgment has many aspects. It may concern legal procedures and announcements, or it may concern private acts of examining, discerning or criticizing. It is something that people do and something that God does. It takes place in the lives of people now and will take place in their encounter with God at the end of the age.
God the judge
As creator of the human race and ruler of the universe, God is the supreme judge (Gen 18:25; Psa 67:4; Psa 94:2; Psa 96:13; Joh 8:50; Heb 12:23). His judgment is always just because it is according to his own perfect standards, but it is also mixed with mercy (Psa 9:8; Psa 36:5-6; Psa 89:14; Rom 2:12-16; 2Ti 4:8; Jas 2:13; Rev 16:5; see MERCY).
God’s judgment is not merely another word for his condemnation and punishment. True judgment involves both discernment and action, and the two are inseparable. First the judge makes a distinction between what is right and what is wrong, then on the basis of his findings he takes action. The purpose of that action is to condemn the person who is wrong and vindicate the person who is right (Deu 1:16-17; Deu 16:18-20; 1Ki 3:9; 1Ki 3:28; Jer 5:28; Eze 7:27).
For this reason persecuted believers in Old Testament days often looked forward to God’s judgment. Though downtrodden, they knew they were in the right, but because of the corruption of the courts they had no way of gaining a hearing and therefore no chance of getting justice. They longed for the day when God would act in true judgment, righting the wrongs, declaring them to be right, and sentencing their opponents to punishment (Psa 7:6-8; Psa 9:8; Psa 9:12; Psa 10:2; Psa 10:12; Psa 10:17-18; Psa 82:1-4; see JUSTICE).
Persecuted believers in the New Testament era could likewise long for the day when God would intervene in judgment, bringing relief to them and punishment to their persecutors (2Th 1:4-8; Rev 6:10; Rev 11:18). Christ’s death makes the judgment and condemnation of evildoers certain, because by that death Satan himself was judged and condemned (Joh 12:31-33; Joh 16:8-11).
Everyday judgments
Making judgments between right and wrong is part of the process of living (Luk 7:43; Luk 12:57). This is particularly so in the case of Christians who, having an understanding of the mind of God, are better able to judge between the good and the evil (Joh 7:24; 1Co 2:15-16; Heb 5:14). In the church they must make judgments concerning what is said (1Co 10:15; 1Co 14:29; 1Th 5:20-21) and what is done (Act 15:19; 1Co 5:3; 1Co 5:12; 1Co 6:1-3).
When exercising this judgment, Christians must first of all judge themselves, to make sure they are not guilty of the things concerning which they accuse others. God will judge them according to the standard they use to judge others (Mat 7:1-5; Rom 2:1-3). Therefore, they must exercise strict self-examination and self-correction, otherwise they may experience God’s judgment upon them in the form of various sufferings (1Co 11:28-32; Heb 12:6; see CHASTISEMENT).
There are some things, particularly in the lives of others, concerning which Christians should not make judgments at all. In such cases God is the only one capable of making right judgments (1Co 4:3-5; Jas 4:11-12). They should not be harshly critical of those of weaker faith, but should concentrate on strengthening them (Rom 14:3-4; Rom 14:13).
Jesus Christ the judge
The purpose of Jesus’ first coming was not to be a judge but to be a saviour; not to condemn sinners but to save sinners (Joh 3:17; Joh 12:47). It is at his second coming that Jesus will carry out God’s work of judgment (Mat 25:36-41; Joh 5:22; Joh 5:26-30; 2Co 5:10; 2Th 1:7-8; 2Ti 4:1).
Although Jesus’ first coming was not for the purpose of judgment, it did, in a sense, result in judgment. When people faced him they had to make a decision either to accept him or reject him; and the decision they made was their own judgment on themselves. It determined whether they would be saved or condemned (Joh 3:19; Joh 9:39; cf. Rom 1:24; Rom 1:26; Rom 1:28).
People who considered themselves good, who heard Jesus’ teachings and saw his mighty works yet deliberately rejected him, condemned themselves. They would suffer greater punishment than those whom they considered wicked but who had never heard of Jesus (Mat 11:20-24; Mar 12:40; Luk 12:47-48; Joh 9:39-41).
Final judgment
All people will one day stand before Christ, the supreme judge. This includes those who are living at Christ’s return and those who have died throughout the thousands of years of the world’s history (Mat 10:15; Mat 25:31-32; Act 10:42; Act 17:31; Rom 14:10; Heb 9:27; 1Pe 4:5). Because no one knows when that judgment will be, people should live in a state of constant readiness for it (Mat 24:36; Mat 24:42-44). At that judgment each person’s behaviour will be judged, even hidden actions and secret thoughts, because such works are evidence of what a person really is (Mat 12:33-37; Mat 16:27; Rom 2:6; Rom 2:16; 1Co 4:5; 2Co 5:10; Rev 22:12).
Being perfect in holiness, God cannot treat evil as if it does not matter. His love for all that is right is so strong that he reacts against all that is wrong in righteous anger and holy wrath (Rom 1:18; Rom 2:5; Eph 5:6; Rev 6:17; see HELL; PUNISHMENT).
As far as believers are concerned, this wrath has fallen on Jesus Christ. Through him believers have the forgiveness of their sins and so escape the wrath that is to fall on sinners at the final judgment (Rom 3:24-26; Rom 5:9; 2Co 5:21; Eph 1:7; 1Th 1:10; 1Th 5:9; see FORGIVENESS; JUSTIFICATION; PROPITIATION).
Since Christ has borne their sin and brought them into a right relationship with God, believers can face God’s judgment with confidence (Rom 8:33; 1Jn 4:17). They do not fear condemnation, because once they are ‘in Christ’ there can be no condemnation (Joh 3:18; Joh 5:24; Rom 8:11). Since their names are in the book of life, they have no fear of the judgment of death (Rev 20:11-15; cf. Luk 10:20; Php 4:3; Rev 21:27).
This confidence does not mean that believers will escape all judgment. There will be an examination of their lives and works that will reveal whether they have lived for God or for themselves; whether they have followed God’s standards or the standards of the world. That examination will determine the reward or rebuke they will receive (Rom 14:10; 1Co 3:8-15; 2Co 5:10; see HEAVEN; REWARD).
A reference to God’s divine judgment, reserved for the end of the age. At that time, each person will stand before God and will be found "guilty" or "innocent" based upon his or her rejection or acceptance of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 25:32; Hebrews 9:27; Rev. 20:12).
—New Believer’s Bible Glossary
Condemnation. There are several judgments: the judgment of the believer’s sins (Joh 5:24), the judgment of the believer’s self (1Co 11:31-32), the judgment of the believer’s works (2Co 5:10), the judgment of the nations (Mat 25:31-46), and the judgment of the wicked (Rev 20:11-15).
There is no judgment for the Christian in respect to salvation (Rom 8:1). We were judged in Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. However, as Christians we will be judged according to our works (2Co 5:10) with, most probably, varying degrees of rewards. But, remember, the judgment of our works does not affect our salvation.