“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
1 Peter 1:15-19 (NKJ) says, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
God judges us impartially according to our works. It is up to us to see that we live in a manner that pleases our Father God. God is a holy God, and as His children, we need to walk holy and talk holy and act holy. We can walk in holiness because the precious blood of Jesus has redeemed us. The blood of Jesus has washed away our sins, stripped sin of its power over us, and caused us to be able to continue to walk free from sin.
John 3:16-18 (NIV) says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
God does not judge us according to some standard that we know nothing about and that is out of our control. He judges us according to our own choices and actions. In other words—we choose our judgement—not God. He offers us the choice of life or death and then acts according to what we have chosen. It is not up to God—it is up to you and me. God did His part—He sent Jesus as a sacrifice to cut a covenant between God and us, so that life and blessing would actually be one of our choices. Without Jesus—there is no choice—death and cursing would be our destiny.
Isaiah 11:1-4 (NIV) says, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.”
God judges in righteousness and justice. To “judge” simply means “to make a decision”. God makes a decision concerning us according to the decision we make for and about ourselves.
Romans 2:4-11 (NKJ) says, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
God is not partial. He does not like one better than the other. He does not have “favorites”. He treats everyone the same. Whatever we sow—we will reap.
Acts 10:34-35 (NIV) says, “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.’”