Not to Judge Part 4

Jesus Came to Save the World, Not to Judge It

A Reflection on John 12 and Hebrews 9

John 12 and the Words of Jesus

We’re looking at John chapter 12 in The New Testament for Everyone by N. T. Wright. Let’s start again at verse 47.

Jesus says:

“If anyone hears my words and doesn’t keep them, I’m not going to judge him.”

Now, Jesus has already said here—and in other places—“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” He’s going to say it again in this passage. He also said, “The only things I do are what I see my Father doing. The only things I say are what I hear my Father say.”

So I can already hear someone saying, “Well, Jesus might not judge you, but the Father will. You’re still going to stand before God. You’re still going to be judged.”

Let’s read on.

“That Wasn’t Why I Came”

Jesus says again:

“I’m not going to judge them. That wasn’t why I came. I came to save the world, not to judge it.”

Not to judge it.

One may say, “Well, James, that’s why He came the first time, to save the world, not to judge it. But if you reject Him, He can’t save you.”

All I’m saying is this: He’s already saved you. He’s already revealed the truth. He’s already gone to the cross. He’s already come to that crisis moment. He’s already made the judgment. He’s already paid the debt.

The wages of sin is death—and that death has already been paid. Humanity has already been delivered.

Judgment as Crisis, Not Condemnation

Any judgment now is a revelation of what happened at the cross.

Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world.” And just a few verses later, He says, “I didn’t come to judge those who hear my word and reject it. I’m not going to judge them.”

So what is He judging?

He’s judging sin and death.

Judgment is a crisis. That’s what the word means. It’s a revelation—Jesus shining the light and exposing the darkness.

So yes, people say, “He didn’t come to judge the first time; He came to save us. But He’s coming back one day, and then we’ll be judged.”

Hold that thought.

Hebrews 9:27 and the Question of Judgment

People often bring up Hebrews 9:27 in conversations like this, so let’s go there.

Hebrews 9:27 says:

“Just as it is laid down that humans have to die once, and after that comes judgment.”

The traditional translation says, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.”

There’s a beautiful revelation here.

Paul said something similar in more than one place—one of my favorites is 2 Corinthians 5, where he says:

“If one died, then all died.”

It was appointed unto humanity once to die: humanity did die. Mankind died in Christ on the cross about 2,000 years ago.

Death was dealt with. Judgment was dealt with.

Once in Time, Once for All

Let’s keep reading.

Hebrews 9:28 says:

“So the Messiah, having been offered once and for all…”

You can read that both ways, and both are true. He was offered once in time, and He was offered once for all people.

Once in time. Once for everyone.

It continues:

“…to take away the sins of many.”

Now ask yourself this: Are you telling me that if I believe in Jesus who was judged in my place I get out from under judgment, but then later I come back under another judgment out there in the future somewhere?

When Jesus dealt with sin, He dealt with sin.

Sin as an Identity Issue

This is hard for us to grasp because our minds have been trained a certain way, but sin is more of an identity issue than an action issue.

Sin is a failure to believe who I am as a child of God. It’s a failure to live according to the blueprint: God created us in Christ Jesus.

God is conforming us to the image of His Son, making us more and more like Him.

When I miss that mark, I sin. But the deeper sin is not seeing who I am.

The Second Appearing: Apart from Sin

So listen again:

“Having been offered once and for all to take away the sins of many…”

Jesus dealt with the sin issue at the cross. We struggle to believe that—but listen to what comes next.

“He will appear a second time.”

And this is crucial:

“This will no longer have anything to do with sin.”

Nothing to do with sin.

Why?

“It will be to save those who eagerly await Him.”

Let me read it from the New King James Version:

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

The Judgment Has Already Come

That appointment humanity had with death, Christ met it.

Why? Because of sin and death. That’s why He came.

And when He comes again, it will have nothing to do with sin, because the judgment has already come and sin has already been dealt with. Any more judgment will be an unveiling of the judgment that took place in the Christ when He conquered all that opposes humanity.