JEALOUSY—JEHOVAH, YAHWEH J

The Temple was built and rebuilt in Jerusalem, and here the Israelites offered sacrifices for their sins, praised God, and prayed. They understood that the Lord, the great King, reigned from Mount Zion (Ps. 48:2-3). Some even believed that the city was immune from destruction, and threatened to stone Jeremiah when he spoke against the city (Jer. 26:6-15). But the Lord did allow the city and its Temple to be torn down, due to the sins of the people. However, the city was not forsaken; it was rebuilt, and an escha­tological significance, begun in the kingdom pe­riod and the Exile, was attached to it (Ps. 46:4-6; Lam. 2:15; Ezek. 5:5). The Messiah was to reign from Zion, and all nations would come to it to learn truth (Zech. 2:7-13; 3:8-10; 8:20-22; 9:9-11; 14:12-21).

The Messiah did come to Jerusalem, but He was not welcomed by its leaders. The crisis came when Jesus was put to death and arose from the grave outside the city walls. His death and resur­rection and the Pentecost event gave the city a greater redemptive importance, an importance that survived its second destruction at the hands of the Romans (a.d. 70 ).

There was, however, a paradox in this new im­portance. The earthly city represented sin and slavery, but the new heavenly city represented freedom (Gal. 4:25-26). In the Book of Revela­tion, we read of a New Jerusalem that comes from God. It has no temple, for God and the Lamb take its place. This is the eternal city, the home of the saints (Revelation 21—22).

See israel, church, kingdom of god.

For Further Reading: Barclay, The City of the Great King, 604-21; "Jerusalem," Encyclopedia Judaica, 9:1549-93; Oliphant, Jerusalem, 430-521; De Young, Je­rusalem in the New Testament.

George Herbert Livingston JESUS. See christ.

JOHN THE BAPTIST. He was the last and greatest of the prophets, an ascetic, and designated by the Holy Spirit as the forerunner of Christ.

After 400 years during which no prophet had spoken to Israel, "The word of God came to

John" (Luke 3:2, niv). As a child of promise he was to be "filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth" (1:15, niv). This designated him as a prophet who by the Holy Spirit would speak God's message to the people "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (v. 17, niv). As a prophet he had the distinction of being the consummation of the prophetic order leading to the coming of Jesus Christ. Because of his unique position between the old order and the coming of the Kingdom, Jesus declared him to be the greatest of the prophets while at the same time making it clear that "he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt. 11:11, niv).

God's word to John was to call people to re­pentance and to announce the coming One and His kingdom and to give promise of a twofold baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). The coming One he designated as the One who "has surpassed me because he was before me" (John 1:30), the One "who will baptize with the Holy Spirit" (v. 33) and "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (v. 29, all Niv).

John's baptism with water was closely tied to repentance and forgiveness. He came "preach­ing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mark 1:4, niv). John did not and could not forgive sins. "But John's baptism was the ex­pression of the repentance that results in the for­giveness of sins" (Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, 40).

The message of John centered in repentance— a radical change of mind and heart. Using Isa. 40:3-5 as a text, he warned of "the coming wrath." He called for "fruit in keeping with re­pentance" and judgment in the figure of ax and fire (Luke 3:3-9, niv). To inquiring crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers he gave specific in­struction of the moral implications of true repen­tance (w. 10-14).

John's baptism included Jesus, but for a different reason than any other. Jesus' total iden­tification with man's need included His partici­pation in the symbol of man's need for forgiveness and cleansing, which in the new or­der would be made possible through the re­demptive life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So John could say to Him, "I need to be baptized by you" (Matt. 3:14, niv).

See BAPTISM, WATER, FORGIVENESS, CLEANSING, BAP­TISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

These sincere but misguided conservatives are called Judaizers because they supposed that to be saved, Gentiles must become Jews, and that this hinged, not simply on their faith in Christ, but upon their receiving circumcision.

The controversy raged over a period of years. It first came to a head in Antioch, where was thriving the first Gentile Church. Luke explains: "And some men came down from Judea and be­gan teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are cir­cumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved'" (Acts 15:1, NASB). The vigor­ous opposition of Paul and Barnabas precipitated the first general church conference, in Jerusalem, at which Peter sided with Paul, and James, the half brother of Jesus, delivered a decision repudi­ating the Judaizers and vindicating the freedom party.

But the Judaizers were undeterred in their sub­versive campaign. Apparently they followed Paul for years, infiltrating the churches and agi­tating Gentile converts. Their insidious work prompted the writing of Galatians, and to a large extent Romans also. Galatians, says Robertson, is a "flaming torch in the Judaizing controversy. This Epistle was the battle cry of Martin Luther in the Reformation" (Word Pictures, 4:273).

Paul especially perceived the radical nature of the issues and the necessity of a no-holds-barred fight. While Peter argued that since God was al­ready saving uncireumcised Gentiles, conformity to Judaism was obviously not necessary, Paul saw that the two systems, Moses and Christ, law and grace, circumcision and experience, ceremo­nialism and faith, were mutually exclusive, as the ground of salvation. To cling to Moses was to do despite to Christ; hence, "if you receive circumci­sion, Christ will be of no benefit to you" (Gal. 5:2, NASB). To trust in circumcision is to cling to the shadow and miss what circumcision pointed to—the circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:25-29; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11). The watchword of evangeli­cal religion is Gal. 6:15: "For neither is circumci­sion anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation" (NASB).

Paul's victory against the Judaizers was crucial to the preservation of an authentic Christianity. Today Judaizing tendencies are still with us, but in more subtle forms. The peril of trusting in rites rather than Christ is perennial.

See SACRAMENTARIANISM, CIRCUMCISION, LAW AND GRACE, MOSAIC LAW.

For Further Reading: Ladd, A Theology of the New
Testament, 354-56; Robertson, Word Pictures in the NT,
4:272 ff; CMS, 413-17. RICHARD S. TAYLOR

JUDGE, JUDGMENT. God is the Judge of all the earth (Gen 18:25; Heb. 12:23). He alone judges perfectly because He knows perfectly (1 Cor. 4:4-5; Heb. 4:12-13). He judges in righteousness (Gen. 18:25; Jer. 11:20; Rev. 16:7) and in truth (Rom. 2:2; Rev. 19:2). Human judges are to re­flect divine judgment, else they judge falsely (Deut. 1:16-17; Prov. 29:7, 14).

Judgment, in the OT, is the activity of God in preserving His covenant by establishing a right order in society—by delivering His people and punishing His enemies (Deut. 32:36-43; Isa. 30:18-19; Ps. 7:6-11). Human champions raised up to deliver Israel are judges 0udg. 2:16-19), and juridical functions are secondary in their ca­reers. The prophets emphasized the moral factor in their preaching of judgment: A disobedient Is­rael would be punished in the day of Yahweh as surely as the heathen (Amos 5:18-24; Joel 1:13-15). Daniel completes the OT vision of judgment, with the Son of Man reigning in ever­lasting righteousness and the wicked forever damned (Dan. 7:13; 12:1-3).

In the NT the day of Yahweh becomes "the day of the Lord" (2 Pet. 3:10). Final judgment is committed to Jesus Christ, whose total human experience qualifies Him to judge us all (Acts 17:31; John 5:22). This final judgment has cosmic significance, affecting the physical universe as well as its human inhabitants (2 Pet. 3:7-13). All will appear before this final Judge (Rev. 20:12; Rom. 14:10), whose coming in glory will effect the ultimate vindication of His followers and the ultimate destruction of His foes (2 Thess. 1:5-10).

This final acquittal of believers is brought for­ward into the present age as justification by faith. The death of Christ was judgment upon sin and Satan (John 12:31), and His resurrection launched the new age in which forgiveness and eternal life are present possibilities (John 5:24; Rom. 4:24-25). The Cross was a righteous judg­

As there is a present justification for believers, so there is a present punishment for sinners. Un­believers are already condemned (John 3:17-21) and the unrighteous already suffer wrath (Rom. 1:18-28).

Present judgment does not preclude future judgment (John 5:25-29; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:26-28), which occurs at "the end of this world" (Matt. 13:40-43).

We are justified by faith, but genuine faith works by love (Gal. 5:6; Jas. 2:14-26). Therefore, judgment is according to works—our words and deeds—as these are fruits of faith or unbelief. True faith in Christ evidences itself in obedience to His teachings and emulation of His compas­sion (Matt. 7:21-27; 12:7; 25:31-46; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12). God mercifully chastens His erring people that they might live holy lives and avoid condemnation (1 Cor. 11:31-32; Heb. 12:5-17). To despise this discipline is to be condemned with the world.

The final judgment is determined irrevocably at death, for then the believer is at peace with Christ (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-23), and the impenitent wicked are in torment in hell (Luke 16:22-24).

As God is Judge of all, we are forbidden to judge one another (Matt. 7:1-2; Rom. 2:1; 14:4, 10). While judgment as condemnation is forbid­den, judgment as discrimination is enjoined (Matt. 7:6, 15-20; Phil. 1:9-10), and the church is responsible for the discipline of its ministers and members (1 Cor. 5:1—6:6; Titus 3:10-11).

See ESCHATOLOGY, JUSTICE, DEATH, PROBATION, DIS­CRIMINATION, DISCERNMENT, REPROBATION.

For Further Reading: A Companion to the Bible,

The Hebrew Bible is equally emphatic in in­sisting upon "justice" or "righteousness" (these terms are largely interchangeable in translation; Exod. 23:1-8; Lev. 19:13-15; Deut. 16:18-20; Ps. 82:2-4; Isa. 1:17; 56:1; et al.). By adhering to God's standards of righteousness/justice, a peo­ple's character is finally approved or disap­proved. Thus the "justification" of a people is determined.

Following Aristotle, classical philosophy tend­ed to make distinctions which gave to justice the more limited character of a particular virtue. And in Christianity love became the dominant motif rather than justice. Christ spoke of divine justice as an impartiality which permitted the divine love to be expressed. And the Incarnation and Cross were/are supreme examples of God's love.

However, justice is still dominant in matters of conduct and salvation. Through Christ, God can be regarded as just even as He justifies the unjust (Rom. 3:26). Love must be paralleled by justice in order to avoid sentimentality, spinelessness, and general emptiness.

In the Middle Ages the cardinal virtues (in­cluding justice) were included in a general philosophical/theological system which also comprised love as included among the theologi­cal virtues. So important are these concepts both historically and theoretically that Frankena holds that all moral obligation can be basically reduced to justice and benevolence or love.

The call to justice is a call for some standard of rights and/or duties, and it confers a cardinal virtue on those who meet the standard. This standard also requires a fair distribution of hon­ors, wealth, and other goods in accord with some divine or other principle. When just distribution is violated, justice requires the correction of such violation.

Justice thus becomes the acceptance of the dig­nity of all human beings along with the require­ment that that dignity be respected by every other human being.

See JUDGE (JUDGMENT), CIVIL RIGHTS, LAW, LAW AND GRACE, REWARDS.

For Further Reading: International Encyclopedia of So-
cial Sciences, 8:341 ff; Tillich, Love, Power, and Justice; ER,
409. R. Duane Thompson