What images or pictures come to mind when you hear the words: God is judge?
What do you think it means that God is the judge of humanity and that one day, everyone will stand before His judgment seat?
Many ideas of what God's judgment will look like are not biblical. The biblical teaching of God as judge may surprise you.
This weekend, take some time to read Acts 17:16-34. In this passage, Paul speaks to a crowd of intellectuals who had never read the Hebrew Bible. This group of people worshipped the Greek gods of Olympus (i.e. Hermes, Apollo, Ares, Athena, Zeus).
As you read, note how Paul communicates the message about Jesus. In this short sermon, Paul concludes by telling this group of people that a day of judgment is coming, no one will escape it, that God has appointed a judge and that this Judge was proven worthy of this role when God rose Him from the dead.
Verse 16 (Acts 17:16) says that Paul's "spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols."
Do a little digging. Why was Paul's spirit provoked within him? I encourage you to think deeper than simply saying, 'Because the city was full of idols and God hates false idol worship.' What was it about this idol worship that provoked Paul? Look up a few translations and try to gain an understanding of the Greek word that is translated here as 'provoke.' The answer to this question reveals Paul's underlying motivation in telling people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
