The Judgment of Grace, or the Transformative Power of Grace?

We previously discussed the parables of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus spoke to the people during his ministry. When we substitute “Grace” for the “kingdom of Heaven (KOH)”, many of these parables take on a fascinating new perspective and even offer a coherent understanding of what Jesus was trying to teach us about. Take for example the parable of the Sower, where the KOH is compared to a farmer who scatters seed around and the seed falls in different places. When we substitute grace for the KOH, this parable could be seen as comparing the spreading of God’s grace to a farmer sowing seeds, with different results depending on how people receive this grace. The people who receive grace and are ready for it produce multiples of what was sown in them. Other parables compare Grace to a buried treasure or a pearl, which speaks to the preciousness of grace and how we tend to find it by accident, or rather, that it finds us. Grace as a mustard seed that grows into a tree or a small amount of yeast that transforms pounds of flour speak to how grace grows large and multiplies within the person’s life and that it is a process largely driven by God, not by our own efforts. 

But then we are faced with the more complex parables on the KOH, with some of them presenting a full story. These are the parables about the net, the ten virgins, the talents, the wedding banquet, and the wheat and tares.  These parables are more complex than the ones I mentioned before because they introduce a judgment component. Jason asked us to reflect on these parables last December, here’s some of what he said: “In each of these parables, there’s a clear division: the fish are sorted, five virgins are excluded, a servant is cast out for burying his talent, a guest is expelled for improper attire, and the weeds are separated from the wheat for destruction.

The observation about these parables tying together grace and judgment is thought-provoking. On the surface, grace and judgment may seem contradictory. Grace is often seen as unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness, while judgment implies a separation based on merit or actions. However, these parables might suggest a deeper, more complex relationship between the two.”

How are we to understand the juxtaposition of judgment and grace in these parables? Aren’t they contradictory to each other? How and why does Jesus lump them together in his parables? 

I think the reason why understanding these parables has been hard is because of how different grace is to our natural human tendencies and philosophies. We have always looked at the judgment presented in these parables with the same human interpretations we apply to everything around us. We believe in cause and effect. We believe in concepts such as justice, fairness, and we ascribe moral intuitions to everything around us. What we also do, but fail to realize that we do it, is combine our belief in cause and effect to morality, and this is exactly where concepts such as Karma are borne. We get so secure in this way of thinking and which we seem to share with everyone around us that we take it for the Truth. We literally take it as a way of life. 

I think the parables of Jesus question that, and that’s what makes them confusing. We discussed how Jesus may have been using cognitive dissonance to jolt us out of our way of thinking into how things work in the KOH. It is a shame, therefore, that the interpretation of the church tends to exactly align with our usual human moral and cognitive ways of thinking. 

Let’s take a look at the parable of the ten virgins. The parable is usually interpreted as the need to be prepared when Jesus arrives, but I think this is nonsense. Actually, it is worse than nonsense, it is blasphemy against grace. 

I’m going to read it: The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

As Dr. Weaver suggested, the fact that they are all virgins implies purity and clears the interpretation of any judgment based on morality. As virgins, they all had equal chances to the bridegroom. Not just that, but they were all invited to the wedding, and they all had lamps, which suggests they were prepared enough. It is important to note that these are all attributes of Grace; they are all virgins by Grace, they are invited to the party by grace, and the “wise” ones had grace as oil in their lamps. This means that our invitation is not based on any merit or our deserving to be invited, and all of us are given grace.

So, if it wasn’t about preparedness, what was the foolish virgins’ mistake?

I think it is them thinking that they can purchase grace with their own efforts, by their own merit. They relied on their own thinking and action to rationalize that they had to go looking to purchase oil in the middle of the night. This is the opposite of grace and therefore, they got the judgment of grace, the shut door, the outer darkness, and God’s proclamation: I do not know you. 

This is a harsh judgment, and to us it seems unfair, it is out of proportion with what they have done. But that’s exactly the point, the judgment of grace exposes the fault in our understanding of fairness. God’s grace is not fair, it does not fit with our culturally ingrained cause and effect thinking. In fact, I think the purpose of this harsh judgment is to shock us out of the security we built through this understanding of the world around us. 

I think that also explains the judgment in the other parables as well, the one talent guy who accuses God of being a cause-and-effect guy instead of the God of Grace, gets the judgment of grace. He’s thrown in outer darkness. The wedding banquet guest who came wearing his clothes instead of the robe of righteousness was trying to show his own righteousness instead of God’s, he also ends up in outer darkness. 

(Robert F. Capon’s interpretation suggests that) These parables often upend our typical notions of fairness and judgment. I think that Grace itself is a judgment: it is a judgment against our own understanding of how things work, a judgment against our human standards of merit and deservingness, a judgment of our cause and effect thinking. The judgment of grace nullifies this way of thinking, it is not allowed in the KOH. But the judgment of grace is what also convicts us of our guilt, the guilt we try so hard to get rid of. This guilt is what leads us to self-righteousness, to pretend that we are morally superior because we follow Jesus, do good works, and show ourselves as morally upright and law-abiding people. But what grace does is to awaken our guilt instead, and to show us that our efforts have been silly; we are only fooling ourselves. There’s no one who is moral enough to earn their standing in front of God. The judgment of grace makes all of this clear, but then, when our trusted understanding of our world fails, and our shiny image of ourselves is exposed in its nastiness, we see the other side of grace, the unconditional acceptance into God’s love. Not because of what we did, but just because of who we are-God’s children. So, judgment in this light is essential to grace, without it, we would never accept grace on our own terms. The judgment of grace is the only way to expose our wretchedness which leads us back to God and his grace. 

But, you may say, this judgment seems harsh and final. Afterall, the parable ends with people thrown in outer darkness, they miss the party, their grace is taken from them and given to the other guy. They have been searched and found lacking. If the purpose of this judgment is to expose our faulty thinking and bring us back to grace, then why do the parables end in outer darkness?

I think we have to understand – and have faith – that Jesus is a promiscuous groom; he would marry any bride that accepts him. And so, there is never a shortage of parties in the kingdom of heaven. If you get kicked out from one, the judgement convicts you of your faulty understanding, and when you correct your image of yourself, you will be welcomed to join the next party. Besides, you never know, one day you may be the bride and not just a regular guest. 

So, what do you think of the judgment of grace? Should we emphasize grace alone, or judgment along with grace? Can you see the relationship of grace and judgment in the other parables that we didn’t discuss? 

David: Your talk began to open up some fresh understanding of these very difficult parables. One thought I had was that in the legal process, a trial is followed by a verdict, which is the judgment, and then that’s followed by punishment. The parables of the virgins, the fish, the wedding guest, and the servant seem to be talking more about punishment than judgment. They seem to be a warning that this punishment is what will happen if you end up without grace.

It made me wonder, if the five foolish virgins had simply not gone off to buy oil, if they simply stayed where they were and awaited their fate, what would have happened to them? Would they not have been allowed in anyway because they didn’t have oil? If they realized and accepted their guilt, but had faith that God would let them into the wedding without oil, would they have been allowed in?

Michael: I think they would have been let in.

C-J: The idea of light at a wedding… I think light reveals the intention of Revelation, not relationship. By being invited, you are in relationship, but having light is an illumination of the potential that is resident in any relationship. And I think that’s what God is always seeking. We are saved by grace. It is gracious. It is fully extended, but light and relationship are a next level or a continuum, and I believe that’s what God is always seeking. Relationship grace is offered to those that would receive it, but I think the virgins would have gotten into that wedding. 

But what happens in a wedding, if it’s held at night or all day or for a series of days, is that when it gets dark, you’re going to have campfires, you’re going to need to light your way to go from one tent to another. Because when you go to a wedding as a Bedouin, you have to have a place to stay. So you either have family there that you can stay with in their tent, or you have to bring your tents. And it might be several days’ journey to where that wedding will take place, and part of that is bringing gifts. You have to bring provisions, food, and all those things to the wedding. It’s not like a wedding that we might see in a Jewish community today, or even in a traditional wedding at all.

When my grandmother was married, it was held outside near a grange hall where all the harvest was brought to this place and separated and got ready for market. The gifts were simple, like a wooden spoon or a kettle or a pitcher. They were very practical gifts, and they were about relationship. It wasn’t about anything more than that. You came to support the community. You came in community. People would travel days. When I was small, when my father’s people would come to visit, because they came from Pennsylvania, they would come and stay for a week. It was a day’s journey, three hours driving non-stop, and we only saw them maybe twice a year. And so provision had to be made by my parents, and we kids slept on the living room floor. We gave up our beds. Kids sat at a separate table or went outside to eat. A wedding, a gathering, is always about community and relationship. It takes a long time to become married, because, remember, these people were getting married very young. 12 or 13 years old. Sometimes a young girl would be “married” but go to live with the other family to learn how to be the wife of that son. And so we think of it in terms of the narrative about salvation, but I think we need to understand the time and place where the story originated.

Anonymous: Michael always makes me think new thoughts, which are always welcome to me. I like to come to something new, other than what I am used to hearing and always hear. 

So, the judgment of grace is essential. This concept is in the Bible when it says in the parable that the farmer pleaded for the tree that is not giving any fruit for the first year and the second year and the third year, and kept trying to save it, but in the end, it has to be cut down. So God’s grace is not something to play with or to take advantage of it yet keep living your own ways without giving it the value that it is its due. In the end, there must be a judgment, when the patience of God is exhausted, as He warns us in the Bible. Someday there will be a judgment. Someday, the doors will close. Someday, we will have to stand before the seat of God. It’s real.

The last verse of the parable of the five virgins talks clearly about judgment, But what if the foolish virgins had stayed and told the bridegroom that they didn’t have oil, instead of going and shopping for some? Would he have let them in? Depending on the bridegroom’s mercy, he might have let them in. That’s what I thought. But then, then I thought of the reason why Jesus labeled them as foolish. They are foolish not because they weren’t ready. It’s by grace that they were invited. By grace, they had the oil. By grace, they were pure and virgins. But they didn’t take enough consideration for the future, they didn’t think about what if circumstances turned bad and something happened, and the oil with us is not going to be enough. Their first response was, “Oh, we can find our own. We can go look for oil,” whereas the wise virgins not only took oil in their lamps, but also took extra oil, which amounted to worshiping and learning from God, appreciating His grace, reading His word, staying with God and in God. They probably thought, “Lord, what if something happened and these lamps don’t have oil anymore? What can we do?” Maybe God inspired them to get some extra oil in their vessels, whereas the foolish ones didn’t even think of that.

For us, learning from this parable means that when we walk with God, we shouldn’t ever depend on other provisions outside of God. If I travel and run low on gas, there are gas stations on the way. Whose provision is this? It’s human. Whereas someone would say, “Lord, I don’t know how long I’m going to live, but I’m going to depend on you for the years of weakness, the years of disability, the years of loneliness, and the years of need. I’m not going to worry about that. So I’m putting it in your hands,” and that is wise.

I don’t know if it’s human or just in our culture, but when you do good to someone who’s bad, which is grace, you expect them to straighten up, to become better, to learn the lesson in a kind way. You don’t want to be harsh with them. You don’t want to tell them they deserve death or deserve to be in prison. But because I’m gracious, I want to give you another chance, and over time, if you keep doing this to someone and you don’t see any appreciation, any sense of their guilt, any sense of having to change, well, humanly speaking, you’re going to give them up to the judge. One day, grace judgment will take place, that’s for sure.

C-J: I would like to go back to the virgins. When you are poor and have to travel a great distance, just that idea puts you at more risk, because the provisions you’re going to be able to carry, afford, and bring as a wedding gift are limited. It isn’t about bad judgment. You’re doing it out of an awareness of your social contract with this community.

The idea of judging those who don’t respond to kindness is something I struggle with where I live. Recently, I have walked away from a couple of people that I’m just tired of being an artesian well for, and I just said, “I leave. I’m done.” In the past, I would say that but then continue to give. But something in me has changed; it’s not about being hard. It’s just that there’s nothing left. It’s a waste of my time. But the truth is, with God, it’s never a waste of God’s time because of the sacrifice, metaphorically or literally, wherever you stand, of the blood that covers all sin.

So, I have a real problem with saying, “How many times do I forgive? 70 times seven?” I’m not keeping a roster of “I just gave you this,” or “Why should I give you this?” or “You don’t appreciate what I give to you.” If we’re giving through grace, if grace is what’s motivating us, then we need to go back. So maybe I don’t go physically back, but in prayer, I will say, “Lord, keep your hand on this person. Lord, whatever, open their eyes. Lord, give them what they need,” because it is not productive for people to have a hardened heart, for people to say, “I don’t care. Nobody cares about me. I’m not going to care about you because you’re only going to disappoint me,” because their trauma informs them. Poverty or lack of understanding or being invisible to others is trauma. We have to live in community, spiritually and in the real world. It is very hard to “live off the grid.” To be completely independent just isn’t possible. I mean, I may survive by foraging or hunting or building lean-tos, etc., whatever the environment is, but spiritually, I will wither on the vine if I do not have a spiritual relationship with the Creator.

Whatever the rituals, the customs, the narrative is, humanity is a spiritual creature, and when we don’t recognize or self-protectively walk away from all of that and say it doesn’t matter, we will die—literally, we will die. A child that is not held and loved will be a failure-to-thrive infant. And that doesn’t just have to be an infant. I’ve seen it with students in my classroom. They don’t talk. Their eyes are hot. They wear the same clothes for two, three days. They cannot learn because they don’t feel they are worthy. They are not seen, they are not loved, they are not nurtured, they are invisible.

That’s not the way God created us to be. He created us to be in relationship with the divine. So if I believe I am an instrument of God, if I believe that I am an ambassador of God, then I have to allow myself to be open to ebb and flow, against my own ego, against my own pride. It’s not about “they don’t deserve it,” but it hurts me every time I’m rejected. “I didn’t ask you, Connie. I don’t need you, Connie.” It hurts when I go in good faith, “Would you like me to help you with that?” or whatever. It isn’t about worthiness. It isn’t about my sin. It is about grace, and that is an open door. Come as you are.

Michael: The way that I’m thinking about this judgment is not as a final judgment. It’s something that we get sometimes, maybe often, but it might be surprising that usually we give it different names—maybe conviction, maybe even conversion. This judgment is something that we do get in our own daily lives, and it usually leads us to think differently than we did before.

David: They’re more like warnings than verdicts. It’s more of a “be careful or this could happen” warning. There are still things that are really perplexing about these parables, certainly the virgins and certainly the servant with the talents. They did not seem to be rejecting God. They evidently loved God enough to want to be at the wedding, yet they were denied grace. They were foolish, but surely that is not the same as being evil. I find that perplexing. But I do take the point that when they decided they could fix the problem themselves by going to buy oil instead of relying on God’s grace, that was a mistake. The question is who that a mistake should deny them grace? I think we still have some work to do, to at least I have some work to do on these parables personally.

Sharon: I don’t think what we’re talking about here is the final judgment. I think we’re talking about our continued learning and dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is Jesus, and grace is His sacrifice. When we blow it, we are just in a learning, growing process, and His grace is going to make up the difference for us. I heard a sermon today that was powerful. Our cup of grace is not a static cup; it’s more like a balloon. As we grow and become like Jesus in our behaviors and in our assimilation of His will being lived out in our life through the Holy Spirit, we can take in more grace. We can become more of a powerful force in a wicked world environment for the good and for the oppressed.

Can we learn from our mistakes? Yes, as the widows did, we can learn and grow. But we always have the grace and the judgment already figured out. The victory was won, and all we have to do is stay at the cross, accepting the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and love Him so much that we live for Him. It’s a very simple concept, and it’s a concept of growing. Tomorrow, I hope that I’m more patient and more caring to the community that I’m around, and more like Jesus in being His ambassador of love. Do I fear the judgment of grace? No, not at all, because His blood and His Atonement finished that work for me. Yes, there is going to be a judgment, but the judgment is between Satan and Him, about whether His sacrifice for me personally covered my sins to the bottom of the sea.

Kiran: The parable of the ten virgins is really troubling. First of all, the wise virgins are the ones who gave them the idea to go and buy oil. I don’t understand why they got into the party. If the oil is the grace, then they didn’t share their grace with the foolish virgins. They hoarded it instead, so it would have grown rotten. So they shouldn’t be getting into the party.

Second, whether they brought more oil or less oil, bringing any amount of it took some effort. So just because someone brought less oil doesn’t mean they’re relying more on themselves; all of them brought oil. I think the point here is not about the oil but about the light. The virgins, all of them, thought that their light would make them visible to the bridegroom, and that is what would let them get inside. Both the wise and foolish thought that way, and it didn’t matter. Because when the groom came in, he saw the foolishness of the wise virgins and still took them in. But I think the problem came when the foolish virgins thought that they had to fix it themselves and then left at the crucial minute.

If I think of it that way, then it makes sense. Because otherwise, if you think oil is grace, then why would you let people who believed their oil is the reason for them to get into the kingdom go there? I’m thinking out loud, but for me, at the end of the day, what matters most is whether I rely on myself or if I think that something I do matters to enter the kingdom of God. That is wrong. But if I believe that what God does is what makes me get into the kingdom of God, I think that matters the most. 

I’m really perplexed by the advice given by the wise virgins to the foolish virgins. I still have to think about it.

C-J: It might be about the tradition of that time. That story made sense at that time, but today, in our understanding and in our relationship, we don’t have to understand the depth of somebody else’s experience. We only need to see it as the storytelling of a personal experience and narrative. It doesn’t have to become my truth or exactly the same experience because revelation is unique to each individual. Another reason why community is so important and what we do here is so important. I don’t have to go to jail to know it’s got to be a terrible place, but understanding what lack of access because of my crime in relationship to the Divine is profound.

That’s why grace is so important. Because even, as Paul said, it doesn’t matter if I’m in chains because I have liberty in my relationship with God. I just think the limitation of the narrative that we’ve been taught through institutional thinking sometimes binds us. When I’m in a right relationship with God, the Holy Spirit is always present, and if I get it wrong, somehow God teaches me using that access being open. Even if I get it wrong, I will be growing. Every twist, turn, and pause in my growth has purpose. It keeps cycling. I’ll be dreaming about it. I’ll find somebody coming, and even if I haven’t shared what I’m thinking about, God is again saying, “Have you considered…”

I just think we constantly, as humans, underestimate the way God teaches us as individuals. It is unique, it is consistent, and it is full of intention and purpose. I don’t want to be in a box. I don’t want to be institutionalized in my relationship with the Divine or in any community. I want to be constantly mindful of what God is doing and why I am here now.

Kiran: The fact that all ten are virgins suggests that they already received grace, and then they’re preparing for the second coming. It makes me wonder if this story would really fit well for the people that think that justification is done by Christ, glorification is done by Christ, but sanctification is something that we have to work together with God? Because you have two camps among Christians. One group says no, even sanctification is also done by Christ. You just rely on Him. But another group—Catholics, Adventists, and some of the Methodists and Baptists—think that it’s synergistic: You have to do your part, and Christ does his part.

So, even though we all are washed by the blood of Christ to come into the church, suddenly we flip the coin around and say, “Well, I have to play my part.” And that was the mistake that I had in my life for many years. So I think this parable really talks (I don’t know, I’m thinking out loud) about the faulty understanding of sanctification, where we think that sanctification is synergistic. You have to work with God. If you don’t put in your work, then you don’t get salvation. I think that’s why the wise virgins are also giving a wrong understanding, because the other point about grace is it’s very difficult for us to understand. But the good news is, it doesn’t matter whether you understand it or not—as long as you depend on Christ, you’ll be fine.

Don: The common theme in all these parables is that those who seek the solutions themselves are the ones who are somehow left out. The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is that, in addition to the fact that they have oil, the wise virgins stuck around for the entrance of the bridegroom. As soon as the bridegroom was announced, the foolish women abandoned ship. The fact that the wise women gave them bad advice just again shows that they were no more fit to go in from a moral standpoint than were the foolish virgins, but they stuck around. This is a lesson, I think, to us, that what we need to do is stick around our Lord. That’s the key. And whether we have oil or don’t have oil, whether we give good advice or bad advice, whether we take good advice or ignore bad advice, the key is that when the door was opened, we are there. We need to stay close to Christ so that when the door is opened, we’re able to move in.

David: But where does that leave the wedding guest without the wedding garment? He went in the door, so presumably he wanted to be there. But he was thrown out.

Reinhard: I think this is a matter of preparation. As Sharon mentioned, we learn from mistakes. Those who have been redeemed, or saved, already know God’s intention and what He did for them. I think it’s very hard for us to miss this invitation. In the parable of the ten virgins, we know the attitude of the foolish virgins. I think it’s very clear that we have to be alert and pay attention. Jesus talked about this parable as He was about to leave His ministry on this earth, reminding us about the preparation. To me, the oil here describes the Holy Spirit, as is often mentioned in the Bible. We have to have this Holy Spirit and maintain this relationship with God with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The wedding banquet story in Luke 14 is similar to that in Matthew 22. People were invited. They knew the wedding would be held, but they just disregarded it and had excuses not to come. In both versions, a man got in but didn’t wear appropriate clothes and was kicked out. So it seems to me that grace involves some rules and regulations. While the invitation is open to all, some people who fail to fulfill their responsibilities, like bringing extra oil, will unfortunately not get in. Everyone is given the chance to at the wedding, but those who do not prepare properly might miss out. It is important to heed the warning, to learn, and to prepare. If we do, I think it’s very hard for us to miss this great event as long as we keep our belief and know what we have to do.

Michael: I guess the parable is quite intriguing, but I’m wondering what you all think of the main thesis of today’s talk—that judgment is very important to grace?

Sharon: That’s what I was really referring to. The point is that there has to be judgment for grace in order to settle the conflict of the ages. Grace is judgment in and of itself, but it’s the positive aspect of judgment rather than the negative aspect. I think it’s so important to realize that grace carries with it a heavy price, but the price is not coming from any merit of ours, but from the merit of our Savior. So I really think that the judgment aspect of grace that you’re bringing out is extremely critical, because without judgment, we don’t even have freedom.

Anonymous: Philippians 2:13 reads: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” This is like the talents God has given us—the will and the ability to act. These are the talents. Now, in response to these talents, which in that parable showed that we have to do something with them, comes verse 12 that says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.” That’s the point. Now, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” That’s the response to the talent. So there is a part for us, and when judgment comes, it’s because we did not respond to what God provided for our salvation. He provided the sacrifice. He is the light of the world. He led us to salvation. He gave us the will and the ability to act, but we have to respond. That’s why we have to work our salvation with fear and trembling.

And what does that mean? It means doing all things without complaining and disputing, as stated in verses 14 and 15, so we may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. So it’s not us; it’s the power that God put in us to live and to act without complaining and to be without fault among a crooked and perverse generation. We are to shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life. That’s another response. That’s our part—to hold fast to the word. So there is a part for us to play. It’s not about just sitting and doing nothing and expecting to be saved. We have to work with God, not in a sense of putting in our effort alone, but in a sense of cooperating with God’s plan of salvation. We want to be what He wants us to be. We want to receive the talent and respond to it. We want to show some fruit. And it’s not because of us, but because He is the one who wills and acts in us. Our will to participate and to live kindly and forgivingly—all the good works—He puts in us.

C-J: I would just like to add that all things are not equal, whether it’s talents or grace. The portion each person receives can vary. We must understand that we do not comprehend the height, depth, and breadth of our Creator. We do not know the beginning or the end. We only have this moment in time to allow ourselves to receive whatever grace and revelation is extended to us. But I would not ask an infant to get up and walk over to me. If their understanding is limited or clouded or confined, then we have to be willing to make provision for that person, for their benefit and for our benefit. We must come into the light. We may carry the light, but that doesn’t mean we’re walking in the light. I just think that’s the grace of God. There is so much we do not understand in our finite minds in this dimension. We want to orchestrate institutional thinking because it’s a guardrail. But God is infinite, gracious, and always present.

Carolyn: When we ask for forgiveness of sin, and grace abounds, our sins are cast to the depths of the sea. What happens at judgment time? Are those sins brought up, or are they gone forever and we’re only going to be judged on tomorrow’s sins?

Anonymous: Paul says there is no judgment to those who are in Christ. So we don’t have to worry about the judgment. There’s a different meaning to the judgment for the righteous and for the unbeliever. We’re not talking about the same thing.

Reinhard: I think you mean no condemnation of those who believe in Christ. I think exactly similar, no judgment. But I like your point earlier that there are two parties involved: God and us. Of course, God plays a major role in salvation. We cannot save ourselves, but we have to participate. We have some responsibilities in order for us to be saved. Grace is free, of course, and we can grab that, but if we lose the chance, like in the parable where they missed the chance because they were foolish and didn’t take responsibility, we won’t be saved. We have to play a part, maybe small, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, God will enable us to come to this agreement with Him, which is salvation.

Michael: I was trying to steer away from any judgment based on morality. I don’t think that’s the judgment that I was discussing. I think the judgment of grace is what convicts us as wretched beings and eventually leads us to grace. That’s the judgment I was referring to. I was asking if this is the judgment in the Bible—a judgment of conviction, revealing our wretchedness, as Paul says, and leading us to change our ways. The parables seem to offer a final judgment, but I wonder if we can see it as not the final judgment, just the judgment of who we are at that moment, leading us to become new people and see things differently. It’s difficult to separate the two. Maybe I didn’t make it clear that I was discussing a completely different judgment or giving something else the name of judgment.

Anonymous: Yes, I thought you were talking about the final judgment, but now I see what you mean. The word or the name “grace judgment” is incorrect. I believe, according to what I understand from what you’re saying, that it’s the transformative power of God that leads the sinner back to Him. That’s not judgment, that’s grace. So it is not judgment that brings us back to God. It’s His mercy that brings us back to God. It’s His grace. So I don’t think you should call it judgment of grace.

Michael: I appreciate that understanding now, but I’m wondering in that moment before you’re converted, when you receive that moment of conversion, it’s very hard, it’s very difficult. It feels very wrong. Only after a period of time do you look at it in a different light, but in that moment, it feels like judgment.

Anonymous: When we first have grace, maybe we think, “I’m having this judgment of the bad ways of myself, and now I know that even with my badness, I’ve been in grace,” So I judge myself and pledge to stop being this way and give myself completely to God because now I understand how He led me even when I didn’t know anything about Him. Now I see His patience, His grace, and from now on, I’m a different person. That’s the transformative power of God, and from now on, I don’t have any judgment anymore, neither in this world nor at the end, because there’s no judgment after we respond to this grace.

David: I wonder, are these parables like the stories parents tell their kids to scare them into behaving so they won’t get hurt? “If you do this, the monster will come and get you in your bed and eat you up!” It’s done out of love to scare our kids into not doing bad things that might harm them. Maybe the parables are not to be taken too literally, or too seriously?

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