Freedom from a Judgment-based Mentality

According to the GotQuestions.org website [1], the Nicene Creed was first adopted in AD 325 at the Council of Nicea. Constantine, the Roman Emperor had convened the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify the Christian church with one doctrine.

A common version of the text states:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.[2]

As one of our CourtsNet students explained in understanding that came to her as she was made to realize she had a lifelong fear of judgment—this fear of judgment spilled over into her relationships with others where she was quick to judge them and had a harsh set of rules she lived by. It affected every relationship with the result that she could never see the Father as loving her unconditionally. She grew up in the Lutheran church and this is a portion of the creed they recited every Sunday:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven, and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell, on the third day he rose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.

She stated, "The creed differs in the churches but the one line that they all agree on "From thence He shall come to JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD." I have been saying this since I was 6 years old! In the conversations I had recently with the ladies of CourtsNet, Heaven made it clear to me that I had a fear of judgment. Not only that, but with a fear of judgment, I could not hear words of intimacy. Heaven was telling me that I was incredibly loved but I could not hear a word of it! Heaven said that it was just like Adam and Eve in the Garden. They feared judgment so they could not hear the words of intimacy that The Father was speaking to them, so they hid themselves. They believed the whispers of the enemy.

This revelation is confirmed in the Mirror Translation. I have been reading the Book of Revelation and some of the erroneous translations of words that indicate a coming judgment that the writer of the Mirror Translation says are wrong!"

What we don’t realize is that God has been given a bum rap. In John 5:22 we read:

The Father now judges no one, for he has given all the authority to judge to the Son.

Jesus’ response was to take the judgment of the entire world upon himself at the cross and bear our judgment himself. In John 3:16-21 we find:

16 For this is how much God loved the world—he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!

18 So now there is no longer any condemnation for those who believe in him, but the unbeliever already lives under condemnation because they do not believe in the name of God’s beloved Son. 19 And here is the basis for their judgment: The Light of God has now come into the world, but the hearts of people love their darkness more than the Light, because they want the darkness to conceal their evil. 20 So the wicked hate the Light and try to hide from it, for their lives are fully exposed in the Light.

21 But those who love the truth will come out into the Light and welcome its exposure, for the Light will reveal that their fruitful works were produced by God. (TPT)

The Mirror Bible records this in John 12:31:

Now is the judgment of this world; this is the moment where the ruler of the world-system is 1conclusively cast out. (The serpent’s head is about to be crushed. Genesis 3:15; Colossians 2:14,15. This is what the Holy Spirit will convince the world of. John 16:11. John uses a double-barrel word here, ekballo ekso - completely thrown out. Thus, taken out of the equation. Luke 10:18.)

32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all of mankind and every definition of judgment unto me. (He would be lifted up on a cross, descend into the depths of our hell, then, according to the prophetic word in Hosea 6:2, after two days, the entire human race he represents, will be co-quickened and on the third day, be co-raised, out of the lowest parts of the earth and elevated to the highest heavens. Ephesians 4:8,9; see also Ephesians 2:5,6 and Colossians 3:1-3. 'All' includes all of mankind and every definition of judgment. The subject of the sentence, as from the previous verse, is the judgment of the world - thus the primary thought here is that in his death, Jesus would draw all judgment upon himself. John 3:14; John 8:28; Act 2:33. 1 John 3:5 We have witnessed with our own eyes how, in the unveiling of the prophetic word, when he was lifted up upon the cross as the Lamb of God, he lifted up our sin and broke its dominion and rule over us. John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away [airo] the sin of the world. The word airo means to lift up.") 12:33 This he said to point to the way in which he would die. (See John 19:15 - Lift him up. Lift him up. Crucify him.”) [3]

If we understand this correctly, there is a coming judgment, but not for us – rather, it is for Satan where he will be dealt with. However, the point of this article is not to give a full treatment to eschatological issues, but to help you find freedom from a fear of judgment and the ensuing impact it has on your life.

Ask yourself:

• Do I fear judgment?
• Am I harsh in my view of others?
• Am I behaving in such a manner that I am responding to fear?
• Do I feel God is keeping a record of my sins?
• Do I have difficulty in seeing God as a loving Father?
• Do I have difficulty embracing the love of God?

If you answered yes to any of these questions it may be that you have been misled concerning the Father. Just like our student she had weekly reinforced the false concept that God is ready to judge the living and the dead. That viewpoint tainted her view of the Father.

We want you free from these concepts. Let’s do some repentance and come out of some agreements that have held us back.

I request access to the Mercy Court today

I am here to repent of embracing a false view of the Father and of Jesus.

Where I have embraced a judgment-mindset of God and the judgment-based teachings of man. I ask your forgiveness.

Where I have seen you as a harsh judge and not a loving Father, I repent.

Where I, like Adam and Eve have tried to hide myself from you, I repent.

Where I, because of these false beliefs have not trusted you, I repent.

Where I have accepted things as truth that were not in fact truth, I repent.

I request access to the Court of Cancellations.

I request the cancellation of every covenant or covenant within contract that I have come into agreement with through the recitation of this creed or others of a similar nature.

I request the amendment of “As if it never were” regarding my view toward you as my Father and as the Just Judge.

I request access to the Appellate Court of Heaven.

I request the overturning of the false verdict that, “God is a harsh taskmaster” be overturned and replaced with a righteous verdict.

I request that the false verdict that God is ready to judge the living and the dead as recorded in the Nicene Creed, be overturned and replaced with a righteous verdict, in Jesus’ name.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 records a righteous verdict for me:

17 Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. 18 And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God.

19 In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God. 20 We are ambassadors of the Anointed One who carry the message of Christ to the world, as though God were tenderly pleading with them directly through our lips. So we tenderly plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Turn back to God and be reconciled to him.”

21 For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him. (Passion) (Emphasis added)

I also request that angels be dispatched to clean up the debris left by these false verdicts and lies of the enemy, in Jesus’ name.

Thank you, Just Judge, our Father for rendering these verdicts in our behalf this day.

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/Nicene-creed.html

[2] Some churches also use the Apostle’s Creed which contains much of the same phraseology.

[3] du Toit, Francois. Mirror Study Bible. Kindle Edition.