When Judgment Reveals Who We’ve Become: Understanding Formation vs. Performance
Have you ever felt prepared for something, only to discover you weren’t ready at all? This disconnect between thinking we’re prepared and actually being formed for what lies ahead reveals something profound about how God shapes us as His people.
You Don’t Perform Beyond Your Formation
There’s a fundamental truth that applies to every area of life: you don’t run the pace you hoped for, you run the pace you practiced. You don’t perform beyond your formation, you live out of it. This principle extends far beyond physical training into our spiritual lives.
As followers of Christ, the way we are shaped dramatically affects how we live in this world and interact with others. Many people approach faith like cramming for a test, thinking judgment is about what we know conceptually or whether we attend the right church. But Scripture reveals something different.
What Does Biblical Judgment Really Look Like?
Judgment doesn’t create who we are – it simply reveals who we have become. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and goats, where both groups are surprised by the verdict. The righteous are surprised by their righteousness, and the condemned are surprised by their neglect.
Both groups ask the same question: “When did we see you?” They didn’t recognize Jesus because He was “in disguise,” appearing as the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned.
The Surprise of Unconscious Righteousness
What’s fascinating is that the righteous group had been formed in such a way that their compassion was unnoticed to them. They had been shaped by the kingdom so thoroughly that caring for others was simply how they lived. It wasn’t transactional righteousness where they performed good deeds to earn salvation. It was the natural overflow of who they had become.
Are We Missing the Burning Bushes Around Us?
Moses encountered God in a burning bush after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Ancient rabbinic commentary suggests the bush may have been burning the entire time, but Moses had only now been formed in such a way that he could notice it.
What if every day we encounter burning bushes all around us? What if the person on the street asking for food, the patient in the hospital, or the neighbor needing help are all sacred spaces where we encounter God?
Sacred Encounters in Ordinary Moments
We often assume that when we help others, we’re blessing them. But what if through these encounters with God in disguise, it’s we who are transformed and changed? What if we had the ability to see beyond face value?
Most burning bushes don’t look like burning bushes. They look like ordinary, everyday encounters where we get the opportunity to see God. The challenge is that we’re often quick to create stories about people before we even hear their actual story.
The Danger of Spiritual Obesity
Ezekiel describes the sin of Sodom: “She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, under-concerned, and did not help the poor and the needy.” This description hits uncomfortably close to home.
Just as physical obesity comes from over-consuming and under-producing, we might have a spiritual obesity epidemic. That is, consuming sermons, teachings, and devotionals without practicing and working out our faith.
Formation Through Practice, Not Just Knowledge
The judgment scene in Matthew isn’t about reciting what we know. It’s about revealing how we’ve lived. We assume that knowing more will change us, but serving and sharing our faith might change us even more.
The purpose of gathering as believers isn’t just to get answers. It’s to be formed in the ways of Jesus through learning and community. We’re challenged and changed so that when we leave, we see people the way Jesus sees them.
Choosing Your Story
Every day we choose which story to abide in. There’s the story of the beast of empire, being strong, powerful, and on top. Or there’s the way of Jesus and His kingdom, looking around our world and seeing opportunities to encounter God through serving others.
Judgment reveals the story we have chosen to live. As John writes, “No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to slow down and truly notice the people around you. Instead of creating stories about why someone might be in need, take time to actually engage with them. Look for the “burning bushes.” Those ordinary encounters that might be sacred spaces where God is present.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I consuming more spiritual content than I’m practicing in real life?
- When I see someone in need, do I see an inconvenience or an opportunity to encounter God?
- How is my daily formation shaping me to naturally respond with compassion?
- What story am I choosing to abide in? The way of empire or the way of Jesus?
The goal isn’t to perform acts of service to earn God’s favor, but to be so formed by His love that compassion becomes our instinct. May we become people who recognize burning bushes around us, who live at the pace of mercy and grace, and through whom Christ becomes visible to a watching world.