Judging God

Today I was speaking to a skeptic and he asked a question I have heard many times. The way I respond is never liked but it is the truth. I do not want anyone to think this is a straw man argument so I will just quote him:

So, let's say I get caught stealing a loaf of bread from a baker. I get taken before the Judge and he asks me how I plead. I plead guilty and offer to reimburse the baker for the bread and do 100 hours of public service.
But instead, the Judge tells me I must choose between getting no punishment at all in return for worshiping him forever, or being tortured and executed.
Does that sound like a just deal to you? Does that sound like a deal I should be thankful to receive?

There are many problems with the analogy. First is the mistake of believing there is "no punishment at all." When we accept Jesus as our salvation, the punishment was taken by Jesus. So the analogy would be better served by having the Judge offer his own son take the torture and execution in his place. The biggest problem though is that the judge is human.

Were this judge human, I could see his point. Seems odd and unreasonable because he is really no better than the person being judged. I can also understand humans because I am one myself. The judge is not omnipotent and can only process so much of the accused's life to make such a judgement. In short, the judge of the analogy is flawed.

So let's change the analogy to a judge who is not human, but an omnipotent all-knowing being. That in itself is not enough, so let's add that this judge created the accused and the world the accused lives in. Now we have a better picture.

Are you omnipotent? Can you see all things and know all things? I cannot. I do not know what that's like. Such a power is far beyond my comprehension. I can, to some degree, create things. I can create programs, and art, and machines. In this sense, I can minutely understand being a creator.

So let's go down that path. What if my programs I write decided one day that I'm doing it wrong and they know better than me. Is this reasonable for my program to do this? What if my graphic told me it had too much blue in it? What qualification does my picture have to make such a judgement?

In the same way, I have no grounds by which to judge God and whether or not He is moral. I cannot fathom all of the things God knows that I do not. It would be like a worm trying to understand how to program Java. No matter how hard the worm tries, it simply is not capable of doing such a thing because it is not on the same level as me.

This is where trust comes in. There are some people who see what God does and determines that God is cruel and unjust and mean. Another sees the exact same actions and drops to his knees with thankfulness of how merciful God is. To me, this is evidence of the Holy Spirit in people's lives.

Some people have set themselves up to be God's enemy by choice. Kind of reminds me of most Democrats and Republicans I know. They predetermine to hate whatever the opposing party does no matter what it is. To some Democrats, Republicans can do no right and some Republicans, Democrats can do no right (sometimes even when they do the same things). The same way to some people God can do no right and to others (like me) everything He does is right.

Is it cruel for God to send people to Hell for eternity for all of the bad things they have done in their life? That's not a question I'm even willing to answer because I am not qualified to judge God's morality.

Skeptics will hate this answer but it's the truth. I just recognize that I deserve Hell for all the sins I have committed and I would worship God for the mercy He gave me from his Son even if He did not ask me to.