So these three men came in submission to their enemy, and so all who would escape the judgment of God must be reconciled not only to the Lord but to his people, for the saints are ‘the pillar and ground of the truth’. For their part, let God’s people must not make it hard for the unbeliever to find mercy by being unwilling to forgive, for all are sinners and none have any favour with God except by grace.
The judgment of God’s people is out of reach of the unbeliever and in this sense, ‘he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man’ (1 Corinthians 2:15). God will not allow hypocritical judgment in his kingdom and the unbeliever who lacks any righteousness, cannot be allowed to judge the believer. God reserves the judgment of his people for himself, but before the world they are only vindicated.