This is not an exhaustive but a brief post about standing before a just God and being judged. So much more can be written.
There are days, even brief seasons, when I am not on a "spiritual high," but drained, perhaps physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some days, some brief seasons in my life I am quiet, I don't want to hear music or preaching or people talking or the phone ringing, but only the sounds of nature from my backyard--birds singing, insects chirping, the wind calmly blowing through trees full of leaves. As I look back over the last thirty years of being in Christ, by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, I'm scared that I will not hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matt. 25:21, 23). I don't even necessarily want to be "ruler over many things." But I am rather frightened that I will stand before Jesus and He will just look at me, perhaps with pity and mercy and grace, and merely welcome me into His Father's Kingdom; because, let's just face it, my faithfulness to Christ wavers.
How is your faithfulness? Do you think you will hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant"? Have you been faithful? How faithful? Have you given to Him everything you can every single day? Am I alone here? I am not necessarily frightened that I "won't make it" to Heaven--and I so very much despise that expression, "make it to Heaven," because that is how the unregenerate talk. I have even heard people who profess to be Christian say those very words. Bill O'Reilly, talking to Chris Cuomo on News Nation, said that if the Pope isn't in Heaven, as good as he was, then there's no hope for the rest of us. Bill O'Reilly represents the false religion of Roman Catholicism--the grand attempt to "make it to Heaven" by being a good, decent person, doing good for others. What a sham! What a doctrine of demons! What a heresy from the pit of Hell!
The ones who "make it to Heaven" arrive there not because they were good enough, or did enough good works, but only by the sheer grace of God the Father by faith in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit (John 1:11, 12, 13; 3:3, 5, 6, 7, 8; 16:8, 9, 10, 11; Eph. 1:4, 5, 6). The biblical text in Matthew 25 describes those who will hear "Well done, good and faithful servant," and they are those who did good with what God gave them--whether God gave them much, some, or little. They were faithful with whatever God gave them. Jesus expounds: "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it [did whatever good the believer could do with what the believer had been given by God] to one of the least of these My brethren [perhaps the marginalized, poor, and oppressed], you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40 NKJV).
I know that our works will be tested "by fire" (1 Cor. 3:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15), by the righteousness of Christ, testing our motives for doing good for others. If our motives are good then there will be reward; if they are bad then there will be no reward; but whatever the outcome of motives for good works, what is paramount is that we are not saved and justified by good works (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16), but solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5, 8, 9, 10). Still, I am saddened at my own failures in Christ, while I am still grateful that, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13 NASB), meaning that God is faithful by nature, naturally faithful to His own nature, and He cannot be unfaithful to His own divine purposes, promises, and sovereign will. We are secure in His sovereign hand.
WHAT COULD GOD SAY ABOUT ME?
What will He say about me? Well, He would be quite accurate to say that I am unrighteous (Rom. 3:10) and without spiritual understanding (Rom. 3:11); a man who never sought the Lord (Rom. 3:11); a man who turned away from God (Rom. 3:12) and one who has become useless (Rom. 3:12); that I am not good--not even close (Rom. 3:12); that my throat is an open grave and all that spews out of it is filth (Rom. 3:13), that my tongue is continually deceitful (Rom. 3:13), and my words are pure poison (Rom. 3:13); that my mouth is full of bitter curses (Rom. 3:14) and my heart is murderous (Rom. 3:15); that I love the pathways of misery and destruction (Rom. 3:16) because I have never known God's way of peace (Rom. 3:17); and, ultimately, that I have not even an ounce of fear of God my Creator within me, that is, in my old, wicked, unregenerate nature (Rom. 3:18). Any "goodness" within me is really filthiness (Isa. 64:6). I have always and only chosen my own way and I am in love with abomination (Isa. 66:3). If God were pure Justice, without Mercy, then I would spend eternity in Hell with everyone else.
WHAT WILL GOD SAY ABOUT ME?
Is that what God will say about me? No. But how can that be? God is Justice by His very Nature. So either I have to be brought to justice for all of the heinous sins I have committed against an eternally holy Creator or Someone Else has to be brought to Justice on my behalf. But such a Person must not only be entirely righteous, entirely without sin, but also Human. "Therefore, since the children [whom God will save--those who will trust in Jesus] share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ... Therefore, He," this Divine God-Man, "had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [atonement / appeasement / satisfaction] for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:14-17). What God will say about each and every believer is "Not Guilty" because there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).
SALVATION
Salvation is not about us but about what God the Father pre-planned (Eph. 1:4, 5), and in real time accomplished (Gal. 4:4) for our good (Rom. 11:32) and for His glory (Prov. 16:4 NET; Rev. 4:11), in God the Son (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26), both God and Man in human flesh (John 1:1 NLT), through the proactive ministry of God the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5, 6, 7, 8; 16:8, 9, 10, 11) through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16, 17; Col. 1:5, 6). We are not the focus of the subject of salvation (Ps. 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Rev. 7:10). God is not only the focus (Gen. 17:7, 8) but at the very center (Ex. 6:7; Deut. 7:7, 8, 9) of His own offer of salvation (Eph. 2:4) to ungrateful sinners (Rom. 5:6, 8, 10), who are not even interested in being saved (1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14), by His grace (Eph. 2:8, 9) through a gifted faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:16; Phil. 1:29; 2 Pet. 1:1) by the powerful declaration of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16, 17; Eph. 1:13, 14) and the inwardly-effectual ministry of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4, 5).
The love of God, too, is not about us but about Him (1 John 4:8); the grace of God is not about us but about Him (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8, 9); the salvation / regeneration / deliverance / redemption / reconciliation / justification / sanctification / glorification of God is not about us but about Him (John 1:11, 12, 13; 2 Cor. 5:17, 19, 21; Col. 1:13, 14, 16). Our very existence is not about us but about Him (Heb. 2:10). This indicates, then, that the Meaning of Life is not about us but about Him (John 17:1, 2, 3; Rom. 11:36; Col. 1:16). May God forgive our radically-sinful narcissism.
So when we ask a question such as "What will God say about me on the Day of Judgment?" we must first correct our perspective. Our sin will prove God just--meaning, our sinful state will demonstrate that God is just (Rom. 3:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), and display for all the world to see that He is just (that God is, by His very nature, judiciously right, truth in essence, correct, upright, righteous, justice personified, of the highest moral and ethical integrity, pure, objectively virtuous, innocent, faultless, guiltless, holy, sacred); and He is also the One who justifies / reckons / judiciously accounts the ungodly to be like Christ, that is, just, judiciously right, correct, upright, righteous, justice personified, of the highest moral and ethical integrity, pure, objectively virtuous, innocent, faultless, guiltless, holy, sacred; and He also does so by His own grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28; 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 22, 23, 24, 25), not based upon the deeds which we have done in righteousness (Phil. 3:7, 8, 9, 10, 11), for we have no inherent righteousness (Isa. 64:6), but according to His own mercy and grace (Titus 3:4, 5).
THERE WILL BE A JUDGMENT
This is the truth of Scripture which Rome denies (and other sects as well, like those of the Orthodox persuasion, and Wesleyan / Holiness churches), calling this truth a "legal fiction," while they attempt to actually become absolutely pure and holy in this life so that they will avoid "Purgatory" in the afterlife--at least that is the goal. In their false system, only "true" saints who have become holy can be truly justified by God. Now that is a legal fiction! John informs us: "If we say that we have [present active indicative] no sin, we are deceiving [present active indicative] ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Those present active indicatives are there for a reason: If we say that we do not have and are not having / holding / possessing a context of sin then we deceive and keep on deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. The moment we think we are saintly, sinless, and worthy to be justified by God is the moment we have become completely deceived by the devil.
Even the apostle Paul confesses that his hope (and our hope) is to be found in Jesus, "not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:9). The righteousness we possess is the righteousness of Christ Jesus that came from, that was given to us, that was imputed to us by the Father (Rom. 3:22, 24, 26): "It is because of Him [God the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus [the spiritual work is entirely His and not ours in any sense], who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV). Either God views a person in and through the righteousness of Jesus or He views the person in his own sinful context. For those attempting to achieve what even Paul did not achieve, becoming so pure and sinless that God then must declare you justified by your own efforts, will meet a tragic end. You are either clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Isa. 61:10; Rom. 1:16, 17; 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 4:5, 11; 13:14; 1 Cor. 1:30 NIV; Gal. 2:16; 3:27; Phil. 1:11; 3:9) or you are clothed in all your sin (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 6:6; 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; Col. 3:9, 10). Those are the only options.
The reason why this Doctrine of Imputation is so paramount is because every single person ever born and ever to be born will stand before God, says Jesus, and give an account for every word spoken (Matt. 12:36); and, as Paul says of the believer, for the manner in which every single one of us chose to live (2 Cor. 5:10). How frightened should a believer be about words, about sins, and giving an account to God? As far as God is concerned, there is a Judgment on Sin, regarding believers and unbelievers, and a Judgment on Works, regarding, again, believers and unbelievers, and an ultimate Judgment on Unbelievers, which believers will not attend. There will also be a Judgment on Angels / Devils.
JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS: SINS
Every sin that the born-again believer has ever committed is cleansed forever by the blood of Jesus (Lev. 17:11; John 3:15, 16, 17; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7). There will be no judgment upon the believer for even one sin that he or she has committed because, by God's sovereign will, He has justified the believer (Rom. 3:24; 4:5; 5:1), meaning that God views the believer as if he or she had never sinned, and God has imputed the righteousness of Jesus to the spiritual account of the believer (Rom. 3:21, 22, 24; 4:22, 23, 24, 25), meaning that God views the believer to be as holy, righteous, and sinless as Jesus Himself (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 1 Cor. 1:30 NIV), as God has seen fit to love us just as He loves Jesus His Son (John 17:23). The believer will have no cause for fear at the Judgment (the Bema Seat Judgment). You need to memorize this sentence: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1 NIV).
JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS: WORKS
The believer will be judged, however, for how he or she used the spiritual gifts, talents, and blessings bestowed by God (Matt. 25:14-30). Incidentally, in this parable, there is a "wicked" slave, just as there was a Judas among the Disciples of Jesus. Not all who seem to belong to the Lord truly belong to Him (cf. 1 John 2:19). But, again, this is not a judgment to see if the born-again believer will "make it" into Heaven. That was already decided by God from eternity past (Eph. 1:3, 4, 5) and absolutely guaranteed to the believer the moment that the Holy Spirit took up residence within him (Eph. 1:13, 14). The works we do in Christ for the benefit of others reach beyond what we call spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 1 Cor. 1:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 12:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; Eph. 4:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; 1 Pet. 4:10, 11), and even reaches to the amount of wealth we have and share with others (Acts 2:43, 44, 45, 46, 47), whether little or much (Deut. 16:17; 2 Cor. 9:7, 11), knowing that, whatever we do, we do for the Lord (Col. 3:23, 24), but also knowing that God knows what we have (Acts 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
Will there be humiliation for the born-again believer at this Judgment of Works? I have wondered that for decades. I've heard people say, and have thought the same myself, that I wouldn't want to be behind the apostle Paul or John Calvin or Billy Graham at this Judgment of Works because mine will pale by comparison. But that is a wrong perspective. We will never be compared to any other person (2 Cor. 10:12-13 NIV) because we are each unique creatures, with varying gifts and levels of talents and wealth (cf. Matt. 25:15), and all that will matter is what we did with what we had and the opportunities presented to us. "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful [a warning] how he builds on it" (1 Cor. 3:10 NASB).
Our works in Christ for the benefit of others will be tested (1 Cor. 3:13) by the motives of our hearts in those works: were they to show how wonderful we think we are or how wonderful Jesus is in reality? "If what has been built [the building here being a metaphor for how we constructed our lives and our works in Christ] survives [then] the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up [then] the builder will suffer loss but yet will [still] be saved" (1 Cor. 3:14-15a NIV). So, again, this is a Judgment of works and not a Judgment regarding salvation.
Paul continues: "If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor. 3:15b NIV). I grew up reading the King James Version, which reads, "yet so as by fire." This sentence has been variously interpreted. Such wording seems to imply that a person was saved "by the skin of his teeth," as we say in the States, meaning that a person barely made it into Heaven. But this is not the proper interpretation--it cannot be the proper interpretation--for we are not saved, and no one has ever been saved nor will be saved, "barely" (Rom. 8:29, 30; Eph. 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 11), because we are, each one of us who trusts in Jesus, saved to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25); we are not saved by works (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 9:32; 11:5, 6; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:5, 8, 9; Titus 3:5); and this Judgment involves only works accomplished by one who is already in Christ and who is already saved (Eph. 2:10; Col. 3:22, 23, 24; 1 Tim. 6:17, 18, 19; Titus 3:8).
Though most English translations maintain some form of "as escaping through flames," or "fire," there is one that helps clarify: "The person himself will be safe. But he will be like someone who has run through the fire to a safe place" (ERV). The building referenced at 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 is one's life (also called the Temple of the Holy Spirit: 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19), as each work we perform in Christ is another block for the Building, and this structure will be tested by fire (1 Cor. 3:13). Gold, silver, and precious stones can only be further refined by fire; but wood, hay, and straw can only be burned up (1 Cor. 3:12, 13). What matters here is "the quality of each man's work" (1 Cor. 3:13 NASB). If a believer lived his life self-centeredly, the fire will reveal both the Building (the life) and the work, as the fire will consume that bad quality resulting from a self-centered life. So, though he may not be rewarded, he will still be saved--saved as one who came through the fire of testing to the other side, not because of his goodness or his works, but by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5, 8, 9, 10).
TEARS IN HEAVEN
So, will we be humiliated, ashamed and tearful if some or even all of our works are found to be burned up? The Word of God says that God is going to visibly dwell among His people and that He Himself will "wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things [the old way of life in a fallen world consumed by sin and evil will] have passed away" (Rev. 21:4 NASB 2020). Scripture also says that God Himself has "recorded my wanderings [or tossings (RSV); or my tossing and turning, EHV; or my misery (CEB, NET, NIV), miseries (NASB 2020), troubles (NCV), sorrows (NLT)]. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?" (Ps. 56:8 CSB); cf. "You know I am very upset. You know how much I have cried. Surely You have kept an account of all my tears" (ERV). That God will "wipe away every tear from [our] eyes" does not necessarily mean that there will actually be tears in Heaven--at the Judgment Seat for believers or otherwise--but may simply be a statement that mourning and crying will then be a thing of the past.
Will Jesus publicly broadcast for all to hear every single sin we have ever committed at the Judgment? How could He, since our sins have been washed away (Heb. 10:10, 11, 12), cast as far as the East is from the West (Ps. 103:12) and drowned in the Sea of Forgetfulness (Micah 7:19)? Why would God the Father impute to us the righteousness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, considering us in Him to be spotless and blameless (Eph. 1:4, 5, 6; 5:27; Phil. 2:15; Col. 1:22; Heb. 9:14; 2 Pet. 3:14), only to bring all those sins back up one by one, when His Word insists that those sins don't even exist in His mind (Ex. 34:6, 7; Isa. 43:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 8:12)? Our sins will not be proclaimed in Heaven.
Will there at least be disappointment at the Judgment of the Believer? I have to concede that this is a possibility. "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home [in the body] or absent [from the body in Heaven, 2 Cor. 5:8], to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:9-10). Deeds done in the body that end up "bad" cannot be a pleasing and satisfying experience. "For we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of God. ... So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:10, 12). "The Lord desires that we have boldness in the Day of Judgment and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (2 Tim. 4:1, 8; 1 John 4:17; Rev. 11:18).1 John writes:
JUDGMENT OF UNBELIEVERS
The judgment upon unbelievers is both immediate and for a future time: when an unbeliever dies, he or she is "judged" immediately by where the person goes, meaning entrance into Hell (Luke 16:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; Heb. 9:27); but the person will also be officially and ultimately judged at a future time (Matt. 25:31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46). These people, though alive, are considered dead because a) they no longer live in the bodies with which they were born; and b) they are separated (Isa. 59:2) and, therefore, spiritually dead to God (Eph. 2:1, 2, 3). Everything separated from life in God is dead (Luke 16:11-32; cf. the words spoken about the Prodigal Son who left his father and was considered dead to him at Luke 15:32). These individuals are judged "according to their deeds" (Rev. 20:12, 13) because their actions and their words (Matt. 12:32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37) reveal the state of their wicked and unregenerate hearts. If only they had trusted in Jesus, and have had God impute to them the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26), they could have been saved (2 Thess. 2:10). Their time spent in Hell gets worse after the Final Judgment, however, as "death and Hades [are] thrown into the Lake of Fire," which is the "second" or final or everlasting death, and they remain forever the condemned living dead (Rev. 20:14).
Jesus said: "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37 NASB). Why our words? Because "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt. 12:34 NASB). Our words reveal the condition of our hearts--words reveal character. "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil" (Matt. 12:35). Even the born-again person can speak careless words and those words reveal that the old nature is still active. No one but God can eradicate the old nature and that will not occur until we are released from these bodies of death (cf. Rom. 7:24, 25). The difference, with regard to words and the condition of our hearts, between an unbeliever and a believer is Jesus: God the Father made Jesus the Son, "who knew no sin, to be a sin-offering on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:22). God will either judge us in and through Christ or in and of our own sinfulness. Those are the only two choices. The believer is covered and the unbeliever stands naked in all his sin before a holy God.
JUDGMENT OF ANGELS / DEVILS
The apostle Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, shaming them for suing each other and taking each other to secular courts, asking them why they don't just settle matters privately between each other, instead of doing so in front of unbelievers, adding, "Do you not know that we will judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:2 NASB; cf. "judge the world," NIV). The Greek word for "judge," krinó, also refers to reigning / ruling / decreeing / governing. Jesus said to His disciples: "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28 NIV; cf. Luke 22:30; Rev. 20:4). In what sense will we judge angels? Which angels? We know that "not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:22-23 NASB). If Jesus is the righteous Judge then how shall we judge angels? Commentators are divided as to the identity of the angels. We know wicked angels have been and still will be judged by God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6). "Some angels are [still] reserved for judgment"3 (Matt. 25:41).
In context, when Jesus informs His disciples that they will sit on judgment thrones, He can be referring to them and to them alone--meaning not to all believers. In the Revelation of Jesus, John saw "thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge" (Rev. 20:4 NIV). Jesus is the Ultimate Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5), and yet He "loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood," and He "has made us to be a Kingdom and Priests [1 Pet. 2:9] to serve His God and Father" (Rev. 1:5-6 NIV; cf. Dan. 7:22). The general reference to "you" judging / reigning / ruling / decreeing / governing angels and the nations could indicate that some among us will be chosen for such a position (Matt. 25:21, 23), for if every single believer is a ruler in the Kingdom then there will be no one left to rule, so to state the matter.
All devils, and Satan himself, will be judged and held accountable for their rebellion and their instigation of evil (Gen. 3:1-7; 6:1-7; Isa. 14:9-23; Ezek. 28:1-19; Rev. 20:10, 14). Each born-again believer is a Trophy of God's Grace and in such a way that is a judgment upon fallen angels, some of whom are rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). God will display His justice and His mercy: justice to those who defied Him in His very presence before the worlds were created (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6); and mercy to those who by His grace trusted in Jesus Christ His Son (Titus 3:4, 5). God did not offer salvation to the fallen angels (Heb. 2:16). I think the reason is because of their level of accountability. There was a time when the angels were not, and then they suddenly were, meaning that they were created by God at a certain point in time past and they knew immediately that God was their Creator because they were in His presence. The angels have seen the unveiled glory of God in His very presence. How could any of them think to usurp Him? The thought is mind-boggling. Their defiance, then, is all the more egregious because of their special position as ministers / servants of God (Heb. 1:7).
RESURRECTION OF NON-BELIEVERS AND BELIEVERS
There will be a Resurrection of Believers and also Non-Believers: "Many people [whose bodies] lie dead in their graves will wake up. Some will rise up to life [Salvation] that will never end. Others will rise up to shame [Damnation] that will never end" (Dan. 12:2 NIRV). Believers in Jesus will gain a Resurrection Body like that of Jesus' Resurrection Body and will last forever (Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43; 22:30; Luke 20:36; 24:39; John 20:26; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 20:4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15; 21:5, 6, 7, 8, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27; 22:1, 2). But the Non-Believer will also gain a Resurrection Body--one that can endure the Tortures of a fiery Hell forever (Luke 16:23, 24, 25). If we die prior to the Resurrection of every living being then each of us will still have some temporary form, whether the believer in Heaven (Luke 16:22; 2 Cor. 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), or the Non-Believer in Hell (Luke 16:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).
CONCLUSION
Judgment Day is certainly daunting for the unbeliever (if you can actually find an unbeliever who even cares). If you, as a professing believer, wonder to yourself how much you can sin and still be saved then you should be concerned (Rom. 6:1, 2, 3). Regenerate believers hate sin. We want to forsake all sin. We cannot wait for the Day when sin will finally be eradicated, our souls set free for all eternity from any temptation to sin, and that old sinful nature finally put to death. We are not wondering how much we can get away with and still be saved. We loathe our sinful tendencies, our all-consuming nature twisted and distorted by sin, and we long to be finally set free (Rom. 8:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25). This is the heart-cry of every graced born-again believer: "Lord, please, we want to be free from all known sin!" The apostle Paul writes:
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1 Kevin J. Conner, The Foundations of Christian Doctrine: A Practical Guide to Christian Belief (Portland: City Christian Publishing, 1980), 300.
2 Ibid. Many biblical references in this paragraph were taken from Kevin Conner.
3 Paul W. Marsh, "1 Corinthians," in The International Bible Commentary, revised edition, ed. F.F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 1359.
How is your faithfulness? Do you think you will hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant"? Have you been faithful? How faithful? Have you given to Him everything you can every single day? Am I alone here? I am not necessarily frightened that I "won't make it" to Heaven--and I so very much despise that expression, "make it to Heaven," because that is how the unregenerate talk. I have even heard people who profess to be Christian say those very words. Bill O'Reilly, talking to Chris Cuomo on News Nation, said that if the Pope isn't in Heaven, as good as he was, then there's no hope for the rest of us. Bill O'Reilly represents the false religion of Roman Catholicism--the grand attempt to "make it to Heaven" by being a good, decent person, doing good for others. What a sham! What a doctrine of demons! What a heresy from the pit of Hell!
The ones who "make it to Heaven" arrive there not because they were good enough, or did enough good works, but only by the sheer grace of God the Father by faith in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit (John 1:11, 12, 13; 3:3, 5, 6, 7, 8; 16:8, 9, 10, 11; Eph. 1:4, 5, 6). The biblical text in Matthew 25 describes those who will hear "Well done, good and faithful servant," and they are those who did good with what God gave them--whether God gave them much, some, or little. They were faithful with whatever God gave them. Jesus expounds: "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it [did whatever good the believer could do with what the believer had been given by God] to one of the least of these My brethren [perhaps the marginalized, poor, and oppressed], you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40 NKJV).
I know that our works will be tested "by fire" (1 Cor. 3:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15), by the righteousness of Christ, testing our motives for doing good for others. If our motives are good then there will be reward; if they are bad then there will be no reward; but whatever the outcome of motives for good works, what is paramount is that we are not saved and justified by good works (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16), but solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5, 8, 9, 10). Still, I am saddened at my own failures in Christ, while I am still grateful that, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13 NASB), meaning that God is faithful by nature, naturally faithful to His own nature, and He cannot be unfaithful to His own divine purposes, promises, and sovereign will. We are secure in His sovereign hand.
WHAT COULD GOD SAY ABOUT ME?
What will He say about me? Well, He would be quite accurate to say that I am unrighteous (Rom. 3:10) and without spiritual understanding (Rom. 3:11); a man who never sought the Lord (Rom. 3:11); a man who turned away from God (Rom. 3:12) and one who has become useless (Rom. 3:12); that I am not good--not even close (Rom. 3:12); that my throat is an open grave and all that spews out of it is filth (Rom. 3:13), that my tongue is continually deceitful (Rom. 3:13), and my words are pure poison (Rom. 3:13); that my mouth is full of bitter curses (Rom. 3:14) and my heart is murderous (Rom. 3:15); that I love the pathways of misery and destruction (Rom. 3:16) because I have never known God's way of peace (Rom. 3:17); and, ultimately, that I have not even an ounce of fear of God my Creator within me, that is, in my old, wicked, unregenerate nature (Rom. 3:18). Any "goodness" within me is really filthiness (Isa. 64:6). I have always and only chosen my own way and I am in love with abomination (Isa. 66:3). If God were pure Justice, without Mercy, then I would spend eternity in Hell with everyone else.
WHAT WILL GOD SAY ABOUT ME?
Is that what God will say about me? No. But how can that be? God is Justice by His very Nature. So either I have to be brought to justice for all of the heinous sins I have committed against an eternally holy Creator or Someone Else has to be brought to Justice on my behalf. But such a Person must not only be entirely righteous, entirely without sin, but also Human. "Therefore, since the children [whom God will save--those who will trust in Jesus] share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ... Therefore, He," this Divine God-Man, "had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [atonement / appeasement / satisfaction] for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:14-17). What God will say about each and every believer is "Not Guilty" because there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).
SALVATION
Salvation is not about us but about what God the Father pre-planned (Eph. 1:4, 5), and in real time accomplished (Gal. 4:4) for our good (Rom. 11:32) and for His glory (Prov. 16:4 NET; Rev. 4:11), in God the Son (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26), both God and Man in human flesh (John 1:1 NLT), through the proactive ministry of God the Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5, 6, 7, 8; 16:8, 9, 10, 11) through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16, 17; Col. 1:5, 6). We are not the focus of the subject of salvation (Ps. 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Rev. 7:10). God is not only the focus (Gen. 17:7, 8) but at the very center (Ex. 6:7; Deut. 7:7, 8, 9) of His own offer of salvation (Eph. 2:4) to ungrateful sinners (Rom. 5:6, 8, 10), who are not even interested in being saved (1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14), by His grace (Eph. 2:8, 9) through a gifted faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:16; Phil. 1:29; 2 Pet. 1:1) by the powerful declaration of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16, 17; Eph. 1:13, 14) and the inwardly-effectual ministry of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4, 5).
The love of God, too, is not about us but about Him (1 John 4:8); the grace of God is not about us but about Him (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8, 9); the salvation / regeneration / deliverance / redemption / reconciliation / justification / sanctification / glorification of God is not about us but about Him (John 1:11, 12, 13; 2 Cor. 5:17, 19, 21; Col. 1:13, 14, 16). Our very existence is not about us but about Him (Heb. 2:10). This indicates, then, that the Meaning of Life is not about us but about Him (John 17:1, 2, 3; Rom. 11:36; Col. 1:16). May God forgive our radically-sinful narcissism.
So when we ask a question such as "What will God say about me on the Day of Judgment?" we must first correct our perspective. Our sin will prove God just--meaning, our sinful state will demonstrate that God is just (Rom. 3:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), and display for all the world to see that He is just (that God is, by His very nature, judiciously right, truth in essence, correct, upright, righteous, justice personified, of the highest moral and ethical integrity, pure, objectively virtuous, innocent, faultless, guiltless, holy, sacred); and He is also the One who justifies / reckons / judiciously accounts the ungodly to be like Christ, that is, just, judiciously right, correct, upright, righteous, justice personified, of the highest moral and ethical integrity, pure, objectively virtuous, innocent, faultless, guiltless, holy, sacred; and He also does so by His own grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28; 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 22, 23, 24, 25), not based upon the deeds which we have done in righteousness (Phil. 3:7, 8, 9, 10, 11), for we have no inherent righteousness (Isa. 64:6), but according to His own mercy and grace (Titus 3:4, 5).
THERE WILL BE A JUDGMENT
This is the truth of Scripture which Rome denies (and other sects as well, like those of the Orthodox persuasion, and Wesleyan / Holiness churches), calling this truth a "legal fiction," while they attempt to actually become absolutely pure and holy in this life so that they will avoid "Purgatory" in the afterlife--at least that is the goal. In their false system, only "true" saints who have become holy can be truly justified by God. Now that is a legal fiction! John informs us: "If we say that we have [present active indicative] no sin, we are deceiving [present active indicative] ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Those present active indicatives are there for a reason: If we say that we do not have and are not having / holding / possessing a context of sin then we deceive and keep on deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. The moment we think we are saintly, sinless, and worthy to be justified by God is the moment we have become completely deceived by the devil.
Even the apostle Paul confesses that his hope (and our hope) is to be found in Jesus, "not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:9). The righteousness we possess is the righteousness of Christ Jesus that came from, that was given to us, that was imputed to us by the Father (Rom. 3:22, 24, 26): "It is because of Him [God the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus [the spiritual work is entirely His and not ours in any sense], who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV). Either God views a person in and through the righteousness of Jesus or He views the person in his own sinful context. For those attempting to achieve what even Paul did not achieve, becoming so pure and sinless that God then must declare you justified by your own efforts, will meet a tragic end. You are either clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Isa. 61:10; Rom. 1:16, 17; 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 4:5, 11; 13:14; 1 Cor. 1:30 NIV; Gal. 2:16; 3:27; Phil. 1:11; 3:9) or you are clothed in all your sin (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 6:6; 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; Col. 3:9, 10). Those are the only options.
The reason why this Doctrine of Imputation is so paramount is because every single person ever born and ever to be born will stand before God, says Jesus, and give an account for every word spoken (Matt. 12:36); and, as Paul says of the believer, for the manner in which every single one of us chose to live (2 Cor. 5:10). How frightened should a believer be about words, about sins, and giving an account to God? As far as God is concerned, there is a Judgment on Sin, regarding believers and unbelievers, and a Judgment on Works, regarding, again, believers and unbelievers, and an ultimate Judgment on Unbelievers, which believers will not attend. There will also be a Judgment on Angels / Devils.
JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS: SINS
Every sin that the born-again believer has ever committed is cleansed forever by the blood of Jesus (Lev. 17:11; John 3:15, 16, 17; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7). There will be no judgment upon the believer for even one sin that he or she has committed because, by God's sovereign will, He has justified the believer (Rom. 3:24; 4:5; 5:1), meaning that God views the believer as if he or she had never sinned, and God has imputed the righteousness of Jesus to the spiritual account of the believer (Rom. 3:21, 22, 24; 4:22, 23, 24, 25), meaning that God views the believer to be as holy, righteous, and sinless as Jesus Himself (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 1 Cor. 1:30 NIV), as God has seen fit to love us just as He loves Jesus His Son (John 17:23). The believer will have no cause for fear at the Judgment (the Bema Seat Judgment). You need to memorize this sentence: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1 NIV).
JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS: WORKS
The believer will be judged, however, for how he or she used the spiritual gifts, talents, and blessings bestowed by God (Matt. 25:14-30). Incidentally, in this parable, there is a "wicked" slave, just as there was a Judas among the Disciples of Jesus. Not all who seem to belong to the Lord truly belong to Him (cf. 1 John 2:19). But, again, this is not a judgment to see if the born-again believer will "make it" into Heaven. That was already decided by God from eternity past (Eph. 1:3, 4, 5) and absolutely guaranteed to the believer the moment that the Holy Spirit took up residence within him (Eph. 1:13, 14). The works we do in Christ for the benefit of others reach beyond what we call spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 1 Cor. 1:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 12:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; Eph. 4:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; 1 Pet. 4:10, 11), and even reaches to the amount of wealth we have and share with others (Acts 2:43, 44, 45, 46, 47), whether little or much (Deut. 16:17; 2 Cor. 9:7, 11), knowing that, whatever we do, we do for the Lord (Col. 3:23, 24), but also knowing that God knows what we have (Acts 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
Will there be humiliation for the born-again believer at this Judgment of Works? I have wondered that for decades. I've heard people say, and have thought the same myself, that I wouldn't want to be behind the apostle Paul or John Calvin or Billy Graham at this Judgment of Works because mine will pale by comparison. But that is a wrong perspective. We will never be compared to any other person (2 Cor. 10:12-13 NIV) because we are each unique creatures, with varying gifts and levels of talents and wealth (cf. Matt. 25:15), and all that will matter is what we did with what we had and the opportunities presented to us. "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful [a warning] how he builds on it" (1 Cor. 3:10 NASB).
Our works in Christ for the benefit of others will be tested (1 Cor. 3:13) by the motives of our hearts in those works: were they to show how wonderful we think we are or how wonderful Jesus is in reality? "If what has been built [the building here being a metaphor for how we constructed our lives and our works in Christ] survives [then] the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up [then] the builder will suffer loss but yet will [still] be saved" (1 Cor. 3:14-15a NIV). So, again, this is a Judgment of works and not a Judgment regarding salvation.
Paul continues: "If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor. 3:15b NIV). I grew up reading the King James Version, which reads, "yet so as by fire." This sentence has been variously interpreted. Such wording seems to imply that a person was saved "by the skin of his teeth," as we say in the States, meaning that a person barely made it into Heaven. But this is not the proper interpretation--it cannot be the proper interpretation--for we are not saved, and no one has ever been saved nor will be saved, "barely" (Rom. 8:29, 30; Eph. 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 11), because we are, each one of us who trusts in Jesus, saved to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25); we are not saved by works (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 9:32; 11:5, 6; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:5, 8, 9; Titus 3:5); and this Judgment involves only works accomplished by one who is already in Christ and who is already saved (Eph. 2:10; Col. 3:22, 23, 24; 1 Tim. 6:17, 18, 19; Titus 3:8).
Though most English translations maintain some form of "as escaping through flames," or "fire," there is one that helps clarify: "The person himself will be safe. But he will be like someone who has run through the fire to a safe place" (ERV). The building referenced at 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 is one's life (also called the Temple of the Holy Spirit: 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19), as each work we perform in Christ is another block for the Building, and this structure will be tested by fire (1 Cor. 3:13). Gold, silver, and precious stones can only be further refined by fire; but wood, hay, and straw can only be burned up (1 Cor. 3:12, 13). What matters here is "the quality of each man's work" (1 Cor. 3:13 NASB). If a believer lived his life self-centeredly, the fire will reveal both the Building (the life) and the work, as the fire will consume that bad quality resulting from a self-centered life. So, though he may not be rewarded, he will still be saved--saved as one who came through the fire of testing to the other side, not because of his goodness or his works, but by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5, 8, 9, 10).
TEARS IN HEAVEN
So, will we be humiliated, ashamed and tearful if some or even all of our works are found to be burned up? The Word of God says that God is going to visibly dwell among His people and that He Himself will "wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things [the old way of life in a fallen world consumed by sin and evil will] have passed away" (Rev. 21:4 NASB 2020). Scripture also says that God Himself has "recorded my wanderings [or tossings (RSV); or my tossing and turning, EHV; or my misery (CEB, NET, NIV), miseries (NASB 2020), troubles (NCV), sorrows (NLT)]. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?" (Ps. 56:8 CSB); cf. "You know I am very upset. You know how much I have cried. Surely You have kept an account of all my tears" (ERV). That God will "wipe away every tear from [our] eyes" does not necessarily mean that there will actually be tears in Heaven--at the Judgment Seat for believers or otherwise--but may simply be a statement that mourning and crying will then be a thing of the past.
Will Jesus publicly broadcast for all to hear every single sin we have ever committed at the Judgment? How could He, since our sins have been washed away (Heb. 10:10, 11, 12), cast as far as the East is from the West (Ps. 103:12) and drowned in the Sea of Forgetfulness (Micah 7:19)? Why would God the Father impute to us the righteousness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, considering us in Him to be spotless and blameless (Eph. 1:4, 5, 6; 5:27; Phil. 2:15; Col. 1:22; Heb. 9:14; 2 Pet. 3:14), only to bring all those sins back up one by one, when His Word insists that those sins don't even exist in His mind (Ex. 34:6, 7; Isa. 43:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 8:12)? Our sins will not be proclaimed in Heaven.
Will there at least be disappointment at the Judgment of the Believer? I have to concede that this is a possibility. "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home [in the body] or absent [from the body in Heaven, 2 Cor. 5:8], to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:9-10). Deeds done in the body that end up "bad" cannot be a pleasing and satisfying experience. "For we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of God. ... So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:10, 12). "The Lord desires that we have boldness in the Day of Judgment and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (2 Tim. 4:1, 8; 1 John 4:17; Rev. 11:18).1 John writes:
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love [not "God has love" but "God is love" by His very nature (1 John 4:8)], and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him [John 14:16, 17, 18, 20, 23]. By this, love is perfected with [or among] us [who believe], so that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because [here is the reason for our confidence in the Day of Judgment] as He is, so also are we [considered to be] in this world [cf., "If God's love is made perfect in us then we can be without fear on the Day when God judges the world. We will be without fear because in this world we are like Jesus" (ERV)]. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:15-20 NASB).Our confidence in Judgment is in Jesus: He has secured forever our eternal salvation. Though some, many, or even all of our works may not be rewarded, our salvation is still guaranteed, because He already took upon Himself the Wrath of God for those who were to believe in Him (Isa. 53:5, 6, 10, 11; John 3:36 NKJV; Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; 5:8, 9; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; 1 John 4:10; Rev. 6:17; cf. Rev. 14:10). We are not relying on our goodness, or our works, to "get us into Heaven." We are boldly and confidently relying on His completed work on the Cross and His Resurrection (Rom. 10:9, 10) for our guaranteed salvation (Eph. 1:3-14). We do well when we put at the forefront of our minds / hearts that all we do in Him and for others brings glory to Him. The rewards (Matt. 10:41, 42; 25:20, 21, 22, 23; Luke 6:23; 19:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; Rev. 11:18; 22:12) and crowns Jesus grants to us (the Crown of Life, James 1:12; Rev. 2:10; the Crown of Glory, Heb. 2:9; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3, 4; the Crown of Rejoicing, 1 Thess. 2:19, 20; the Crown of Righteousness, 2 Tim. 4:8; the Incorruptible Crown, 1 Cor. 9:25, 26, 27; 1 John 2:28) will all bring Him glory, as we cast our crowns before Him (Rev. 4:4, 9, 10, 11), for He alone is worthy (Rev. 5:4, 5, 9, 12, 13).2 (Incidentally, I believe these Crowns are real, not metaphors for Commendations, given that no one can cast a Commendation at the feet of Jesus, cf. Rev. 4:10.)
JUDGMENT OF UNBELIEVERS
The judgment upon unbelievers is both immediate and for a future time: when an unbeliever dies, he or she is "judged" immediately by where the person goes, meaning entrance into Hell (Luke 16:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; Heb. 9:27); but the person will also be officially and ultimately judged at a future time (Matt. 25:31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46). These people, though alive, are considered dead because a) they no longer live in the bodies with which they were born; and b) they are separated (Isa. 59:2) and, therefore, spiritually dead to God (Eph. 2:1, 2, 3). Everything separated from life in God is dead (Luke 16:11-32; cf. the words spoken about the Prodigal Son who left his father and was considered dead to him at Luke 15:32). These individuals are judged "according to their deeds" (Rev. 20:12, 13) because their actions and their words (Matt. 12:32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37) reveal the state of their wicked and unregenerate hearts. If only they had trusted in Jesus, and have had God impute to them the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26), they could have been saved (2 Thess. 2:10). Their time spent in Hell gets worse after the Final Judgment, however, as "death and Hades [are] thrown into the Lake of Fire," which is the "second" or final or everlasting death, and they remain forever the condemned living dead (Rev. 20:14).
Jesus said: "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37 NASB). Why our words? Because "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt. 12:34 NASB). Our words reveal the condition of our hearts--words reveal character. "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil" (Matt. 12:35). Even the born-again person can speak careless words and those words reveal that the old nature is still active. No one but God can eradicate the old nature and that will not occur until we are released from these bodies of death (cf. Rom. 7:24, 25). The difference, with regard to words and the condition of our hearts, between an unbeliever and a believer is Jesus: God the Father made Jesus the Son, "who knew no sin, to be a sin-offering on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:22). God will either judge us in and through Christ or in and of our own sinfulness. Those are the only two choices. The believer is covered and the unbeliever stands naked in all his sin before a holy God.
JUDGMENT OF ANGELS / DEVILS
The apostle Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, shaming them for suing each other and taking each other to secular courts, asking them why they don't just settle matters privately between each other, instead of doing so in front of unbelievers, adding, "Do you not know that we will judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:2 NASB; cf. "judge the world," NIV). The Greek word for "judge," krinó, also refers to reigning / ruling / decreeing / governing. Jesus said to His disciples: "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28 NIV; cf. Luke 22:30; Rev. 20:4). In what sense will we judge angels? Which angels? We know that "not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:22-23 NASB). If Jesus is the righteous Judge then how shall we judge angels? Commentators are divided as to the identity of the angels. We know wicked angels have been and still will be judged by God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6). "Some angels are [still] reserved for judgment"3 (Matt. 25:41).
In context, when Jesus informs His disciples that they will sit on judgment thrones, He can be referring to them and to them alone--meaning not to all believers. In the Revelation of Jesus, John saw "thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge" (Rev. 20:4 NIV). Jesus is the Ultimate Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5), and yet He "loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood," and He "has made us to be a Kingdom and Priests [1 Pet. 2:9] to serve His God and Father" (Rev. 1:5-6 NIV; cf. Dan. 7:22). The general reference to "you" judging / reigning / ruling / decreeing / governing angels and the nations could indicate that some among us will be chosen for such a position (Matt. 25:21, 23), for if every single believer is a ruler in the Kingdom then there will be no one left to rule, so to state the matter.
All devils, and Satan himself, will be judged and held accountable for their rebellion and their instigation of evil (Gen. 3:1-7; 6:1-7; Isa. 14:9-23; Ezek. 28:1-19; Rev. 20:10, 14). Each born-again believer is a Trophy of God's Grace and in such a way that is a judgment upon fallen angels, some of whom are rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). God will display His justice and His mercy: justice to those who defied Him in His very presence before the worlds were created (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6); and mercy to those who by His grace trusted in Jesus Christ His Son (Titus 3:4, 5). God did not offer salvation to the fallen angels (Heb. 2:16). I think the reason is because of their level of accountability. There was a time when the angels were not, and then they suddenly were, meaning that they were created by God at a certain point in time past and they knew immediately that God was their Creator because they were in His presence. The angels have seen the unveiled glory of God in His very presence. How could any of them think to usurp Him? The thought is mind-boggling. Their defiance, then, is all the more egregious because of their special position as ministers / servants of God (Heb. 1:7).
RESURRECTION OF NON-BELIEVERS AND BELIEVERS
There will be a Resurrection of Believers and also Non-Believers: "Many people [whose bodies] lie dead in their graves will wake up. Some will rise up to life [Salvation] that will never end. Others will rise up to shame [Damnation] that will never end" (Dan. 12:2 NIRV). Believers in Jesus will gain a Resurrection Body like that of Jesus' Resurrection Body and will last forever (Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43; 22:30; Luke 20:36; 24:39; John 20:26; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 20:4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15; 21:5, 6, 7, 8, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27; 22:1, 2). But the Non-Believer will also gain a Resurrection Body--one that can endure the Tortures of a fiery Hell forever (Luke 16:23, 24, 25). If we die prior to the Resurrection of every living being then each of us will still have some temporary form, whether the believer in Heaven (Luke 16:22; 2 Cor. 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), or the Non-Believer in Hell (Luke 16:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).
CONCLUSION
Judgment Day is certainly daunting for the unbeliever (if you can actually find an unbeliever who even cares). If you, as a professing believer, wonder to yourself how much you can sin and still be saved then you should be concerned (Rom. 6:1, 2, 3). Regenerate believers hate sin. We want to forsake all sin. We cannot wait for the Day when sin will finally be eradicated, our souls set free for all eternity from any temptation to sin, and that old sinful nature finally put to death. We are not wondering how much we can get away with and still be saved. We loathe our sinful tendencies, our all-consuming nature twisted and distorted by sin, and we long to be finally set free (Rom. 8:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25). This is the heart-cry of every graced born-again believer: "Lord, please, we want to be free from all known sin!" The apostle Paul writes:
So I find it to be the rule, a kind of perverse 'torah,' that, although I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me! For in my inner self I completely agree with God's Torah [Law]; but in my various parts, I see a different 'torah,' one that battles with the Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin's 'torah,' which is operating in my various parts. What a miserable creature I am! Who will rescue me from this body bound for death? Thanks be to God, He will, through Yeshua, the Messiah, our Lord! To sum up: with my mind, I am a slave of God's Torah; but with my old nature, I am a slave of sin's 'torah' (Rom. 7:21, 22, 23, 24, 25 CJB, Complete Jewish Bible).As to earning rewards for our works, our attitude should be as Jesus Himself states, "When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, 'We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do'" (Luke 17:10 ERV). If we perform good works in order to be a big-shot in God's Kingdom, wanting the Reward more than the satisfaction of pleasing the Lord, then our hearts are full of bitterness and sin. Paul commands us to "find out what pleases the Lord" (Eph. 5:10 NIV). Our motivation for doing good should be God's love.
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1 Kevin J. Conner, The Foundations of Christian Doctrine: A Practical Guide to Christian Belief (Portland: City Christian Publishing, 1980), 300.
2 Ibid. Many biblical references in this paragraph were taken from Kevin Conner.
3 Paul W. Marsh, "1 Corinthians," in The International Bible Commentary, revised edition, ed. F.F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 1359.
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