The judgment of God is complete
Psalm 145:17 (RSV) - "The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings."
One of the ways that believers now and in the past react to a wrong view of the Lord is legalism. The idea is that if we obey enough rules, then our good will outweigh the bad. Or, that by developing certain rituals and or religious traditions - which create an appearance or environment of "holiness" - God might regard us with mercy.
Recently, a believer revealed that her concept of God the Father was that He deals with us severely, Jesus less so. It's like putting the Father and Son into "tough cop/nice cop" roles. When the Bible talks about the "fear" of God, it does not mean we should cringe in a corner as if He is about to strike us at any moment. That kind of concept actually leads people to avoid God, instead of drawing closer to Him. Reverence is not the same thing fear as in afraid.
In the case of believers, this kind of wrong fear of God stems from ignorance of the finished work of the cross. The salvation that Jesus Christ achieved for us is complete. "It is finished," He said (John 19:30), nothing more can be added. We cannot "earn" salvation because we can never be good enough. But praise God, Jesus makes us good enough. When we get saved, by faith we can put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Part of the armor of God in Ephesians, Chapter 6, includes the breastplate of righteousness.
Ephesians 6:14 (WEB) - "Stand therefore, having
the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on
the breastplate of righteousness," ...
What righteousness is the apostle Paul talking about here? Why, it's the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As believers, we have the privilege of wearing His righteousness. We confess and repent daily of our sins, and we continue in that attitude until we die or the Lord returns, whichever comes first.
Believers at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ
To get back on point, the Bible mentions two judgments that include people. One is the judgment of all believers which is to determine the rewards for the work done in this life to advance God's kingdom. Did we share the Good News with others? Did we pray for other people and not just our own concerns?
Within our ability, did we help the poor, widows and orphans, visit people in jail, serve our communities, all the things that Jesus talked about during His ministry on the earth. Our judgment - of the saints - is not to decide whether we go to heaven or hell, it is to recompense us for helping the Lord, including discipling others and carrying out our responsibilities as representatives of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 (NLT) - "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too."
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NLT) - "Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize."
1 Corinthians 3:14-15 (ESV) - "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
According to gotquestions.org (a great website), five types of "crowns" await faithful believers: "the imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life." See more Five crowns
Acts 24:15 (NIV) - "and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked."
Then, there is the resurrection and judgment of all others, also known as the White Throne judgment. We can read about it in Revelation Chapter 20. Everyone else probably includes our first parents, Adam and Eve, and everyone after them. Their faith in the prophetic promises of God no doubt will be a factor in determining their eternal destiny. I wonder at times what would happen to people before Abraham was called out of the idolatrous culture he lived to become the father of faith to millions. What about those who never heard the Gospel or even knew what to believe about God. What about everyone else?
Revelation 20:11-12 (ESV) - "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done."
We have to believe that the Lord will deal with people eternally consistent with His justice, mercy and grace. His justice is complete, His mercy endures forever, His grace is motivated by love, the same love that prompted the Father to sacrifice His son Jesus to save humanity. The Lord will be as merciful as possible in meting out sentences, and He will do so without compromising His holiness. His justice is perfect.
Matthew 25:41 (NIV) "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are
cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Here, we're told that initially hell was prepared for the devil and the wicked angels; they will be joined by evil-doers, those who took the mark of the antichrist, the antichrist and his false prophet, and those who rejected Jesus Christ.
Psalm 136:1 (KJV) - "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Shalom
Diana Washington-Valdez/Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the Name of Jesus!
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