Judgment of True Christians

The New Testament Scripture reveals three scenes of Eternal Judgment of God. God being the Judge of all will sit on a different seat at each scene of Judgment. The three scenes of Eternal Judgment are - the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Throne of Christ's Glory and the Great Throne Judgment.

First Scene of Eternal Judgment

The first scene of Eternal Judgment is the judgment of true Christians before the judgment seat of Christ.

"But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10 and 12, NKJV, emphasis added).

The above passages of Scripture which contain the phrase "your brother" twice and the phrase "each of us" make it clear that Paul is speaking about judgment of Christians. Paul says it is not right for a Christian to show contempt for another Christian or to judge another with unrighteous judgment because Christ Himself will judge with righteous eternal judgment upon every one of us. Each one of us will have to answer for himself to Christ.

True Christian will be judged first

The principle that true Christians will be judged first is based on Scripture. In fact it is a great honor to be given an opportunity to be judged first because only true Christians will be judged first.

"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God; Now 'If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinners appear?'" (1 Peter 4:17, 18, emphasis added).

Notice that the way Peter uses the phrase "those who do not obey the gospel of God" shows that people of this category are not necessarily be unbelievers. This category includes disobedient believers who fail to uphold the truth of the gospel of God. They are not doers of His Word. In God's eyes they do not belong to the house of God. On the basis of this truth they cannot be classified as true Christians.

Furthermore, Peter identifies three groups of people:

1. The righteous - The true Christian who has the righteousness of God imputed to him by faith. He is considered a true believer who whole heartedly obey the gospel of God. But, in the eyes of God he is only "scarcely saved".

2. The ungodly - The so-called Christian who through disobedience and unbelief is considered as an "ungodly" Christian in the eyes of God.

3. The sinners - The unbelievers.

If you should think Peter has given an extremely high standard of requirement of being a true Christian, listen to what Paul has to say!

"... the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7, 8, emphasis added).

The two categories of people the Lord Jesus will take vengeance on are those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, those who do not know God are the unbelievers. But, according to Paul (just like Peter) those who do not obey the gospel can also be disobedient believers.

The two groups of Christians (disobedient believers) who will not be judged first are:

1. The so-called Christians (Pastors, preachers and Church leaders) who through disobedience compromise the teaching of the true Gospel of God. They make the gospel messages more "acceptable" to men so as to get more people to the local Church.

2. The so-called Christians who fail to enter the narrow gate (Luke 13:24 - 27). In fact those who compromise the teaching of the true gospel messages are indirectly making God's narrow gate broader for everyone to go in. The broad way is the way to destruction (Matt. 7:13).

True Christians are not condemned

According to the Scripture the judgment of the true Christians will not be a judgment of condemnation. This assurance comes from Jesus Himself:

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

The distinction is clear. The true believer in Christ is not condemned; the unbeliever is condemned already on the ground of his unbelief.

Later on Jesus gives the same assurance.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

Notice that Jesus gives a threefold assurance to every believer who accepts in faith His Word:

1. Every believer has everlasting life.

2. He has passed from spiritual death into eternal life.

3. He will never come into judgment for condemnation.

Paul gives the same assurance of freedom from condemnation:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).

The true believer is living (spiritually) in Jesus and because of this fact he will walk according to the Spirit and not in the flesh. The logical conclusion is that if he is under condemnation, then Jesus will be under the same condemnation with him.

Another area of Biblical truth revealed by the Scripture is that the true believer will be judged not in respect of righteousness but in respect of service rendered to Christ. The reason being, the righteousness of the true believer is not his own but the righteouness of Christ Himself imputed to him by God on the basis of his faith.

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21, emphasis added).

At the cross Jesus exchanged our sin with God's righteousness. We all received salvation on this basis of God's righteousness imputed to us. It is obviously illogical for God to judge or to call to question His own righteousness.

The Principles of God's Judgment of the true Christians

Peter says to Christians, "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, ......" (1 Peter 1:17, emphasis added).

In other words, God's judgment is without partiality or in respect of persons and entirely based on the worth of one's work on earth.

Paul says to Christians, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10, emphasis added).

In other words, the things which will be brought up for judgment will be "the things done in the body". These are the acts, services together with the type of attitude and behavior of every Christian during his life here on earth.

Notice that every act or service performed by a Christian during his earthly life must fall into one of two categories - either good or bad. Every act that is not performed in faith and obedience, for the glory of God, is unacceptable to God and therefore bad. There is no neutrality or grey area. Grey area is the product of compromising Bible teachers or preachers. If a believer's acts or services are good he will receive His reward. If not his works will be burn up and he will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:13 - 15).

Jesus says, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Matt 12:30).

Therefore, the purpose of the judgment of Christians will be to assess their rewards.

Judgment of the true believer's service to Christ

God's purpose of judging true Christians is to assess the reward due to each true believer for his service render to Christ while on earth.

Jesus says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, ...." (John 15:16).

In other words, the main purpose of our salvation is to bear fruit for Christ. Christians are chosen by God to be saved and to bear fruit in the ministry of their individual calling.

This truth is set forth by Christ in the form of two parables; the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14 - 30) and the parable of the minas (Luke 19:11 - 17).

It is beyond the scope of this message to discuss these parables in details. In both parables there are two fruitful servants and an unfruitful servant. The fruitful servants receive their their due rewards in proportion to their fruitfulness. But the unfruitful servant will be rejected and cast out from the presence of the Lord. In both parables the Lord commences his judgment of the unfruitful servant by the phrase "you wicked servant".

An important conclusion we can make out of the studies of these parables is that, by God's standard, wickedness consists not only in actively doing that which is bad, but just as much in the failure to do good when it lies within our power to do it.

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

The prophet Malachi explains how God sees the righteous and the wicked in His judgment:

"Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him" (Mal. 3:18).

In other words, by God's Standard of judgment the righteous are defined as those who serve Him and the wicked as those who do not serve Him!