Lesson Six

This is a study of The Judgment of the Believer, Lesson #6 in the New Christian Series.

The Scripture says:

"Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."     Acts 17:31

William Evans said,

"Just as it is appointed unto men once to die, so it is appointed unto men to appear before the judgment. There is no more escape from the one than from the other."

Some teach that there will be only one general judgment for all, when God will end this present world, and all who have ever lived will stand before Him to be judged according to their works. There, it is supposed, we will find out if we will go to Heaven or Hell. That is what all unsaved folks, and many Christian denominations believe that someday we are going to die, and when we get to Heaven God is going to weigh all our good works against all our bad works. If our good works outweigh the bad, we will go to Heaven; if our bad works outweigh the good, we will go to Hell. The Catholics go even a bit further, teaching that those whose good and bad works come out even will go to a place called purgatory. Although this doctrine cannot be found anywhere in the word of God, the Roman Catholic church continues to teach this unbiblical fabrication of popery, in order to extort money from her followers. Of course, all of these false doctrines are far from the truth, as we shall see. In the Scriptures that there are actually seven different judgments.

The Seven Judgments

1. The Judgment Of Sinners - The judgment that took place at Calvary.

2. The Judgment Of Sons - The daily judgment of believers after they are saved.

3. The Judgment Of Servants - The judgment of the believer’s works to determine their reward or loss. This judgment will take place in heaven after the rapture.

4. The Great White Throne Judgment-This is the judgment for the unsaved dead before they are cast into the Lake of Fire.

5. The Judgment of the Nations-The judgment of the Gentiles for their treatment of the Jew during the Tribulation. It takes place after the Great Tribulation.

6. The Judgment of the Jews-The judgment on Israel during the Great Tribulation.

7. The Judgment of Angels - The judgment of the fallen angels that takes place at the Great White Throne Judgment following the millennial kingdom.

JUDGMENT OF THE BELIEVER

In this lesson, we are going to study the three judgments that involve believers.

1.      Judgment As Sinners

2.      Judgment As Sons

3.      Judgment As Servants

Each of these judgments takes place at a different time and place. It is very important that we know the time, nature and result of these judgments. Our response to them will determine our eternal destiny, the kind of rewards we will receive in Heaven, and the degree to which we will experience the abundant life in this world.

   I. Judgment As Sinners

This was God’s judgment upon sin that took place almost two thousand years ago at Calvary. It involved every lost sinner that ever lived (past) or ever will live (future). There, all mankind was found guilty under the law and condemned. The attending punishment in Hell fell upon our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. As John the Baptist declared, He was "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). By His death, all believers are justified by faith.

"Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world [the devil] be cast out.

And I [Jesus, speaking of himself], if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."     John 12:31, 32

In those verses, the Lord Jesus makes reference to His crucifixion on Calvary’s cross, as the judgment of this world. He was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."    I John 2:1,2

The Pilgrim Study Bible marginal note for Romans 3:25 says of propitiation:

"This word is translated Mercy seat - in Hebrews 9:5. To understand this, we must go back to Leviticus 16. The entrance of the High Priest into the presence of God once a year was made possible by the blood of the sacrifice which he brought. He sprinkled the blood on the Ark of the Covenant, which pictured the throne of God. That Throne would have been a Throne of judgment, but the blood showed that someone had already been judged, thus the Throne became a Throne of mercy. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is said to be the place where the believing sinner may meet God."

The Lord Jesus Christ had to die on the cross, because the judgment of our sins was upon Him.

Speaking of the Lord, Peter says:

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."     I Peter 2:24

To be our propitiation, Christ actually became sin for us:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." I Corinthians 5:21

Furthermore, as He hung on that cruel cross, our Saviour literally became cursed for our sake.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"    Galatians 3:13

After dying on the cross, Christ took our place in Hell. He bore the sins of the world on His own soul, and left them there in Hell.

"He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul [the soul of Jesus] was not left in Hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."    Acts 2:31

Acts 2:31 clearly says that "his [Christ’s] soul?was not left in Hell," so we know that the innocent soul of Jesus did go to Hell. ("his flesh" is a reference to His body which remained in the tomb.)

When we believed on Christ two things happened.

1.      Our sins were imputed to Him (He took credit for them).

2.       At the same moment His righteousness was imputed to us as a free gift (Romans 3:24, 26; and 4:6-8; 5:17,1 (we were credited with His righteousness).

The Wrath of God

Indeed, the righteousness of Christ is freely available to all who will look to the cross and accept Christ’s sacrifice for sin. But the wrath of God remains upon every unbeliever unless he accepts the judgment of God against sin as the condemnation of his own sin. He must put his trust in the Saviours’  work on the cross for cleansing.

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."     John 3:36

Upon whom does the wrath of God abide? It abides upon all the unsaved (those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ).

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

Ephesians 2:2,3

When we were unsaved, we were "by nature the children of wrath." When a man dies without Christ, he dies with the wrath of God upon him. That wrath is manifested in the everlasting torment by fire in Hell (Luke 16:19-31). Later, these condemned sinners will come out of Hell to stand before the White Throne Judgment where they will be judged for rejecting Jesus Christ. Then they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire where they will burn forever and ever in everlasting darkness (Jude 13; Revelation 20:11-15).

Because of their sin, all these unsaved sinners have already been judged, found guilty, and condemned at Calvary. Unless they submit to this first judgment at Calvary’s cross, they will be eternally lost without remedy.

The Scriptures plainly declare:

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."     John 3:18

Thinking their trial is yet to come, the self-righteous believe that if they have been kind to their neighbor, and kept the Golden Rule they might get past the judgment of God. But they are wrong: the trial for their sin is over. They are already condemned and have the wrath of God abiding on them. The only way they can escape the wrath of God is to submit to the judgment of sin at Calvary and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. As we saw in lesson number one, (Three Things Every Christian Should Know), Jesus took upon himself the wrath of God that was meant for us. He went to Hell for you and me (I Peter 3:1 . In the future judgment, none will have a suitable answer to the question from God, "Why did you trust your own righteousness when you could have had the righteousness of My Son?"

 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"     I Peter 3:18

Here we see that Jesus has already suffered the torment of Hell for us. Do you remember what Jesus said as He hung upon the cross? He said, "I thirst" (Matthew 27:46). Those words came forth from His lips as He felt the nearness of the very flames of Hell.

What a paradox, that today those who do not know the love of God talk about it so much. They err in thinking that God loves this world today and all the people in it. That is not true. Indeed, John said "God loved the world," but that is in the past tense. If we search the Bible for references of Gods love for the world, we will find that they are always in the past tense, like that famous verse in John 3.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."      John 3:16

• Certainly, it is true that God did manifest his great love for the world at Calvary, by giving His only begotten Son to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sin.

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."      I John 4:9

• But God does not love wicked, Christ-rejecting sinners.

"The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity."     Psalm 5:5

"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day."     Psalm 7:11

Furthermore, as we just read in John 3:36, "the wrath of God" remains upon those who refuse to believe on Jesus Christ. And John 3:18 says that they are condemned already. The great love of God was revealed at Calvary for the world to see, and it is available for all who will receive it. But, if a man wants to have the wrath of God taken off him, he has to accept the judgment of sin at Calvary. God wants all men to be saved, and He draws all men to Himself. Moreover, He will turn none away who come unto Him (John 6:37), and He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). The Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, and draws them to himself; but they must choose whether they will reject or accept Christ as their Saviour.

Jesus said,

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."     John 12:32

• He was lifted up before the whole world at Calvary.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."     John 3:14,15

John is making reference to Numbers 21.

"Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."     Numbers 21:7-9

From this passage of Scripture comes that wonderful old song "Look and Live."

"I’ve a message from the Lord, hallelujah!
The message unto you I’ll give:
is recorded in His word, hallelujah!
It is only that you took and live.

I will tell you how I came, hallelujah!
To Jesus when He made me whole
was believing on His name, hallelujah!
I trusted and He saved my soul."

As John the Baptist said:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."        John 5:24

The only way we can get to Heaven is by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ and what God did for us. If a man wants to go to Hell, all he has to do is trust anything or anybody else. For example, he can trust the Pope instead of Jesus that is a sure way to go to Hell. He can trust the sacraments, water baptism, or the Ten Commandments (although the Bible says no man ever kept them). He can trust the golden rule, church membership, the Masons, himself, or his religion. If he wants to go to Hell, he can trust anything he wants to trust; but if he wants to go to Heaven, he must trust in the Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is necessary that we grasp the meaning of this first judgment, so we can understand how God looks at things. Then we can have assurance that our sins have been taken away and that we need no longer fear Hell. The believer’s salvation rests in God’s hands, being based upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross. Jesus has already taken the believer sins away and he is as good as in Heaven now, with the door shut. The knowledge of this glorious work of God for us should generate within each of us a deeper love for our Saviour that will make us want to serve Him and work for Him. Any man trying to merit salvation by his own works must place all his trust and confidence in himself. However, because we know that our salvation is complete in Jesus, we can work heartily for Him, being compelled by love. We don’t work to get saved, we work because we are saved.

   II. Judgment As Sons

We have seen that our Judgment As Sinners deals with our eternal state, while our Judgment As A Son deals with our temporary state. This second judgment takes place in the believer everyday life.

At Calvary, all were found guilty and the judgment for our sin fell upon the blessed Saviour. Now, however, sinners who have trusted in Christ’s work for them have been adopted into the family of God they have become the sons of God. Yet, even after we become one of Gods sons, we are still apt to sin.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."     

I John 1:8

Paul, one of the greatest Christians that ever lived, said:

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"     Romans 7:18,24

Because God knows our flesh is still prone to serve sin after we are saved, He gave us instruction for judging and confessing our sins daily.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."     I John 1:9

Confession of our sins affects our fellowship with the Lord. To illustrate, let’s say a man son completely wrecked the family car, the boy being wholly at fault. If his son never apologized and never offered to make restitution in any way, the father would be angry, to say the least. But that boy would still be the man’s son nothing could change that. Our relationship with the Lord works the same way. I am sure the Lord is often displeased with us, but if we have been born into the family of God, we are His sons forever: nothing can change that. Now, confessing our sins to God won’t get us to Heaven. We can only get to Heaven by submitting to the first judgment and trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. However, we stay in fellowship with God by judging and confessing our sins moment by moment. God is holy and He will not fellowship with an unclean vessel.

John makes this clear:

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."     I John 5:5-7

What do you suppose God does to His sons when they do wrong? The same thing we should do to our children when they do wrong, He chastens (punishes) them. This all has to do with judgment number two, our Judgment as a Son in this present life.

We read about this chastisement in Hebrews:

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"   Hebrews 12:5-7

It says that He chastens every son, so our relationship with the Lord is like that of a father and son. Now, when we don’t judge ourselves like we’re supposed to, the Lord is going to chasten us. 

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world."              I Corinthians 11:30-32

In the context, the word "sleep" means "death." (Comparing Scripture with Scripture we find a clear reference to this in John 11:11-14). Now in this passage, why is it that "many are weak and sickly, and many sleep"? It is because they would not judge themselves for sin. "We are chastened" is a reference to the judgment as sons which they received because they would not judge themselves (Hebrews 12).

All the world is condemned at judgment number one, because the wrath of God remains upon those who won’t repent of their sin. But it is different for the believer, because he has confessed his sin to Him and received forgiveness. Because Jesus paid for our sin, we are no longer under its condemnation. However, we are still subject to judgment number two, and we will be chastened as a son if we don’t judge our own sins and confess them. If God has to, He may well take us home rather than to let us continue as a stumbling block to others, many sleep, brethren! Now let’s look at some passages in the Bible where He does just that.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."     Romans 8:1

By this we know that if we believe on Christ, we will not be condemned. That isn’t a reference to our eternal state, which was settled at the cross, but to our temporary state and our daily walk. (Notice this stipulation: "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.") We know this is the right application because of what verse 13 says:

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die [god will kill us], but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."     Romans 8:13

Notice also I Corinthians 3:16 and 17:

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."     I Corinthians 3:16,17

This passage of Scripture is clearly aimed at the believer in the body of Christ. The temple Paul is talking about is the Christian’s body. If he defiles that temple, what will God do? He will destroy him. A real life illustration of this can be found in I Corinthians 5.

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s  wife.

And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

I Corinthians 5:1-5

There was a saved man in this church, who was committing fornication with his own father’s wife. Paul prayed that the man would be delivered unto Satan "for the destruction of the flesh." (In plainer words, he asked God to kill the man.) In like manner, the Lord might take any Christian home to glory, who continued in sin and became a stumbling block to the body of Christ. As a child of God, he would not go to Hell in such a case. But he would lose his fellowship with his heavenly Father, as well as his joy, his heavenly rewards, and his inheritance. Regardless of the great loss he might suffer, the believer is dealt with as a SON who already has a home in Heaven, and is part of the body of Christ NOW. Once a sinner settles accounts with God at judgment number one, he is a son forever, because he has been born again.

See what John says:

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."    I John 3:9

• That’s the new inner man created inside us by God’s seed.

Furthermore, Peter says:

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."         I Peter 1:23

In America, the law regarding adoption says that if we were to adopt a child, giving him our name and taking him into our family, we could never disown him. God works the same way with His sons.

That’s what Jesus is talking about in John 6:

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

And this is the Father’s  will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."     John 6:37-39

In another place Jesus says:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s  hand. I and my Father are one."     John 10:27-29

 III. Judgment as a Servant

Remember, we are judged at the cross for sin; then we are judged day by day as sons; and finally, after death, we stand face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged as servants.

The Scriptures say:

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"  Hebrews 9:27

This judgment has not taken place yet, but will take place in the future. Now, as children of God, we have escaped the judgment of Hell. Thank God for that! However, we can’t escape judgment as sons and we can’t escape Christs’ judgment of us as servants.

"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother,  for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

Romans 14:10-12

At this judgment, we will receive rewards for what we did for the Lord Jesus Christ after we were saved.

It is a blessing to know that when we trusted Christ, our past life (as children of disobedience and wrath) was put under the blood. Our past sins were wiped away, and God no longer remembers anything of our old life. But God continues to keeps records, and one day we will to give an account of our lives as servants of Jesus Christ. That will take place at the judgment seat of Christ, following the rapture of the church, and only saved people will be there.

The judgment seat of Christ has a twofold purpose:

• First of all, it is to cleanse the Church (the bride of Christ) so she can be presented without blemish to the bridegroom (the Lord Jesus Christ) in Heaven (cf. Revelation 19:7-9; II Corinthians 11:1,2; Ephesians 5:25-27).
• Secondly, it is to reward the Christian for the way he lived his Christian life on earth. (That is what this lesson is about.)

We should praise God that we are saved and headed for Heaven, but we must not take the Judgment Seat of Christ lightly; it is a serious matter. Paul warns that it is a time to be soberly considered in the light of our failure to serve the Lord with all our might.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifested unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."   II Corinthians 5:10,11

There we will have to give an account of the things we have done as servants, whether good or bad. We will have to answer for the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission. Why does Paul say that he persuades men? Because of the "terror of the Lord." He isn’t persuading the lost to get saved in this passage; he is persuading believers to serve God while there is still time. The Bible tells us why this judgment is spoken of as a terror.

Jesus said:

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."    Matthew 12:36,37

Every minute detail of our lives is being recorded for the judgment day. Every word we have ever spoken that didn’t glorify Jesus Christ and exalt His name; all the vain conversation we had with others. We will give account for them on the day of judgment. It will not be a picnic.

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."                Ecclesiastes 12:14

Even the things we think only we and God know about will be brought out at the judgment seat of Christ before all.

"In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."    Romans 2:16

Everything is going to come out in the open on that day, except for sins that have been confessed and put under the blood.

The Lord Himself said:

"For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."          Luke 8:17

The Psalmist says:

"Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance."     Psalm 90:8

The Lord knows even our "secret sins" and they too will be brought out at the judgment seat of Christ. The Psalms give us a hint of what the Lord knows about us.

            "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether."      Psalm 139:1-4

• God knows every word that ever passed through our lips as well as the thoughts and intents of our heart that were never spoken. The Judgment Seat of Christ is spoken of as "the terror of the Lord" because there our works will be seen for what they were.

In the Old Testament, Job says of the Lord:

"For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves."     Job 34:21,22

He sees all and He knows all:

"A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"     Proverbs 20:8,9

• That is the Judgment Seat of Christ, with Jesus sitting on the throne.

We read more about this in I Corinthians 3:

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now