SERIES: Heaven and Hell
Here Comes the Judge!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 3:10-15, 2 Cor. 5:1-10, et al
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: As we resume our series on heaven and hell this morning, I want us to wrestle with one of the toughest questions in Christian theology–and that is the issue of future judgment. To many in our pluralistic, tolerant, subjective, and relativistic culture, judgment seems crude, self-righteous, hateful, and proud. But that is only because such a society rejects the notion of moral absolutes. If there is a creator God, and if He is who He says He is, then judgment of sin is inevitable.
Among Bible believers, few of us have difficulty accepting the judgment of the wicked. We see it as necessary, not only because the Bible promises it, but also because that’s the only way the books can be balanced. The prosperity of many wicked people in this life is evident for all to see; they simply cannot be allowed to prosper in the next life, as well. Nor will they.
But today I want to focus our attention on a more difficult issue–the judgment of believers. So troubling is this issue that many Christians just simply ignore it. In fact, even many theologians ignore it, and those that don’t often downplay it, neglecting those passages which teach that believers will stand before God in judgment in favor of those which seem to teach that we have nothing to fear. For example, they gravitate to Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Or Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Or Jer. 31:34: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Or Micah 7:19: “You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
Those are great verses, and I believe them, but they have led some Christians to assume that sin in their lives is inconsequential, because after all, hasn’t Christ forgiven it all? Yes, Christ has provided forgiveness for every sin. But forgiveness of sin doesn’t necessarily mean that discipline will not occur or even that all eternal consequences will be removed.
One of the strangest things to me about the whole impeachment process of the past several months has been the rather common assertion that the Christian right, of all people, should forgive the President, because Jesus preached forgiveness. And the implication is always present that forgiveness automatically entails dropping all the charges and letting the President continue in office. Setting aside what seems to me a very legitimate question as to whether he has ever repented, I would say it is possible for one to genuinely forgive him and still think he should be removed from office, or better yet, resign.
Remember the words of the prophet Nathan to King David after David confessed to the sins of adultery and murder: “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. (That’s forgiveness, friends). But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.” (That’s consequences). (2 Samuel 12:13‑14)
The fact that consequences follow sin like night follows day is not just a biblical truth. It is a spiritual law built into the very warp and woof of God’s universe. Consider Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” On one of the major TV news magazines a week ago there was the story of a former high school football star in Texas who is in prison for life because he was an accomplice in the murder of a teenage girl. He rejected a plea bargain against the advice of his attorney and told the truth, though his decision could have resulted in a death sentence. So appreciative were the girl’s parents to learn the truth and to hear of the boy’s deep regret for what he had done, they met with him in the prison and offered their forgiveness, contrary to the wishes of many of their friends and family. But the young man will still spend his natural life behind bars, and perhaps rightly so.
What many of us fail to realize is that the consequences of sin can follow us even into eternity–even for believers. I want to begin by establishing four basic facts about biblical judgment, and then we will turn our attention to several passages that paint a very different picture of the coming judgment than perhaps many of us have held.
Four basic facts about biblical judgment
Everyone will face judgment. It is simply not true that the only ones who will face judgment are the wicked or unbelievers. They may be the only ones to face condemnation, but they are not the only ones to face judgment or to experience the eternal consequences of sin.
The Judge will be almighty God. I’ve only been before a judge once–and that was in traffic court. The judge was a two-bit, part-time municipal magistrate with little experience and even less intelligence, but he scared me. Imagine standing before the God of all the universe, who knows everything absolutely, and who must judge because He is just, holy, righteous, true, and perfect in all His ways. God cannot not judge and remain the same God who reveals Himself to us in the Bible.
Judgment will be final. Since God Himself is the judge, there will be no appeal. After all, to what higher court could one appeal his case? There is no higher court.
There will be two separate judgments. You know, there are a thousand jokes about St. Peter’s Gate, which has become a fixture in our culture and in pop theology. But friends, there is no gate where St. Peter or any other saint sits to determine whether you go to heaven or to hell or to purgatory. All those who die without Christ have a guaranteed reservation at the Great White Throne Judgment, while all those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior have an appointment at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Neither of these two judgments are to determine where you spend eternity. They are to determine how you spend eternity, that is, the degree of punishment for the wicked, or the degree of reward or loss for the righteous. You make the choice in this life as to where you will spend eternity.
Now there simply is not time this morning to deal adequately with both the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment, so I am going to limit myself to the former; Lord willing we will have more to say about the Great White Throne next Sunday.
There are two principal passages I want us to consider, and the first is 1 Cor. 3:10-15. Will you turn there with me? I heard a very satisfying, true story last week. A couple told me that when they first visited our church, I asked the congregation to turn in their Bibles to the Scripture text. Their son leaned over and whispered, “Is it raining?” He had never heard the rustling of the pages of the Bible in his previous church. I like the sound of rain in the pew, and I encourage you to bring and to use your Bibles every Sunday,
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Nothing could be clearer than that this passage is speaking of believers. These are not professingChristians but possessing Christians. It says regarding the one who suffers loss at the judgment, “he himself will be saved.” That’s the good news, and it is good indeed. But there’s some bad news as well for this individual: “he will suffer loss;” in fact, he will be saved “only as one escaping through the flames.” He apparently gets to heaven by the skin of his teeth. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The first main point the Apostle makes is that …
Our task is to build the church.
This does not contradict the claim Jesus made that “I will build my church.” Rather it is to recognize that the means Christ uses to build His church is generally to employ believers as evangelists, teachers, mentors, pray-ers–subcontractors, if you will, in the building process.
In 1 Cor. 3 Paul chooses the word picture of constructing a building, as he speaks of the architect, the foundation, and the superstructure of God’s Church. The architect he identifies as himself. The Greek word translated “expert builder” in verse 10 is the word “architekton” in Greek. I think Paul is talking about his role as a pioneer missionary, a prophet, a leader, and a strategist in the early church. The foundation, on the other hand, is clearly stated to be Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation upon which the true church can be built–not any other person, not any philosophy, not any creed, not any principle.
But it’s the superstructure that draws most of Paul’s attention in this passage. The foundation has been laid; the architect has presented the plans; but the superstructure that is our responsibility. What materials will we use and with what quality will we build?
God is very concerned about the materials we use. At first glance it looks like there are six different kinds of materials–gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw. But in fact, there are only two kinds–costly or cheap, imperishable or perishable, permanent or temporary.
What are some examples of these two kinds of materials? I would suggest to you that a heart of service is like gold, silver, and costly stones, while spiritual laziness and the attitude, “Let others do it, I’ve done my time,” is like wood, hay, and straw in God’s sight.
Generosity with the Lord and with people is the former, while selfishness and stinginess are the latter.
Coming to church with a heart of worship is the former; coming to impress others is the latter.
Doing ministry only after it has been bathed in prayer is the former; doing it in one’s own strength is the latter.
When a pastor feeds people the Word of God he is using the former; when he just tells interesting stories or does book reviews, it is the latter.
When a teenager stands up to peer pressure and maintains a strong testimony, that is gold, silver and costly stones in God’s sight; when he or she bows to the pressure of the crowds, that is wood, hay and straw.
But God is concerned not only with the materials we use in building His church; He is also concerned with the quality of our workmanship.
God is concerned about the quality of our workmanship. Look again at verse 13-14: “His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day (the Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.” Nowhere are we told that God will test the quantity of our work. If quantity were important, the thief on the cross wouldn’t have a chance at the Judgment Seat of Christ. He didn’t have even one day to serve Christ.
God isn’t numbers-driven the way we often are. I don’t think I will ever be asked by God, “How many people did you preach to each Sunday?” But I do expect to be asked, “How faithful were you to my Word? Did you preach in the power of the Spirit rather than in your own power and intellect? Did you live at home what you preached at church?”
Now the second point made in 1 Cor. 3 is that …
Our work will be tested by fire. We have generally assumed that fire is an element that impacts only the wicked in hell, but here we are told there will be a fire of sorts for believers at their judgment as well. Probably a figurative term, it nevertheless conveys the notion that much of what we do in this life may go up in smoke. There’s an old adage that is absolutely true:
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
The consequences of this judgment are twofold: reward for workmanship of eternal quality, loss for workmanship of shoddy quality
Reward for workmanship of eternal quality. There are literally dozens of passages which speak of rewards in heaven. Much of this comes in the form of word pictures about crowns.
A crown of rejoicing for bringing people to Christ (1 Thes. 2:19);
a crown of righteousness for loving His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8);
a crown of life for enduring testing with love for the Lord (James 1:12);
a crown of glory to elders who are faithful to their responsibilities (1 Pet 5:4). I don’t know of what these crowns consist, but they are at the very least signs of honor. There is an indication in Revelation 4:10 that what we will do with these crowns is not wear them, but lay them before the throne in gratitude for our salvation.
There are other passages that speak of rewards in terms of responsibility and privilege. In His parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19, Jesus talks about the servant who is faithful investing his resources (ten minas), and he is therefore given commensurate responsibility (he is put in charge of ten cities). Another faithful servant, who received five minas, is put over five cities. And a third servant who did nothing with the resources entrusted to him, not only receives no cities but is stripped of his resources and they are given to the first person. In response to the objection, “But he already has ten!” Jesus says, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.” (19:26)
Clearly the greater the faithfulness, the greater the reward when the King comes. The kicker is that we don’t always judge service the way God does. We are so prone to look at attendance records and balance sheets and converts and baptisms. But God also looks at our thought life, our prayer life, our motives, our parenting, our hospitality, our love for people. The cities He assigns in this parable are representative of the privilege and responsibility believers will receive in the coming Kingdom. In other words, the reward for faithful work here is more work there. Now to a lazy person that might not seem very attractive, but most of us know that work is itself a gift from God. When work is meaningful and not overly stressful and exhausting, it is incredibly satisfying. At any rate, heaven does not consist of sitting on a cloud and strumming a harp, though I suspect one will be able to do that in his leisure time if he so chooses.
Now none of these passages on rewards teaches that we can earn our salvation. Eternal life is a gift; it comes to us by grace through faith. But rewards are a different matter. They are not earned in the sense of a day’s pay for a day’s work, for God rewards His children out of His generosity, not because He is obligated to. Nevertheless, our reward or lack of same is related to what we do in this life. Dependability and faithfulness on earth translates into greater responsibility and privilege in heaven.
I have already hinted at the fact that the reward coin has another side, so let me speak more directly to that issue. There will also be …
Loss for workmanship of shoddy quality. Have we given sufficient attention to this issue of loss? I think if we’re honest, most of us would have to admit that we have viewed the Judgment Seat of Christ as a kind of awards ceremony where we will pick up our ribbons—some blue, some red, but everyone will get a ribbon. It’s kind of like Little League today, where every kid gets a trophy, whether his team won every game or lost every game. We want to protect our children, you know, from any sense of failure.
But does that do justice to the severity of the picture offered here in 1 Cor. 3:15: “he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames”? I think not. I would like to suggest to you that some believers are in for something other than rewards–they will receive divine chastisement for slothful, careless living at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Alan Redpath writes,
“Any conception of the judgment seat of Christ which gives us the idea that it is going to be–what shall I say?–a happy prize-day for the Christian when everything else about his life is completely overlooked and forgotten, is far from the truth.”[i]
Consider some other well-known verses that we have too often ignored when it comes to our judgment:
(Romans 14:10‑12) “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
(Colossians 3:25) “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
(Hebrews 4:13) “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Just the thought of being laid bare, stripped of every outward facade of respectability, and openly revealed for what we really are should cause many of us to tremble. All our hypocrisies and secret sins of thought and deed will be open to scrutiny.
Now to understand how, on the one hand, our sins can be forgiven and yet, on the other hand, we are judged, we must distinguish between punishment and discipline. Both are painful, but they have very different purposes. Punishment has a backward view–making you pay for something you’ve done. Discipline has a forward view–helping you to become all you can be. Christ bore our punishment and paid the only penalty possible for sin. Listen to these verses from Hebrews 10:
12: “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
14: “… by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
17‑18: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”
No sacrifice is needed because Christ paid the penalty for all the believer’s pre- and post-conversion sins, and, I think, for all his confessed and unconfessed sins. We will never be punished in the judicial sense for our sins. Several years ago I used an illustration that bears repeating:
A wagon train started a dangerous journey westward. Day after day, the men, women, and children faced the ardors of the long trip. One day, after several months on the trail, the wagon train climbed a steep hill. When they reached the top, they were greeted with a horrifying sight. Before them, as far as the eye could see, was a great wall of fire being driven by the wind in their direction. Everyone was about to panic.
Suddenly the wagon master rode quickly to the rear and, before the startled onlookers could object, started a fire behind the wagon train. Soon, the wind that was blowing the fire toward them was blowing the newly-started fire at their rear farther behind them. In a matter of moments, the entire train was able to back up to the burnt-out area. As they watched the flames licking their way toward them, a little girl cried out, “Are you sure we’re safe?” The wagon master responded, “Yes, we’re safe, because we’re standing where the flames have already been.”
At Calvary the fire and wrath of God fell on His Son. There, the just died for the unjust, and the holiness of God was completely and eternally satisfied. If men back off to Calvary, they need not stand at the great White Throne Judgment, where the fire of God’s wrath is yet to fall and will consume the wicked.
However, as we have already seen, there is another fire with which we will have to contend–the fire of discipline and chastisement at the Judgment Seat of Christ. While we will never be punished for our sins, there are and will be temporal and even eternal consequences for the believer’s sins.
We know plenty about the present consequences of sin, whether it be STD’s for promiscuity, liver disease for drunkenness, poverty for gambling, etc., but we don’t seem to think much about the eternal consequences. When a believer does not walk in fellowship with God, he is passing up opportunities he will never have again. As a result, he will lose the reward that God would have so lavishly bestowed on him had he been faithful. This will be a real and eternal loss indeed.
But I suspect there will also be shame. The Apostle John exhorts us in 1 John 2:28, “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” If shame weren’t a possibility, I don’t think John would have said that.
The picture painted of the believer’s judgment here in 1 Cor. 3 is sober indeed, and it elicits a searching question: “What have you done for Christ that is of lasting quality and that will survive that fire?”
There is a second passage I feel compelled to consider this morning, though much more briefly, and that is 2 Corinthians 5:1‑10:
“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (I think he’s talking about our resurrection bodies). Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling…. (Skip down to verse 6)
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
Once again it is clear this passage is addressed to believers. Paul actually uses the first person, “wemust all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Notice a couple of important things here. First, this judgment is universal. All believers will appear at this judgment. No one will be given a pass–not even Billy Graham, not even Mother Teresa. Second, it is individual. “Each one will receive what is due him.” This is not a class action suit. It’s each person standing before the Judge of all the Earth.
Third, it is purposeful, and the purpose is to balance the books. Isn’t that what Paul means when he says, “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body”? Listen again to Alan Redpath:
“If we ask why this should be so, we do not have to go very far for the answer. The absolute injustices of life on earth demand that there shall be a day when right is vindicated and wrong is condemned. How many Christian people–and maybe you are among them–have suffered because of motives that were misjudged and actions that were completely misconstrued! How many Christians have lived a whole life of suffering simply because of the damage that has been done to them by somebody else! Many have gone through life with a wound in the soul from which there seems to be no deliverance, no recovery, no forgetfulness! How many have served faithfully and yet have had no recognition, but rather a great deal of abuse! Yes, there is a wonderful comfort in knowing that we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And many who have spent a lifetime with a sore heart and a sense of utter frustration may find wonderful solace in the assurance that, among the great things that will happen on that day, right will be vindicated and wrong condemned.”[ii]
I agree, but that is only half the picture, albeit a very important half. Here’s the rest of the verse we were considering: “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” If that last phrase hadn’t been added, I would say the Judgment Seat would be a very comforting thought. But that last phrase makes it also a very disturbing thought. What about those brothers and sisters in Christ whom we have misjudged and wounded? What about the times wehave gossiped or envied or lusted? What about our dark habits and addictions, our phony spirituality, our profligate spending on ourselves while being stingy with the Lord?
I have no idea what movies you watch or what internet sites you visit, but God has a record of them, and someday you are going to receive what is due you–not in punishment but in discipline and consequences. I have no idea what you teenagers do when you’re on a date, but God knows, and someday you are going to receive what is due you, if not in this life, then at the Judgment Seat. I have no idea how much you give to the church or to missions or to the poor, but friends, someday your checkbook and your tax returns are going to be opened, and you are going to receive what is due you.
Erwin Lutzer has a chapter in his book, Your Eternal Reward, that is entitled “Tears in Heaven.” And he writes,
“I believe there are good reasons why there will be tears in heaven. When we reflect on how we lived for Christ, who purchased us at such high cost, well might we weep on the other side of the celestial gates. Our tears will be those of regret and shame, tears of remorse for lives lived for ourselves rather than for Him who ‘loved us, and released us from our sins by His blood’ (Revelation 1:5). Perhaps we would never cease crying in heaven if God Himself did not come and wipe the tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).”
What I struggled with as I prepared this sermon is how do I maintain our attention on the joy and blessed hope of the Second Coming, while being honest about the seriousness of the believer’s judgment. How do I keep the focus on the fact that our entry into heaven is by grace through faith, not by works, while conveying that our privilege and responsibility in heaven will be directly related to our works here on earth? How do I motivate us to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord without generating the old legalism many of us have rejected, and rightly so? I have done my best this morning to remain balanced, but there is a fear I may have leaned too far in one direction or another.
Let me close with an analogy that you may find helpful. Graduation ceremonies are one of those milestones everyone looks forward to. Everyone who graduates is glad to get out of school, and there are few tears at graduation other than tears of joy. Those who have studied hard and have done their best will receive commendations on their diplomas which read, cum laude or magna cum laude or summa cum laude. The valedictorian and salutatorian may even receive cash awards, in addition to the privilege of addressing their classmates. Some of the athletes who went the extra mile may get trophies.
Everyone at graduation is happy to be there, but some are happier than others. Some may have remorse at the knowledge they frittered away their time and barely graduated. They may feel even more remorse when they see the top students receiving responsible jobs at excellent pay, while they go to work in a fast-food restaurant because they are under-qualified.
No analogy is perfect, of course. The criterion at the Judgment Seat of Christ will have nothing to do with IQ or academic achievement or natural physical gifts. It will be faithfulness to the work God has assigned each of us. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2‑5, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing (and no one) before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”
An old hymn we used to sing says it well:
Must I go, and empty handed, thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him, lay no trophy at His feet?
Not at death I shrink nor falter, for my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty-handed, thought of that now clouds my brow.
O ye saints, arouse, be earnest, up and work while yet ‘tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee, strive for souls while still you may.”
I have a very simple question to ask each of us in closing: “Is our contribution to the building of the Church of Jesus Christ fireproof?”
DATE: January 10, 1999
Tags:
Heaven
Hell
Judgment Seat of Christ
Great White throne Judgment
Rewards
Crowns
Consequences
[i] Alan Redpath, Blessings out of Buffetings, Studies in 2 Corinthians.
[ii] Ibid.