Manslick Road church of Christ

The Judgment

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one of us may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10 ).

Jesus has numerous roles in God’s plan: teacher, model, savior, lawgiver, king, high priest, head of the church, advocate, intercessor, etc. He is also our judge. Jesus is uniquely qualified for this task: He is both God and man, He was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, and He showed both His love for us and dedication to the Father’s will in giving Himself on our behalf.

This text reminds us of several important characteristics of the judgment.

It is universal. All will appear before Christ for judgment. No one is exempt. Even if you die before it occurs, you will still be there. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds” (Rev. 20:13 ). Jesus’ own resurrection is the guarantee of ours and the judgment to follow (Acts 17:31 ).

It is personal. Each one will be judged according to what he has done. You will not be held accountable for another’s misbehavior. Some say we are guilty before God because of what Adam did or because of what our parents did, but the Bible teaches otherwise (see Ezek. 18). You answer for your choices in life. Others may influence you to do wrong, and they will have to answer for that, yet that does not eliminate your responsibility for your conduct. This also means that no one else can do right for you. You will not pass the judgment because your parents or your spouse or your children are godly. Righteousness cannot be borrowed.

It is behavioral. We will be judged according to what we have done. The Bible emphasizes that we are justified by faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1 ), not on the basis of our own goodness. Yet it also reminds us that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26 ), that Christ is the source of salvation to those who obey Him (Heb. 5:9 ). “Lord, Lord” will be an empty cry on that day (Mt. 7:21 ). What we claimed to be or intended to do will count for nothing. In Matthew 25:31-46 , Jesus’ depicted the judgment as a shepherd separating sheep and goats. Interestingly, the goats in that picture are not those who were grossly immoral in life; they are those who failed to do right.

It is final. Jesus said that the Father has given Him all judgment (Jn. 5:22 ). That being the case, there can be no appeal of His decision. There is no higher court to which one could turn. The verdict is for eternity.

The verse following our text says, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. . .” Are you persuaded to follow Christ now?