What about judgement?

Our accountability to God

According to Morton Kelsey in his book Encounter with God, there are 147 references to judgement in the New Testament. Why should we fight shy of the thought of God as judge? Theologian James Packer says:

Would a God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong be a good and admirable being? Would a God who put no distinction between the beasts of history, the Hitlers and Stalins, and his own saints be morally praiseworthy?…The final proof that God is a perfect moral being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that he has committed himself to judge the world.

It is interesting that one of the sins the Old Testament prophets railed against was the ridicule some people made of the idea God would see and judge their sins. ^[40]

If we find the idea of God judging the world difficult to swallow, it may be worth our while to consider the alternative. Pastor Richard Wurmbrand spent fourteen years in a Communist prison, much of it in solitary confinement. In his book Tortured for Christ, he says:

The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe, when man has no faith in the reward of good or the punishment of evil. There is no reason to be human. There is no restraint from the depths of evil which is in man. The communist torturers often said, “There is no good, no hereafter, no punishment for evil. We can do what we wish.” I have heard one torturer say, “I thank God in whom I don’t believe that I have lived to this hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.” He expressed it in unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners.

One thing that is clear from the beginning to the end of the Bible is that God is not only a God of love, compassion and mercy, but also a God of justice, holiness, righteousness and purity. Consequently, we live in a moral universe and are accountable to God as to how we live. ^[41]  It is against the background of moral law, which is the expression of God’s own righteous character, that we begin to see the necessity of judgement. It was right at the beginning of God’s relationship with his people that he gave them a summary of his moral laws in the form of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). Until the people recognised the moral nature of the God they worshipped (in marked contrast to the surrounding pagan gods) and the moral demands he made upon them, they would never recognise their moral failures and need for forgiveness. Nor would the sacrifices he gave them to atone for their sins make any sense. Of course these sacrifices, of themselves, could never take away their sins, but looked forward to the day when Christ would offer that perfect sacrifice which can bring us perfect forgiveness for all eternity (see Hebrews 9 and 10). It is in this sense that Paul declares that “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ” (Galatians 3:24).

Without the moral law we would never see our need of Christ. The great American revivalist of the nineteenth century, Charles Finney, said that the easiest men to win for Christ were lawyers. They understood the inexorable nature of law. There could be no trifling with the demands of law. If the foundations of governments were to be preserved and order maintained, law must be enforced. It was useless to speak of mercy, nor dare the law show mercy. The righteous demands of the law must be met. If the blow does not fall on the wrong-doer, then it must fall on one who makes himself responsible, and accepts the punishment for the wrong entailed.

When the Old Testament speaks of God judging people, either individuals or nations, the emphasis is on his judgements in this present earthly existence. The New Testament also has things to say about God working out his judgements in this life. However, with the added revelation that comes to us in the New Testament, with God breaking into this world in the person of Jesus Christ, the emphasis shifts to a more final and complete judgement that is yet in the future. The guarantee that this will take place, and that goodness and morality will be seen to have won the day in the end, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. “God…commands all [people] everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all [people] by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30, 31).

Jesus our judge

It is significant that this final great event is referred to clearly or by implication in all twenty-seven books of the New Testament, except for Titus and the brief letters of Philemon, 2 John and 3 John. It is often directly associated with the personal return of Jesus Christ, who is specifically declared to be the one appointed by God the Father to be our judge. “The Father…has entrusted all judgement to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father…the time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:22, 28, 29). ^[42]   John Stott, in The Incomparable Christ, declares:

Thus Jesus Christ, who originated all things as Creator, will consummate all things as Judge. For he is ‘the Alpha and the Omega [first and last letters of the Greek alphabet], the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’. These very same titles are attributed both to God (Revelation 1:8) and to Christ (Revelation 1:17; 22:13).

There are passages indicating that angels will also have a part to play in the judgement and even humans some role, as Christ’s agents. ^[43]  

Keeping perspective

Although in this final section of this booklet on life after death we must honestly face all that the New Testament declares about judgement, it is important to keep a right perspective. The emphasis is not first and foremost on judgement but on the amazing grace of God, who has acted in Jesus not only to save us from ultimate condemnation, but to restore us to a vital relationship with himself, a relationship that will last forever. Jesus himself declared that the purpose of his coming into this world was not to judge people but to save them. “God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). He has made provision for our forgiveness, for reconciliation and for us to grow into all that he originally planned that we should be. And he did this at infinite cost to himself. If we should reject his love and refuse his offer, the responsibility for the consequences of that choice will be ours alone.

Judgement and the nature of God: love and anger

The New Testament makes two unequivocal statements about the nature of God. It declares that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5) and “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Light and darkness often appear in the New Testament as metaphors of good and evil. It is because God, in his very nature, contains no trace of evil in any form, and because he is love, that we may have perfect confidence in his ability to judge fairly. “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). We may be sure, as Paul declares, that “God’s judgement  is based on truth” and that “God does not show favouritism” (Romans 2:2, 11).

It is important, however, to note the use of the word “anger” or “wrath” in connection with God’s attitude towards sin, as this is a reality we must face. The idea that God cannot be angry is neither Hebrew nor Christian, but something borrowed from Greek philosophy. Every novice in Greek philosophy knew that deity must be apathès, without disturbing emotions of any kind. As Edwin Bevan pointed out in Symbolism and Belief, “The idea of the divine anger was not something which penetrated into Christianity from its pagan environment; it was something which the church maintained in the face of adverse pagan criticism.”

The idea that God can be angry underlines the fact that he is a personal God which is a distinctive emphasis of Christianity, based on our understanding of the Trinity. In an article in the New Bible Dictionary, R. V. G. Tasker writes:

It is inadequate to regard this term [wrath] merely as a description of the ‘inevitable process of cause and effect in a moral universe’ or as another way of speaking of the results of sin. It is rather a personal quality without which God would cease to be fully righteous and His love would degenerate into sentimentality.

Renowned theologian Paul Tillich, in The Shaking of the Foundations, says, “The idea of the divine wrath has become strange to our time. We have rejected a religion which seemed to make God a furious tyrant, an individual with passions and desires who committed arbitrary acts.” But he goes on, “This is not what the wrath of God means. It means the inescapable and unavoidable reaction against every distortion of the law of life, and above all against human pride and arrogance.” When rightly understood, it has a certain logical necessity. Stephen Neill wrote some time ago:

His wrath is no more than the clear shining of His light, which must go forth implacably to the destruction of all darkness…It is only the doctrine of the wrath of God, of His irreconcilable hostility to all evil, which makes life tolerable in such a world as ours.

Maybe, as R. W. Dale pointed out in his book Atonement, “It is partly because sin does not provoke our own wrath, that we do not believe that sin provokes the wrath of God.”

The Old Testament speaks of God’s just anger against sin some 580 times, using twenty different words to describe it. This clearly indicates that judgement is more than the working out of the unfortunate consequences of our sin. God is active in judging evil and we stand guilty before him when we break his moral laws. In the New Testament two words are used, thumos and orgè. They may both be translated by expressions such as “indignation”, “anger”, “wrath”, or “fury”. The first is used mainly of human anger, but is used seven times of God’s anger in Revelation (14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15). The second word is used of human anger in a few instances, but is used about thirty times of the wrath of God. It is something that may be experienced in this life, but is often associated with the final judgement in phrases such as “the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgement will be revealed” (Romans 2:5) or “the great day of their [God’s and the Lamb’s] wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17).

It is important to note the difference between human and divine anger. So often our anger is tainted by selfishness, hurt feelings, and lack of control. As James declares, “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20). However, God’s anger is wholly consistent with his character of holiness and love. It is an action rather than an emotion, his just and consistent attitude towards evil. The Bible declares that “God is love” but it never says that “God is anger”. The “anger” of God is the outworking of his character of love as it makes its impact on those who spurn that love. Renowned Swiss theologian Emil Brunner went a step further when he declared, “The wrath of God is the love of God in the form in which the man who has turned away from God and turned against God experiences it.”

It is significant also that the Greek words hilasmos and hilastèrion are used several times in the New Testament in connection with what Jesus achieved for us on the cross. ^[44]  They are variously translated by “expiation” or “propitiation”. Though scholars debate the exact meaning of these words, there is a strong implication that Jesus took upon himself the full effect of God’s “wrath” that our sins deserved. This would be consistent with Paul’s statement that “he became a curse in our place” (Galatians 3:13).

This was the cup that Jesus requested his Father to take from him, if that was possible (Matthew 26:39)—the “cup of …wrath” (Isaiah 51:17; cf. Jeremiah 25:15; Psalm 75:8). As there was no other way to gain our salvation, he drank it down to the dregs.

The basis on which judgement  will be made

In considering this matter it is important to keep in mind two issues that are clear in the New Testament.

First, the basis on which we are accepted or rejected for a place in God’s kingdom will be whether or not we have acknowledged our sins, turned from them, and put our trust in the saving grace of Jesus. None will be in heaven because they deserve to be there. The ultimate question will be whether our names are in the “Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27). They are those who have repented, put their trust in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, and received the Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life.

Second, though we can do nothing to earn our salvation—it is a gift to be received by faith—it is interesting that judgement in the New Testament is always on the basis of what we have done (or not done!). ^[45]  As Klyne Snodgrass says in Between Two Truths, the Scriptures “consistently teach that judgement is according to works”. John Stott explains that

The reason for this is that the Judgement Day will be a public occasion, and that good works will be the only public and visible evidence which can be produced to attest the authenticity of our faith. ‘Faith without works is dead’ (James 2:26).

Of course, this is not to deny that there are those such as the dying thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43) who have no opportunity to demonstrate the reality of their repentance and faith. If, however, his life had been spared, no doubt this would have been plain for all to see.

Jesus also made it plain that judgement would be on the basis of light received and the opportunities given. In one of his parables, Jesus said that “the servant that knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants” will receive a harsher penalty than the one who “does not know and does things deserving of punishment”, for “from everyone who has been given much, much more will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47, 48). He also indicated that the cities of Korazin and  Bethsaida would be worse off in the “day of judgement” than Tyre and Sidon, for if the latter cities had had the opportunity to observe his ministry and miracles “they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes”.  Similarly, Capernaum would be worse off than the wicked city of Sodom, because if the people of Sodom had had the opportunities that Capernaum was given, their repentance would have spared them the destruction they experienced (Matthew 11:20-24).

Christians included in the judgement

The New Testament is very clear that those who have come to Christ in repentance and faith and accepted him as their Saviour and Lord are fully accepted as his sons and daughters. They are freely forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit “who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:14). Our standing with God is summed up in the term “justified”, used about forty times in the New Testament. It is a legal term emphasising that we are acquitted of all the charges against us. What Jesus did for us in bearing our sins on the cross and rising again, is sufficient to save us for all eternity. As the writer of Hebrew puts it, “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (7:25). The Scriptures are very clear that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

However, this does not mean that true believers will not face judgement as to what we have done with what we have been given. Paul underlines the fact that “we must all ^[46]  appear before the judgement seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). In 1 Corinthians 3 he likens our lives to a building. The only solid foundation on which we can build our lives is our relationship with Jesus Christ. However, having laid this foundation, we can then go on to build with materials that will stand the test of time and eternity, or those that will, in the end, prove worthless. “Whatever we build on that foundation will be tested by fire on the day of judgement. Then everyone will find out if we have used gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw. We will be rewarded if our building is left standing. But if it is destroyed by fire, we will lose everything. Yet we ourselves will be saved, like someone escaping from flames” (vv.12-15).

God knows the motivations of our hearts. It is not our apparent success or failure that he is ultimately concerned with but whether our sincere desire has been to please him and do his will. In the following chapter Paul has more to say on this point. He has been receiving criticism from some regarding his work and ministry. His response is one we would all do well to take note of: “Since our first duty is to be faithful to the one we work for, it doesn’t matter to me if I am judged by you or even by a court of law. In fact, I don’t judge myself. I don’t know of anything against me, but that doesn’t prove that I am right. The Lord is my judge. So don’t judge anyone until the Lord comes. He will show what is hidden in the dark and what is in everyone’s heart. Then God will be the one who praises each of us” (1 Corinthians 4:2-5).

Just what will be the nature of the rewards and punishments believers will receive we can safely leave in his loving hands. I love the attitude of a certain Brother Paul, a Franciscan friar, in this respect. He wrote:

In September I had my 74^th birthday. It has been a very happy life. It has been fulfilling and rewarding…But the last few years I have begun to realise that this journey is a pilgrimage and I long for the journey’s end. When I was a boy away at school, it seemed the Christmas holidays would never come so I could join old friends and my loving family. And, oh, the excitement and joy of the trip back home!

It seems to me that death is like going home for Christmas. God is our all-wise and everlasting Father and to die is to return home to His love. He is love, his love is a free unearnable gift and given for all time. It is true, of course, that he is also Judge but he is Judge and my Wise and Loving Father. I can trust his Judgement as I trust his love. And this I know; he loves me!

In January I had an emergency prostate operation. It was cancerous and the cancer has spread apparently to my whole bone structure and to one kidney. Where else it may be I do not know, and frankly, I don’t care.

I am delighted because I can see not-too-far-ahead that journey’s end for which I have waited. My bags are all packed and Christmas is coming! Whatever time God calls me, I will be going home for Christmas. It will be a Merry Christmas. Rejoice with me—and pray! I love you.

Affectionately, Paul,
S.S.F.

Jurgen Moltmann has observed that the phrase “Day of the Lord” in the Old Testament inspired fear; but in the New Testament it inspires confidence, because the authors had come to know the Lord whose Day it was.

I shall let John have the last word: “God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us. If we truly love others and live as Christ did in this world, we won’t be worried about the day of judgement. A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love” (1 John 4:16-18).

A symbol of mercy

“God is the only comfort.” said C. S. Lewis. “He is also the Supreme Terror; the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible Ally and we have made ourselves His enemy. Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of ‘Absolute Goodness’ would be fun. They need to think again.” However, to encourage us to come to him in repentance and hope, rather than to run and hide, he has given a lasting symbol of his mercy—the rainbow.

Whether we think of the story of Noah’s flood as a worldwide catastrophe, or a local event of universal significance, there are some obvious lessons for us. It is against the background of this judgement that God appears to Noah and makes him a promise that never again will all life be destroyed by a flood of such magnitude. As a pledge that he will keep his word, he says, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between …me and you and all living creatures of every kind” (Genesis 9:13-15).

It is significant that it is always against the background of the storm cloud that the rainbow appears. The diffraction of the light through the raindrops, producing the various colours of the rainbow, is the evidence that somewhere the sun is still shining. In the awesome picture of God’s throne that John gives us in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, “a rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne” (4:3). God’s exalted throne is also the throne of grace and mercy. The Bible speaks of God as “slow to anger” ^[47]  and “patient” ^[48]   If we would meet with God as “Ally” rather than as “Terror”, then the two requirements necessary are first that we acknowledge sincerely and openly our need of that mercy, and then that we cast ourselves upon it as it is offered us through Jesus. Having done so, then we may “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16).

Footnotes

^[40] E.g. Psalm 10:11; Isaiah 5:18, 19; Jeremiah 5:12; Amos 9:10; Micah 2:6, 7; Zephaniah 1:12.

^[41] I have gone into this in some detail in the booklet Does It Matter How We Live? A Christian View of Morality.

^[42] See also Daniel 7:13, 14; Matthew 7:22, 23; 13:40-43; 16:27; 25:31, 32; 28:18; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 2:9, 10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; James 5:8, 9; Revelation 14:14-16.

^[43] For angels, see for instance, Matthew 13:41, 42; 24:31; 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; and Revelation 14:17-19. For humans, see Psalm 149:5-9; Matthew 19:28 and 1 Corinthians 6:2,3.

^[44] 1 John 2:2; 4:10; Romans 3:25.

^[45] See for instance the following passages: Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; John 5:29; Romans 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:13; 22:12.

^[46] Italics mine.

^[47] Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2.

^[48] 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9.