What does the final judgement hold for Christians

It is like missing the wood for the trees when people insist on judgement by works for Christians, for in doing so they miss the whole point of the gospel. Christians are people who will not come into judgement, they are people who have already crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). Not only do explicit scriptures deny judgement by works, but the great doctrines of predestination, perseverance, atonement, eschatology, justification and sanctification don't permit it either. However, of all the doctrines of Christianity it is a believer's profound union with Christ, our substitute and representative, that won't allow any judgement of a believer's works. Jesus has been judged for us, to save us from that final judgement of God.

We cannot say that a Christian will lose their salvation in the final judgement. Nor can we say that God will hand out different levels of rewards for different believers; for though it is possible to think such a thought, nevertheless it is without exegetical foundation. When we look carefully at 1 Cor 3, the only reward on view is people who are saved through a particular Christian's planting or watering of the gospel message. The supposed levels of rewards, bigger mansions or better experiences of heaven, are without exegetical support. They also seem to be based on a wrong understanding of sanctification. That is, those who do better as Christians deserve rewards for their growth in holiness. But, sanctification in the NT is religious language to describe the same thing as Justification, both of which are wholy in Christ. There are no levels of holiness when God looks at us in Christ. So there are not special levels of Christians who warrant through their effort God's rewards (see Mt 20.1-16).

Nor does God need to vindicate Christians on judgement day based on whether his Holy Spirit has been at work in them as evidenced by fruit, as if his left hand wasn't aware of what his right hand had done at the cross. Quite the contrary, on that day God will uphold the decision he made to condemn sin in the flesh of Jesus (Rom 8:3). The declaration of righteousness that those in Christ are now granted will be revealed to the whole of creation on that day. We are not saying there is no summons to the eschatalogical courtroom along with all humanity. Rather that the Christian will stand before the judge and make the plea 'no merit of my own do I bring, but simply to his righteous life, his cross and the promise it contains and his ongoing mediation of its benefits do I cling' (You can see why I don't write songs). God's answer will be to reveal and welcome us as dearly loved children. Then he will give us the promised inheritance of eternity in fellowship with him and all his people.

Is God's judgement an unreasonable belief?

One of the challenges of the book of Revelation is it confronts us with the reality of God's judgement. This issue is one of several 'problems' people have with Christianity but unfortunately the issue is often not given the chance to be dealt with in an informed and helpful way...from both Christians and non-Christians. 

To think through this and other 'problem' issues more carefully I'd highly recommend Tim Keller's Reason for God. This really is a very helpful and liberating book which both sympathizes with those who doubt and shows the plausibility of faith in Christ.

Anyway, rather than me tell you about it, watch the author himself (below), or head to http://thereasonforgod.com

Please call or email the Crossroads office if you wish to order a copy. It will be about the best way you'll use $20 all year.

The Scandal of Repentance

To be called to repent is surely one of the severest and sweetest things to come from Jesus lips. Severe in that it involves a fundamental acknowledgment of our worthlessness and need and sin. Sweet in that the one who repents experiences great joy and confidence because Christ and all his blessings are now freely theirs to enjoy. So repentance it is both scandalously hard, and scandalously good at the same time.
Last Sunday’s talk: Outraged by the Scandal (Luke 13:1-17) was one of the more difficult for me. It is hard to be faithful to the text and to bring out the severity and the sweetness at the same time. But it is even harder knowing there are people in our midst and in our lives who have not yet yielded to the call of Jesus and so God’s judgement hangs over them. To those unwilling to submit to the wonder and authority of Jesus the news from passages like this is not good. Yes it is doom and gloom…forever. But to the one willing to trust the unfailing and merciful gift of Christ for us, there is perfect joy and comfort….forever.
Please pray that more and more people would both feel the gravity of Jesus warnings and the wonder of his work for us. It will mean being brought to our knees in great sorrow. But it will also mean we will stay happily on our knees in awe and praise.