The Judgement of Christ

Nobody ever wants to talk about judgement.  The whole concept makes people uncomfortable and fearful, rightly so.  But it cannot be simply ignored because of our fraught for judgement, to come at the end of the age, is a real future that will come for all of creation.  Judgement, plainly, is that moment at the end of history when God will finally and conclusively mete out His divine justice, holding every person accountable for choices made.

The common evangelical misconception is that believers will not face judgement.  To be frank, this is dangerous thinking and blatantly un-Scriptural (Matt. 13:39, 49, 25:32; Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10).  The harsh truth is that in the end at Jesus' second coming, the Parousia,  everyone will be held accountable for his/her deeds.  This holds true for Christians as much as it does for non-Christians.  There are two points to be made in this regard:

First off, Christians need not fear judgement for we have an advocate who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God and intercedes on our behalf (Rom. 8:27; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1).  This is a comforting reality.  It is true that Christ Jesus, because of His propitiative work on the cross, has become our true intercessor, having taken in His flesh the judgement due all mankind because of sin.

Thus the judgement every sinner deserves has been paid in full, that at the end of the age when the Father looks upon us in His holiness, Christ will He see standing in our place.  In this sense, judgement for Christians depend on Christ's salvific work and we will be judged righteous not because of any righteousness we have within ourselves, but because of Christ's imputed righteousness by faith.

The secondary sense of judgement is solely a Christian ordeal, and will not befall non-Christians.  Christians will be held accountable for how we live, for whether we persevere in faithfulness and to the measure with which we remain steadfast and secure in our faith through suffering and trial will we be judged (2 Cor. 5:10).  This should not be overlooked: we will be judged for how well and how thoroughly we've received and transferred the gift(s) that God has given us through His Son.

We should take this charge with the sobriety and seriousness that it deserves, acknowledging that how we live our post-conversion lives matter and will be weighed for its worth.  In this sense of judgement, Christians depend on Christ's sanctifying work to compel us to remain steadfast to will and to do for His glory.  Ultimately, God is good and worthy to be praised.  This holds true especially in His final and conclusive hour, when all creation will be brought to their knees before His glory.  Therefore, let us praise Him for His awesome and perfect judgement, and that we will be judged perfectly.  Let us also take heart that we will either be judged as ourselves or as Christ living within us.  Let us pursue the latter!