Beth-El Baptist Church

09/23/2007

Greg Tomlinson


Why will everyone stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10)?


There are multiple reasons for this question to be raised. There are many who do not believe in any sort of judgment but that all people will be allowed entrance into heaven. Others will claim that non-Christians will never stand before Jesus because he has not authority over them. Yet others claim that only non-Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.


  1. What is the basis for any judgment?

Ezekiel 18:4-9 Jeremiah 17:9-10

Romans 1:20-22 Luke 18:18-20

John 3:35-36; 5:24; 12:46-50


If a person is honest with themselves, they must acknowledge that their behavior is not perfect. By definition, imperfection is a falling short of some sort of ideal. When it comes to behavior, the ideal behavior is the behavior of God. He is perfectly right in all things. He is perfectly just in his judgments. He has perfect moral standards and standing. He has set the standard of behavior and anyone that fails to meet that standard rightly deserves to be judged by the greater, who is God.


  1. Since everyone is imperfect, why should God and Jesus be the standard for judgment?

Genesis 1:26-27 Isaiah 45:18; 22-23

John 8:4-11 Hebrews 4:15

John 5:21-23, 27-30


Jesus is the only one that is perfect and it is God that created each and every one of us so it is only proper for them to be the ones to set the standard. By being His creation, he owns us and decides what the standard is. Since Jesus is sinless, he alone is sufficiently righteous to evaluate others. Also note that Jesus is the one that does the judging because the job of judging was given to him by His father. The standard of judgment is Jesus himself and your relationship to him.


  1. Why should unbelievers be judged by Jesus?

Romans 1:20-22; 3:26-30 Romans 14:11-12

Philippians 2:5-11 Hebrews 9:27

Isaiah 6:5 Luke 5:8


Unbelievers will be judged by Jesus because of their refusal to acknowledge that it is God that created them. Man did not create himself, this is actually against true operational science. Man is not the results of random processes, but every man, whether they are believers or unbelievers have been created by God. As a result of this, every human being will at some point recognize and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and has rightful ownership of them. They will be forced to recognize that God is perfectly holy and that they do not belong in his presence. The unbeliever will recognize Jesus' lordship or righteous authority over him after he has physically departed from this earth. Then and only then will he understand the truth of God's righteous judgment.



  1. Why should believers be judged by Jesus?

Luke 18:13-14 Romans 6:1-7

John 20:27-29 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Hebrews 4:12


Believers are rightly to be judged by Jesus because of sin. The difference is that the judgment for the sins of the believer have already been judged and paid for. This means that the judgment for the believer, his appearance before the judgment seat of Christ has technically already occurred. Belief in Jesus Christ is the recognition that the believer is a sinner who rightfully deserves condemnation and judgment but that it is God by his mercy and grace who sent his only son Jesus to die on the cross and take the penalty for his sin. It is here at the mercy seat of God, at the throne of grace that the believer is judged and his payment recognized.



Summary:


Every human being must be judged by God, their creator, on the basis of their sins. It is only right and just that true justice be done and proper judgment carried out. It is by grace that God saw fit to cast his wrath and verdict of guilty upon one that could survive the judgment.