The Importance of Understanding the 3 Judgments of the Christian
to Experience Peace with God & the Peace of God
7 Judgments of God {Prepare to Meet Your God}
| Judgment & Scripture | Subjects | Time | Place | Basis of Judgment | Result | |||||||||
| 1 | Gal. 3:13; I Peter 2:24; Rom. 8:1-2; John 5:24 |
Believer as a Sinner | 32 AD Based on Dan 9:25-27; Lk. 19:41-2 | Cross of Christ at Calvary | Christ’s Finished work: Isa.53:5-6 |
Justification relationship with God | ||||||||
| 2 | I John 2:1; I John 1:9; Hebrews 12:3-11; |
Believer as a Son | Every Day (I Cor. 11:31-2) |
Where-ever the believer is | Judging ourselves daily for sin | Clear conscience fellowship with God | ||||||||
| 3 | 2Cor.5:10 I Cor. 3:11-15; 4:1-5; 9:24-27; | Believer as a Servant | After the Rapture (I Thess. 4:17) | Judgment seat (Bema) of Christ | Works of the believer | Gain or Loss of Rewards (I Cor. 3:11-15; I John 2:28) |
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| 4 | Matthew 24:21-31; Zech.14:1-11; 12:10; | The Jews | The Great Tribulation (Jer. 30:4-7; Dan. 12:1) | Whole World, Focus in the Middle East | Israel’s rejection of the Godhead | Israel receives Christ as Messiah (Isa. 66:8) | ||||||||
| 5 | Matthew 25:31-46; Joel 3:2; | The Gentile Nations | At the 2nd Coming of Christ; begins Millennium | The Throne of His Glory on Earth | How they treated the Jews Gen 12:1-3 |
Some nations saved; some destroyed | ||||||||
| This is a judgment of the Gentile Nations (not individuals) | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Rev. 20:11-15; 2 Pet. 3:7 | The Wicked Dead | During the renovation of the Earth by Fire | The Great White Throne | Based on their Works | Cast into the Lake of Fire | ||||||||
| This is “The day of judgment of ungodly men (2 Pet. 3:7) after the Millennium | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | I Cor. 6:3; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6 | Angels | The Great day Jude 1:6 | Probably in the Heavens | They left their 1st estate Jude 1:6 | Cast into hell with satan Matt. 25:41 |
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The Bible teaches us the importance of carefully studying God’s Word so we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15KJV). We all will be judged by God! If we don’t “rightly divide” or distinguish these 7 Judgments it creates all kinds of confusion about what to expect & how to prepare.
Misunderstanding these 7 Judgments robs many Christians of the assurance of their salvation. Not understanding Judgment #2 & 3 have robbed many Christians of the inexpressible Joy of the Christian Life. So this is one of the foundational studies to have an abundant Christian Life. In our Study today we are only going to Look at the first 3 Judgments which directly relate to those who trust Jesus Christ alone for Eternal Salvation.
I. JUDGMENT OF THE BELIEVER AS A SINNER (Past)
Experience Peace with God (Rom. 5:1)
Jesus died on the Cross as my perfect substitute to save me from my sin & sins. Christ’s death on the Cross removed forever the greatest danger that exists for every human being. What is that danger? Facing an infinitely Holy God without being cleansed of all your sin!
Illustration: “Tickling the tail of the Dragon:” The atomic bomb tests at los Alamos. Like a few neutrons hitting a mass of plutonium causes it to go “critical” (atomic explosion) so coming too close to a Holy God with sin will cause His wrath to explode. It is simply an inevitable and natural reaction of a perfect God caused by the presence of sin. God never changes but He has made a way for us to remove our sin problem (I John 1:7; John 1:29; I Cor. 6:11; Rev. 1:5KJV). By removing our sin Jesus has forever propitiated (removed) the wrath of God toward us (Rom. 3:25-6; IJohn 2:1-2)
Once I trust Christ alone for my salvation from sin I never have to worry about losing my Salvation because Jesus “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb. 10:12) and by that one sacrifice on the Cross “he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14; Rom. 8:28-30). “There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1-2; John 3:18-19; 5:24)
Illustration: During the Pioneer Days in America when they crossed the flat prairie lands of Kansas, Oklahoma & Nebraska sometime deadly fires would break out. How do you save yourself in such a situation?
Do you want to go to Heaven? Then Trust the LORD Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. Do you want to burn in the fires of Judgment? Then Trust anything or anyone else for your salvation. It’s very simple!
II. JUDGMENT OF THE BELIEVER AS A SON (Present)
Experience the Peace of God (Rom. 15:13; Gal. 5:22)
By trusting Christ’s death on the Cross for my salvation I am brought into a personal relationship with God Almighty by faith alone.
By accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour we become a “born again” “son of God” (John 1:12-13). Jesus Christ comes to live “in” us through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Col. 1:27; 2 Cor. 13:5; Rom. 8:9-11). Through the power of Christ & the Holy Spirit “in” me I am able to gain daily victory over the sin nature that still exists in my flesh (Rom. 7:15-25). I have to “work” at maintaining close “fellowship” with God.
This is why The Apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 11:31-32:
“If we would judge ourselves we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned (Judged) with the world” Our responsibility as “Sons” of God is to “judge ourselves” daily and then confess ours sins as we become aware of them.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1:8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7-9)
If I don’t take my battle with sin, satan, and temptation seriously then God will be forced to discipline me as my Heavenly Father (Heb. 12:5-11).
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (12:6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (12:7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Heb. 12:5-7).
We learn some of the ways that the Church in Corinth had to be disciplined by God in I Corinthians 11:27-32. We can be chastened with the loss of Health (but not all sickness is chastening); premature death (I Cor. 11:30; I John 5:16; I Cor. 5:5); Loss of property (Amos 4:6-9); loss of joy (Ps. 51:12); loss of loved ones (2 Sam. 12:14). The goal and results of all chastening is to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29); to make us partakers of God’s holiness (Heb. 12:10); and to “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). This discipline by our Heavenly Father is very different from the condemnation of the Judge under the Law.
III. JUDGMENT OF THE BELIEVER AS A SERVANT (Future)
If you faithfully Judge yourself every day as a child of God you will look forward with joyful anticipation to your Judgment as a servant of God. Every Christian will appear before the “Judgment seat of Christ.” What have you done for the LORD? What are you doing for the LORD now?
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (5:11) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Cor. 5:10-11).
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(12) Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (I Cor. 3:11-15)
Lot is a perfect illustration of someone who had all their works burned up. He had nothing left! But he was still saved “yet so as by fire.” Read the tragic history of Lot and his family in Genesis 19!
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 The Believers judgment as a servant is likened to the Grecian games. There the contestants assembled before the “Bema” or Judges stand to receive a “corruptible crown.” Some had no reward, but there was no punishment. The N.T. mentions 5 Crowns that a Believer can gain by faithfully serving our LORD Jesus Christ:
The Crown of life for those who overcome temptation or suffer martyrdom for the cause of Christ (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10);
The Crown of Glory for faithful Elders & Pastors (I Pet. 5:2-4);
The Crown of Rejoicing (Soul winners Crown) (I Thess. 2:19-20; Phil. 4:1);
The Crown of Righteousness for loving “His Appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8);
The Rapture of the Church & the 2nd Coming of Christ are two foundational doctrines that every Christian should know well enough that you are excited and motivated to holy living by the fact that Jesus could come back at any moment! (Rev. 22:17, 20)
The Crown incorruptible for those who keep their fleshly lusts under control (I Cor. 9:25-27)
Judgment #1 established our relationship with God as His son. Judgment #2 maintains our joyful fellowship with God. Judgment #3 brings us incredible eternal rewards for faithfully serving Christ. Get to Work!