It is hard for us as human beings to grasp what it will be like to be judged by Christ on the Day of Judgment. It is beyond our comprehension what that day will be like, the sights we will see that day, the raw emotions that will be displayed by us all.
So much has been made of the grace of God and God's love that it is hard to come to grips with the idea of judgment, but James in writing to Christians says, "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9 NKJV) So he is. "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:10-12 NKJV)
If the Bible is true, and I say that without a doubt in my mind, then every person who has ever lived or will live in the future, or who lives now, will someday be found on their knees at the feet of Jesus, the creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is. I cannot imagine the terror of one who is forced into that situation knowing that he or she has lived a life of rebellion against God. Terror is too mild a word for that experience. Perhaps horror would be a better word.
Can a man fight against God and hope to win? If not, should we not consider the life we ought to be living? We have today. We ought to make use of it for "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2 NKJV) Today is the day God will accept us if we willingly accept him by faith and obedience to the gospel. But as life has well taught us, today is here and gone tomorrow. Time flies. We have all been to the cemetery too many times to fool ourselves into thinking that today will last indefinitely. Our last day on earth shall arrive gradually with expectation or come as a surprise like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, but when that day does arrive, as it will, then we pass from today into tomorrow and into too late--too late to obey the gospel and live life eternally with God in heaven.
If I could beg you to obey the gospel, and it would do any good, I would do it, but that is not how it works. Why? Obeying the gospel to please me would do you no good. Gospel obedience must be from the heart, sincere in its desire to please God, not a man. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "You obeyed from the heart" (Rom. 6:17 NKJV) and so it must be with us all. In Christianity, it is folly to think of using force of any kind to convert people. In the Muslim world that might work, at least they have practiced that, but not in the faith God requires as found in the Bible.
Where does a man run to get away from God? "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there." (Psalms 139:7-8 NKJV) Jonah tried running away from God but did not get far. I guess one could say that he got far enough to realize running was not going to work. Yes, we can run from God, but we can't outrun him, cannot hide from him.
When the Lord returns in judgment he "will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts" (1 Cor. 4:5 NKJV) for "he knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalms 44:21 NKJV) Yes, he knows your evil thoughts (Matt. 9:4), and we will be judged for those, see Matt. 15:18-19. "God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." (Rom. 2:16 NKJV) "All things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Heb. 4:13 NKJV)
What I have written so far I have written both to the saint (the Christian) and to the sinner (the one who has never obeyed the gospel). But, I want to direct my words now to those who are Christians. Be forewarned, "The Lord will judge his people." (Heb. 10:30 NKJV)
"If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." (Heb. 10:26 NKJV) The writer here is speaking to those who are guilty of "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." (Heb. 10:25 NKJV) The entire book of Hebrews is directed primarily to a Christian audience. The writer closes this section of his writing by saying, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb. 10:31 NKJV)
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul begins by talking about the journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He speaks of some of the sins God's people fell into during that period and of the consequences of those sins saying, "With most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Cor. 10:5 NKJV) Then after recounting a number of those sins, he says, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:11-12 NKJV) Paul is writing to Christians when he makes this statement. The book of 1 Corinthians is addressed "to the church of God which is at Corinth." (1 Cor. 1:2 NKJV)
So all of mankind, saint and sinner both, shall stand before Christ on the day of judgment and give an account of their life. (2 Cor. 5:10)
Salvation is free in that we do not earn it, nor do we deserve it, but neither can we take it for granted or be indifferent about it. The Hebrew writer makes this clear when he speaks of "a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:27-29 NKJV)
In the letter that was to be delivered to "the angel of the church in Thyatira" (Rev. 2:18 NKJV), Jesus said, "I am he who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works." (Rev. 2:23 NKJV) Yes, the message is to Christians, and I could not help but be reminded as I read this passage, reminded again of what I have heard over and over again, that works do not matter, it is all grace. Jesus did not teach that.
God "'will render to each one according to his deeds': eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil." (Rom. 2:6-9 NKJV) Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him." (Heb. 5:9 NKJV) No person can be saved without the grace of God, but to imply the Christian has no obligations to meet for salvation, God's grace will just cover it all, is a perversion of the truth.
Matt. 7:22-23 ought to be an eye-opener to all who will give it serious consideration. Jesus says, "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (NKJV) He is speaking, of course, of the Day of Judgment. Here is a group of men who had some religion about them. Were they lying to Jesus about the things they had done? I cannot conceive of a man who would be that big a fool at the Day of Judgment to lie to Jesus knowing what was at stake and knowing with whom he was dealing. I thus take them at their word as did the commentators I consulted on this passage. Furthermore, Jesus does not take them to task for lying to him.
So, what is the point? Simply this--a man may claim to be on the Lord's side, he may do things that appear to be good and positive, and they may be up to a degree, and yet the bottom line is despite appearances, despite one's own 'I am satisfied with my religion,' the man is lost. Yes, a regular churchgoer (figuratively speaking), a religious man, who is lost. Why is he lost? Because he practiced lawlessness. What is lawlessness? "Sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4 NKJV) Now note the text in Matthew says nothing about whether or not this sin was deliberate or not. Sin does not have to be deliberate to be sin. Many who crucified Christ or were in favor of it did it in ignorance, Peter says so in Acts 3:17, but it was nevertheless a sin as was Paul's later persecution of Christians before his conversion.
Who will be saved on the Day of Judgment? "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21 NKJV) Note this is the verse just before Matt. 7:22-23 quoted above, just before Jesus denies entry into heaven of those who had done many good works in his name but who practiced lawlessness.
Yes, "the Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9 NKJV) He is expecting you. He "was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42 NKJV) The day is appointed (Acts 17:31). Christ will be there. You will kneel and confess that Jesus is Lord and answer for your life. Are you ready? If not, what are you going to do about it? Surely you are not going to fritter away the time you have left, are you? We will all, every one of us, give an account.
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