The Father has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22), and before Him every human being must stand, and give an account, as it is written, “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.” 2 Corinthians 5:10.
The Scripture teaches us of three great tribunals where men shall appear before Christ. “The judgment seat of Christ,” where His own people shall be manifested. (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10.)
“The throne of His glory” on earth, where the living nations shall be gathered before Him— “the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matt. 25:31-46.)
The “great white throne,” where “the dead, small and great,” from land and sea, shall “stand before God.” (Rev. 20:11-15.)
The tribunal of the judgment seat of Christ, before which Christ’s own people shall be manifested, is the object of our present consideration. When this tribunal is set up, “the first resurrection,” that “of life,” will have taken place, and the saints shall be glorified. Hence with Christ, and made like Him, the people of Christ shall stand before Him, and thus at the very threshold of the subject the believer is privileged to dismiss all craven fear from the heart as he engages his thoughts with Christ, our Judge.
Let us note some of the words of Scripture which entitle us to approach this consideration without fear.
The believer shall not be judged at the great white throne.
Jesus has said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24.) These words of His occur in a discourse, which teaches us that every human being must have to do with Him, either as the Life-giver, or as the Judge. All men who are in their graves, He tells us, will be called forth by Him either to the resurrection of life, or to the resurrection of judgment (verses 28, 29), but those who hear His words now in the day of salvation, and who have Him as their Life, shall not come into judgment. These will be reckoned among the “blessed and the holy... who have part in the first resurrection.” (Rev. 20:6.) Over them “the second death hath no power” (verse 6), and Christ, our Life, has Himself told us “they are passed from death unto life.”
Our future destiny depends upon our having, or our not having, Christ as our Life in this world. The dead who will be assembled before the great white throne will be judged, every man, according to his works, and unless we have eternal life, we can only have part in the second death. Is Christ our Life? If not, our works, though, as men would speak, good, are but dead works. All such works will be utterly unavailing before the great white throne. Is Christ our Life? Then our name is written in the book of life. “Not come into judgment,” “never perish,” are words that give confidence, for to come before the great white throne is but to perish.
God’s perfect love gives boldness in the day of judgment.
The Scripture further assures us that God’s perfect love casts out fear. “Herein is love with us” (margin) “made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17.) We are God’s children, and as is Christ, who has borne our sins and is ascended on high, so are we. We are granted the most absolute assurance as we contemplate judgment, for Christ Himself in glory is presented to us as the measure of our confidence, for as He is, so are we in this world. Unless we are resting in Christ our Life, and in the love of our God and Father, we shall be unable rightly to contemplate judgment; nay, we shall be filled with fear as to the eternal future, instead of being anxious that we now may be acceptable to the Lord.
We can only touch upon this great theme, and will suffice ourselves with a few words on work and ways.
Rewards will be granted.
In ordinary things we use the idea of a judge both towards criminals and towards competitors, both in respect of sentencing to punishment and of awarding prizes. Competitors occupy a very different place before their judge from criminals before theirs; competitors occupy a worthy place. The believer will never stand as a criminal before Christ, his Judge, but rather, if we may so express it, as a competitor for His “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Yet the prize of His approval shall not be given as the prizes of earth are awarded, to merely a few who have excelled their fellows, but to all who have pleased their Lord. A cup of cold water given to a disciple of Christ in Christ’s name shall not lose its reward in that day. Jesus will not forget one single act of love done in His name. The question is, Is Christ pleased? On the other hand, very much that is recognized on earth as good Christian service will be utterly rejected in that day. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest... and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:12-15.) Some “shall receive a reward”—some “shall suffer loss.” The bad workman shall be saved—the bad work shall perish; “He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” The good workman’s good work shall “abide.”
We may say, without the remotest lack of charity, that very much of so-called Christian work is not intended for lasting purposes. Eternity, not to speak of the Master’s pleasure, does not enter into the question of very much religious effort. The Lord says, “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should abide.” (John 15:16.) Hence, the Christian should seek that His work may be pleasing to his Master and Judge.
Motives and secrets shall be manifested.
Many of us are so very insignificant as servants of Christ that we are almost apt to forget the importance of our little work before Him. But it is not merely as servants we shall stand before Him, we shall be manifested as to our ways. Each one shall have to give an account of himself to God. We are transparent to Him now—we shall be transparent to ourselves then. In this light of His presence we shall see ourselves as He sees us. There shall be no secrets then. All shall be out in the light of His holiness. The most holy Christian is he who is most truly walking according to the light, and is shone through and through by the light; And what shall be our own sentence on ourselves and our sins in that day? We can be righteously severe upon the sins of others now, but then we shall judge ourselves truly. There will be none of the unholy excuses in our hearts then, which so often now are advanced to cover some wrong doing or saying; no, we shall view ourselves with the eye of our Lord. Yet, there will be no fear, for His perfect love will cast out fear as we review our past. We shall be in the glory, and shall be glorified with Him on that day, but we shall bow according to His perfect judgment.
The Christian should keep the reality before his soul, of the coming day, when Christ will be his Judge, for when faith dwells upon it the contemplation induces to godliness, righteousness and truth.
The tribunal of the throne of His glory shall be set up on the earth when He comes again “in His glory” to establish His rule over this earth, for He shall reign in righteousness, and shall “send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” (Matt. 13:41.) Then He will reign the King of Jehovah upon His holy hill of “Zion.” (Psa. 2:6.)
The tribunal of the judgment of the great white throne will occur after “the earth and the heaven” have “fled away; and there was found no place for them.”
Eternity, as we speak, shall have begun then for the sons of men. The “resurrection of judgment” shall have taken place; this world and its concerns shall be then things of the past, and for those who have lived and died without Christ, judgment shall usher in an eternity without Christ, for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”