That God's severe and righteous judgment for sin fell on Christ at the cross, the following scriptures show-"He hath made Him sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).)
These scriptures in the New Testament may suffice to show that the blessed Lord bore our sins, and the judgment for them on the cross. Then in the Old Testament we will only refer to Psa. 22 and 69; Isa. 53.
The result of our blessed Lord bearing the judgment for our sins, sets us free from it all, and in seeing this we can then understand the following scriptures.-
"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 condemnation, (or judgment) but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:2424Verily, 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 condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).)
It is important therefore to remember that for the child of God judgment is past.
"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 condemnation, (or judgment) but is passed from death unto life." ( John 5:2121For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (John 5:21).)
If the reader will open his Bible at John 5., he will find the word "condemnation" (John. 5:24), "judgment" (John. 5:27), and "damnation" (John. 5:29), and it will greatly help him to understand the teaching of this most weighty passage if he remembers that In each case the word should be "judgment"; for though translated in our English Bibles by these three different words, there is but one word in the original Greek which properly means "judgment," and indeed is so rendered in the new Revised Version.
Before we proceed further in our inquiry, we are anxious that the Christian reader should lay firm hold of this deeply important truth, that not only does the believer in Christ possess now eternal life ("hath eternal life"), but that also, on the authority of Christ's own word, "he shall not come into judgment"; for the same unerring Word that assures him of the first great truth, likewise assures him of the second.
But, it may be said, are we not told that "it is appointed unto all men once to die, and after this the judgment"?
"ALL" NOT THERE.
Certainly not. Let the reader open his Bible at Heb. 9:26-2826For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:26‑28), and he will see that the word "all" is not in the passage. In Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27) we are told what is the common lot of mankind; namely, death and judgment; but in Heb. 9:2828So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28) we find the believer's portion: instead of looking for death, he is looking for Christ's appearing; and instead of waiting for Christ as his judge, he is looking for Him as his Savior, who shall change his body of humiliation and fashion it like unto His own body of glory. (Phil. 3:20,2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21).)
The blessed Savior appeared once in the end of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He came 1900 years ago about the question of sin, to put away sin, to bear the sins of many; and having done the work on the cross which has settled that question on the believer's behalf forever, He will appear the second time without sin; that is, apart from the question of sin altogether. For if that question was settled at His first coming, it could not possibly be raised again at His second coming.
For the unbeliever, of course, His coming must be for judgment; but for the believer it will be "unto salvation"-in other words, the full results of the work which He accomplished at His first coming will be reaped by the believer at His second coming. He will then not only possess the salvation of his soul that, through grace, he enjoys now, but then salvation will be completed in the glorifying of his body.
What peace it gives to the soul when once we see that God can never in justice raise the question of our sins with us! Has not Christ once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God? (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18).) Did He not His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree? (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24).) And has He not, after having offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God? (Heb. 10:1212But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12).) Surely the believer will never have to suffer for sins for which Christ has already once suffered! Surely he will never have to bear sins which Christ bore on the cross! Surely he will never have to be judged for sins for which Christ has already offered Himself as a sacrifice!
Is it not clear, then, beloved Christian reader, that God will never enter into judgment with you as regards your sins, seeing that the Lord Jesus has already borne the judgment that was due to them?
"Payment God will not twice demand,
Once at thy bleeding Savior's hand,
And then again at thine."
What, then, does it mean when it says, "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ"?
Let us now briefly consider the other three judgments: