What Will Judgment Day Be Like for Faithful Christians?

What will it be like to stand before Jesus as a faithful Christian on the Day of Judgment? When you hear the word Judgment and see Jesus described as a Judge in the Bible, it’s hard not to envision a courtroom setting. Though I’m sure that ancient Jewish and Roman courts differed from modern American ones, the trials of Jesus and Paul indicate that some of the elements clearly were there: a judge, witnesses, and the possibility of a verdict being rendered as guilty or innocent. Jesus even seems to bring the concept of witness into the picture when he describes the “men of Nineveh” and the “queen of the South” rising “up in the judgment” against His generation (Matthew 10:41-42; cf. Luke 11:31-32). So, is this how the Day of Judgement will work for Christians: standing before Jesus and being forced to defend oneself against a host of charges and witnesses, hoping for a favorable verdict?

Even for a faithful Christian, envisioning the Judgment this way should bring a lot of fear. Remember, from the earliest days of the church, a “faithful saying” circulated amongst the brethren, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). This faithful saying reminds us as Christians that, given what we know about ourselves, we cannot (or should not be able to) envision a greater sinner and that we would be hopelessly and totally lost without Jesus. So, what hope would we have should we have to argue our case?

The newer hymn “Cover Me” by Mike Rogers seems to be written in part with this fear in mind. In case you are not familiar, the stanza I have in mind reads, “The room is still, as the charges are read. It’s Judgment Day, to trial I’ve been led. Then Satan turns and exclaims that I must die. Again I cry: cover Me!” Is this fear founded in reality? Is this what the Day of Judgment will be like even for the faithful?

Certain passages may lead us to think that it is. Paul for example told the Christians at Corinth, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). If this passage were written in isolation, it would certainly seem as though we’re going to answer for all we’ve done, both good and bad. However, we should remember what we’ve already noted: if Judgement Day were really a day for measuring good and bad, we would all have absolutely no hope. The Christian life is not about doing enough good to outdo the bad; it recognizes that no amount of good can undo any amount of bad (Matthew 16:26; Romans 6:23). While works are required in order for us to come to Jesus (e.g., John 6:28-29) and while those in Jesus “should be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8), it is Jesus who saves us rather than these works. The parable of the day laborers reminds us that while work is a prerequisite to receive our reward, the reward comes because of the Father’s grace and not because of the amount of work done (Matthew 20:1-16).

Reflecting on other Biblical teaching, we realize that the day of Judgment will not be a day of revisiting wrongs and answering accusers for everyone. Jesus told story after story emphasizing that, for the faithful, this day will be a day of joy (e.g., Matthew 25:21, 23), relief (e.g., Luke 16:25), and reward (e.g., Luke 19:17). The coming of Jesus is compared to a wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14), not a dread-filled march to a day in court with Satan and others we have wronged arguing their cases against us. The hymn “Cover Me,” is correct in picturing Satan as “the accuser of our brethren […] which accused them before our God day and night,” but the statement between those two phrases is incredibly important as we envision Satan today: “is cast down” (Revelation 12:10). While I tend to see the hymn as poetically addressing a very real fear by emphasizing the power and grace of Jesus, it’s important to understand that this fear is not substantiated by Scripture.

But what about Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:10? This is perhaps where we need to appreciate more fully what it is to be covered by Jesus’ blood. For the Christian, whatever was done before baptism “passed away” even as each of us became “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). What about those sins we have committed after our baptism? Provided “we walk in the light” and “confess our sins” to God, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, 9). The unique and exclusive benefit of living as a Christian is knowing God has said of all faithful Christians, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).

Returning to 2 Corinthians 5:10, it seems to me that Paul’s words should be understood as meaning “either/or” rather than “both/and.” As we compare this verse to the scene Jesus describes in Matthew 25:31-46, it seems that the faithful will, as Paul says, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ” and receive the benefit of the good “things done in the body.” They will get to see how the things they did in pursuing Jesus were seen by Jesus Himself. What a blessing to one day enjoy “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11; cf. John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:22-23; James 3:18), a blessing made possible only because Jesus indeed allows “lawless deeds” to be “forgiven,” and “sins” to be “covered” (Romans 4:7; cf. Psalm 32:1).  

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org