“I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” (2 Timothy 4:1 NET).
Like many things, our view of the word “judgment” often depends upon our perspective. For instance, a person who has done something wrong is probably uncomfortable with the idea of “judgment.” On the other hand, let’s consider the alternative example of a well-prepared student or athlete. A person in that position may welcome the judgment of a written test or athletic contest to demonstrate his or her proficiency.
This latter example is true in a spiritual sense as well, for as Jesus once remarked, “…he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:21).
These distinctions are important, for unlike the “Great White Throne Judgment” of the unrighteous dead (as detailed in Revelation 20:11-15), the future judgment of God’s people will follow a different path. We can illustrate this difference with a look at Jesus’ statement from Revelation 3:5: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (see also John 6:37-39, John 10:27-28, and Romans 8:33-39).
Because of this, we can say with certainty that the future judgment of God’s people will not involve the question of salvation, for Jesus addressed the sentence against humanity through His sacrificial death. Those who accept Jesus’ substitutionary atonement by faith are not only freed from sin’s death penalty, but are restored to a right relationship with God through His sacrifice.
However, the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians tells us that every man or woman of God will undergo a different type of judgment: “…Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies” (2 Corinthians 5:10 CEV). In the words of one commentator, “The judgment seat of Christ will reveal our lives of service for Christ exactly as they have been. Not only the amount of our service, but also its quality, and even the very motives that prompted it will be brought into review.” (1)
This reality should prompt us to prayerfully examine our choices (and the motives behind them) now. It is far better to bring those choices and motives into alignment with God’s will today lest we suffer the regret associated with our failure to do so when we are called to account for them tomorrow.
(1) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary Edited by Arthur Farstad Thomas Nelson Publishers (2 Corinthians 5:10) p.1839