Articles
The Standard of Judgment
The Standard of Judgment
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb 9:27). As these are two appointments all men will meet, let us remind ourselves of some truths regarding one of them – the judgment – so that we can be sure we are making preparation for that day.
We will not be judged according to earthly attainment, including money, fame, or possessions. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19-20). Earthly achievement does not equate to God’s approval.
We will not be judged according to how we felt about ourselves. Paul recognized this: “For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord” (1 Cor 4:4). A lot of people feel good about themselves and what they are doing religiously and morally, but that does not equate to God’s approval.
We will not be judged based on how we appeared to others. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made great effort to look good before others: “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:28). Keeping up appearances does not equate to God’s approval.
We will not be judged based on what others thought of us. Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Lk 6:26). The fact of the matter is that those who live holy lives and stand against evil will not have everyone speaking well of them. Being highly respected or thought of by others does not equate to God’s approval.
We will not be judged simply according to whether we know the truth. Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt 7:24). “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas 1:22). A lot of people have heard and know the truth but have not obeyed it; God approves of the doers. Knowing the truth alone does not equate to God’s approval.
We will not be judged according to how sincere we were. Saul was sincere yet wrong; he needed to repent and be converted, and he did (Acts 23:1; 22:16; 26:19). Insincerity was not Simon’s problem in Acts 8:18-24; sin was his problem, and he needed to repent and pray. It is true we must sincerely believe and obey (1 Tim 1:5). Sincerity must be coupled with truth. But sincerity alone does not equate to God’s approval.
Jesus said His gospel will be the standard of judgment: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (Jn 12:48; cf. Rom 2:16). We will be judged by Jesus Christ based on what we did with His words – whether we believed and obeyed. What have we done and what are we doing with the gospel of Christ? It matters what we do with it – our works: “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Rev 20:12). If those other ways that do not equate to God’s approval are occupying your attention, you need to change your focus to what will truly matter before the judgment seat of Christ.
