) The day of judgment is a future reality for all men
Heb. 9:27 …it is appointed for me to die once, but after this the judgment….
Acts17:31 “…He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Wayne Grudem says of this day of judgment:
The final judgment will not take place so that God can determine the condition of each person’s heart, for he had known the final condition of every heart before time began. Instead, the final judgment will take place so that God can display his glory to all mankind by demonstrating his justice and mercy simultaneously.
The final judgment will be entirely fair. Each person, whether destined for eternal glory or eternal condemnation, will be dealt with more fairly at the final judgment than at any previous time. God will judge “impartially according to each one’s deeds” (1 Peter 1:17 ), “for God shows no partiality” (Rom. 2:11 ). God will be so glorified in his final judgment that we will cry, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just” (Rev. 19:1-2).
2) According to Scripture, three types of people will stand before God’s judgment: those who do not know Christ; those who have truly accepted Christ as Savior and Lord; and those who have a form of religion, but not the life-changing reality.
A) Those who do not know Christ —Read Rev. 20:11-15; John 3:16-19
B) Those who have truly accepted Christ as Savior and Lord —Read Rom. 14:1-12; 2 Cor. 5:9-10
Those who have truly accepted Christ as Savior and Lord should not dread the day of judgment, but rather look forward to it with confidence.
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
C) Those who have a form of religion, but not the life-changing reality —Read Matt. 7:21-23
How can we tell if we have the life-changing reality? Fruit—Read Luke 13:1-9; Luke 6:43 -46
This fruit comes from abiding in Christ through the Holy Spirit, not through human effort—Read John 15:1-8; Gal. 5:5, 22-23
Paul encouraged the Corinthians to examine themselves—2 Cor. 13:5
