You Thought Christians Were Safe from Judgment? Think Again!

 

The Bible clearly affirms that there will be a final judgment for both believers and unbelievers. All people will stand before the judgment seat of Christ in their resurrected bodies to hear HIS proclamation concerning their eternal destiny (Rev. 20:11–15; Acts 17:30–31; Rom. 2:5).

Jesus Christ will be the judge (2 Tim. 4:1; Acts 10:42; John 5:26–27). Unbelievers will face judgment (Rom. 2:5–7), which will involve varying degrees of punishment (Rev. 20:12–13; Luke 12:47–48; cf. Matt. 11:22).

Believers, too, will be judged by Christ (Rom. 14:10, 12; 2 Cor. 5:10). However, this judgment will not result in eternal condemnation for them—that is, separation from God in hell (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1). Rather, the day of judgment will be a time of reward for believers and punishment for unbelievers.

During this judgment, all secret words and deeds—even sins—of believers will be revealed (1 Cor. 4:5; Col. 3:25). Just as there will be different degrees of punishment for unbelievers,¹ there will also be varying levels of reward for believers.²

That being said, we sometimes observe individuals who profess to be Christians, yet whose lifestyles raise serious questions about their allegiance—whether they are truly disciples of Jesus or followers of Satan. This is where we must consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21–23:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

These individuals evidently believed they were Christians. They had even exercised spiritual gifts such as prophecy, exorcism, and miracles. Yet Jesus plainly declares, “I never knew you.”

A similar warning is found in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4). Some people hear the Word, but Satan immediately snatches it away. Others receive it with joy, but because they lack deep roots, they quickly fall away when trouble or persecution arises. Still others are unfruitful because of life's worries, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things.

John 15:6 reinforces this warning: those who do not remain in Christ are like branches that are thrown away and burned. Similarly, sobering passages in Hebrews (6:4–6 and 10:26–31) speak of the danger of falling away after having received the truth.

In conclusion, we must seriously ask ourselves: Are we truly remaining in Christ? Are we bearing fruit? For those who claim to be Christians but do not abide in Christ and bear fruit, Scripture warns that they will be cast away and excluded from the eternal blessing of life with God in heaven.

Endnotes:

¹https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2022/08/different-levels-of-punishment-in-hell.html

²https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2021/04/varying-rewards-in-heaven.html

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