Book Review - Life in the Covenant: In Family, Church, and World
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Final Judgment of the Elect
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
After that great and notable day of the Lord when Jesus shall appear to gather his elect people from the four winds there will take place one final wonder of grace—the final judgment of this world. Paul speaks of that Judgment in 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” This final wonder stands intimately related to that great resurrection from the dead. With the coming of Christ all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth. They then shall stand before Christ and be judged; they that have done good will be given life and they that have done evil damnation. Just as all shall be raised from the dead, so also all shall stand before the great white throne of Christ and be judged. No one will escape judgment, including the very elect people of God.
Many today, in opposition to this, are quite surprised and even irritated when this truth is declared. The children of God standing before God and the world and having their sins exposed for all to look upon? God would not put his people through such shame! God’s children standing before a vengeful God who is filled with anger toward the sinner? How frightening! Indeed, that crushes all comfort and hope in the heart of a child of God! That simply is not true, they would contend; the elect will not be judged in the judgment day. Jesus has died upon the cross and shed his blood as a covering for our sin. That sin is, as it were, hidden from God’s eyes and we are no longer held accountable for it. Why then would God require of us to give an account of our sin in the judgment day? In that day we will be presented before all as having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing. To stand before God in judgment would be senseless.