Two Additional Judgments
The Judgment Jesus Paid
Many Christians have made the error in understanding the judgment seat of Christ without understanding that there are two judgments that should be considered first. The first judgment that one should understand is the judgment for fallen man’s sins that was paid for by Jesus on the cross.[1] Many believers profess to embrace the knowledge of His sacrifice, but few really understand the ramification of it.[2] What is important for Christians to understand is that Jesus paid the price for all of their past, present, unconfessed and future sins before they were even born.[3] These are sins that had not been committed and yet, Jesus paid for them in advance. There was no balance left for the believer to pay.[4] The death of Jesus moved the believer’s debt from being in the red to the black, which includes those sins that a believer may have forgotten to confess but obtained a pardon through the blood of the Lamb.[5] This is a truth that is necessary to know in understanding the judgment seat of Christ with the starting point being the cross, its significance regarding the believer’s spiritual journey, and the end result leading to Heaven and eternal rewards.[6] Failure to fully comprehend Christ’s completed work on the cross has caused many believers to become confused in understanding the judgment seat of Christ.[7]
The Bible says that for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation – only for those who do not believe in Him.[8] Whenever someone or something is condemned, that means that thing or individual is to be scheduled for destruction. Jesus, however, became sin for the believer so that there could be a restoration of man back to the Father.[9] All sins that had and would be committed by those who believe, including the sins that had not been confessed because they had not yet been committed by the future generations, were transferred to Jesus on the cross.[10] Therefore, Christ, being the ultimate acceptable sacrifice, made it possible for not just a few sins to be forgiven, but for all sins to be wiped clean once and for all.[11] Believers have been deemed righteous and worthy before the Father through the Lamb that was slain, which allows the believer to know that the judgment seat of Christ is not a court’s-in-session for the believer’s penalty of sin.[12] If a customer goes to a store to purchase some milk, for example, would that customer be expected to pay twice for the same item once the receipt has been given? Of course not! One cannot be expected to pay for something that has already been deemed as having been paid; therefore, this is the way that the Father looks at the believer when it comes to sin.[13]
The Disciplinary Judgment
The second judgment to be understood prior to understanding the judgment seat of Christ is the disciplinary judgment of the believer in this life.[14] Some Christians erroneously believe that the judgment seat of Christ is about paying a penalty for unconfessed sin. Others believe that when a believer goes through trials and tribulation in this life that they are being punished for something that they previously did by God as retribution.[15] God does indeed discipline His children as a corrective measure for them to have the fruit of righteousness, but His correction is not an act of retribution for the believer.[16] God disciplines His children so that they can become like Christ and free from sin.[17] He allows certain hardships to come into the believer’s life out of love to make one suitable for kingdom service while on earth. God’s love for His children is like an earthly parent whose child has broken the rules in some way.[18]
The parent, after determining that rules have been disregarded by the child, decides that an act of correction needs to be taken to deter the child from repeating the same offense. The discipline that is given is not because the parent does not love the child. On the contrary, it is because of the parent’s love for the child in desiring him to be a good and well-adjusted citizen of society that the parent acknowledges the need for discipline; therefore, the parent takes the necessary course of action. It is the same way with God. He is the loving Father who does not want His children to be bound by sin so that they can be righteous and holy examples for the world to witness His abounding love.[19]
God Most High is righteous and holy.[20] He is unable to allow sin in His presence nor does He want it in the lives of those who follow Him.[21] God’s discipline aims to keep the believer from relishing in their sinful nature. Therefore, the corrective discipline that God gives is for the present age and not the age to come.[22] Once believers make it to heaven, the old nature will be done away with, so there will be no need of discipline to improve spiritual growth at that time. This is why God allows unpleasant circumstances to enter the believer’s life in the present age to posture them towards obedience rather than disobedience in preparation for the future.[23]
An example was used earlier about cadets who had gone to boot camp to be trained in the armed services. Most cadets would agree that they did not enjoy the constant yelling, rebukes, sleep deprivation, midnight watches and sometimes seemingly harsh discipline that they received while in basic training. Nevertheless, they knew that their commanding officers did not have a personal vendetta against them (although some may disagree). The cadets willingly signed up for service knowing that their temporary discomfort would be for a greater gain towards becoming the disciplined soldier needed for the defense of the most powerful nation in the world. Similarly, the Bible says that all things work together for those who love the Lord in accordance to His purpose, which lets one know that God disciplines the believer out of necessity and love – not vengeance and cruelty.[24]
There is a major difference between God’s punishment and His chastisement. Punishment is given as an act of judicial retribution for a wrong done through the guilty party’s suffering.[25] Chastisement or discipline is an intimate act between a parent and/or guardian that attempts to correct a child’s naughty behavior.[26] Punishment looks at the present and moves backward to penalize a wrong through retribution whereas chastisement looks at the present and moves forward to correcting an action in the future.[27] There has been a lot of talk over the years at almost every political campaign concerning prison reform which can help one understand more about God’s punishment verses chastisement.
Advocates for prison reform are of the opinion that more need to be done to help prisoners readapt to society after they have completed their sentences.[28] Many believe that after the punishment has been given and the time served, there is not enough being done to ensure that they will have adequate help in obtaining jobs, housing, health care and other basic living essentials to deter them from many of the crimes that incited their incarceration from the start.[29] Some advocates for prison reform have the ideology that unless more is done to help transition inmates to civilian life, many will feel that they have no choice but to return to a life of crime due to limited options.[30] As a result, the prisons will continue to remain at full capacity and punishment will never be turned into rehabilitation successfully.
Unlike man’s judicial system, God’s purpose of discipline is the bring the believer to an expected end and that is one of hope, love, and righteousness. Everything that God does is with a kingdom resolve in mind in which He is edified when a believer changes their wayward ways and bend to His will. At that point, the believer is in good standing with the Father and His will have been accomplished.
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[1] John 3:16 (New International Version).
[2] Greg Laurie, As It Is in Heaven: How Eternity Brings Focus to What Really Matters (Carol Stream: NavPress, 2014), 30-32.
[3] 1 Pet. 1:18-19 (New International Version).
[4] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 63-37.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] John 3:18 (New International Version).
[9] 2 Cor. 5:21 (New International Version).
[10] Woodrow Michael Kroll, Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2008), 25-27.
[11] Heb. 10:10, 14 (New International Version).
[12] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 63-67.
[13] Kroll, Final Job Review, 25-27.
[14] Rev. 3:19 (English Standard Version).
[15] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 68-73.
[16] Heb. 12:5-11 (New International Version).
[17] James Garbett, Christ on Earth, in Heaven, and on the Judgment Seat, Volume II (Charleston: BiblioBazaar, 2008), 2-6.
[18] Prov. 6:23 (New International Version).
[19] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 68-72.
[20]1 Pet. 1:16 (New International Version).
[21] Hab. 1:13 (New International Version).
[22] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 68-73.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Rom. 8:28 (New International Version).
[25] Merriam-Webster.com, s.v. "Definition of PUNISHMENT," in Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's Most-trusted Online Dictionary (2018), accessed August 14, 2018, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punishment.
[26] The Free Dictionary, s.v. "Chastisement," in TheFreeDictionary.com (2018), accessed August 14, 2018, https://www.thefreedictionary.com/chastisement.
[27] Hoyt, Judgment Seat, 74-80.
[28] Victoria Advocate, "Bipartisan Support for Prison Reform, Rehabilitation Measures," The Victoria Advocate, last modified June 3, 2018, https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/opinion/bipartisan-support-for-prison-reform-rehabilitation-measures/article_a1971822-6506-11e8-8be3-3f8f120b1ac9.html.
[29] Ibid.
[30] Victoria Advocate, "Bipartisan Support."
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