The most momentous day of your life will be the day you give account to God.
If we believe in Christ, we enjoy perfect forgiveness, but that raises a question. If God forgives our sins, why do we still give account for them on Judgment Day?
That even forgiven Christians answer for evildoing is the apostle Paul’s clear teaching in 2 Corinthians 5:10. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (ESV).
Let’s look at this verse closely. (Being a weighty subject, this article is longer than most, but I thought most readers would appreciate having it in one place rather than divided into several posts.)
All will give account
“We”
The context clearly shows that Paul is referring to himself and all Christians. In the preceding nine verses he has been teaching about what happens to Christians when they die.
“must all appear”
We must show up. It is like being the defendant in a lawsuit. We are required to appear in court. No exceptions.
“before the judgment seat”
So the purpose of this event is judgment. A judge seated on the judgment seat will preside. Even though our sins are forgiven, that does not mean we avoid Judgment Day.
“of Christ”
The judge is none other than our Savior, who has shed his blood on the cross for our sins. That is very good news. He is also our High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and has experienced every form of temptation we have (Hebrews 4:15). He loves us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
“so that each one may receive what is due”
The purpose of this event is to give us our due, to give us what we deserve.
“for what he has done in the body”
We deserve something for what we have done in our body during our life on earth. God created us as moral beings to live in a moral universe where every moral action—that is, every human action that is either right or wrong—is accountable to him, for he is a perfect moral being who cares infinitely about right and wrong. As Creator and Lord, he takes final responsibility for giving every human what they deserve, so that his perfect justice is served.
“whether good”
Good deeds receive rewards. This is the purpose of Judgment Day for a Christian. We receive these rewards as our due not because we can earn them but because God has graciously promised them. Scripture says, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8).
Jesus regularly spoke about rewards for good works. For example, when enduring persecution, “rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:12). And, “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). And, give money to the needy so that you may “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).
All these rewards are given out on Judgment Day. The purpose of Judgment Day for a Christian is to honor and reward us for our good deeds.
“or evil”
Nevertheless, here we return to where we began this post. Not only do we receive rewards on Judgment Day, we also apparently give some sort of accounting for the evils we have done.
Obviously this seems like an enormous contradiction. God forgives us perfectly through our faith in Jesus, because of his atoning sacrifice for our sins. Jesus has paid completely for our sins (1 John 1:7). God promises to forget our sins (Hebrews 8:12). He says we are blameless, justified, free from accusation (Colossians 1:22; Romans 3:24). He says we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). He says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). As he breathed his last, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
With the entire New Testament teaching all this clearly, how could it be that on Judgment Day Christians give an accounting for evil deeds?
Is 2 Corinthians 5:10 the only place the New Testament teaches this?
No, it is not.
Christian leaders will give account
First Corinthians 3:9–15 describes in more detail how the evils done by Christians are taken into account on Judgment Day. Here the apostle Paul wrote about the experience of some saved Christians who go through Judgment Day like people escaping a house on fire, yet they still end up in heaven.
The people being judged are pastors and Bible teachers who succeeded Paul in the churches he planted. Paul says God will judge the faithfulness of their ministries. But the principles of that judgment apply to all Christians. Paul compares the leaders’ ministries to the work of building a house. They are like carpenters who follow the cement contractor who put in the foundation. He compares the relative faithfulness of their work to building with materials that are either high quality (gold, silver, precious stones) or lesser quality (wood, hay, straw).
[10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. [11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— [13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10–15, ESV)
“the day will disclose it” (v. 13)
“The Day” is clearly Judgment Day, the final day at the end of this age when he calls each person one by one to stand before him and give an account for their lives.
“each one’s work will become manifest” (v. 13)
On Judgment Day, our deeds are disclosed. Again, this is true even for Christians.
Jesus said, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” (Luke 12:2–3)
Paul writes, “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) The last line in this verse shows that the people whose deeds are brought into the light includes Christians, for lost souls receive no commendations (Romans 8:8).
“it will be revealed by fire” (v. 13)
This is speaking figuratively. The fire represents God’s all-knowing and perfectly holy evaluation of one’s works. It is like the penetrating gaze of the risen Jesus, whose “eyes were like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14)
“the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (v. 14)
Scripture repeatedly says God will judge us by our works.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27).
(See also Romans 2:6; Revelation 20:13; 22:12.)
All our thoughts, motives, words, and deeds will pass through the “fire” of God’s holy evaluation.
“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives…If anyone’s work is burned up” (vv. 14–15)
What either survives or is burned up is one’s work. Again, Paul is specifically describing God’s judgment of the work of Christian leaders who succeeded him in churches, but the general principle is that God judges our deeds, thoughts, motives, words. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Heb 4:12–13 “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Again, the “we” in “we must give account” is we who believe in the Lord.
Jesus said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37). Thankfully, Christians will not be among those condemned but will be in the group that is justified. But notice that our words are judged.
On Judgment Day, the deeds, thoughts, motives, and words of Christians that are evil are burned up.
“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward” (v. 14)
What is at stake? Rewards. God will reward whatever he approves, even what seem like the most insignificant actions.
“Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
In one parable about a master evaluating and rewarding his servants, Jesus pictures what it will be like when he rewards his people: The master said to his servant, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
In a similar parable, Jesus said the master told the good servant, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). Jesus wants us to know our rewards will be extravagant. Judgment Day will have its temporary fiery moments, but it will have great and enduring joys.
“If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss” (v. 15)
For the Christian leaders and their ministries in view, what is burned is their unworthy works. These works receive no rewards. The sacrifice and toil come to nothing, which is a great loss.
When we consider the broader judgment of the entire life of a Christian, what will be burned up are all the deeds, words, motives, and thoughts that are evil. They will come to nothing, receiving no reward, no commendation, which is a great loss, a painful collection of wasted opportunities.
“though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (v.15)
Paul reassures readers. Sincere Christians who do poor work for the Lord will be saved. They will enter heaven. Their failures will be burned up on Judgment Day and left behind. Sincere believers will enter the joys of heaven.
The same is true for all Christians regarding all their evils.
But Judgment Day will definitely have emotional pain. It will be as though believers are going “through fire.” I suggest that means God will sift through a Christian’s works one by one, identifying failures, and people will have to acknowledge what the Lord is revealing.
Then the Lord will pronounce these failures as atoned for by the blood of Jesus. And then will be fulfilled the promise that God will forget our sins and evildoing. He will never bring them up again through all eternity. “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Judgment Day will bring closure. For true Christians, it will conclude in complete salvation.
What is revealed is forgiven
In What Will It Be Like at the Judgment, author John Piper writes:
What about the last judgment? Will our sins be remembered? Will they be revealed? Anthony Hoekema puts it wisely like this: “The failures and shortcomings of…believers…will enter into the picture on the Day of Judgment. But—and this is the important point—the sins and shortcomings of believers will be revealed in the judgment as forgiven sins, whose guilt has been totally covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.”
Picture it like this. God has a file on every person (the “books” of Revelation 20:12). All you’ve ever done or said (Matthew 12:36) is recorded there with a grade (from “A” to “F”). When you stand before “the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) to be judged “for what [you have] done in the body, whether good or evil,” God will open the file and lay out the tests with their grades. He will pull out all the “F’s” and put them in a pile. Then he will take all the “D’s” and “C’s” and pull the good parts of the test out and place them with the “A’s”, then put the bad with the “F’s.” Then he will take all the “B’s” and “A’s” and pull the bad parts out of them and put them in the “F” pile, and put all the good parts in the “A” pile.
Then he will open another file (“the book of life”) and find your name, because you are in Christ through faith. Behind your name will be a wood-stick match made from the cross of Jesus. He will take the match, light it, and set the “F” pile, with all your failures and deficiencies, on fire and burn them up. They will not condemn you, and they will not reward you.
Then he will take from your “book of life” file a sealed envelope marked “free and gracious bonus: life!” and put it on the “A” pile (see Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38). Then he will hold up the entire pile and declare, “By this your life bears witness to the grace of my Father, the worth of my blood, and the fruit of my Spirit. These bear witness that your life is eternal. And according to these you will have your rewards. Enter into the everlasting joy of your Master.”
Our way and God’s way
Our way: We naturally want to escape having to give an account for our evil actions.
God’s way: The Lord is the final and perfect Judge because he is perfectly moral, and he will not allow his creation to be a place where evil is ignored.
Life principle: Knowing that we will give account for both good and evil actions produces in our hearts a proper reverence (2 Corinthians 5:11) that keeps us close to Christ and far from sin.
I invite you to read my weekly posts about
knowing God and his ways better.
—Craig Brian Larson