The Final Judgment:The Final Judgment:Judged According to Our Works or Saved Judged According to Our Works or Saved

by Grace?by Grace?

August 5, 2014August 5, 2014

Alpharetta StudyAlpharetta Study

Speaker: Allen DvorakSpeaker: Allen Dvorak

The Final Judgment:The Final Judgment:

Judged According Judged According to Our Worksto Our Works

Saved by Saved by GraceGrace

?

Paradox?Paradox?Judged According

to Our WorksSaved by Grace

Paradox?Paradox?Judged According to

Our Works

For 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.

(2 Corinthians 5:10; ESV)

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before

the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an

account of himself to God.

(Romans 14:10-12; ESV)

Paradox?Paradox?Judged According to

Our Works

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no

place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave

up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second

death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the

lake of fire.

(Revelation 20:11-15; ESV)

Paradox?Paradox?

Saved by Grace

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ

Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:8-10)

• By works of the law, no human being will be justified (Romans 3:20; see also Galatians 3:11).

• Instead, man is justified by divine grace as a gift (Romans 3:24).

• Justification is by faith apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28).

• No man is able to boast that he is justified by works (Romans 3:27; 4:2-3).

• Righteousness apart from works is found in the blessing of forgiveness (Romans 4:6-8).

Paradox?Paradox?

Therefore, the question must be asked, how does one harmonize verses like

Romans 4:5 and Ephesians 2:8-9 with other verses like 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 22:12? And, what personal

relevance does all of this have with our daily Christian attitudes and actions?”

(Brad McCoy)

Judged According to Our Works

Saved by Grace

Paradox?Paradox?Judged According

to Our WorksSaved by Grace

Here is where we come to grips with the question, Is Paul contradicting himself? Is he saying here that we’re saved by works? But later, he clearly says that

we’re saved by faith (Rom. 3:20-28; 4:4-5; Gal. 3:11; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9; etc.).

Which is it?

I assume that Paul was smart enough not to contradict himself in the space of a

couple of chapters

(Steven Cole)

Purpose of the Final Judgment?Purpose of the Final Judgment?

“Today there is some uncertainty as to the function of the last

judgment, now that the importance of judgment by works

has been diminished by Reformation theology.”

(Klaus Otte)

Purpose of the Final Judgment?Purpose of the Final Judgment?

• Not for the determination of guilt or innocence

• Vindication of the righteous

• Demonstrating the justice and righteousness of God and His power over evil.

• Pronouncing of sentence upon the unrighteous and the receiving of reward by the righteous

One Judgment…Or Two?One Judgment…Or Two?

In two passages the word is used of the divine tribunal before which all believers are hereafter to stand. In Rom.

14:10 it is called “The judgement seat of God,” rv (kjv, “of Christ”), according to the most authentic mss. The same tribunal is called “the judgment seat of Christ,” 2 Cor. 5:10, to whom the Father has given all judgment, John 5:22, 27. At this bema believers are to be made

manifest, that each may “receive the things done in (or through) the body,” according to what he has done, “whether it be good or bad.” There they will receive

rewards for their faithfulness to the Lord. For all that has been contrary in their lives to His will they will suffer

loss, 1 Cor. 3:15. This judgment seat is to be distinguished from the premillennial, earthly throne of

Christ, Matt. 25:31, and the postmillennial “Great White Throne,” Rev. 20:11, at which only “the dead” will

appear.

(Vine)

Ruins of the bema in the Corinthian agora, where Paul appeared before Gallio (Acts 18).Baker Encyclopedia, Walter Elwell; vol 2, p. 1251.

One Judgment…Or Two?One Judgment…Or Two?“The second judgment is that of unbelievers who will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This judgment does not determine salvation,

either. Everyone at the Great White Throne is an unbeliever who has rejected Christ in life and is

therefore already doomed to the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12 says that unbelievers will be ‘judged out of those

things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ Those who have rejected Christ as Lord and

Savior will be judged based on their works alone, and because the Bible tells us that ‘by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified’ (Galatians 2:16), they will be

condemned. No amount of good works and the keeping of God’s laws can be sufficient to atone for sin. All their

thoughts, words and actions will be judged against God’s perfect standard and found wanting. There will be no

reward for them, only eternal condemnation and punishment”

(http://www.gotquestions.org/judgment.html, author unknown)

One Judgment…Or Two?One Judgment…Or Two?When this writer was a seminary student, there was an interesting

little sign in the office of the registrar. This sign read simply, “Salvation is by grace…Graduation is by works!” That humorous

message states a principle that is similar to a key axiom found in the Bible: REGENERATION IS BY FAITH…EVALUATION IS BY WORKS!

Regeneration, the impartation of eternal life as a free gift to the sinner who trusts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, is by faith apart from works (Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8-9). In contrast, and quite

distinct from regeneration, every believer's Christian life will be subject to evaluation by Christ. This judgment for all Church age

believers will take place immediately after the Rapture of the Church at the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:10-4:5;

2 Cor. 5:10-14). The end result of this evaluation of the believer's works will be the bestowal or denial of special rewards.

It is important to note that this will not be a judgment to determine whether or not a person will live eternally with Christ; it will rather

be an assaying of the quality of a believer's Christian experience. For the faithful Christian it will result in special reward being given in

proportion to the quality of his works (see Luke 19:11-27).

(McCoy)

One Judgment…Or Two?One Judgment…Or Two?

• Believers only• According to works• Not to determine

salvation or condemnation

2 Corinthians 5:10Romans 14:10

Bema Judgment

Stratton:

Believers also

Great White Throne Judgment

• Unbelievers only• According to

works

Revelation 20:11-15

Degrees of Reward and PunishmentDegrees of Reward and Punishment

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44

Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a

day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.

48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much

was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

(Luke 12:42-48)

Degrees of Reward and PunishmentDegrees of Reward and Punishment

And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to

you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

(Mark 6:11; NKJV)

17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you

shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five

minas.’(Luke 19:17-18)

Degrees of Reward and PunishmentDegrees of Reward and Punishment

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 3:11-15)

One Judgment with Two Phases?One Judgment with Two Phases?11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled

away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead

were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea

gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the

lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Discussion Questions

•Are all people on this side of the cross of Christ going to be judged exactly the same way?

•Is Revelation 20 speaking of the final judgment?

•What is the effect of the evangelical understanding of the “bema” judgment?