Judgment for All

We all fear judgment. As Christians we live in constant fear of being judged either by others, or especially by God. We fear judgment because we know we fall short of righteousness every day. If we are judged, we know we will surely die, so we panic.

Today’s lesson from Saint Paul is more than a reminder of the coming judgement. The lesson reminds us that God has died for us, so that we may live with Him. Saint Paul wants us to know God’s love, not to guilt us into ‘good behavior’ but to comfort our fear and inspire repentance.

Brethren, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men; but what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who pride themselves on a man’s position and not on his heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2^nd Corinthians 5.10-15

Knowing that judgment is coming for all can either cause panic or comfort. It can either inspire us to repentance or complacency. Be honest. If we know we God has ‘already paid the price’ for our sins through His death, what reason could we have to repent?

This is the crux of our Christian struggle. God has already forgiven us but that won’t avoid the judgment. Saint Paul reminds us that our coming judgment isn’t ‘just about’ the sins we commit but the condition of our heart.

We may not be able to avoid sin altogether, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying. How many times have you watched someone fall before the finish line? The crowd goes wild when the runner gets up and finishes the race. We judge the runner ‘a winner’ for finishing the race.

When we face our judgment in front of God, will He find someone who finished the race or gave up trying? The real victory for Christians is that we get up after every fall and keep going toward the finish line. If we keep running, we will be judged victorious.

My invitation for you today is to ‘get back up’ and keep running. Yes, judgment is coming. Yes, God has already died for you. Yes, you screwed up yesterday and the day before. NO! That doesn’t mean the race is over. The race isn’t over until it is over. Keep running.