A Primer of Judgement in the New Testament

When people have experienced the overwhelming love and grace of God, it is no surprise that they end up concluding that that is God. How can there be wrath where such things exist? It is by no means only ‘mild’-mannered contemplatives who declare such things either, affirming with great confidence that ‘there is no wrath in God.’ Still more, in the Church as well as in society at large, mistakenly assume that grace and mercy are exclusively New Testament concepts, and judgement something that we can safely relegate to the old dispensation.

Nothing could be further from the biblical picture, but somehow or other, doubtless aided by the devil’s soothing wafts of platitudes concerning the after-life being nothing but one glorious happy party, large swathes of liberal theologians have found it more convenient to sidestep this inconvenient and disturbing paradox. As a result, multitudes have been misled in downplaying it to the point of doing away with any real belief in the many truths that Jesus most solemnly declared about the terrible reality of hell.

Since this is exactly in line with what Paul warned would happen ‘in the last days,’ when a great number of teachers would emerge to tell people what their itching ears would like to hear, and to firmly leave ‘old-fashioned’ beliefs to one side, (2 Tim. 4:1-4,14) there is clearly an urgent need to redress the balance. The Scriptures could not make it clearer that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, where each of us will receive what is due us for the things we have done during our lives, whether good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10, cf 1 Peter 4:4-5)

Precisely what that eternal judgement will consist of in terms of heavenly rewards or hellish punishments is not our primary focus here. What matters, and which will perhaps prove eye-opening for some is to see just how many verses there are in the New Testament that address the reality of this eternal judgement: truths that have indeed been at the heart of the Church’s teaching throughout its two-thousand-year history, but which only too many in these days are choosing to walk away from.

There are hints too as to how God’s judgement operates on a temporal timescale, with ‘the sins of some being obvious, and reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; while the sins of others trail behind them.’ (1 Tim. 5:24) No wonder the key word that Jesus addresses in his messages to the various churches in the opening chapters of Revelation is ‘repent’ – to change direction while there is time in order to avoid the specific fate that He warns of when both love and sound doctrine are eschewed.

My own understanding of judgement was greatly shaped and sharpened by reading the books of the biblical prophets, and seeing how directly involved God is in passing decrees against particular people and places, and understanding. Deuteronomy 32.

All this, of course, is exactly in line with what Paul told us would happen, when he warned that a great number of teachers would emerge, telling people instead what their itching ears would like to hear and roundly denouncing all such thinking. (2 Tim. 4:1-4,14) But the Scriptures could not make it clearer that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, where each of us will receive what is due us for the things we have done during our lives, whether good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10, cf 1 Peter 4:4-5)

Verses such as these alone are enough to alert us to the reality of eternal judgement. Precisely what that consists of, in terms of heavenly rewards or hellish punishments is not our primary focus here. This is equally the case when it comes to understanding the whole theme of God’s judgement as it operates on a temporal timescale. The key word in the messages that Jesus addresses to various churches in the opening chapters of Revelation is ‘repent’ – with explicit warnings of what will happen if this is not forthcoming, and both love and sound doctrine is eschewed.

To help us establish a proper emphasis and balance on this theme – which itself has been at the heart of the Church’s teaching throughout its two-thousand-year history – I thought it would be helpful to gather together many of the key verses that refer specifically to the theme of judgement in the New Testament. It is quite eye-opening to see just how many of them there are.

Jesus, as we read and ponder these verses, may we be open to You doing any realigning that may be called for, whether in our behaviour or theology. For You, whose still small voice is so precious to us, and whose coming is so often as gentle as silence, are also the One who thunders warnings that are every bit as severe as any fiery Old Testament prophet, or that Your stern cousin John the Baptist directed against hypocritical religious leaders.

In the light of how quick Jesus was to squash any idea that any specific judgement had been visited on the Galileans who had been slaughtered by Pilate, or the victims of the sky scraper crash in Luke 13:1-5, many have been only too quick (and relieved) to assume that this gives us carte blanche to do away with all thought of all judgement at all. But look more closely!

First of all, Jesus warns emphatically that unless each person repents, they too will perish – a reminder that our eternal fate is the ultimate overshadow in life, whether for endless joy or for the complete opposite. Secondly, in the parable that Jesus teaches immediately after this, every possible chance is given to an apparently unfruitful tree to recover – but the ending makes it clear that if the tree did not finally bear fruit, then it will have to be cut down. Jesus says exactly the same thing a different way in John 15:4-6.

When Jesus warned that the three cities in which He had performed his greatest miracles would fare worse than Sodom (because they had not responded in faith and repentance to the miracles that He had done in their midst – any more than Jerusalem itself did) He was giving us a strong indication that judgement applies at a corporate rather than exclusively an individual level. Jesus Himself went on to say that ‘the men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.’ (Matt. 11:20-24, 12:41)

These are not random asides; they are powerful pointers and revelations that judgement is very real, that it is proportionate, and that it is also according to opportunity and response.

Whilst the specific details are beyond our understanding, the call to obedience and faithfulness is clear. When Jonah was commanded to go and preach repentance to Nineveh, he was so loathe to do this (no doubt out of a combination of fear and reluctance) that one could almost say that God had more problems with His prophet than He did with the people of Nineveh, who responded with remarkable promptitude to the warning of and which averted their destruction for a considerable period of time.

It is a salutary warning, a seeming paradox even, that as surely as the book of Jonah highlights God’s desire to spare the people of Nineveh, there comes a point at which judgement becomes inevitable. Nahum’s subsequent thundering denunciations against Nineveh sometime later clearly had God-given inspiration to the point of achieving canonical status, and signposted the terrible end that that cruel and proud empire would experience. This is where we see the Lord endorsing the very sentiments and judgements for which Jonah had been roundly reprimanded.

And here was Jesus now, warning that the Jonah and Nineveh narrative would be a sign for the people of His time. God gives people every possible chance to repent, but if they do not seek first his Kingdom, and strive to enter by the narrow way, then there is no grace at work in their lives to enable the Lord to lift them off the broad path they were on that leads to perdition.

When Jesus saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:7-12)

Elsewhere He called the Pharisees blind guides, and pronounced incredibly serious ‘woes’ against them. Jesus’s woes are the very reverse of a blessing. Effectively, there are nothing less than a definitive curse.

‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matt. 23:27-27)

With regard to the eternal fate of such hypocrites, Jesus warns that ‘every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ (Matthew 7.19, but see also John 15:6)

To whom else do His warnings concern? In a word to everyone. We who know that our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus shed for us on the cross must still be remain alert to the fact that there is no automatic postscript in brackets to all of Jesus warnings, to add the rider ‘unless you are born again, of course, in which case this does not apply to you.’ Matthew 12:26 would be a good starting point for pondering this: – ‘I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter.’

It is John, who is often referred to as the apostle of love, who declares that,

‘Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.’

This is but another way of saying that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ and that as surely as the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord for those who believe and place their trust in Him, and will not be judged because they have crossed over from death to life, the ‘wages of sin’ involve nothing less than eternal death for those who refuse to respond to His invitation. (John 3:18, 5:24; Rom. 3:23, 6:23)

This is spelt out in the mighty vision that was accorded to John while he was on the island of Patmos:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. (Rev. 20:11-13)

Peter tells us that ‘it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?’ (1 Peter 4:17) The Scriptures make a vital distinction between the eternal fate that is reserved for those who refuse to believe, and the ‘judgement’ that represents we might term the allocation of rewards concerning our eternal status. This too is a serious solemn moment, for it will reveal that whole basis on which we have lived our lives. As Paul puts it:

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 4:5, 3:12-15)

Bearing this in mind, we must be careful not to sidestep the challenges and exhortations He sends our way to live in the light, lest we too fall into judgement. That is why it is good to ponder and revisit such well-known verses as these:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell . . .

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matthew 7:1-2, 5:22,29-30.)

See also Romans 1:32 -2:4, cf ‘You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.’ (Rom.14:10, cf James 4:12)

We are wise therefore to ‘Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because [we understand that] judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.’ (James 2:12-13)

This is especially the case for those who exercise influence over others. As James warns, ‘Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.’ (James 3:1, cf ‘There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbour?’ James 4:12. See also 2 Peter 2:3-13 to see how graphically Jesus’ close friend Peter wrote about the condemnation awaiting those who mislead and exploit people)

Don’t grumble and complain against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you yourselves many not be judged. For behold, the Judge is standing right at the door! The Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. (James 5:9, Matthew 16:27)

Jesus warned His disciples,

“Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come! It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying “I repent,” you must forgive them.’ (Luke 17:1 Amp; 17:2-4 NIV)

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment . . . – if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. (Read 2 Peter 2:3-13 to see how graphically Jesus’ close friend puts this matter.)

The New Testament is foremost a message of hope and redemption, and an exhortation to receive Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit into our lives, but it is important to understand the backcloth against which this message of good news is set: that there is such a thing as sin and hell and separation from the love of God, and from all that is good – and that not only because of our actions but also through the biggest sin of all unbelief.

In the short book of Jude we read that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them:

“See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Peter likewise reminds us that

‘the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Pet. 3:7)

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that when You come in Your glory, with all the angels with You, and those who are counted worth to reign with You on Earth, You will sit on Your glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before You, and You will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats . . . And will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (See Matthew 25:31-32 and Rev. 20:4-6, 2 Thessalonians 1:8)

We have often heard it said that Jesus is not hard to live with. He is love, and His love draws us to Himself, in such a way that respond to love. The wonderful thing that John goes on to tell us is that,

‘we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: because in this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear, which has to do with punishment.’ (1 John 4:16-18)

Praise God that love is made complete among us, so that ‘we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus!’ Therefore we are to be ‘merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others showing mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh,’ and, like Jesus, devoting ourselves to loving God and going around with the help of the Holy Spirit and His drawing people who are in danger of being excluded from the Heavenly Kingdom into the kingdom of light because God is with us. (Jude 1:14-15; 2 Peter 3:7; 1 John 4:17; Jude 1:22-23, Acts 10:38)