No Need to Fear Final Judgement

I suppose we have all doubted at some point if we will pass the test, if we will be among the sheep or among the goats at the final call. Perhaps when we have fallen short of the target, sinned ‘greatly’ or fallen away. I have not wondered if God will forgive me, of that I stand firm. Nothing I have done is too sinful, Jesus Christ blood will always cover my mistakes. I have wondered if people will ever forgive me. But God is not ‘people’. Thankfully!

God loves you

We all know John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ That is followed by some additional key verses that maybe we should also memorize. Verse 17 is ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ Then there is also 2 Timothy 4:1, ‘In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom….’ I recently learned about the words ‘condemn’ and ‘judge’ in these verses from the Greek. They are the same word in Greek, and it does relate to court and a determination of good or bad. But the original meaning of the word more closely resembles the idea of distinguishing or separate. That is where my mind took off.

We are set apart

Already in this Greek understanding of the word and in these verses as we look at them, we see that Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save us from condemnation. Then we see the same word which seems to say that He will judge or condemn. This is not a case of contradiction, rather a case of needing to delve further. When we consider Matthew 25:31-46 which tells of the final judgement as well, we find goats and sheep that will be separated, in this same sense. However, the Greek here is a different word which takes this separation further to ‘separated with barriers.’ It also indicates ‘set apart as from a previous condition’.* The word infers that boundaries will be put in place and the groups set apart. But when we consider separating sheep and goats, we would do this by sight. Even the parable indicates that it is something that can be done ‘by sight’, in that each person has shown what is in their hearts. Through our actions toward others, He will know which is a sheep and which a goat.

Who is God?

The final judgement is not a ‘last chance’ to pass, but rather it is crossing the finish line. There is no bonus homework to do, there is only a lasting revelation of our hearts toward God. It comes down to how we have judged Jesus, as Son of God and Savior or as just some guy who lived a long time ago? As the One who loves me or the one who vengeful? As the One who cares for me or the one who takes away? He will not condemn us, rather He will see if we know Him. Who is this God that we know? It is surely not a coincidence that the parable just before this one in Matthew is the parable of the Talents (or Bags of Gold). The parable is all about the servants’ view of God, who He is. Then the sheep and goats are about how they have responded to God and who He is. Responding to Him is reflected in how we respond to those around us. This is the race we run, the finish line we will cross: that in and for every part of our lives we seek Him, seek to be like Him and seek to show Him to others. I think many of us have done this or are trying to do this daily. Is anything holding you back from fully embracing Him?

We are fully covered

The final judgement is about how we see Him. It is not about our actions or our intentions, but rather how we live out our relationship with Him. How do you see Him? Do you worry that you have displeased Him? That He could not possibly look upon you as His beloved? Fear not. His forgiveness is deeper than the ocean while we are mere vessels that are fully submerged in Him. Nothing is too big for Him, not murder, not cheating, not lying, not drug abuse, not whatever it is you have done. He has redeemed you and brought you to the light.

If there are things that have seemed ‘too big’ for God to accept from you, take them to Him without delay. Lay them at His feet and accept His forgiveness. Jesus fully covers your sins, your debts. He will not condemn you nor need you condemn yourself any longer. He loves you and delights in you, His beloved!

* https://biblehub.com/greek/873.htm