Bible Study

Title: What Will Final Judgment Look Like?
Date: Mar 24, 2011
Topic(s): Christian Living/Situational
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 4:15, Psalm 139

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Have you ever been evaluated--maybe you've had a job review or perhaps you've taken an exam in a class so your instructor could evaluate how much you've learned. Can you remember how you felt when you were being judged on something important? What if you failed to live up to the standards?

Is that how it's going to feel on the day believers stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ?

What Does God Say?

First of all, we know that we will stand before Christ and that our lives will be judged by Him from this verse: "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).

If you imaged a courtroom scene when you read that verse with a judge and jury, a defendant and a prosecutor, you've got the wrong idea. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, there will be only two: you and Jesus.

• You won't need a lawyer to defend your case--Hebrews describes Jesus as a sympathetic High Priest who experienced all our weaknesses as one of us (See Hebrews 4:15).
• There won't be a prosecuting attorney--all charges against you were dropped the moment you accepted Christ as your Savior.
• And there won't be a jury declaring your sentence--all penalties you owed are covered by the blood of Jesus.

There will be nothing subjective about your final job review because nothing can be hidden from the One who formed you. (Psalm 139:13). We'll look more at what Psalm 139 tells us about our perfect Judge in the next sections.

My Thoughts

As you read Psalm 139, think about the following questions:

1. Does David find it comforting or disturbing that God knows everything about him? Why?

2. How do these verses motivate you when you are thinking about your final evaluation at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

My Part

Take a look at the last week and try to imagine how God would evaluate it. As you think of what you've done, remember that the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ isn't to punish you for what you've done wrong, it's to reward you for what you've done right. What is God going to reward you for this past week?

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