TeachingTulip
Puritan Board Sophomore
In a previous thread, the question was asked if Christians would be “judged” for speaking idle words on Judgment Day. The implication being, that justified believers can expect to face judgment, side by side with spiritually dead reprobates.
This has troubled me, because I have been taught that judgment will be performed by none other than the Person who redeemed my soul on the cross; Christ the Son, who by His death, has already suffered judgment and the full wrath of God in my stead.
Jesus Christ has been given authority to judge and condemn the works of wicked men; but the works for which I will give account in the eyes of God, will be solely His righteous works imputed to my account.
I continued to ponder how it could be, that the very Redeemer who paid the price to remit all my sins (past, present, and future) with His blood, would bring any charge against me as His adopted elect, according to the Scriptural principle of Romans 8:33-34.
So for comfort I turned to the WCF, the LC, and to the writings of Calvin in His “Institutes” and found these encouragements:
From the Larger Catechism
Q. 70. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight, not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.
Q. 71. How is justification an act of God’s free grace?
A. Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real and full satisfaction to God’s justice in the behalf of them that are justified; yet in as much as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son, imputing his righteousness to them, and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith, which also is his gift, their justification is to them of free grace.
Q. 72 What is justifying faith?
A. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.
Q. 87. What are we to believe concerning the resurrection?
A. We are to believed, that at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust, when they that are then found alive shall in a moment be changed; and the self-same bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave, being then again united to their souls forever, shall be raised up by the power of Christ. The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by the virtue of his resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to his glorious body, and the bodies of the wicked shall be raised up in dishonour by him, as an offended judge.
Q. 90. What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
A. At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.
From Calvin’s Institutes, Book II, Chapter XVI, Paragraph XVIII
“It is most consolatory to think, that judgment is vested in him who has already destined us to share with him in the honour of judgment, (Matth. 19: 28) so far is it from being true, that he will ascend the judgment-seat for our condemnation. How could a most merciful prince destroy his own people? how could the head disperse its own members? how could the advocate condemn his clients? For if the Apostle, when contemplating the interposition of Christ, is bold to exclaim, "Who is he that condemneth?" (Rom. 8: 33,) much more certain is it that Christ, the intercessor, will not condemn those whom he has admitted to his protection. It certainly gives no small security, that we shall be sisted at no other tribunal than that of our Redeemer, from whom salvation is to be expected; and that he who in the Gospel now promises eternal blessedness, will then as judge ratify his promise. The end for which the Father has honoured the Son by committing all judgment to him, (John 5: 22,) was to pacify the consciences of his people when alarmed at the thought of judgment.”
This has troubled me, because I have been taught that judgment will be performed by none other than the Person who redeemed my soul on the cross; Christ the Son, who by His death, has already suffered judgment and the full wrath of God in my stead.
Jesus Christ has been given authority to judge and condemn the works of wicked men; but the works for which I will give account in the eyes of God, will be solely His righteous works imputed to my account.
I continued to ponder how it could be, that the very Redeemer who paid the price to remit all my sins (past, present, and future) with His blood, would bring any charge against me as His adopted elect, according to the Scriptural principle of Romans 8:33-34.
So for comfort I turned to the WCF, the LC, and to the writings of Calvin in His “Institutes” and found these encouragements:
From the Larger Catechism
Q. 70. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight, not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.
Q. 71. How is justification an act of God’s free grace?
A. Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real and full satisfaction to God’s justice in the behalf of them that are justified; yet in as much as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son, imputing his righteousness to them, and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith, which also is his gift, their justification is to them of free grace.
Q. 72 What is justifying faith?
A. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.
Q. 87. What are we to believe concerning the resurrection?
A. We are to believed, that at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust, when they that are then found alive shall in a moment be changed; and the self-same bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave, being then again united to their souls forever, shall be raised up by the power of Christ. The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by the virtue of his resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to his glorious body, and the bodies of the wicked shall be raised up in dishonour by him, as an offended judge.
Q. 90. What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
A. At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.
From Calvin’s Institutes, Book II, Chapter XVI, Paragraph XVIII
“It is most consolatory to think, that judgment is vested in him who has already destined us to share with him in the honour of judgment, (Matth. 19: 28) so far is it from being true, that he will ascend the judgment-seat for our condemnation. How could a most merciful prince destroy his own people? how could the head disperse its own members? how could the advocate condemn his clients? For if the Apostle, when contemplating the interposition of Christ, is bold to exclaim, "Who is he that condemneth?" (Rom. 8: 33,) much more certain is it that Christ, the intercessor, will not condemn those whom he has admitted to his protection. It certainly gives no small security, that we shall be sisted at no other tribunal than that of our Redeemer, from whom salvation is to be expected; and that he who in the Gospel now promises eternal blessedness, will then as judge ratify his promise. The end for which the Father has honoured the Son by committing all judgment to him, (John 5: 22,) was to pacify the consciences of his people when alarmed at the thought of judgment.”