On the Judgement of Our Works
"I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things." Isaiah 45:7
Faith alone brings upon our salvation through God’s gift of grace, which is covered in “The True Meaning of Grace” dissertation. This is a common theme of the Bible and is explicitly stated in passages, like Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:28. Not only is grace given on faith alone, but all righteousness is also given by God through faith alone (Romans 1:17). This means none of us are fundamentally good and we can only have good behavior and actions by allowing God to work in us by our faith (Romans 3:10-18). Particularly, this faith should be centralized on Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice as the only way for us to be redeemed, and we can live again after Christ conquered death by his resurrection.
How can this central concept of faith and grace align with Biblical passages that state we will be judged on our works? If we cannot do righteousness on our own, then why are we given commandments from God to follow? To understand God’s purpose in these matters, we will start by looking at these passages that prophesy we will be judged on our works Revelation 20:12 :
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
Another passage of scripture that further illustrates this concept of being judged on works is Romans 2:5-11 :
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are
storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment
will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those
who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will
give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be
tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and
also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the
Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
Key ideas to grasp in these scripture passages are all the souls of mankind standing at the throne and God revealing His righteous judgement. Who is God revealing to? All his creation. God can look into the hearts of men. He does not need to see the fruits of a tree to see if the tree is healthy or not. This judgement on works is not for God to make a decision, it is for all of us to see. Having all present to see God's judgement allows us to understand His justice, moral order, His character, and glory.
Nothing about this judgement of works is to glorify us and our unique deeds; rather, it is only to glorify God. Who are we to ask for a due from God when he has created every characteristic about us and all things under the heavens (Job 41:11)? Were we ever entitled to even exist? If God gives us righteousness through faith to do good works, then should not all glory be given to God (Romans 1:17)? In fact, it is impossible to please God with our works without faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6). Romans 9:14-23 explains this further:
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By
no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I
will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on
human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to
Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my
power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then
he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will
say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But
who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its
molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the
clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for
dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his
power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for
destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of
mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.
So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
At the time of judgement for our works, God will show He was behind all things good and righteous in each individual. As verses 23 and 24 illustrate, God wants to make known the richness of His glory in the vessels made for mercy and He will make known His power, patience, and just wrath on vessels prepared for destruction. This is the purpose for witnessing the judgement of works illustrated in Revelation 20:12—to worship and glorify God in full submission.
To say we can earn any part of our salvation based on our ultimate tally of good deeds makes God subservient to us. This denies His sovereignty on how He created us and for what purpose. This also flips the formal distinction of God upside down suggesting that the elements of good, righteousness, wisdom, knowledge, and love all exist independently from God, when all these elements actually originate from God. We need to be rid of this self-righteousness and self-idolatry that we are independently good enough to earn a reward from God Romans 9:30-33 :
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue
righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but
that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed
in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if
it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is
written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The Jews who pursued righteousness solely by works in God's law did not succeed. Only by faith and God working in us can we be righteous. We still have a choice to turn our hearts to God through faith, but God is the one who makes us good. If it is only through faith, then why has God given us commandments and His law? To expose our sin Romans 7:7-12 :
Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known
sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said,
“You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,
produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies
dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin
came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be
death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived
me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy
and righteous and good.
No matter what, we will always fail to obtain the level of righteousness God demands in His law due to our fallen and sinful nature. God gave the law to His people, so their sin could be exposed as they failed to reach the level of righteousness demanded. God did this so they would have the need for a savior. He wanted His people to turn their hearts to him in humility learning that they cannot do this law on their own. This is why Christ's gospel is so different from a highly restrictive and legalistic moral code of the Law of Moses Matthew 11:28-30 :
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The heavy laden burden referenced here is the law. Christ's fulfillment no longer bound us to such a lifestyle of being exposed to our sin. Now, we are to be transformed in the Spirit. No longer do we need a law to show us our sin with Christ as our perfect example. We can read and compare our lives to Christ and know we are sinners. However, God sent His Son into the world not to condemn us, but to save us (John 3:16-17). Christ's atonement opened up a direct channel to God for us so that we can be progressively sanctified in our works and actions with God working in us. This is given only in grace through our faith.
To still see commands to do good works in the New Testament post-crucifixion, such as Acts 15:19-20, this is still a reminder as a believer what sanctification looks like, and we need to keep turning our hearts to God to receive further transformation. This is what God demands of us, and we do so out of the love of God. Otherwise, those who do not love God receive what we all truly deserve, which is hell. However, God desires for all of us to be saved 1 Timothy 2:4 :
[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God wants to glorify us in completion (Philippians 1:6). For those who believe and love God, an eternal glory beyond comprehension awaits for them (2 Corinthians 4:17). This is all done as a gift from God for His own purpose and not a repayment.
What then of rewards in heaven given to us from God for our deeds? Are these a due? These rewards can be found in Biblical passages and parables. To start, a key takeaway from these passages is the believers will receive rewards in heaven, while those who do not believe will receive God’s wrath. The evidence for who is a believer and who is not are their works. A true believer’s faith will allow God to transform them to do good works. Those who do bad do so due to their unbelief. Their bad works do not cause their unbelief.
To further integrate the idea of rewards in heaven, we will focus on 2 Timothy 4:7-8 :
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
The faithful will receive the reward in the form of the crown of righteousness. After all that has been illustrated in this dissertation, can we truly say this is a due for our deeds? No. This is God expressing His grace and love for His creation to glorify His own works. We are merely a vessel for God’s good deeds, and any kind of decoration and glory is a gift well beyond anything we deserve Revelation 4:10-11 :
The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’
The twenty-four elders represent all of the redeemed from the Old Covenant (12 tribes of Israel) and the New Covenant (12 apostles) in one combined church or body. They take their crown of righteousness, or reward in heaven, and cast it at Jesus saying they do not deserve such a reward when Christ did it all. This is the mentality we must take on such rewards.
Life in itself is a gift from God, including the ups and downs, and we should enjoy it. However, what God truly desires from us is relationship. Despite all our sinful and fallen nature, God is willing to share His glory, kingdom, perfection, and eternity with us. All we must do is believe and establish that relationship God desires of us to let him work inside all of us.