JUDGMENT, JUSTIFICATION AND SALVATION
Many
questions have arisen concerning the Biblical teaching of judgment, justification
and salvation. Most often these concepts
are looked upon as being essentially related views of the same thing, i.e.,
justification is the price paid for salvation and salvation is the answer to
the threat of what might occur in judgment.
In a sense this is true, but it represents less than a full
understanding of the situation. Over the
ages this over-simplified concept has led to gross misunderstanding of God's
purpose and activities in the world. It
is very important for the mature disciple to understand the Biblical concepts
of judgment, justification and salvation.
1. JUDGMENT
Jesus
serves as the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). We may look to Him as the example in order to
learn what will ultimately happen in our case.
Specifically, we may divide our existence into six stages:
(1)
creation (4)
resurrection
(2)
physical life (5)
judgment
(3)
death (6)
eternal destiny
There may be some question concerning Jesus' creation;
but otherwise, we see Him experience all of these steps. We in our lives will follow His pattern.
As we study
Scripture, we find that there are at least three distinct judgments given which
lead to an eternal destiny:
! The first resurrection-judgment sequence occurred to
Jesus after the cross. He announced that
He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). This was as a result of His Father's evaluation
of Him. He was found worthy (Revelation
5:9).
! A second resurrection and judgment is described by John
in Revelation 20:1-6. Here the ones
being judged are, most probably, those souls included in the body of
Messiah. "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the
testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God..." (Revelation
20:4a). They are evaluated and reign
with Messiah for 1000 years (Revelation 20:6).
! Finally, the last judgment is described in Revelation
20:11-15. Here every other soul that has
ever lived will be judged. Some will be
accepted into life and some will be forever rejected to the
Scripture
admonishes us to let a thing be established in the mouth of two or three
witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6 and Matthew
The first
witness is Jesus. Jesus spoke of
judgment in John 5:28-29: "do not
marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall
hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds, to a
resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of
judgment". Note that the
basis for judgment is the deeds of this life. God will judge according to what we have
done. Another example where Jesus spoke
explicitly of judgment is Matthew 25:31-46.
Here the nations are judged. The
Greek word used for nations is "ethnos" which means the gentiles or
"goyim" from Hebrew. These are
judged on the basis of how they responded to God's Servant. This probably means Messiah, but could easily
include
A second
witness will now be considered. Because
of this man's writings concerning salvation, he might be thought to be an
unlikely witness. His name is Paul. The only place that Paul spoke of judgment to
any depth is recorded in Romans 2:5-16.
We see that Paul is in complete harmony with Jesus in stating that the
basis for judgment is the deeds of this life (Romans 2:6-8). He proclaims that the "doers of the Law will be justified"
(Romans 2:13b).
Another
witness whom we will consider is John.
With the possible exception of Jesus, John probably had more to say
concerning judgment than any other writer in Scripture. Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation is
devoted to this theme. In particular,
the description of final judgment is recorded in Revelation 20:11-15. Again, the basis for judgment is the deeds of
this life. "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades
gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds" (Revelation
Finally in
order to show the consistency of Scripture, we will consider one witness from
the Hebrew Scriptures. That witness is
Ezekiel. Ezekiel describes how God
evaluates His people (chapter 33:17-20).
They are judged according to their ways (Ezekiel 33:20). Again, the deeds of this life form the basis
for judgment.
It must be
pointed out that we are never justified by our deeds. Habakkuk wrote that the just shall live by
faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Paul wrote that
all have been justified to life by the act of Jesus (Romans
From this
argument we conclude that the basis for judgment is the deeds of this
life. This is in contrast to the popular
teaching which maintains that what we confess is important rather than what we
do. God evidently thinks otherwise.
Questions For Review
1.On what
basis will all men be judged?
2.If God
has already justified all men to life (Romans
3.Is God
more interested in what we confess or what we do?
Why
do you think He feels that way?
2. JUSTIFICATION
The
Biblical concept of justification has to do with the price paid for man's
acceptance before God. Paul used the
Greek term "dikaiosis" (δικαιωσις) for the concept of justification. He stated that: "...through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of
life to all men" (Romans 5:18b).
Obviously, Paul was speaking of the death of Messiah Jesus on the
cross. The
death of Messiah Jesus paid the price for all men for all time. This means that all people are
"elect" to life. Stated
another way the Lord does not wish "for
any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter
3:9). Since God functions outside of the
space-time continuum of this physical universe, we believe that this act of
justification is just as applicable to those living before the crucifixion as
it is to those following it. Hence, when
the perfect Lamb suffered death, the price of infinite life was spent for the
integrated burden of sin for all mankind.
Just
because the price has been paid for all men does not imply that all men will
actually receive eternal life.
Previously, we concluded that God will judge all men according to the
"deeds of this life". He will
find some acceptable and some unacceptable depending on what they have done in
light of the revelation of God in their lives.
Those proving that they demand to remain in rebellion against God will
be rejected. However, in the end it will
be shown that from God's perspective, He desired all to enter into life and, in
fact, made the exact provision in order that this could be realized.
Now the
Church has been given this message to proclaim in the world. Paul stated that God has given us "the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their
trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation"
(2 Corinthians 5:18b-19). This is one of
the most fundamental functions of the Church in the world. This is a "universal"
ministry. Because of confusion in the
Church concerning Biblical purpose, this ministry has dominated the vision of the
Church to the extent that the Church, itself, became seen as
"universal" or catholic.
Questions For Review
1.By what
specific act were you justified to life?
2.Explain
how you became convinced that you had been justified.
3.To whom
can the message of reconciliation be preached?
3. SALVATION
Now the
question often arises, "If I will be judged in terms of what I do, and if
the price for my justification has already been paid, what benefit is
salvation"? Most of us have been
taught that if we don't "get saved" we will certainly be discarded
into the "lake of fire". In
light of our previous discussion of judgment and justification, we need now to
develop a Scriptural view of salvation.
John
expressed the main thrust of salvation when he said: "...we have passed out of death into life..."
(1 John 3:13). In the Messianic
Scripture two words are translated into the one English word
"life". They are
"Zoe" and "Psuche".
Zoe denotes a higher spiritual existence, a communion with God; while
the second term, Psuche, is identified with the principle of animal life. Death in Scripture always means
separation. In the reference above (1
John
The word in the
Messianic Scripture which is actually translated as salvation is
"so-tay-ree-ah" (σωτηρια). This word
literally means -- a deliverance from molestation of an enemy, preservation,
safety, salvation. This is what is
achieved through our communion with God.
Salvation
in the Hebrew Scripture is often used in terms of national salvation for
Salvation
in the Messianic Scripture most frequently pertains to individual
salvation. Some examples where
individual salvation is spoken of are given below:
"In Him, you
also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of salvation - having
also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise"
(Ephesians
"For God has
not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
"And the
Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved"
(Acts 2:47b).
The concept
of salvation is almost universally understood today to be exclusively
applicable to the individual. If we
speak of the national salvation of
Salvation
is achieved under the authority of Jesus.
There is life in the Father and in Jesus (John
Now let us
turn to investigate the nature of salvation working in an individual's
life. Paul indicated that our
justification was completed by Jesus on the cross. In contrast, our salvation is being
accomplished by the resurrected Jesus.
"Much more then, having now
been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through
Him. For if while we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:9-10). So our salvation results from what the resurrected
Jesus is doing now. Faith is really the
process by which this occurs. Paul also
wrote: "For I am not ashamed of the
gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek. For
in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is
written `but the righteous man shall live by faith'" (Romans
Salvation
as defined above depends on an interaction between God and man, thus both
parties play a role. The specific role
of the individual includes: (1)
repenting, (2) calling, (3) believing, (4) confessing and (5) enduring. None of these occur without the work of God's
Holy Spirit in the individual's life.
Even though
for many an unpleasant note, salvation comes through tribulation in our
lives. "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ;
so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you
are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents - which is a sign of
destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God"
(Philippians 1:27-28). Also, "So then, my beloved, just as you have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians
2:12).
It must be
understood that salvation is not an end in itself, but a means to accomplish
God's purpose in us. Paul described the
man of God in Ephesians 6:12-18 as equipped for battle. Salvation is included as an implement of
armor for that soldier. If Paul had
envisioned salvation in the manner it is commonly portrayed today, it seems
unlikely that he would have pictured it in terms of a helmet. For many today, salvation is seen as the
ultimate end in itself because they are looking at the supposed needs of the
individual rather than attempting to hear and do God's will.
Finally,
our salvation is an on-going process. It
will be completed at the return of Jesus to this earth. "Who
are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time"
(1 Peter 1:5). So we have not yet
experienced anything near the fullness of what is yet to come in our salvation.
What are some of the
conclusions that can be drawn relative to Messianic salvation?
(1)Messianic
salvation usually refers to individual salvation rather than national
salvation.
(2)National
and universal salvation will be manifested in the ages to come.
(3)Salvation
is a process resulting in the protection (restoration) of our souls
which is accomplished by intimate contact with God.
(4)God
initiates the process; we respond to Him.
Our participation includes: repenting, calling, believing, confessing
and enduring.
(5)The work
of the Holy Spirit accomplishes salvation within the individual. Therefore, for salvation to be proceeding
within an individual, he must be born of the Spirit or baptized in the Spirit
depending on which terminology is meaningful to the individual.
(6)The
Spirit brings us to an intimate knowledge of Jesus and the God of Israel. We are associated with the resurrected Jesus
and derive our position from Him.
(7)The process
of our individual salvation will continue until the establishment of the
(8)Salvation
is not an end in itself. Through the
process of salvation, the God of Israel makes a covenant with the
individual. That individual is added to
Messiah and becomes a participant in God's activities now and forever. Much of the process of salvation is preparing
the individual for service in the age to come.
The
question may be asked; "Why should I desire to be a participant in this
salvation?" Because of the honor
and glory associated with the calling.
We through salvation can know intimately the God of the universe and His
unique Son, Jesus. We can become
instrumental participants in the ultimate salvation of
Questions For Review
1.By what
means can an individual be saved (experience salvation)?
2.Distinguish
between the Biblical concept of justification and salvation.
3.Explain
what your initial experience in salvation was?
How
has that experience continued?
4.Who can
experience salvation?
5.Have you shared
the testimony of water baptism?
What do you
think water baptism symbolizes?
6.Prepare a
short statement outlining your:
a. justification experience:
b. salvation experience:
c. baptism experience:
4. CONCLUSION
Every human
being faces physical death. After death
he will face judgment and will be accepted into eternal life or rejected
from eternal life. God paid the price so
that every human being could be accepted into eternal life. This is called justification. Not all will respond to the grace of God by
repenting and walking in an upright manner before God, but some will. These will be accepted by God into the New
Creation. Those refusing to repent will
be rejected into the "
Beyond
simply being justified, some individuals and one nation have been chosen by God
to become vessels of His hand in the world.