Good News! Our Sins Might Not Be Judged in Heaven If We’re Believers!

Mostly Only Second Corinthians 5:10 is Preached: We Will All Be Judged for Bad Things We’ve Done! But Don’t Stop Reading!

Too often we — and preachers too — stop reading after one verse.

As a lawyer, I know this is not a wise thing to do! Read the whole statement! Always take things in context!

Second Corinthians 5:10.

Yes, this verse does say we’ll be judged for sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ, for things we’ve done on earth, whether good or bad. And if you stop reading here, there’s nothing else to say. BUT . . .

Verse 11.

This now says that verse 10 lets us experience ‘the terror of the Lord.’ But then Paul goes on to say: “Knowing this, we persuade men.” But he doesn’t persuade us about the judgment that is being described.

Verse 12.

This verse talks about some people wanting to ‘glory in their appearance,’ which means they want to show off how good they are, not their bad stuff. We’re told ‘God looks at the heart’ (First Samuel 15:7, Romans 2:16).

These people don’t care about their hearts, just their deeds. They forget that the GOSPEL is a heart gospel: it’s meant to change what we think and believe, which controls what we do and how we live (Proverbs 23:7).

Verse 13.

Too often, things we believe and do, not believing and following the gospel, show we’re not of ‘sound mind.’ As we just saw, we live in fear and terror. First John 4:16–17 says we even live in TORMENT.

This is largely because all of us know that we fall short in some ways — maybe lots of ways. We stand guilty before God (Romans 3:19, Acts 15:10). Of course if we feel guilty we experience fear, terror, and torment.

This makes a good case for a lawyer (and ‘The Gospel coach’) to try to persuade to believe and live the gospel of Jesus.

Verse 14.

This says that it’s Christ’s love for us that motivates and inspires us.

Of course, if we’re living in guilt and fear of judgment, we can’t know the love of Jesus. It just goes right over our heads. The best we can hope for is that it doesn’t build a nest on top of our heads.

It goes on to say, “The way we judge or know his love is because we know he died for us all, and so we are all DEAD. Colossians 3:2 says the same.

Now this doesn’t mean we’re physically dead. You can pinch yourself and know you’re not physically dead. But God SEES us as being dead if we’re in Christ. We’ve been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6). At least this is the way God SEES us if we’re in Jesus.

This is good!!! DEAD people can’t be JUDGED because they’re DEAD.

Verse 15.

When we truly believe the truth of the gospel, this verse says this causes us to stop living just for ourselves and to live more for God. We trust what he has done for us — and that he isn’t going to judge us if we’re in Christ.

If we don’t see gospel truth revealed as it is here, we live in fear and terror.

If we don’t see God’s love and for us, having any revelation of the love of God and Christ goes right out the window.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear because fear has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love” (First John 4:18).

Verse 16.

This is great! It says we’re not to know anyone ‘after the flesh,’ which means by what they do good and what they do bad, — which is what verse 10 said we’re judged by if we don’t live the gospel. We’re not to judge each others’ actions, but to speak God’s gospel truth in love to them (Ephesians 4:15).

We all have enough bad stuff so we shouldn’t judge others.

God doesn’t expect more of us than of himself. He doesn’t see us as being in our ‘flesh’ either because he sees us as being DEAD. Paul says we’re NOT in the flesh but in the Spirit if we’re in Jesus (Romans 8:9). This is just the way God sees us and in the gospel, he expects us to see the way he does.

Verse 17. We should tape this verse to our refrigerator!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”

This is often preached: everything should be new and good in us if we’re in Jesus. We know this isn’t the fact. We’ve all got bad stuff in us, as I just said. We all need to change. If you don’t think you need to change, just ask your spouse or a close friend. They’ll probably give you a list. But this isn’t about US becoming all new.

This is talking about the Old Testament ways being set aside, and the New Testament ways of God (as this is saying) being made new (Hebrews 10:9).

This says we’re a New Creation! God has made us into a ‘God-Man.’ We are no longer simply human — at least not in God’s eyes.

We’re like a new SPECIES in God’s creation.

One thing that has passed away is us being JUDGED, if we’re in Jesus.

Verse 18.

“All things are of God’s doing.” We don’t initiate anything. We only respond (hopefully favorably) to what God has done in us and for us. We can’t even understand everything God has done. But we’re meant to believe it. This is why we Christians are called ‘believers,’ not ‘understanders.’

Our response should simply be the same as Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Lord, be it done unto me according to your word of truth.” This should surely apply to us not being JUDGED, as is being said here.

Verse 19–20.

This all happens because God is busy reconciling people to him (making us ONE with him).

And it says, “He doesn’t impute any sins against us!” WOW!

And he wants us to assume this same work: reconciling people to God because of his grace, love, and goodness.

Like Paul said he did in verse 11: We are meant to PERSUADE others that they aren’t JUDGED if they’re in Jesus. I hope I’m doing this for you.

Verse 21.

This tells us HOW God does all of this.

“God made Jesus, who knew NO SIN, to be sin for us, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in him.” God makes us righteous in Jesus.

We must be righteous to live with God. But we can’t do it for ourselves. God had to do it in us and for us. It’s his gift to us, as this verse says, and also Romans 5:17.

We will never understand how we can be righteous, without doing everything right, until we first understand Jesus was made sin without doing anything wrong.

We’re told many times in the gospel: God forgives us of ALL our sins.

We’re told that if we’re in Christ, he sees us as being the same as Christ (First John 4:16). This verse also tells us we should have confidence and boldness in the day of JUDGMENT.

We’re also told twice, that if we’re in Jesus, God chooses not to remember our sins at all. He forgets them (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17).

So we should have confidence and boldness on the day of JUDGMENT: “As Jesus is, so are we” (First John 4:16 revisited).

Jesus says the only people judged in heaven are those who reject him and refuse to trust him. He says he turns NO one away who comes to him.