The doctrine of final judgment has several positive moral influences in our lives.
1. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Satisfies Our Inward Sense of a Need for Justice in the World. The fact that there will be a final judgment assures us that ultimately God’s universe is fair for God is in control, and he keeps accurate records and renders just judgment. When Paul tells slaves to be submissive to their masters, he reassures them, “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality” (Col 3:25). When the picture of a final judgment mentions the fact that “books were opened” (Rev. 20:12; compare Mal. 3:16), it reminds us (whether the books are literal or symbolic) that a permanent and accurate record of all our deeds has been kept by God, and ultimately all accounts will be settled and all will be made right.
2. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Enables Us to Forgive Others Freely. We realize that it is not up to us to take revenge on others who have wronged us, or even to want to do so, because God has reserved that right for himself. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”’ (Rom. 12:19). In this way whenever we have been wronged, we can give into God’s hands any desire to harm or pay back the person who has wronged us, knowing that every wrong in the universe will ultimately be paid for—either it will turn out to have been paid for by Christ when he died on the cross (if the wrongdoer becomes a Christian), or it will be paid for at the final judgment (for those who do not trust in Christ for salvation). But in either case we can give the situation into God’s hands, and then pray that the wrongdoer will trust Christ for salvation and thereby receive forgiveness of his or her sins. This thought should keep us from harboring bitterness or resentment in our hearts for injustices we have suffered that have not been made right: God is just, and we can leave these situations in his hands, knowing that he will someday right all wrongs and give absolutely fair rewards and punishments. In this way we are following in the example of Christ, who “when he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22–23). He also prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34; compare Acts 7:60, where Stephen followed Jesus’ example in praying for those who put him to death).
3. The Doctrine of the Final Judgment Provides a Motive for Righteous Living. For believers, the final judgment is an incentive to faithfulness and good works, not as a means of earning forgiveness of sins, but as a means of gaining greater eternal reward.7 This is a healthy and good motive for us—Jesus tells us, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20)—though it runs counter to the popular views of our secular culture, a culture that does not really believe in heaven or eternal rewards at all.
For unbelievers, the doctrine of final judgment still provides some moral restraint on their lives. If in a society there is a widespread general acknowledgment that all will someday give account to the Creator of the universe for their lives, some “fear of God” will characterize many people’s lives. By contrast, those who have no deep consciousness of final judgment give themselves up to greater and greater evil, demonstrating that “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18). Those who deny the final judgment, Peter says, will be “scoffers” who “will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?”’ (2 Peter 3:3–4). He also declares that evildoers who “are surprised that you do not now join them in the same wild profligacy,” and “who abuse you” will nonetheless “give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:4–5). An awareness of final judgment is both a comfort to believers and a warning to unbelievers not to continue in their evil ways.
4. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Provides a Great Motive for Evangelism. The decisions made by people in this life will affect their destiny for all eternity, and it is right that our hearts feel and our mouths echo the sentiment of the appeal of God through Ezekiel, “Turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 33:11). In fact, Peter indicates that the delay of the Lord’s return is due to the fact that God “is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
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