Judgment Seat of Christ
“What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement “I do not judge anyone”? [John 8:15] It is clear that Jesus did judge (even in the next verse) [John 8:16). The point is that he didn’t practice the same kind of judgment that the Pharisees did. Their kind of judgment was condemnatory. They tried to condemn people. Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it (John 3:17). Nevertheless, and not contradictory to this, the coming of Jesus did bring judgment because it forced people to make a choice. Would they accept Jesus or reject him? Would they come to the light or shrink back into the darkness? As they responded, so were they judged—just as John 3:19-21 previously stated. One’s response to Jesus determines one’s eternal destiny.” (NET Bible, John 8:15)
“One temptation of the faithful is hardly ever mentioned. That shortcoming is to take the forgiveness of God for granted. When we do so, our over-confidence assumers us that if surrender to sin, God will surely excuse us. But that presumption of God’s mercy forgets one important article of the Creed. In our reading of Acts 10:34-43, we find this essential element of our faith. There in his sermon to the Gentile Cornelius and his household, Peter witnessed to the Risen Christ and that He is the one “ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead” (vs. 42). It is only after the apostle has referred to the Judgment of Christ that he concludes: “… through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive the remission of sins” (vs. 43). By this Word, we understand that repentance must come before the forgiveness of sin. We must earnestly seek God’s mercy in sincere contrition so that we will not be condemned when Christ comes to judge the world.” (Fr. Basil)
“The appearance of the Cross is also the first appearance among us of the Judgement Seat of Christ. As such, those around it indeed begin to separate themselves. Of the two thieves, one clings to Christ and the other reviles Him. But Christ offers no condemnation from the Tree. The Centurion, responsible for His crucifixion and the lance thrusting into His side, later becomes a saint (Longinus). Our task, however, is not to assume the position of Christ. The judgment that occurs as those around Him react, is also the revelation of their own wounds and brokenness of soul.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 [John] between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.” (NET Bible, John 8:12)
“Let us never overlook the fact that Christ’s judgment will be directed toward “the secrets of men” (Romans 2:16). These secrets include our invisible and intangible thoughts, feelings, presuppositions, prejudices, and attitudes, as well our visible actions and audible words. When God considers what we have done, He will read our hearts and all they contain…No single act will uphold or condemn us before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, for the Lord Jesus looks into our hearts. To the Lord’s eye, each of our actions reflects our heart’s desire. He seeks to find the smallest trace of faith and love within us.” (Dynamis 7/4/2021, 9/13/2021)
“Although Saint John’s Gospel also records the Lord Jesus’ warning that “in the last day” all shall be judged by God John 12:48), His purpose is to save: “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). Why, then, does He begin today’s passage with the words, “For judgment I have come into this world” (John 9:39)? For those who repudiate the Lord, His coming will be judgment; for those who turn to Him, He works their salvation. In John 9:39-41, He describes a sorting action by which some of us see with spiritual understanding while others effectively remain blind. He presents Himself, in fact, as the causative agent of this sorting action.” (Dynamis 5/21/2020)
“Using an analogy from chemistry, we can liken the impact of His [Christ’s] words and deeds on men’s lives to a spiritual “reagent.” A reagent evokes a specific response when it is introduced into the presence of other elements. The very presence of Christ precipitates a spiritual reaction in us. The eyes of our hearts may be opened, or they may turn dark in resistance to Him. Our spiritual state determines what our reaction to Christ will be.” (Dynamis 5/21/2020)
“The appearance of the Cross is also the first appearance among us of the Judgement Seat of Christ. As such, those around it indeed begin to separate themselves. Of the two thieves, one clings to Christ and the other reviles Him. But Christ offers no condemnation from the Tree. The Centurion, responsible for His crucifixion and the lance thrusting into His side, later becomes a saint (Longinus). Our task, however, is not to assume the position of Christ. The judgment that occurs as those around Him react, is also the revelation of their own wounds and brokenness of soul.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Condemnation is not something God does to us. He does not condemn us. He does not abandon us. He always seeks our salvation. We abandon Him and condemn ourselves through our choice to reject Him through either hostility toward Him, indifference or apathy, or the foolishness of trying to ignore Him.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“The true Christ revealed by the Cross, is a saving God, a seeking God, a knocking God, a trampling God, a healing God, a raising-from-the-dead God who refuses to be ignored.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We can say that we moment by moment stand before the dread judgment seat of the Crucified Christ. He is present in every opportunity of love and sacrifice, of mercy and generosity. With every embrace of Christ, our path moves more steadily to the right, becoming the path of a sheep. With every rejection, the path moves towards the left, the path of a goat. And with every opportunity, we not only move on that path, we become what the path reveals.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“No single act will uphold or condemn us before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, for the Lord Jesus looks into our hearts. To the Lord’s eye, each of our actions reflects our heart’s desire. He seeks to find the smallest trace of faith and love within us. And often grace follows our efforts to be faithful…” (Dynamis 8/24/2015)
“But in the Gospel of Christ, we are reminded that God’s judgments are quite different, and that the success or failure of each of us, as we stand before the dreaded judgment seat, will not be determined by the size of our bank account or the extent of our fame. Rather we shall be judged by the standard of whether in life we reached “to the very height of Christ’s full stature.” (Eph. 4:13). This sobering revelation should inspire us to be concerned about the kind of people we are; after all, we shall not be judged by the standard of the worst among us, but rather of the best. And if we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, we have an added incentive to live as we should.” (Rev. Andrew Demotses)
"When we embrace evil we reject love, which means rejecting God’s love. Although God’s love for us does not change or diminish, it is possible for us to turn our backs on His mercy, and so make ourselves incapable of experiencing it. This is the terrible fire of Judgment Day, not the hateful anger of God, but the reality of infinite love that has been rejected." (Father Spyridon Baily)
“God is a loving fire, and He is a loving fire for all: good or bad . . . The same loving fire brings the day to those who respond to love with love, and burns those who respond to love with hatred.” (Alexandre Kalomiros)