Many like the idea of a “final judgment.” We think others should get punished for all the bad stuff they have done—but not themselves. A Righteous God must punish sinners, especially murderers, rapists, child molesters, and crooked politicians! The list could go on. So most believe that there needs to be a day of judgment.That’s why we like 2 Corinthians 5:10 that says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”Over and over again, the Bible repeatedly tells us there is going to come a day when everyone will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Paul writes, “Because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed…. on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:5, 16).This is our message there is coming a time of judgment. The intriguing thing is, lots of people think they’ll get a “pass” because of their good deeds or because they’re nice folks. According to a survey done in 2007, roughly half of Americans believe they will go to heaven if they are “generally good” or “do enough good things,” while only a third believe salvation is obtained only by accepting Jesus Christ.Everything about the American life teaches us a simple truth: you get what you earn. You get what you work for. You get what you pay for. That’s the American way. But the problem is that many think of their relationship with God in the same way. That will not work with God.The Pharisees of Jesus’ day felt they were “shoe ins” for God’s salvation. But Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). That’s another way of saying – you can’t be good enough to be good enough to get into heaven.That just another way of saying: you can’t be good enough to be good enough to get into heaven. Paul reminds us that All of us (you and me) have sinned and fall short of ...
