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Dr. Piper makes a common mistake, he filters biblical concepts through his modern-day experience. But more egregiously, he wants us to believe the Calvinist/Reformist doctrine that the Father punished Jesus for our sins. This did not happen. See our in-depth analyses here and here.
Q. What future judgment will Christians face? The apostle Paul, writing to a church of believers, said to them, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). To Christians he said that. And he included himself — “we must all appear”! In another place, he interrogated Christians by asking them, “Why do you despise your brother?” Despising other believers is ridiculous. Why? “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God,” again speaking of believers and including himself here — “we will all” (Romans 14:10). Those pointed texts arrest our attention and cause us to think about a future judgment to come for Christians. So, no surprise, come loads of questions to us about these and other texts, like this email from a listener named Mae: “Pastor John, can you explain what kind of judgments Christians will face when Jesus returns?”
A. Well, let’s start with the absolutely glorious news about the judgment that we will not face. I mean, the accomplishment of Christ in dying for us and rising for us can be stated positively and negatively. Positively, he died to “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The enjoyment of the presence of God forever is the positive achievement of the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.
No Longer Under Wrath
But the New Testament reminds us over and over again that we can state the good news negatively as well as positively — namely, we do not come under the wrath of God. He achieved a negative thing. This is not going to happen. Christ bore our sins. We won’t be punished for them. John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has [that’s now] eternal [that’s forever] life. He does not come into judgment” — whoa — “but has passed from death to life.” What a verse.
That doesn’t mean we don’t go to court in the last day. (There is no court, at least in the contemporary understanding of court. There is no prosecutor, no presumption of innocence, no jury, and no charges are presented.)
It means we won’t be condemned in court in the last day. We’re already acquitted, and the court will prove it. Romans 8:1: “There is . . . now” — and forever — “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Dr. Piper completely misses it on this one. Like many Christians, he fails to complete the sentence:
Ro. 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Paul continues:
Ro. 8:3-4 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Do you see it? This is not about being in court, then being tried, then getting either acquitted or sentenced and condemned. This is not what Paul was writing about. He was writing about about the Law of Moses and the condemnation we are under according to the Law. It's about how Jesus fulfilled and satisfied the law.
Jesus did not lift charges against us, He lifted us out of death when we believed:
Jn. 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already...
Sinners do not receive a judgment of condemnation, they are already condemned. This judgment of condemnation to death happened long ago:
Ro. 5:16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
The sin of Adam brought all of us condemnation, so there is no court. It's not a legal proceeding, it's a sacrificial one.)
Or Romans 8:33: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” There will be no successful charge against us at the judgment — none. (Hmmm. "Successful charge." No, there will be no charges at all. In fact, one might say that there is no actual judgment as we understand it:
Re. 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
When we believe we are saved and pass from death to life. Our names are written in the Book of Life. It's a simple transaction, having nothing at all to do with the process involved in a modern court of law.)
First John 3:14: “We know that we have passed out of death into life.”
So, the judgment of wrath and punishment and final death are passed. (True.)
They’re over for us. (True.)
Jesus endured all of that for us if we are in Christ. If we are believing in him, united to him, his death was our death. His punishment was our punishment. God’s wrath was exhausted on him toward us. (False. False. False. False. Jesus did not endure the Father's wrath or His punishment. This vile idea is not found in the Bible. Jesus' spilled blood as the Lamb of God completely turned away the Father's wrath. No punishment of Jesus is needed.)
Therefore, Paul exults (with the verse I go to sleep on almost every night), “God has not destined us for wrath” — sweet — “but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” I love those two verses. That’s 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10.
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