Walking with God⤒🔗

Is that a day to look forward to, the day of judgment? Or is it rather a day that strikes fear in our hearts? That all depends on what you are thinking about. If you are thinking about eternal life, it fills you with joy and encourages you; there will be no more pain, no sadness. But if you think of the final judgment, then it is a bit of a different story. The books will be opened, and who would not dread that? When your whole life is pulled in front of the spotlight, hide yourself! In that way your enthusiasm for the final day can be considerably tempered. That new life is fantastic. But before that you must cross a huge threshold.

Uplifted Head←⤒🔗

Yet we confess in Answer 52 of the Heidelberg Catechism that, specifically when it comes to the last judgment, I am to eagerly await the Lord Jesus Christ with uplifted head. In this the confession quotes the words spoken by the Lord Jesus himself about this topic (Luke 21:28). Strikingly enough, this happens in a section in which terror around the judgment day is described. When that day breaks upon us, people will die from terror at what is coming upon the world. Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to happen, the believers may stand upright, lifting their heads, because their time of liberation has come! Therefore, you need fear only if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, and do not live in expectation of deliverance in him. This is the criterion by which separation will take place: Are you for him, or against him? It has to be one or the other!

Promised Is Promised←⤒🔗

Is this not put too simply? Indeed, you would almost think that. At the same time this question reveals that it remains very difficult for us to just accept this truth. This just strikes us as wrong. We can’t believe it. It just appears too good to be true! But would something be too beautiful for God? For that is the bottom line of the gospel: a plain-spoken joyous and surprising message, which arises in the hearts of man. A message that no one would ever even dare dream of if it was not God himself who binds it on our hearts. And that is now precisely the point. We here encounter something glorious that is promised us by God, exactly as stated in all the other articles of faith (Answer 22 of the Heidelberg Catechism). The only question that fits with it is, “Do you believe what God promises you?” Or, do you add all kinds of things to it: stipulations, considerations, uncertainties, or whatever else, things that probably sound very biblical, but definitely stand in opposition to the clear and distinct promise of the forgiveness of your sins? Christ has accomplished everything. Then God will never again think about any of my sins, not even about my sinful nature. Never again will I be condemned by him. This is what we literally confess in Answer 56 of the Catechism.

Fossilized Confession?←⤒🔗

The question then arises whether we take our own clear confession seriously enough. How is it possible otherwise, that, so often when stated in this manner, it is critically questioned whether this is accurate or (its opposite) that church members remark how refreshing this message is for them? Also with regard to all sorts of other topics, I more often discover the joyful surprises hidden in the confession. What concerns me at the same time is that this discovery is still necessary in a church that has everything written out in Scripture and confession. Perhaps someone will say that it is really good that you continually make new discoveries—that keeps your faith alive. That is true. But the concern overwhelms me when those discoveries are necessary at the most basic understandings, the heart of the gospel so to speak. Do those really have to be discovered anew? One would hope not. Or one would hope! But then perhaps what we need is a new confession, in which not only new, but also the same, teachings are presented in plain language: something surprising and therefore also stimulating for everyone who reads it.

Books and the Book←⤒🔗

It seems to me that more important than just giving the confession a facelift is that we return to God’s own Word for this purpose. It rightly plays a crucial role in our churches, and even the confession only has authority that is derived from Scripture. Then, when we speak about the last judgment, we quickly think of texts such as “the books will be opened” and “everyone will be judged according to what he has done.” My impression is that such texts are often used because they sound good. We read about the books in Revelation 20:12-15. They are the books that record the works we accomplished during our lifetime. On the ground of those deeds, a definite judgment is passed. What is noteworthy here, however, is that beside “the books,” special note is made of another book that is opened, namely, the “book of life.” Only those who cannot be found in this book are condemned. What kind of book is that? In Revelation 21:27, it is made known that this is about “the Lamb’s book of life.” Here Jesus Christ is central. Here the names can be found of those for whom he shed his blood. Then, if it is so that also here, works are brought to light, then it will be the works that were left in our lives after our clothes were washed in the blood of the Lamb. Being reconciled in his blood, our works follow us, says Revelation 14:13. That which we have done will be judged by him as good, perfect, “without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). Before God’s holiness, our works continue to exist because they are made holy by none other than his own Son. Unbelievable but true!

Either Good or Bad←⤒🔗

Once you fully comprehend this, you also gain better insight into that other text that often has a role in speaking of the last judgment. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For 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.”

This is again a text that, when you first hear it, can make you uneasy. You see a scale in front of you. For you it can go in either direction; it may go well for you, or else your life is too wicked to be able to continue before God. As I formulate it in these words, you will immediately notice how unreformed this line of thought really is. Do we not believe that we ourselves, with our own lives, can never be righteous before God! We are blessed to live by grace, and by grace alone. Paul is then not at all speaking about a balance scale. In this section—with an image from the Lord Jesus—sheep and goats are separated from each other. Your life before God is either good or wicked; there is no other possibility. It is a bipartite division already presented earlier in this chapter by Paul, especially in verse 3: “If indeed by putting it [our heavenly dwelling] on we may not be found naked”! Exactly for that reason, he gave us his Spirit (verse 5), to more and more be made new by God from the inside out, so that, later, we might carry away all the good we did in our lives through the grace of God.

Another Person←⤒🔗

Seen in this light, it also becomes clear to us that this has consequences for our lives. This changes people; there is no question about it. There is no question about whether this would make you indolent, because it will all come out right. Rather, this hugely inspires us to go to work, when everything we do now has value for eternity! Would it not be exactly the other way around: that a gospel wherein you have to wait and see at the last judgment how you stand is paralyzing so that little comes from your hands? Time after time, you lay your deeds on a balance scale, and time after time the balance shows that you are short, that your sins outweigh your good deeds. At first you might fight this with all your strength, but the longer it takes, the more discouraged you become. This does not even mention how this works when we don’t believe anything anymore except that we are incapable of anything good and inclined to all evil. Then there is no point starting anymore! Happily, here the confession points out the way to us (Answer 8 of the Heidelberg Catechism): “Yes, unless we are regenerated by the Spirit of God.” Without that sentence, we live by a half-truth, whereas only the full truth makes us free. Yes, Jesus Christ does that, in his person. He placed himself before God’s judgment seat and “removed all the curse from me” (again, Answer 52, Heidelberg Catechism). Through him, I am free of sin and death! Because of him, I can, in the future, await him with uplifted head. How blessed we are that at the last day, the last judgment belongs to my Saviour.