Many believers in Jesus are afraid of God and His punishment in this life. My heart goes out to them because they often interpret difficulty as Godโs punishment. A lady I visited in the hospital had just heard that her grandson was in a room one floor below her due to a motorcycle accident. She asked with fear in her eyes, โWhat have I done for God to do this to me?
An even greater number of believers are fearful of the judgment seat of Christ in the next life. They believe a movie of their lives will be shown when they stand before God. Some believe they will be embarrassed. Others believe they will receive punishment for their sins. I taught a retreat one time where a Christian who was a judge raised his hand to ask about this, saying, โWe wonโt have a movie shown in heaven and get punished?โ
What does God tell us about punishment for our sins, now and later? Letโs take a look.
โThere is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.โ 1 John 4:18. This is not about how much we love God but about how much He loves us. His love for us is perfect, independent of what we do or donโt do. It is based on what Jesus did, who proclaimed, โIt is finished.โ In other words, we donโt need to believe that bad circumstances are indicators of Godโs punishment.ย To the contrary, in Romans 8:38-39 He tells us that He loves us in the midst of those and is with us.
What about the next life? Will we be judged for our sins at the judgment seat of Christ? The great news is that because of Jesusโ death for us, we will never be judged for our sins. Hebrews 10:12 explains it like this. โBut when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.โ
Do you know why Jesus sat down? His sacrifice for our sins was perfect and eternal. Every sin you or I have or will commit was paid for by His blood. That means there will never be any sin we commit that will bring Godโs punishment in heaven!ย โThere is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.โ Romans 8:1
God is at peace with you, and you are at peace with Him.
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
Bestselling Author
Godโs Best-Kept Secret: Christianity Is Easier Than You Think
