The God of heaven commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). This universal edict has been given because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the One He resurrected and declared to be the Son of God with power (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:4).
All humanity will be gathered before Christ’s judgment seat, and each will be judged according to his works. No one is as qualified for this weighty and sobering responsibility as Jesus, the Righteous Judge.
Jesus is the Righteous Judge because He Himself is righteous. The Gentile soldier at His cross announced, “Certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47). The Jewish disciple who rubbed elbows with Him on a daily basis for over three years declared Him to be “Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Because of His hunger and thirst for righteousness, He lived sinlessly (1 Peter 2:22) and suffered once for sin–the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18).
Jesus is the Righteous Judge because He is impartial. Even His enemies noted He was no respecter of persons (Matthew 22:16). This virtue of character is essential to the rule of law and genuine justice in the kingdom of heaven. For judgment to be righteous, it must be done without partiality. Concerning His partiality Jesus declared, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
Jesus is the Righteous Judge because He has the ability to discern between righteousness and unrighteousness. Repeatedly during His earthly ministry, Jesus flawlessly distinguished between genuine righteousness and its imitators. His great sermon on righteousness in Matthew 5-7 (the sermon on the mount) is an authoritative textbook of how to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age.
Jesus is the Righteous Judge because He will use a righteous standard for His judgment. God’s judgment is always according to truth (Romans 2:2). Therefore, the word of righteousness (Hebrews 5:13) containing the very words spoken by Jesus (John 12:48) will be the righteous standard used by the Righteous Judge to dispense righteous judgment. In the new covenant inaugurated by His righteous blood, there are righteous commands to be obeyed and every righteous warning needs to be heeded. We are without excuse if we are ignorant of them.
Jesus is the Righteous Judge because He has the authority to punish the unrighteous and to reward the righteous. With an innumerable host of angels serving as His bailiffs (2 Thessalonians 1:7), everyone shall appear before His judgment seat. Both great and small shall come before His great white throne to hear His verdict. All sentences handed down by the righteous judge will be carried out promptly and irreversibly.
Even the devil himself will not be exempt from Christ’s righteous condemnation of eternal punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone, being tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). All those who know not God and do not obey Christ’s gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction (2 Thes.1:8-9). The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars shall also have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8).
All those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 20:12) and have followed the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4)–being faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10) shall be blessed and will inherit the heavenly kingdom (Matthew 25:34).
This blessing of eternal life will not have been earned by any of its recipients. It will be because the Righteous Judge has kept His word of graciously blessing all those who obey His gospel (Mark 16:15-16).
