Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: If a believer lives soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, he will hear the "well done" of the Lord when he is received into the everlasting habitations. But in this verse, we are concerned with the actions of a believer which are not in the will of God. Such acts are sin.

Each separate act, like a coin, has heads and tails: sin and works. The sin side of any action is removed by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the works side will be brought before each one of us.

Guest (Male): Over a half a century ago, the late Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, then pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, saw the need to spread God's Word beyond the hearing of his local congregation. He started the radio ministry which has become known as Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible.

The application of God's Word as taught by Dr. Barnhouse is as relevant today as when he first taught over the radio airwaves decades ago. The message we'll be featuring on today's edition of Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is entitled "Judgment for Every Man."

In John chapter 5, we read that Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will not come into judgment but has passed from death to life. But on the surface, this seems to contradict our text in Romans 14, which states that every believer will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. What kind of judgment will we face as Christians and how are we to live in light of this?

The scripture text for this edition of Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is Romans chapter 14 and verse 10. Here again is Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse with a message entitled "Judgment for Every Man."

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we come unto Thee, our Father and our God, and in the Holy Spirit. Wilt Thou speak to us in this hour and convey to each one of us the great fact that we are beloved by Thee, that we may be so joined to Thee that our daily lives may manifest the fact that all that we have and all that we are comes moment by moment from Thee? We ask it in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

We come now in our study of the epistle to the Romans to the 14th chapter and 10th verse where we read, "Why do you pass judgment upon your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." We have seen that every act in the life of a Christian bears eternal consequence. This is a sobering thought and we must pursue it further.

Listen to the Word of God: "I tell you, on the day of judgment, men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

"We render service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is slave or free. Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality."

There are those who say that the Bible distinction between sin and works is a distinction between acts of sin and acts of Christian service. We believe that we have refuted this idea. The sinful act has a work aspect, and this will be judged. The redemption provided by Jesus Christ does not allow for slovenly living.

God is not a sentimental old grandmother who will allow a child to get away with willful and selfish acts of disobedience. That believers will be rewarded for good works is, of course, evident from the scriptures, but we must let the Lord determine what are good works, for He has said that at the best we are all unprofitable servants.

The series of verses which we have quoted demonstrates that the deeds of the believers will face them as works when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Since then all the lies, the gossip, the slander of Christians about one another shall be brought into the light of the judgment seat of Christ.

How careful we should be of our hearts and our tongues. The dishonesty, the impurity, envy, strife, and other works of the flesh will be brought to the judgment seat of Christ and will be taken into account in determining the position of the believer in the day of rewards or loss of rewards. How we should search our hearts in the light of these truths. What have we done to ourselves?

On her bureau my wife has a picture of me that was taken when I was three years old. It is evidence that my mother was very proud of me. I was dressed in Scotch kilts with high button shoes and was holding an ebony cane. My hair, the color of corn silk, fell in long ringlets around my head.

My face, all round and innocent, stares out at me from that picture. It is as though the baby says to the man, "What have you done to me?" and I cannot answer because of my tears. I look into his eyes and he looks back at me, that strange little being there that I now call myself.

The child wounded the baby, the boy wounded the child, the young man wounded the boy, the older man wounded the younger man. Life whirls around before my eyes in kaleidoscopic fashion and each turn of the pattern reminds me of something I could have done better.

I could have kept this boy from wasting his time on non-essentials. I could have kept this young man so that his face would have been more firmly set towards the goal. Beside the baby picture, there is one taken more recently. It proves the truth of the Bible that the outward man perishes.

The path of physical dissolution is clearly staked. By faith we know that the inward man is renewed day by day and we know it by experience also. But what pangs must be suffered as we realize that the potential of the child was never realized in the man and that the great lacks of today are occasioned by the directions that were taken in years long gone by.

How necessary it is for older Christians to warn the younger that the patterns of their lives are being formed now and that issues of eternity are involved in the choices that are made in time. Let us live then in the light of eternity. If we do not, we are weighting the scales against our eternal welfare.

Anything that would lessen the force of this argument must be seen in its true light: the self-deception of the flesh. We must understand that whatsoever a man soweth must be taken in its widest meaning and that every thought and intent of the heart shall be brought under the scrutiny of our Lord at His coming.

There are Christians who have committed every known kind of sin. We have only to read the epistles where the Holy Spirit calls us away from these things to realize that He knows that Christians do these things. Envy, jealousy, strife, fornication, uncleanness, lying, slander, backbiting, and every manner of evil doing are set forth by the Holy Spirit, and believers are called to forsake them.

This proves that born-again believers have been guilty of these very things. Some may have been guilty of all and all most certainly have been guilty of some. The question is now asked, "But if we confess our sins, do we not find forgiveness?" Certainly.

But as we have seen, there are some things that are not affected by forgiveness. After the sinner has found mercy and after the saint has found forgiveness, several things remain to be dealt with. Do we think for one moment that the terrible words "that shall he also reap" are confined to this life alone?

Shall not much of the reaping be done beyond the grave? If this is not so, then there is little strength in the words, "I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown." Can we think for one moment that death is sufficient to wipe out all the neglected duties, all the lost opportunities, all the wasted time of this life?

Death is described in the Bible as the last enemy that is to be destroyed. But if death passes the sponge across all of my weaknesses and infidelities, erasing them all, then death is a beloved friend. Be not deceived; no such idea can be found in the Word of God. Rather, the contrary is set forth in many places.

There is a reward for those who have grown steadily in grace, who have patiently continued in well-doing. God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake. We can be sure that at the judgment seat of Christ there will be a marked difference between the Christian who has lived his life before the Lord with his eye clearly discerning what was for the glory of God and another Christian who was saved in a rescue mission at the tag end of a depraved and vicious life, or a so-called moral Christian saved on his deathbed after a life of self-pride, self-righteousness, self-love, and self-sufficiency.

All will be in heaven, but the differences between them will be eternal. We may be sure that the consequences of our character will survive the grave and that we will meet those consequences at the judgment seat of Christ. In the second place, forgiveness does not do away with the effects of our deeds upon the lives of others.

A Christian under great temptation may abscond with the estate of a widow. He is apprehended and sent to jail. His family suffers torments and so does the widow. But justice must be done. Such debts are not paid by confession and forgiveness. Because a sinner finds mercy with God, there's no ground to assume that all the evils of his life are thereby righted.

His broken promises are not fulfilled. His thefts are not restored. The mother who bends her daughter to a life of vanity does not see her daughter restored because she, the mother, is converted. The father who teaches his son that a selfish angle is the most important thing in life will meet his deeds at the judgment bar of God.

Recently a father suffered the ignominy of seeing his son expelled from a great theological seminary because the boy was caught cheating. In almost the same month it was discovered that the father was $50,000 short in his accounts. Can repentance pay the $50,000 and above all, can repentance in the father nullify the bent that was given to the son who was raised in a home atmosphere of fundamental dishonesty?

Oh, how we should be moved with godly fear. How we should guard our tongues. How we should watch our every act, our every word, our every look. I have never kept statistics in connection with our work, but I'm sure it would be an understatement to say that at least 200 young people have gone into the ministry or into the mission field after being saved through this work.

And yet, when someone once remarked to me that there would be a great reward for me, I must admit that my mind went racing to other unkept statistics concerning persons who stumbled perhaps because of something that I said or did. How often have I applied to myself the words of Christ, "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

I'm not thinking of the narrow-minded hypocrites who are offended as the Pharisees were offended by Christ. Of these I care little except to love them and desire for their repentance. But I am thinking of cases where I believe some of Christ's true little ones were hurt by something I said or did.

In the light of these facts, we can readily understand the meaning of our text: "Why do you pass judgment upon your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." The Greek of our text states that we are all to stand before the judgment seat of God.

There are abundant passages to show that we are to stand before God the Son. In the house of Cornelius, Peter announced that God commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He, Christ, is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. On Mars' Hill in Athens, Paul announced the same truth: "God commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed, and of this He has given assurance to all men by raising that man from the dead."

To believers it is specifically stated that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We know what it is to appear in court, but the Greek word used here is much stronger than what is required by an earthly subpoena. For a man may appear in an earthly court, hiding in his heart guilty knowledge which the court is unable to discover.

And a guilty man may walk out of an earthly court free, yet not innocent. But the believer must appear in a quite different sense. The American Standard Version translates it, "We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ." The idea is more fully expressed elsewhere.

In a passage that describes the written Word of God in its oneness with Christ the living Word, we read, "The logos discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart and before Him no creature is hidden but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Each believer will be revealed in his true light.

This is what Paul says in his discussion with the Corinthian believers. Some of them had criticized him most harshly and he answers in the fourth chapter of the first epistle: "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God."

This passage is much stronger in the original, for that which is rendered in English by "man's judgment" or in the Revised Standard Version by "human court" is literally in the Greek "man's day." We have seen women shopping for cloth take the bolt out into the light of day in order to see its colors. Not by the off-light of the store, but by the clear light of the sun.

This is the idea that is presented in this text. "With me," says Paul, "it's a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by man's day." Where does human light come from? From an intelligence that is fallen and depraved. The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.

It does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Remember therefore that every action in which you are involved is judged by those around you only in the light of man's day. If you have been activated by the Holy Spirit, you need not care how this light appears to men.

Just as a great fire casts over a city a pall of smoke in which objects are distorted and colors falsified, so sin has cast its great pall over the human race and nothing that touches it or is touched by it can be seen in true color and perspective. Today only that which is seen through the Bible is true.

And only the coming of the Lord who is light and in whom dwelleth no darkness at all can bring proper illumination to the hearts of men. In that divine light, the personal character and conduct of the believer will be revealed. The purpose of this manifestation, the text in Corinthians continues, is so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body.

A close examination of our text in Romans shows that it refers chiefly to the relationship between Christians. It is sad to contemplate that one of the prevailing sins of Christians is the judgment and lack of consideration of fellow Christians. All our dealings with fellow Christians must be brought out at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The amount of innuendo, slander, backbiting, envy, jealousy, gossiping and lying among Christians is a first-class scandal. Christians even slander each other by the tone of voice they use in prayer sometimes. "Oh Lord, we pray Thee for dear brother so-and-so. Thou knowest how much he needs our prayers."

And it's spoken in such a voice that a stranger would wonder what the dear brother had been doing. In fact, some Christians satisfy the carnal inclination of their old nature by just such fleshly practices and think they are being spiritual. But the motives for all such judgments shall be brought to light in the day of Christ.

At this point it should be noted once more that God is judging both the strong and the weak. The weak is not to judge his stronger brother. The strong is not to set at naught, to despise, the weaker brother. Pride and arrogance are not unknown in the lives of Christians, but their exercise toward fellow Christians is recorded by God and will be dealt with at the Lord's judgment throne.

In view of the strength of the biblical language, it is not astonishing that one commentator wrote, "I suppose the quarrels and differences among saints will form a large part of the judgment seat inquiry. What evils they have wrought, what appalling havoc, yes, what destruction. Tens of thousands have fallen under the burden that might have lived and served Christ happily but for the pride, the anger, the cruelty, and the malice of fellow believers."

So the Bible warns us that we may squander our resources so that we have no treasure laid up in heaven. We are told to take heed lest we lose our crown. We may be ashamed before Him at His coming. We may suffer loss. Our works may be burned and we ourselves may be saved so as by fire.

The world has a foolish idea of going to heaven when we die. That is to an indiscriminate heaven of unvaried bliss into which all Christians are swept irrespective of all else. Grace to such is merely another word for irresponsibility. Forgiveness supposedly wipes out everything: character, injustice, cruel and continuing wrongs, and leaves all on the dead level of no responsibility and no accountability.

"It's all right for we go to heaven, nothing else really matters." Oh, let us fear lest we conceive the same folly in our hearts. Man is never irresponsible. Grace does not relieve him of accountability. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

But we can take heart in remembering that it is also the throne of our Savior. We shall stand before the One who died for us. It is our loving Lord and bridegroom whom we shall face. Yes, we shall be in the hands of our Savior and we shall accept without hesitation whatever judgment He meets to us, knowing that it is only by His grace that we should be there at all, let alone that we should hear any word of praise.

So let us fling ourselves again on the man who died for us. And our God and Father, we pray Thee to bless this truth to each listening heart in this hour. We ask it in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Guest (Male): Every act in the life of a Christian bears eternal consequences. Let us then live in such a manner so as to hear the Lord say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." We hope you have benefited from today's message by Dr. Barnhouse entitled "Judgment for Every Man."

To listen to additional teaching by Dr. Barnhouse, visit us online at alliancenet.org. An audio copy of today's teaching is available by calling us toll-free, 1-800-488-1888. Today's message again is entitled "Judgment for Every Man" or simply request message number R14-13.

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Ask for your free copy of "The Gospel We Like to Hear" when you call or write. Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is a radio ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We exist to promote a biblical understanding and worldview.

Drawing upon the insight and wisdom of Reformation theologians from decades and even centuries gone by, we seek to provide contemporary Christian teaching which will equip believers to understand and meet the challenges and opportunities of our time and place. We also produce the radio broadcast "The Bible Study Hour" featuring the teachings of the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice, and "Every Last Word" featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Philip Graham Ryken.

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