03 - RESPONSIBILITY TO DIVINE JUDGEMENT

THE RESPONSIBILITY QUESTION

Speaking to the Romans the Apostle wrote, "we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ", Rom. 14:10. Likewise to the Corinthians he said, "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ", 2 Cor.5:10. In a more general statement in 2 Tim.4:l he said that Christ would judge "the quick and the dead at his appearing", but not all the living and dead: only those who like the Roman and Corinthian brethren had become responsible to judgement by their knowledge of the truth.

Knowledge is the ground of responsibility - John 12:46-48, 15:22, 9:41, Rom.2:12-16. Those who have come to a knowledge of the Truth sufficient to bring them to a realisation of what God requires of them will be held accountable to judgement regardless of their response to that knowledge. This is evident from many scriptural passages - Luke 13:24-28, Matt. 8:10-12, Luke 10:9-16, etc. Mankind is divided into two major divisions by knowledge—the enlightened and the unenlightened. The enlightened group may be further divided into three according to the definitions provided by Peter - 1 Pet.4:17-18.

1 Peter 4:17-18

There are three distinct groups among those enlightened by the Truth.

They are, according to the Apostle Peter:

1. Righteous or godly saints

2. Ungodly saints

3. Enlightened sinners

The use of the terms 'saints' and 'sinners' distinguishes those who are responsible to divine judgement from those who are accountable to divine judgement, in this case. In fact mankind is basically divided into two classes, saints and sinners and each of these classes is again divided into two groups, namely, godly and ungodly saints and enlightened and unenlightened sinners.

SAINTS AND SINNERS

Everyone born under the constitution of sin is a "sinner',' being endowed with a nature that leads into sin - see Rom.5:19 and Elpis Israel pgs. 129-131. When one obeys the call of the gospel and enters into covenant relationship with God, he is called a "saint" or sanctified one - Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2.

RESPONSIBLE OR ACCOUNTABLE?

Responsibility is the state of being answerable for something entrusted to one's care. This is the position of those who enjoy covenant status, or "saints". They must answer for the way they deal with the charge delivered to them and for the way they discharge the responsibilities which covenant status confers upon them.

Accountability is liability to give an account. Those "sinners" who have been enlightened by the Truth but have refused to accept its responsibilities will nevertheless have to give an account of why they so refused. They will be held accountable to, but not responsible for the Truth they have ignored.

Hence the two classes and four groups may be seen as standing in relationship to divine judgement in the following way:

"Sinners" are justified by faith by responding to the teaching that is delivered to them, thus those who rejected it must give account as to why they rejected the Word - John 12:46-48.

"Saints" are justified by works by living the Word, hence they will be held responsible for the sacred deposit of the Truth delivered to them and must answer for the way they have used it. Thus it will be that they will either be godly or ungodly according to their actions.

UNIVERSAL RESURRECTION UNSCRIPTURAL

Only those responsible to judgement will be raised from the dead. The notion of a universal resurrection advanced by some religious sects is entirely unscriptural as evinced by the following passages: -