The Final Judgment
As taught in the Baptist tradition
Teaching that God will judge all people, resulting in eternal reward or eternal punishment.
The doctrine of the Final Judgment stands as the ultimate "amen" to the narrative of redemptive history. Within the Baptist tradition, this subtopic answers the most fundamental question of cosmic justice: How will the Creator finally and perfectly resolve the tension between His absolute holiness and the pervasive presence of human rebellion? For the Baptist, the Final Judgment is not merely a terrifying prospect for the wicked or a clinical accounting for the righteous; it is the public vindication of the glory of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is the moment when the "hidden things of darkness" are brought to light and the righteousness of God’s government over the universe is displayed before all sentient beings.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the distinct biblical roles of Jesus Christ as both Mediator and Judge in the Baptist eschatological framework.
- **Distinguish** between the "Judgment Seat of Christ" (Bema) for believers and the "Great White Throne Judgment" for the unregenerate.
- **Explain** the relationship between justification by faith and the biblical language of "judgment according to works."
- **Articulate** the Baptist rejection of Purgatory and "Soul Sleep" based on the Scripture anchors provided.
- **Trace** the historical development of the doctrine from the 1689 London Baptist Confession to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
- **Defend** the necessity of a final, literal judgment against modern theories of universalism or moral relativism.
- **Apply** the reality of the Final Judgment to the practice of personal holiness and the urgency of local church evangelism.
- **Compare** the Baptist view of the final state (Heaven and Hell) with alternative views like annihilationism or conditional immortality.
Scripture
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