When the Paul the Apostle was captured in Jerusalem prior to his imprisonment in Rome, he was taken to Caesarea for a couple of years. Felix was the Roman governor of Caesarea at the time and eventually Paul appeared before him to give his defense. Here is what happened.
Acts 24:24
And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. [KJV]
Drusilla was Felix’s wife and she was a Judean so she would have known about the Jewish faith and that fact that Israel was waiting for the coming of a Messiah. Paul was asked about his faith in Christ.
Acts 24:25
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come … [KJV]
So Paul told them about the justice of God and how Jesus Christ had paid the ultimate price to make people righteous. He also spoke about temperance or self-control – the very important principle of the Christian walk. Once you are saved and walk according to the Scriptures, you are not to be controlled by the passions and pressures of the world as most people in the world are. And then we read here that he spoke about the judgment to come and Felix’s response is very interesting.
Acts 24:15
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. [KJV]
When Felix heard about the judgment to come, he trembled. “Should You Be Afraid Of Judgment?” Felix certainly was and why was that the case?
What exactly is the judgment and who is it that will be judged? Well, according to the Scriptures Christians have already been judged in Christ and found righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. [KJV]
So every Christian believer has been found to be righteous in Christ. So what sort of judgment will a Christian face?
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. [KJV]
So the judgment for a Christian is really only about rewards and has nothing to do with salvation. All Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and receive reward based on what they have done. There are other videos on our website that speak about the reward for the works that Christians do if you would like more information on that topic. Since this judgment is all about reward, salvation is assured and there is no reason to be afraid, is there?
How about everyone else? Well, according to the Scriptures, God has given Jesus Christ the authority to judge everyone.
John 5:27-29
And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. [KJV]
Now this judgment has nothing to do with the Christian believer because as we have noted, every Christian has already been judged in Christ and found to be righteous. This is talking about the judgment for everyone else and this is why Felix trembled. You see whether you are a Christian or not, you will be judged. If you are a Christian, the judgment will only be about reward, if you are not, the judgment will be concerning life and death. Whether you believe this is going to happen or not does not change the truth of the Scriptures. What God’s Word says will come to pass. Now if Felix had accepted the information that Paul was giving him, he could easily have accepted Christ and only been party to the judgment that leads to reward. Then he would not have had to tremble any longer. If he had chosen to make Jesus his lord and believe that God had raised him from the dead, there would be no reason to be afraid of the judgment.
So, should you be afraid of the judgment? The answer to that question is yet another question, “Have you made Jesus your lord and believed that God has raised him from the dead?”