Do works determine destiny in judgment?

"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another." Thus Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to His disciples the scene of the great judgment day. And He represented its decision as turning upon one point. When the nations are gathered before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and the suffering. {DA 637.1}

In that day Christ does not present before men the great work He has done for them in giving His life for their redemption. He presents the faithful work they have done for Him. To those whom He sets upon His right hand He will say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me." But those whom Christ commends know not that they have been ministering unto Him. To their perplexed inquiries He answers, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." {DA 637.2}

1. Their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do.

2. In that day Christ does not present before men the great work He has done for them in giving His life for their redemption.

3. He presents the faithful work they have done for Him.

". . . Christ does not present before men the great work He has done for them . . ." What does this mean? Most people seem to believe Jesus presents His righteousness in judgment to justify and vindicate salvation of sinners.

I'm surprised no one is interested in studying this statement.

You made it clear enough.

Matthew
12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

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.

Revelation
20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

People who are expecting Jesus to present His righteousness on their behalf in judgment are in for a big surprise. However, what about the following insights:

But the gospel of good news was not to be interpreted as allowing men to live in continued rebellion against God by transgressing his just and holy law. Why cannot those who claim to understand the Scriptures, see that God's requirement under grace is just the same he made in Eden,--perfect obedience to his law. In the Judgment, God will ask those who profess to be Christians, Why did you claim to believe in my Son, and continue to transgress my law? Who required this at your hands--to trample upon my rules of righteousness? "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." The gospel of the New Testament is not the Old Testament standard lowered to meet the sinner and save him in his sins. God requires of all his subjects obedience, entire obedience to all his commandments. He demands now as ever perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. Christ is our hope and our refuge. His righteousness only is imputed to the obedient. Let us accept it through faith, that the Father shall find in us no sin. But those who have trampled on the holy law will have no right to claim that righteousness. Oh that we might view the immensity of the plan of salvation as obedient children to all God's requirements, believing that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ, our atoning sacrifice! {RH, September 21, 1886 par. 16}

"Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Christ has paid a dear price for the mansions which he has gone to prepare for those who believe in him. Those who shall inhabit those mansions must be fitted for the society of heaven by the righteousness of Christ, and by the work of the Holy Spirit. The preparation for heaven must be made in probationary time, and there must now be submission to the work of the Spirit of God on the heart, in order that the soul may be brought into communication with heaven, and may be educated to enjoy the realities of the eternal world. The righteousness of Christ, which will be imputed to the believing soul, will be the title by which his entrance into heaven will be assured. Through the influence of the Spirit of God, the believer is transformed in character; his taste is refined, his judgment is sanctified, and he becomes complete in Christ. The love that was manifested toward him in the death of Christ, awakens a response of thankful love, and in answer to sincere prayer, the believer is brought from grace to grace, from glory to glory, until by beholding Christ, he is changed into the same image. {YI, December 6, 1894 par. 4}

Or, the work they had done against Him, like those who persecuted the prophets in their time, or misrepresented the words of scripture without repentance.

These will be on the other side where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

ANYONE who has presented their teachings in contradiction of the will of the Father and do not repent, it would be better for the a millstone to be tied around their necks and thrown into the ocean.

James, yes, the other side of the equation is equally as true. Words and works, whether right or wrong, will determine destiny in judgment. But more importantly, people should study this topic to understand the proper relationship of holy, righteous words and works in judgment. Too many people mistakenly believe that Jesus will present His words and works, that their destiny in judgment will be based on His words and works. Such erroneous thinking could lead people to downplay the importance of good words and works. It could also cause them to lightly regard the gift of repentance. We must be motivated to fight the good fight of faith. We must be willing to sweat blood rather than give in to temptation. Knowing the truth about the role of good words and works in judgment is key.

I don't think anyone says that Christ presents His righteousness before men to justify and vindicate salvation of sinners. That would be silly.

However, He presents before God His own spotless perfection, in place of our imperfection. Sinful as our lives may have been, His character stands in place of our character.

But when men wonder why they are saved, Jesus presents before these men their fruits, which prove their life-giving connection to God. In this case, human works are presented. But when it comes to showing whether or not one has kept the law sufficiently to merit life, only Christ's life meets the standard.

Don't get confused about who is presenting what to whom and for what.

Arnold, here's the passage:


She is describing the Great White Throne, the Great Judgment Day. The Father is definitely present. "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it . . . And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . . and they were judged every man according to their works." They stand before God and are judged according to their words and works. Their eternal reward and destiny is based on their words and works. "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

PS - I agree with you Jesus will present His blood and righteousness to atone for past sins. However, He will also present their words and works. Both are presented during judgment to determine eternal reward and destiny.

How do you know the true fruits of those who claim they follow Christ...and God knows, its no longer in question. God then judges accordingly.

We were enjoying fine dining at a restaurant yesterday morning. My wife ordered multigrain pancakes but the chef mistakenly prepared buttermilk. She told the waiter it was no problem. However, half way through our meal he handed her a take-home order of multigrain pancakes complete with syrup, butter, and fresh fruit. We looked at each other in amazement and in unison we said, "Jesus just provided a meal for someone homeless and hungry." We left the restaurant in search for the "someone". Not more than a block away we spied a lady huddled with her meager belongings on the street. She was delighted. So were we. And so was Jesus!

Look at the part of the quote I left above. Note what Jesus DOES NOT present.

Are you sure this passage is talking about the Judgment where everyone's destiny is determined? Remember, on the day described by this passage, Christ's death is not presented. Is this the day when the judgment is made whether or not an individual will receive eternal life or eternal death? Perhaps it is the day when the verdicts of the Judgment are revealed, not determined.

Misunderstanding this issue could very well lead to the idea that our works are the basis for receiving eternal life. Some people may believe exactly that, but they would be wrong.

Nice.

Arnold, good question and good point. Again, Ellen White wrote: "Thus Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to His disciples the scene of the great judgment day. And He represented its decision as turning upon one point. When the nations are gathered before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and the suffering. {DA 637.1}

Decisions during the great day of judgment will turn upon one point, namely, their words and works. Their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done.

Just a quickie.

Thus actions repeated form habits, habits form character, and by the character our destiny for time and for eternity is decided. {COL 356.2}

Words do not always mean the same thing all the time. We must be careful how we put the puzzle together.

To say that our eternal life is based on our works, and not on Christ's sacrifice, would be a messed up puzzle. There's a lot of texts we can find to make sure we don't end up there.

Man looks at our works, as some works are for show, such as the work of the Pharisees, but Christ looks at the motives behind our works.

God looks at all of the above - words, works, motive, and the resulting traits of character. All of it plays a part in judgment and in determining eternal reward and destiny.

Arnold, I agree. The atoning blood and righteousness of Jesus plays a crucial role in judgment. No doubt about it. However, it is also true decisions during the great day of judgment will turn upon one point, namely, words and works. Eternal destiny will be determined by what has and has not been done. Faith without works is dead. Being forgiven and covered is not sufficient. The unprofitable servant will not be saved. Good words and works are needful without which no one will be saved. It seems like nowadays people downplay the importance of good words and deeds. If they understood the truth about it they might be more motivated to fight the good fight of faith.

Hasn't anyone read Revelation 22:12?

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Good works are important, but for a very different purpose than effecting one's salvation. If one was trying to gain eternal life through his good works, he would be no better than the Pharisees.

The Waldenses longed to break to these starving souls the bread of life, to open to them the messages of peace in the promises of God, and to point them to Christ as their only hope of salvation. The doctrine that good works can atone for the transgression of God's law they held to be based upon falsehood. Reliance upon human merit intercepts the view of Christ's infinite love. Jesus died as a sacrifice for man because the fallen race can do nothing to recommend themselves to God. The merits of a crucified and risen Saviour are the foundation of the Christian's faith. {GC 73.1}

The righteousness of Christ is presented as a free gift to the sinner if he will accept it. He has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God. Only through the righteous character of Jesus Christ can man come nigh to God. {1SM 342.4}

Man can do nothing to merit the favor of heaven. That which avails for the sinner is to accept with gladness the sacrifice that Christ has made, to appreciate his love, and to lay hold of his righteousness by faith. {ST, February 22, 1892 par. 5}

All that man can possibly do toward his own salvation is to accept the invitation, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). {1SM 343.3}

Do you believe it teaches that our salvation will be based on our deeds?

I agree with the you have worded it in your post.

We are saved by grace and judged by our works, which includes all of the aspects stated in the above quoted post.

According to my Bible it sure has something to do with it.

Arnold, merit/salvation is based on what Jesus accomplished for us and reward/destiny is based on what He accomplishes in and through us.

Yes, there is a very strong correlation. But is there a causal relationship? There lies the crucial distinction between vital truth and deadly heresy.

I agree with this sentiment, with the possible exception of destiny being decided by Christ's works wrought through us (depending on the precise definition of destiny).

However, the passage you quoted is not referring to the process of deciding each person's destiny. If it did, that would mean that MEN would be making that decision. I don't think that is the case. The decision has already been made at this point, and is simply being revealed to men.