Judgment Day Question

[Tommy999]

When a person dies and is judged by God, will that person be judged on what he believes and on his actions in this life and whether or not he contritely repents of his sins, or can he also be judged for the faith community to which he belongs and what they teach?

For example: If a person believes X because that is what his faith tradition teaches on topic Y, will he be judged harshly if that belief is found to be incorrect in the end? For example, if a Jehovah’s Witness lives his whole life as a sincere JW and dies in that faith, will God hold him personally responsible for the faith errors he was raised in or will He have mercy and judge his heart?

I apologize if this is a hard post to understand. I hesitated before submitting it.

Context:
I know a handyman who does work for us at our house sometimes who is a Jehovah’s Witness and comes from a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is a very nice man and very ethical and hard-working and a decent person, but he is not a Christian as I understand it. I was conjecturing what would happen to him on Judgment Day.

 

[Darryl_B]

When a person dies and is judged by God, will that person be judged on what he believes and on his actions in this life and whether or not he contritely repents of his sins, or can he also be judged for the faith community to which he belongs and what they teach?

For example: If a person believes X because that is what his faith tradition teaches on topic Y, will he be judged harshly if that belief is found to be incorrect in the end? For example, if a Jehovah’s Witness lives his whole life as a sincere JW and dies in that faith, will God hold him personally responsible for the faith errors he was raised in or will He have mercy and judge his heart?

I apologize if this is a hard post to understand. I hesitated before submitting it.

Context:
I know a handyman who does work for us at our house sometimes who is a Jehovah’s Witness and comes from a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is a very nice man and very ethical and hard-working and a decent person, but he is not a Christian as I understand it. I was conjecturing what would happen to him on Judgment Day.

The things we believe as tenets, will often affect how we view the character of the Father, how we view the character of Jesus Christ, how we view the character of the Holy Spirit, how we view saints, how we view others, and how we view ourselves. Boundaries of Limitations “you are a hard man reaping where you do not sow”. Boundaries of Power and boundaries of Relevance. Would it be wrong for a JW to convert a Catholic in God’s eyes? Would it be wrong to rend the Church apart in God’s eyes? These are actions based on the tenets we hold.

 

[Tomdstone]

I look at what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 25:
34 Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in;
36 naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.’
37 Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we Thee hungering and fed Thee, or thirsty and gave Thee drink?
38 When saw we Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and clothed Thee?
39 Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?’
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’

I don’t see here where He says that you are saved by faith alone or where He says you have to belong to a particular church? He seems to be emphatic that it is your good works that will save you.

 

[Alex_H]

When a person dies and is judged by God, will that person be judged on what he believes and on his actions in this life and whether or not he contritely repents of his sins, or can he also be judged for the faith community to which he belongs and what they teach?

For example: If a person believes X because that is what his faith tradition teaches on topic Y, will he be judged harshly if that belief is found to be incorrect in the end? For example, if a Jehovah’s Witness lives his whole life as a sincere JW and dies in that faith, will God hold him personally responsible for the faith errors he was raised in or will He have mercy and judge his heart?

I apologize if this is a hard post to understand. I hesitated before submitting it.

Context:
I know a handyman who does work for us at our house sometimes who is a Jehovah’s Witness and comes from a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is a very nice man and very ethical and hard-working and a decent person, but he is not a Christian as I understand it. I was conjecturing what would happen to him on Judgment Day.

If he has never heard the truth or even become remotely aware of it, then I don’t think God would hold him accountable for his ignorance. For instance, say this man has very little contact with the outside world and thus has never encountered a Christian. Then I think he would not be to blame.

 

[Wannano]

If he has never heard the truth or even become remotely aware of it, then I don’t think God would hold him accountable for his ignorance. For instance, say this man has very little contact with the outside world and thus has never encountered a Christian. Then I think he would not be to blame.

If he is a good JW he will have encountered a Christian!

 

[arthra]

For me “Judgement Day” happens when we are faced with a truth and decide whether or not we are going to accept it or reject it…

Now the question is what is the “truth”? Jesus asked Pilate that question.

 

[superwimp]

Hello Tommy,
Responding to your question from a faith system where reincarnation is a major factor, we view our lives here as another learning experience rather than a test. Each lifetime we take on a package which involves who are family will be, where we will live, what religion we have, etc. dependent on many factors. There may be a final judgement day and some sort of ultimate goal that we need to attain, but it will be after many lifetimes. What are beliefs in any particular experience were won't matter.

 

[Wannano]

For me “Judgement Day” happens when we are faced with a truth and decide whether or not we are going to accept it or reject it…

Now the question is what is the “truth”? Jesus asked Pilate that question.

Actually PIlate asked Jesus that question…

 

[po18guy]

There is not a single scriptural reference to being judged either on faith or belief. Zero. Zip. Nada. Revelation 11, 19 and 20 teach that we will be judged according to our works - what we have done.

 

[exnihilo]

He will be judged by his works. We aren’t judged by what we believe. But, what we know, which would include what we are taught, makes a difference as to our culpability.

‘If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin’

‘For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’

I think this is a difficult subject. We have certainly been taught about judgment. But judgment is ultimately God’s so we are limited in what we can know about it. One thing about Catholic doctrine is those who adhere to the tenets of the Faith certainly don’t think they’ll be saved because of their beliefs. But they don’t even presume they will be saved because they can’t know. Rather, they pray for final perseverance.

 

[signit]

This brings up the doctrine of “baptism of desire.”

Apparently, from a tract on this site, a person like that could be saved:

Notice that the same Fathers who declare the normative necessity of being Catholic also declare the possibility of salvation for some who are not Catholics.

These can be saved by what later came to be known as “baptism of blood” or " baptism of desire" (for more on this subject, see the Fathers Know Best tract, The Necessity of Baptism).

. . .

However, for those who knowingly and deliberately (that is, not out of innocent ignorance) commit the sins of heresy (rejecting divinely revealed doctrine) or schism (separating from the Catholic Church and/or joining a schismatic church), no salvation would be possible until they repented and returned to live in Catholic unity.

If he is a good JW he will have encountered a Christian!

This brings up the question of “knowingly and deliberately.”

If he came from a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he might have been told that mainstream Christian churches are run by Satan and teach false doctrines. Suppose one day he went preaching to my aunt and heard the Catholic side of the story; he might not have had the frame of mind to consider it, through no fault of his own.

 

[Wannano]

He will be judged by his works. We aren’t judged by what we believe.

. One thing about Catholic doctrine is those who adhere to the tenets of the Faith certainly don’t think they’ll be saved because of their beliefs. But they don’t even presume they will be saved because they can’t know. Rather, they pray for final perseverance.

If you truly represent the belief of the Catholic Church by saying we will not be judged by our beliefs but only by our works then I cannot understand the meaning of the following verses:

Romans 10:9 …if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:25 & 26 …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?

 

[signit]

If you truly represent the belief of the Catholic Church by saying we will not be judged by our beliefs but only by our works then I cannot understand the meaning of the following verses:

Romans 10:9 …if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:25 & 26 …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?

Right; but the Catholic belief is that faith without works is “dead.”

We believe that God insists on more than just lip service, not just a statement that someone’s a Christian, but also living accordingly.

 

[Wannano]

Right; but the Catholic belief is that faith without works is “dead.”

We believe that God insists on more than just lip service, not just a statement that someone’s a Christian, but also living accordingly.

Absolutely, I agree. In fact couldn’t agree more. Works are a result of our belief and we will be known by our fruit.

 

[Tommy999]

If you truly represent the belief of the Catholic Church by saying we will not be judged by our beliefs but only by our works then I cannot understand the meaning of the following verses:

Romans 10:9 …if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:25 & 26 …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?

Yes, I believe it the combination of faith and works that is important.

Thanks to everyone for the contributions. I will continue to pray for this JW man, who is of commendable character and honesty and very nice otherwise.

On a side note, I do not find it easy to share my faith in person. I prefer to lead by example by my actions and answer questions about my faith if I am asked, but I do not push my faith on anyone. However, I will let the Holy Spirit lead me to share with this man if that is what I am supposed to do in the future.

 

[ajcstr]

I don’t see here where He says that you are saved by faith alone or where He says you have to belong to a particular church? He seems to be emphatic that it is your good works that will save you.

Yes, all the passages dealing with judgement relate to works, but you can’t throw out the rest of the Bible and say its JUST works. Is the same manner you can’t throw out the rest if the Bible and say JUST faith. Without God’s grace no one could be saved no matter what they did. The term Paul used “faith working through love” to me is the key.

 

[ajcstr]

I know a handyman who does work for us at our house sometimes who is a Jehovah’s Witness and comes from a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is a very nice man and very ethical and hard-working and a decent person, but he is not a Christian as I understand it. I was conjecturing what would happen to him on Judgment Day.

I was actually going to post something similar today, more from the angle that there are so many people, honestly seeking the truth, but ending up “finding” it in different places. And that’s just within Christianity and its offshoots. Maybe that’s where “Baptism of desire” comes in. I think the Catholic Church is pretty specific when it says there is no salvation outside the Church if someone realizes the truth is in the Church and chooses not to be a part of it. I would hope that those that really seek will eventually find even if it appears that they did not on the surface.

 

[Darryl_B]

A willful rejection of Church teaching could be considered an act of disobedience. A willful searching but not finding could be considered an act of obedience.

 

[ajcstr]

A willful rejection of Church teaching could be considered an act of disobedience. A willful searching but not finding could be considered an act of obedience.

I had to read this a few time, but I agree (I think)

 

[exnihilo]

If you truly represent the belief of the Catholic Church by saying we will not be judged by our beliefs but only by our works then I cannot understand the meaning of the following verses:

Romans 10:9 …if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:25 & 26 …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?

Right, we have to reconcile all of the teaching. And we have to keep in mind Holy Scripture is not a systematic theology text.

The Catholic position is that believing doesn’t mean simply an intellectual belief. This makes sense since the Epistle of James says even the demons beleive. Belief includes the idea of trusting in God and doing His will. The important thing is that merely believing is not enough if you continue to live a life of gross immorality.