I've heard it said, "They will have to answer to God one day for that." Considering some
Scriptures that reference this (such as Romans 14:12, 1 Peter 4:5, & Matthew 12:36), that talk
about each of us giving an account of our life to God, what does this mean for a Christian covered
in the blood of Christ and forgiven and presented flawless  before God our Father only because of
Christ's sacrifice; although in our daily struggles we each fail and could have that original
statement said about each of us as Christians?

The certainty of the final judgment is a clear theme throughout Scripture. Popular wisdom states
only two things are certain: death and taxes. However, the Bible’s two certainties differ slightly:
“It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). We have God’s
Word on it, from both the Old and New Testaments. “For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl 12:14; see Ps 96:13). The
resurrection of Jesus Christ confirms this judgment: God “has fixed a day in which He will judge
the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all
men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). The concept of “eternal judgment” is a
foundational teaching of the Christian faith (Heb 6:1-2).

The truth that we will be judged based on our works is taught throughout Scripture. For example,
Jer 17:10 states, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according
to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Jesus says in Matt 16:27, “For the Son of Man
is going to come in the glory of His Father and with His angels, and will then repay every man
according to his deeds.” He declares in Rev 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward
is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” It is clear from 2 Cor 5:10
that this applies to both the saved and the unsaved alike: “For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

One reason for revealing all our deeds on the day of judgment is to show whether or not faith that
justifies us is present. Such an examination is not necessary for God’s sake, but it will be carried
out to demonstrate that God’s judgment is fair and impartial, showing that he is no “respecter of
persons” (Acts 10:34-35; Rom 2:6,11; Eph 6:8-9; Col 3:25; 1 Pet 1:17).

A close look at the judgment scene in Rev 20:11-15 shows that there is no conflict between
justification by faith and judgment based on works. This passage states:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven
fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their
deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead
which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And
if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

This passage suggests that there will be two stages in the final judgment. The first involves a
judgment based on “the books," which likely records all of people's deeds. The second involves a
judgment based on “the book of life” (v. 12). When John says “the books were opened,” it refers
either to the records of every person's actions or to the standard by which these actions are
judged. In either case, judgment by “the books" involves assessing deeds and applies to everyone
(vv. 12-13). However, this deeds-based judgment is not the final word.

Instead, the ultimate decision about each person’s destiny depends on judgment according to “the
book of life,” specifically, the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8; 21:27). The idea seems to be that,
after the initial judgment, based on works, no one is found worthy of heaven. But when the
Lamb’s book of life is checked, it’s found that some have trusted in God's grace rather than
their own works; these are the ones admitted into heaven—not because of their deeds, but
because of the blood of the Lamb. As it says, "if anyone’s name was not found written in the
book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (v. 15). Ultimately, this determines who will be
in heaven and who will be in hell. Full disclosure of our works at the threshold of heaven makes
it clear that our eternal salvation is solely due to God’s grace and mercy, and through the
blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. God’s mercy is ultimately glorified, and we will
enter heaven with hearts full of gratitude and praise for our Redeemer.