"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23–24).
"Keeping short accounts" with God is the only way to spiritual maturity. This judgment of self results in confession and forgiveness:
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
There will be a judgment of unbelievers, known as the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15—see "Scripture" on the following pages):
All people who find themselves in hell will be there because they have rejected God's salvation and have chosen instead to serve Satan. Scripture indicates clearly that all such people must appear before the Great White Throne Judgment and that they will be judged on the basis of the light they had and rejected while on earth.
This judgment follows God's final judgment of the devil (Revelation 20:10) and the rebellious angels (Jude 6), and comes after the millennial reign. The lost of all ages will stand before God for this most terrible of all judgments (Matthew 12:36).
Helping Strategy For Those Fearful of the Coming Judgment and Its Consequences:
1. Assure the person that God is reaching out in love and is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).
2. Invite him or her to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, sharing "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
3. Challenge him or her to take a firm stand for Jesus Christ, to stand up and be counted. He or she should begin reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis. (Offer to send Living in Christ.)
4. Advise seeking fellowship, worship, and opportunities for service in a local Bible-teaching church.
5. Pray that the inquirer might know the reality of Christ in his or her life.