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Introduction
Christianity teaches that at some point in the future, there will be a Day of Judgement, which will be a time when people will receive God's judgement, and learn whether they will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell.
God as judge
Christians believe that as God is just (fair), he is perfectly suited to judge people without prejudice or bias. He bases his judgement on:
Your faith
Your actions
As we shall see in the next section, there are different ways to understand the relationship between faith and actions.
In terms of the Trinitarian approach to God, it is the Father who is the ultimate judge, although he will appoint Jesus to actually carry out the judgement, as is seen in the Nicene Creed:
Believing that God will be judge can provide a Christian with the motivation to be faithful - to develop their personal relation ship with God (e.g., through prayer and attending church), to put Jesus' teachings into practice (e.g., by being a Good Samaritan), and to put God first (e.g., by making decisions based on their faith).
The basis for judgement
The majority of Christian teachings state that faith is needed for a positive judgement - that without faith in Jesus, you will not 'inherit the Kingdom of Heaven'. This is suggested in the Bible:
"Everyone who believes in him [Jesus] will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3)
But, many Christians believe, faith is not true faith unless it results in action - so another aspect of judgement is based on a person's actions.
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne … and the dead were judged according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20)
To help people know what God is looking for on the Day of Judgement, Jesus told the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25).
"He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25)
In order to get to Heaven, one must be a sheep by ...
feeding the hungry
giving drink to the thirsty
welcoming strangers
clothing the poor
visiting the sick
visiting those in prison
By engaging in these activities, Christians can be confident that they are doing what God approves of.
Take it further: Catholic vs Protestant
The Roman Catholic view is that in order to achieve a good judgement, you need to have faith and do good deeds.
On the other hand, Protestantism teaches that faith alone is needed (the Latin term for this is sole fide), however, true faith leads to good actions (such as those listed in the Sheep and the Goats). In other words, Protestants think that if you have faith, those kinds of actions will naturally follow, and if you are the kind of person who does not do good, then this shows you do not have true faith.
The outcome of judgement
Judgement determines whose side you will be on during the final Earthly conflict between good and evil. The good, those on the side of Jesus will ultimately prevail, and many Christians believe that they will then continue to live on Earth, in the fully realised Kingdom of God for 1,000 years (the Millennium).
“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20)
At the end of this time, the faithful will then ascend to Heaven for eternity.
Those who have rejected God's love will face eternal separation from God in Hell once the victory has been secured by the army of Jesus.
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur." (Revelation 20)
Reflection on the two outcomes of judgement can really shape a Christians life - they would have all the motivation they need for being a sheep rather than a goat.