Is He going to hold His nose while He waves us on through the pearly gates, keeping His eyes fixed on Jesus because He can’t bear the sight of us?

Is He going to tell us that He loves us but hates everything we ever did?

Is He going to review all the deeds we did in His service, show us how flawed they were, and then remind us of how the sins we committed by omission or commission were so much more numerous anyway? And then what will he say? “Don’t worry. I don’t care about anything you’ve done or become over your entire life. Jesus did it all so I don’t have to consider your actual life at all. I sent Jesus because I love you, even though I hate every thing you have ever done before or after I called you to faith in him.” Is that the message?

The orthodox and Reformed doctrine of final judgment according to works is truly good news. It tells us that God doesn’t just “love” us to show what a glorious guy He is to manage to stand creatures that remain wholly repulsive to Him. It tells us that he also actually likes and appreciates us and what we have done and become.

Well done, good and faithful servant! is true grace. Anything less is just bad parenting that produces stunted children.