Savior AND Judge

I've been studying the book of Isaiah in-depth since October. In this Old Testament book, the awesome prophet Isaiah communicates many words of comfort and hope to the people of Israel. And, since Christ has died and made a way for we "Gentiles" to also be among God's chosen people, we can now all claim the promises that God made to Israel. We all, figuratively, are "Israel," and the wonderful promises given to Israel in the book of Isaiah are therefore ours to stand on! Promises like:

"The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces" Isaiah 25:8a

"I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:9b-10

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

"I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." Isaiah 49:15b-16a

However.......here's where I have a conflict.....
The bible study guide I've been using each day has posed this concept several times: All will one day face the Messiah, either bowing to Him as Savior or bowing to Him as Judge. Is Jesus your Savior or will He be your Judge. If He is your Savior, your eternity is secure and you have much to look forward to. If He is your Judge, however, you will be condemned to a torturous, Christ-less eternity.

I am bothered by this implication because of how it presents a Savior vs. Judge concept rather than a more accurate Savior AND Judge concept. Scripture is clear that we will all stand before Jesus to give an account for the way we lived; that we will all stand before Jesus to be judged. Yes, those of us who have trusted in Christ as Savior will be permitted into an eternity in heaven with Jesus, but not before we are judged for the content of our lives on Earth.

Shame on us when we cling-to and focus on the ooey-gooey, warm-fuzzy parts of scripture and ignore the hard, not-so-fun-to-think-about parts of scripture.

In closing, consider the following scriptures that indicate every Christian's appointment to one day stand before the Lord and receive just, eternal consequence for the ways that we spent our lives. If you'll pause to consider how you spend your time, your energy, and your money, the thought of such an appointment with our Savior and Judge may not be entirely comforting:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each on may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10

"For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done." Matthew 16:27

"All the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." Revelation 2:23