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[Silver]

Romans says the dead are acquitted of their sins, but Revelation says we are judged! Can someone please explain?

[jimwalton]

In Romans 6, Paul is telling us how grace can reign in our lives all the way to the end of life and into eternity. It's a process called "sanctification." He builds chapter 6 around 2 questions: (1) Should we sin more so grace can increase? (vv.1-14); (2) Should we feel free to sin since we're under grace and not law? The answer in both cases is NO.

Your verse (Rom. 6.7) is in the first section. "Anyone who has died has been freed from sin." The word Paul uses here for death (apothanon) is the term he generally uses to refer to spiritual death, not physical death. His train of thought is:

1. Should we sin more so grace can increase? No, that's self-contradictory. We died to sin, so it's self-defeating to continue living in sin (v. 2)
2. When we were baptized, it was a statement of dying to sin (vv. 3-4)
3. The point is to live a new life, not to continue in the old life of sin (v. 4-6)
4. VERSE 7: So if you've died to sin, you've been set free from it, so you have no need to continue to live in it, and how you are free to live what life is really about: Life in and with Jesus (v. 8)

Now let's look at Rev. 20.12. The point of Rev. 20 is God's judgment of humanity at the end of time. I can already see it's a completely different subject. At the end of time, all humanity will be judged according to what they have done. Anyone's whose name is in the book of life will spend eternity with God because he or she accepted God's free gift of salvation. Their degrees of reward will depend on how faithful they were (this all has absolutely nothing to do with being good to earn salvation, a distinctly non-biblical idea). Those whose name are not in the book of life will spend eternity away from God because they refused to accept the free gift of salvation God offered (again, it has nothing to do with being good). Their degrees of punishment will depend on their sins.

If we juxtapose the two passages, Paul is saying that anyone who is in Christ has their sins freely forgiven by virtue of their repentance and God's gift of forgiveness. Revelation is saying that anyone who is not in Christ will be judged according to what they have done.

All will be judged according to their works, but former sinful works canceled by true repentance will not count against the righteous (Ezekiel 18.21-22). Everyone else sins will be counted against them, and they will be subject to punishment.

Not a contradiction at all. We can talk more if you wish.

[Revelastica]

They are connected actually. In Revelation it says those who's name is in the Book of Life are found not guilty, Paul is telling you how to get your name in the Book of Life.

[jimwalton]

Thank you for that addition and your comment. You're right, of course.