Tractates on the Gospel of John

^4. What is this, “and you come not into judgment”? And who will be better than the Apostle Paul, who says, “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may there receive what he has done in the body, whether it be good or evil”? Paul says, “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ;” and do you dare promise to yourself that you shall not come into judgment? Be it far from me, do you say, that I should dare promise this to myself. But I believe Him that does promise. The Saviour speaks, the Truth promises, Himself said to me, “Whoso hears my words, and believes Him that sent me, has eternal life, and makes a passage from death unto life, and shall not come into judgment.” I then have heard the words of my Lord, and I have believed; so now, when I was an unbeliever, I became a believer; even as He warned me, I passed from death to life, I come not into judgment; not by my presumption, but by His promise. Does Paul, however, speak contrary to Christ, the servant against his Lord, the disciple against his Master, the man against God; so that, when the Lord says, “Whoso hears and believes, passes from death to life,” the apostle should say, “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ”? Otherwise, if he comes not into judgment who appears before the judgment-seat, I know not how to understand it.