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The Justice and Goodness of God: A Biblical Case for the Final Judgment
Understanding God’s Righteousness through His Final Judgment of Sin
The reality of God’s ultimate punishment is central to the gospel. Only by facing sin’s devastation can believers fully grasp the beauty of their salvation and help unbelievers confront their need for forgiveness. Unfortunately, many Christians and Bible scholars neglect God’s final judgment.
In his book The Justice and Goodness of God, theologian Thomas Schreiner offers a comprehensive, biblical analysis of eternal destruction. Explaining that “final judgment doesn’t contradict God’s goodness but verifies and displays it,” he examines themes of sin, death, and redemption in the New Testament and other passages of Scripture. With helpful personal and theological application, this brief guide helps readers see how God’s judgment is anchored in his holiness, justice, and righteousness. Readers will see that God’s judgment isn’t bad news but good news. Life doesn’t make sense without it, and salvation shines brighter against the backdrop of God’s judgment.
Brief yet Examines themes of sin, death, mercy, and holiness, with helpful Scripture references and summaries in each chapter Rich Biblical Studies eternal destruction as described in the Gospels, the Pauline Epistles, and throughout Scripture Ideal for College and Seminary Students
The reality of God’s ultimate punishment is central to the gospel. Only by facing sin’s devastation can believers fully grasp the beauty of their salvation and help unbelievers confront their need for forgiveness. Unfortunately, many Christians and Bible scholars neglect God’s final judgment.
In his book The Justice and Goodness of God, theologian Thomas Schreiner offers a comprehensive, biblical analysis of eternal destruction. Explaining that “final judgment doesn’t contradict God’s goodness but verifies and displays it,” he examines themes of sin, death, and redemption in the New Testament and other passages of Scripture. With helpful personal and theological application, this brief guide helps readers see how God’s judgment is anchored in his holiness, justice, and righteousness. Readers will see that God’s judgment isn’t bad news but good news. Life doesn’t make sense without it, and salvation shines brighter against the backdrop of God’s judgment.
Brief yet Examines themes of sin, death, mercy, and holiness, with helpful Scripture references and summaries in each chapter Rich Biblical Studies eternal destruction as described in the Gospels, the Pauline Epistles, and throughout Scripture Ideal for College and Seminary Students
160 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 2024
About the author
Thomas R. Schreiner
116 books222 followersThomas R. Schreiner (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including New Testament Theology; Magnifying God in Christ; Apostle of God's Glory in Christ; and Romans in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 25, 2026
Great book that at multiple points engages with and responds persuasively against annihilationism.
Dr. Schreiner is always worth a read!
Dr. Schreiner is always worth a read!
October 20, 2024
Helpful treatment of the final judgement. As believers we shouldn’t be apologetic for this Biblical topic as if it somehow displays an unloving God. In fact it is the final judgement that truly displays the Justice and goodness of God. He is just in punishing sin with retribution on the grounds of His holiness, Justice, and righteousness. With that as the backdrop the mercy and grace of God in Christ bearing the punishment shine all the brighter. The final judgement is necessary and good.
I appreciate the way Schreiner can articulate difficult biblical doctrines with clarity and grace all while remaining academic and pastoral.
I appreciate the way Schreiner can articulate difficult biblical doctrines with clarity and grace all while remaining academic and pastoral.
May 26, 2024
Justice is a hot topic in our world. Distinguishing between that which is just and unjust touches at the core of humanity. Of even greater importance, however, is the justice of God. Thomas Schreiner addresses this matter in his book, The Justice & Goodness of God: A Biblical Case for the Final Judgment.
The book is written for Christians, according to Dr. Schreiner, “to remind us that judgment is fundamental to the message we proclaim so that we will not be ashamed of or neglect speaking about judgment.” Schreiner’s encouragement is greatly needed in this hour as many people either neglect the topic of justice or ignore it altogether.
The foundation of this work leans on the unshakable foundation of God’s holiness. The author reminds readers that the reason God judges sin is owing to his majestic holiness.
The hideous nature of sin is addressed early in the book and calls to mind its “uncleanness, defilement, and impurity.” According to Schreiner, “Sin is a kind of insanity —— a form of self-destruction where we turn against what fulfills and satisfies us.” In the final analysis, sin leads us away from God and places us under his holy justice.
The book presents a wide-angle view of God’s justice from three important vantage points - judgment in the Gospels and Acts, judgment in the epistles, and judgment in the book of Revelation.
The author summarizes his argument by showing the practical importance of God’s justice. This sobering reality leads us to the critical step of fearing God and striving to live in a way that glorifies the greatness of his worth.
While every sinner deserves God’s justice, we can praise him, for he grants grace and forgiveness through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “The justice of God,” writes Schreiner, “is satisfied in the atoning sacrifice of his Son.”
I trust that many will read and benefit from the wisdom in The Justice & Goodness of God. May Christians rest in God’s grace and may unbelievers turn from their sin and trust in a good God who promises to set each person free who banks on the gospel.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
The book is written for Christians, according to Dr. Schreiner, “to remind us that judgment is fundamental to the message we proclaim so that we will not be ashamed of or neglect speaking about judgment.” Schreiner’s encouragement is greatly needed in this hour as many people either neglect the topic of justice or ignore it altogether.
The foundation of this work leans on the unshakable foundation of God’s holiness. The author reminds readers that the reason God judges sin is owing to his majestic holiness.
The hideous nature of sin is addressed early in the book and calls to mind its “uncleanness, defilement, and impurity.” According to Schreiner, “Sin is a kind of insanity —— a form of self-destruction where we turn against what fulfills and satisfies us.” In the final analysis, sin leads us away from God and places us under his holy justice.
The book presents a wide-angle view of God’s justice from three important vantage points - judgment in the Gospels and Acts, judgment in the epistles, and judgment in the book of Revelation.
The author summarizes his argument by showing the practical importance of God’s justice. This sobering reality leads us to the critical step of fearing God and striving to live in a way that glorifies the greatness of his worth.
While every sinner deserves God’s justice, we can praise him, for he grants grace and forgiveness through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “The justice of God,” writes Schreiner, “is satisfied in the atoning sacrifice of his Son.”
I trust that many will read and benefit from the wisdom in The Justice & Goodness of God. May Christians rest in God’s grace and may unbelievers turn from their sin and trust in a good God who promises to set each person free who banks on the gospel.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
July 18, 2024
A very helpful overview of Judgement. I found the arguments against annihilationism from the book of Revelation particularly helpful.
December 5, 2024
Brief yet packed with faithful biblical exposition concerning God's righteous justice, mercy, and final judgment
September 3, 2025
This was a helpful little book on judgment!
For a book so short, there is a glaring issue, which is that it reads like a textbook or a giant list of biblical proof texts for hell. It excels in listing out the verses in each section of scripture on hell and final judgement, but it falls short by offering little to no commentary at times and simply dropping 40 or 50 verses in a chapter. It’s a neat resource for preaching or maybe an interested member but it should have been more developed.
For a book so short, there is a glaring issue, which is that it reads like a textbook or a giant list of biblical proof texts for hell. It excels in listing out the verses in each section of scripture on hell and final judgement, but it falls short by offering little to no commentary at times and simply dropping 40 or 50 verses in a chapter. It’s a neat resource for preaching or maybe an interested member but it should have been more developed.
August 17, 2024
4.5 stars
June 19, 2024
First sentence: Why would anyone want to write on the final judgment? It might seem that anyone who writes on this theme is obsessed with the negative, with hate instead of love, with punishment instead of mercy, with crankiness instead of joy.
For a theological book, this was a short, quick, "little" read. The subject is the justice and goodness of God. How does God's goodness relate to God's justice? Would God be good if he wasn't at the same time just? The justice of God is not at odds with his attributes--obviously. A good, faithful, holy, loving, merciful God HAS to be a JUST God, a God of justice. This little book traces the justice of God throughout the Bible. He tackles this generally and broadly in the first few chapters. In the middle chapters, Schreiner focuses on justice in the New Testament. The book concludes with further implications of God's justice. How should we as Christians respond and live in light of God's justice AND goodness. The final chapter is "Salvation Shines Brighter," and indeed it does. Christians are done no favors when theologians--pastors, preachers, writers--pick and choose which of God's attributes to "allow" or preach upon. Christians need the whole counsel of the Word of God, and the Bible has a LOT to say about God's justice AND God's goodness. This book also speaks of God's holiness.
Chapter titles:
Only a Holy God
The Ugliness of Sin
Judgment in the Gospels and Acts
Judgment in the Epistles
Judgment in the Book of Revelation
Living in Light of the Judgment
Salvation Shines Brighter.
Quotes:
I am writing this book for missionaries, for pastors, for Christians in ministry, and for all Christians to remind us that judgment is fundamental to the message we proclaim so that we will not be ashamed of or neglect speaking about judgment. Indeed, I hope Christians will rejoice in judgment, not because they long for the punishment of others (since we pray and hope that all will be saved) but because judgment displays the holiness and goodness of God. Without judgment, God would not be good, and life on earth would be without meaning since our moral decisions would not ultimately matter.
The Lord loves justice because his very person, his very nature, is just. He doesn’t love justice as something outside of himself.
If the Lord is righteous, loves righteousness, and rewards righteousness, then the converse follows as well. His love of righteousness also means that evil will be frowned on and punished.
Righteousness and goodness are compromised if evil is tolerated, ignored, and overlooked, especially when one has the power to resist wickedness. Even though judgment is often thought to be cruel, the opposite is the case. An authority who indulgently allows evil to occur without any consequence is not righteous but wicked.
As with holiness and righteousness, justice isn’t a virtue to which God conforms. Instead, God is just; he is intrinsically and inherently righteous so that justice constitutes God’s very being. Psalm 89:14 avers, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.” Because God is just, we are not surprised to read that he loves justice (Ps. 33:5) and that he delights in justice (Jer. 9:24), which is really another way of saying that the Lord delights in himself.
Judgment doesn’t take place in a vacuum; it is not arbitrary, whimsical, or capricious. As we saw in the previous chapter, judgment takes place for a reason, and the reason is human sin. Sin deserves judgment: it denies God’s lordship, deforms human beings, wars against truth, and destroys human community.
God set up the universe to function as he willed, and he isn’t absent from the world he created. He is always and ever the personal God, recompensing both the righteous and wicked according to what is right. We see here an example of retributive justice in that punishment and iniquity are bound together in a package.
When we feel and sense that we deserve judgment, the beauty and loveliness of God’s mercy stands forth in all its splendor. Forgiveness isn’t cheap or trivial but precious and costly. In forgiving sinners God does not compromise his justice. The justice of God is satisfied in the atoning sacrifice of his Son.
June 18, 2026
"God’s holiness is such that sin either must be forgiven or avenged; it can’t be left alone because sin defaces, deforms, and destroys. God’s dazzling beauty...can’t allow sin to coexist with Him.” (Thomas Schreiner, The Justice and Goodness of God, pg6)
1) God's identity is so often reduced and minimized to a shallow sentimentalized puddle that we can forget the profound depths and rich texture of His identity. Sadly lost like a forgotten shipwreck is the just goodness of God. Far from being an ancient relic that we occasionally visit like tourists peeking around museum exhibits, the justice of God should be a banner we proudly wave. The sanity of the universe depends on it. The moral code implanted in the soil of our souls depends on it. The cries of the unavenged being heard and answered depends on it. Schreiner in a simple, clear, straightforward way demonstrates from Scripture that God's justice is good and that a good God must be just. Welcome to the Justice and Goodness of God: A Biblical Case for the Final Judgment by Thomas Schreiner
2) Schreiner's writing is designed to be accessible and clear. He succeeds here. His simple and straightforward style rarely rises to the level of noteworthy however. So definitely not an exciting read.
3) His chapter on sin and the different vocabulary that Scripture uses to describe its effects was my favorite part of this book. The rest of the book was a mini-journey through some NT territory documenting how the final judgment is discussed. This was pretty forgettable. There just wasn't anything diverting to distract from the low hum of dry prose. It was like hearing a lawn mower drone in the background. The grass got cut but you won't be telling stories about your ride.
4) When Schreiner gets to the Book of Revelation the hermeneutical spinach in his teeth is revealed. He makes multiple statements from an amillenial perspective that I don't think are textually or theologically defensible.
Overall, a great topic to write about, faithful to Scripture and Schreiner is a capable and thoughtful NT scholar. But I'm afraid that one gust of wind will be enough to scatter the stylistic sawdust accumulated here into oblivion.
1) God's identity is so often reduced and minimized to a shallow sentimentalized puddle that we can forget the profound depths and rich texture of His identity. Sadly lost like a forgotten shipwreck is the just goodness of God. Far from being an ancient relic that we occasionally visit like tourists peeking around museum exhibits, the justice of God should be a banner we proudly wave. The sanity of the universe depends on it. The moral code implanted in the soil of our souls depends on it. The cries of the unavenged being heard and answered depends on it. Schreiner in a simple, clear, straightforward way demonstrates from Scripture that God's justice is good and that a good God must be just. Welcome to the Justice and Goodness of God: A Biblical Case for the Final Judgment by Thomas Schreiner
2) Schreiner's writing is designed to be accessible and clear. He succeeds here. His simple and straightforward style rarely rises to the level of noteworthy however. So definitely not an exciting read.
3) His chapter on sin and the different vocabulary that Scripture uses to describe its effects was my favorite part of this book. The rest of the book was a mini-journey through some NT territory documenting how the final judgment is discussed. This was pretty forgettable. There just wasn't anything diverting to distract from the low hum of dry prose. It was like hearing a lawn mower drone in the background. The grass got cut but you won't be telling stories about your ride.
4) When Schreiner gets to the Book of Revelation the hermeneutical spinach in his teeth is revealed. He makes multiple statements from an amillenial perspective that I don't think are textually or theologically defensible.
Overall, a great topic to write about, faithful to Scripture and Schreiner is a capable and thoughtful NT scholar. But I'm afraid that one gust of wind will be enough to scatter the stylistic sawdust accumulated here into oblivion.
May 14, 2024
This book is fine I guess. It has a very narrow focus--to show from the Scriptures that the final judgment is a real thing. That's it. So there is little to no discussion about judgment based on works (or not). No discussion on how Scripture sometimes assigns the final judgment to the Father and sometimes to the Son. Hardly any discussion on rewards or various levels of suffering.
But you can't critique the man for a book he didn't write. Everything he pens here is fully biblical and convincing. He does spend a few pages ably critiquing annihilationism (the view that the damned don't suffer forever but are snuffed out). As much as its proponents wish it to be true, it just cannot be supported by the biblical evidence. Schreiner's work makes that clear.
So Schreiner accomplishes the goal he set for himself. But I found myself wishing the goal were broader.
But you can't critique the man for a book he didn't write. Everything he pens here is fully biblical and convincing. He does spend a few pages ably critiquing annihilationism (the view that the damned don't suffer forever but are snuffed out). As much as its proponents wish it to be true, it just cannot be supported by the biblical evidence. Schreiner's work makes that clear.
So Schreiner accomplishes the goal he set for himself. But I found myself wishing the goal were broader.
June 8, 2024
Judgment by God makes many Christians uncomfortable. Some reject all together the concept of the final judgment. But Schreiner reminds Christians that judgment is prominent in Scripture. He helps us understand the nature of God and that His holiness, righteousness and justice requires judgment. We also see that God is not vindictive nor is His judgment always immediate. God longs to show mercy and invites people to repent. We are also reminded of the ugliness of sin. Schreiner explores the nature of judgment (that it is eternal). Finally, we are given encouragement as how to live in the reality of judgment.
This is a good book for Christians to read to be reminded of the reality of judgment as revealed in Scripture.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
This is a good book for Christians to read to be reminded of the reality of judgment as revealed in Scripture.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
December 12, 2024
Classic Schreiner. Clear, simple, biblical. Love it. He covers A TON in this little book. Judgement, hell, heaven, the will, compatibilism, atonement, humility, generic Christian life stuff, etc. super impressive that he can do justice to so much in so short a time.
It seems like it’s advertised for scholars and seminary students. I’m not sure that’s a good audience for this. While really good, it’s pretty basic so I think it’d be better suited for a new Christian or someone who has never thought about end times judgment.
“Denying Jesus contradicts the bedrock reality of the universe.”
It seems like it’s advertised for scholars and seminary students. I’m not sure that’s a good audience for this. While really good, it’s pretty basic so I think it’d be better suited for a new Christian or someone who has never thought about end times judgment.
“Denying Jesus contradicts the bedrock reality of the universe.”
March 11, 2025
Schreiner consistently has a way of bringing biblical teachings down to the bottom shelf where they can be accessed by all believers. This book included. This volume on an introduction to God's justice & judgement is written in a humble tone while arguing persuasively for it's precedent in Scripture. The rightness of God's eternal judgement was (rightly) affirmed by Schreiner, perhaps even a tab bit excessively. Recommended reading for those looking to get their feet wet in this important area of study.
April 21, 2026
One of the points that I found powerful is Schreiner's insight from Revelation that when God delivers His final judgment, the public will respond in praise. On this side of eternity, we're not sure who should get punished and what type of punishment they should get, but at the end of time we'll all agree that God did what was just.
June 25, 2025
It was a very informative book regarding the fact that Jesus Christ will see that justice will be done for all the wrongs that are currently being committed today. Thomas Schreiner is very good at explaining what the Bible means in many of its verses.
January 10, 2026
While Schreiner certainly does not cover everything in this book, his main point is excellently conveyed. He also helpfully explains why annihilationism is wrong, why hell is eternal, and how the fear of God plays into the life of the Christian in a way that some Christian authors shy away from.
May 14, 2024
This book really got me thinking about the final judgment, mercy, and justice, in ways I hadn't before considered. I will say the Kindle version is nifty for instant access to the dictionary.
September 29, 2024
It's what you'd expect. And it was good.
April 4, 2025
i mean, he’s really right
May 9, 2025
Methodically academic, but practical for the Christian life. An excellent defense of the reality of a final judgement.
August 15, 2025
Excellent
January 13, 2026
Clear and compelling.
April 15, 2026
Schreiner gives consistently solid biblical analysis.
July 5, 2026
The Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews