THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”
(II Corinthians 5:10).
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C O N T E N T S
Chapter One: Introduction 3
Chapter Two: The Certainty of this Judgment 11
Chapter Three: The Subjects of this Judgment 19
Chapter Four: The Judge of this Judgment 23
Chapter Five: The Criteria used for this Judgment 32
Chapter Six: The Results of this Judgment 42
Chapter Seven: The Timing of this Judgment 64
Chapter Eight: The Preparation for this Judgment 67
Chapter Nine: Conclusion 81
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Chapter One
INTRODUCTION
The subject of this study, The Judgment Seat of Christ, is a wonderful and very
important subject and is worthy of our thoughtful attention and study. One of the
things that is found in many writings is that sometimes they give little information
about God’s judgment in general and then only a relatively small amount of material is
presented in specifically addressing the Judgment Seat of Christ. They may include
only a brief summation of the main points. There also seems to be few publications
that are completely dedicated to the study of The Judgment Seat of Christ. In the
present study an attempt will be made to present some general Biblical principles
regarding God’s judgments and then specific details about the Judgment Seat of
Christ.
For this present study the scriptures will be used as the primary source of information.
Only the King James Version (KJV) will be used. As scripture references are given
the reader is strongly encouraged to read the passages in the Bible. The word of
God alone is the final authority. Man may develop many ideas and theories, but the
truth of the matter is found in the scriptures. God’s word is perfect and infallible. It is
the word of God that settles any and all disputes in regards to any matter that is
addressed in it. “Every word of God is pure:..” (Proverbs 30:5). “The words of the
LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times”
(Psalm 12:6). God’s word is true (Psalm 119:43; John 17:17; II Timothy 2:15). The
word of God is infinitely trustworthy. Even as God said through Solomon, concerning
the word of God given to Moses, so it is with the entire Bible, “Blessed be the LORD,
that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there
hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of
Moses his servant”(I Kings 8:56). The LORD has even magnified His word above all His
name (cf. Psalm 138:2). Though the word of God is the “.. word of truth”, we must
understand that to interpret the scriptures correctly they must be “.. rightly .."
divided (II Timothy 2:15). One of the most important rules to do this is to consider
every passage in its proper context (verses before and verses after a particular
passage). For this, the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit is always needed.
There will be four primary passages of scripture considered, although many others will
be examined. These four primary passages are:
(1). Romans 14:10: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set
nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
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(2). Romans 14:12: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
(3). II Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
(4). I Corinthians 3:9-17: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given
unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile
the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are." [Written to Jesus' New Testament church at Corinth.]
All theories, viewpoints, beliefs and opinions must be evaluated in light of the
scriptures. References to these from other sources in this study does not mean that
this writer is in agreement with them, but they may provide points for discussion and
raise some questions sometimes that need to be addressed and studied further.
Some of the topics that will be covered in this study will include, but not limited to the
following: The consideration of what the scriptures provide as evidence that there will
actually be a literal Judgment that takes place, known as the Judgment Seat of Christ;
The question of personal accountability of individuals will be addressed; Consideration
of the logic of a personal and individual “Pay Day” for how one's life is lived; A study of
who the Judge will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ, including a study of the Judges’
person, His qualifications and the quality of His judgment; Who will appear before the
Judgment Seat of Christ; The criteria used in the Judgment; The final results of the
Judgment Seat of Christ; Some attention will be given to attempting to establish the
approximate timing of this judgment; and, what can be done in the present time, if
anything, to prepare for this all-important Judgment.
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Importance of this study:
There is a need for a comprehensive study of the Judgment Seat of Christ. There are
many reasons for this need. Consider the following:
1. Some may not have done a study of this Bible doctrine before.
Since this Judgment is a future event the study of it can be a difficult one. Prophetic events are sometimes difficult to understand.
Even the Apostles did not fully understand the sufferings and the resurrection of Jesus before these actually took place, even though
Jesus had instructed them on different occasions. Because of this, and the many varied opinions of writers, some may avoid the study altogether.
It may be difficult for all of us to understand certain specific points regarding the Judgment Seat of Christ, but the study of it should not be avoided.
Hopefully, there will many great blessings that will result from this study.
2. This Judgment is mentioned in the scriptures, thus it must be an important area of study. If it is important to the Lord,
it should be important to us. The Judgment Seat of Christ is specifically mentioned twice in the Bible. There are various passages that
deal with future rewards, with crowns, with a future glory to be bestowed and other promises and results of this Judgment.
There are other scripture passages, associated with this subject, that deal with the giving of an account of our lives to the Lord. So it does seem
this subject holds a place of great importance with the Lord. The scriptures reveal to man a considerable amount of information concerning
this judgment and other judgments that the Lord will conduct. The importance of the judgment seat of Christ is emphasized by the Lord in not
only the amount of information He has given in His word, but also by the wordings and the descriptions He has given. When taken literally,
these passages would seem to indicate great seriousness attached to this day of judgment. Examples of this would include: every child of God will,
“.. give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12); everything done in the present physical body, whether good or bad, will be manifested
and judged (II Corinthians 5:10); an account will be given for every idle word spoken (Matthew 12:36); there is the potential for, “.. a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (II Corinthians 4:17); and there is the potential for suffering loss at this judgment (I Corinthians 3:15),
and such loss must be considered as great, since it would be for eternity.
3. There are wrong assumptions made concerning this Judgment. One of these wrong assumptions is that there is only one future judgment
by the Lord that will take place. This is the teaching of a “General Judgment”.
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That doctrine teaches that the Judgment Seat of Christ,
the judgment of the nations and the Great White Throne Judgment will occur at the same time. The proponents of this belief must also believe
in a General Resurrection of all people that are saved and that are lost. That is, they believe that the saved and the lost will be resurrected
at the same time. Also, some hymns imply a “General Judgment”. Another wrong assumption is that the future judgments of God will be to determine
who is saved and who is lost, that is, who will go into heaven at death and who will go into hell. These wrong assumptions will be addressed.
4. There is a need to compile in one source many of the general truths given in God’s word concerning His judgments and specifically,
as addressed in this study, the Judgment Seat of Christ. An example of a general principle that can be looked at is God’s holiness.
His holiness will be exercised in any and all of His judgments. Since God is unchanging (Psalm 102:27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:12;
Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17) and since He is holy (Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 19:2; Hosea 11:9; Revelation 4:8) this will affect His judgments.
Thus, in any judgment that God executes, His holiness will be executed, for He is a holy God. This principle will be true no matter what
the situation might be. Thus, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, it is certain that God’s holiness will prevail. There are other general principles
that need to be considered in association with this that will shed much light on the Judgment Seat of Christ.
5. This is an important study because it will affect every individual saved person. It will be a very serious event. If there are things
that can be done in the present to help prepare us for this future judgment it would be good to consider them and to be actively doing them now.
6. This study is important because of who the Judge will be. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true and the living God and He will be the
Judge (Judges 11:27; Psalm 75:7 96:10). It must be a fearful thing for a man to come in judgment before the Lord who is perfect in holiness!
The scriptures do indicate that for a person to come into the presence of God is indeed a fearful and humbling experience (Isaiah 6:1-5;
Daniel 10:7-11; Luke 5:8; Hebrews 10:31; Revelation 1:17). The Lord makes it clear that each individual is accountable to Him for how he
lives his life upon this earth. He is our Creator (Isaiah 40:28) and our Maker (Psalm 95:6), He is every saved person’s Redeemer (Isaiah 48:17;
Revelation 5:9), so it is logical that we must give account for our deeds unto Him. The child of God is not his own, but has been purchased by
Christ, with the shed blood of Christ (I Corinthians 3:23 6:20; Revelation 1:5), and thus we are commanded to “.. glorify God.. ”
in this body (I Corinthians 6:20 10:31).
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The day that God's children stand before Him and each individual's works, good and bad,
are judged and then justly recompensed for eternity makes this a very solemn occasion indeed. Certainly, this is a subject worthy
of much study, meditation and consideration on our part.
7. The duration of the results of this Judgment makes it needful to study it. If an accounting is to be given on that day of
all that a person has done during his earthly life, then this Judgment is a very important matter. But, if those decisions, determinations
made on the day of the Judgment Seat of Christ have everlasting consequences, then this day becomes of the utmost importance. For if this is
true, then the rewarding that is executed at the Judgment Seat of Christ will stand from that point of time forever more. In this study it would
be wise to try to determine if the rewarding that takes place on this Judgment day is ever reversed or modified. The scriptures indicate that
what the Lord does is established. The Lord’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 2:44 4:3; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:33). It would seem then
that the results of this judgment are very important because of the duration of its consequences, and this makes this study important.
There is much to be gained by this study that should help every child of God be more
diligent in his service to the Lord. Perhaps more thought and consideration will be
given as to how we spend our limited time during this earthly life. "Redeeming the
time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16).
There are some initial definitions and distinctions that need to be given to set the stage
for this study.
(1) The Judgment Seat of Christ: The scriptures that specifically mention the Judgment Seat of Christ are Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:10.
This is the judgment of the works done by saved individuals to determine their rewards. Only those who have been genuinely born again will appear at this time.
This judgment is based upon the life works of each individual. Throughout this study, the Judgment Seat of Christ will be referred to as
“this Judgment”, or, “the Judgment seat of Christ”, or something similar, unless otherwise specified.
(2) The Great White Throne Judgment: This particular judgment is discussed in the 20th chapter of Revelation. “And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”
(Revelation 20:11-15).
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This speaks of the judgment of the works of lost individuals to determine their rewards. This will result in various degrees of torments
in the lake of fire and brimstone. There will be a period of more than one-thousand years that separate the Judgment Seat of Christ and the
Great White Throne Judgment. (Between the two is the period of time from the rapture of all the saved, through the remaining portion of the
Tribulation on earth and through the one-thousand years reign of Jesus Christ upon this earth.)
Even though there are vast differences between the Judgment Seat of Christ and the
Great White Throne judgment, there are certain similarities between the two. These
similarities include: both judgments will have Jesus as the Judge; both take place after
each individual has been resurrected and has a body fit for their respective everlasting
abode; both result in rewards based upon the life works of each individual and both
judgments result in rewards that are established at that point in time and will be
everlasting from that point.
The differences between the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne
Judgment are extremely vast. They take place at two entirely different times and in
two entirely different places. Other differences include: the Judgment Seat of Christ is
only for saved people (children of God), the Great White Throne Judgment is for lost
people (children of the devil); the rewards given at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be
various blessings enjoyed by the recipients in glory in the presence of the Lord, the
rewards given at the Great White Throne Judgment will result in various degrees of
punishment and torments to these recipients in the “.. blackness of darkness ..” (Jude
13) separated from the Lord.
An example of passages that teach different degrees of suffering in hell include
Matthew 23:14, 15, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour
widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the
greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him
twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” (Underlining added for emphasis.)
Notice the terms used, ‘the greater damnation’ and ‘twofold more’. ‘Greater’ and
‘more’ indicate degrees of something relative to others. In this case, damnation and suffering.
All lost people will eventually be in the eternal lake of fire and brimstone,
and their degree of eternal suffering will be determined by the Judge on the day of the
Great White Throne Judgment.
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(3) The Judgment of Nations: This judgment is discussed in Matthew chapter 25.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,
then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered
all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the
goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I
was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the
righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee?
or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?
or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came
unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I
was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him,
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or
sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them,
saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of
these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:31-46).
This Judgment of Nations evidently takes place at the end of the Tribulation Period
and just prior to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this present earth.
Chronologically, this judgment will take place after the Judgment Seat of Christ, but
before the Great White Throne Judgment. Those that are saved and alive on earth
at the time of the Judgment of Nations, still in their natural physical bodies, will
continue to live during the Millennial reign in that condition. However, those that
are lost, spiritually dead, and yet physically alive on earth at that time of the Judgment of Nations,
that are still in their natural physical bodies will be cast into,
“.. everlasting fire ..” (Matthew 25:41), into “.. everlasting punishment ..”
(Matthew 25:46).
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Are these future judgments all separate and distinct judgments? Each appears to
occurs in a different time period and in different places. There is no General
Resurrection of the saved and the lost, and there is no General Judgment of the saved
and the lost. These judgments should not be confused with each other. These and
other distinctions will be made later.
This study, and any other Bible study, is to be approached prayerfully and seeking the
leadership and help of the Holy Spirit, on the part of this writer and on the part of
those that read and study it. The ultimate purpose in this study is that the Lord be
honored, that His name be glorified. When the truth of His word concerning the
present subject under consideration is studied, rightly divided and presented to others
this purpose will be accomplished.
May each one be so greatly impressed with the tremendous importance of the day of
the Judgment Seat of Christ that we would be stirred in our hearts to respond in a
Biblical manner to the teaching of God’s word and be better prepared for this
Judgment than we would have been otherwise, that each one, “.. might be found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (I Peter 1:7).
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Chapter Two
THE CERTAINTY OF THIS JUDGMENT
WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH?
Two passages of Scriptures specifically mention the Judgment Seat of Christ. These
scriptures, and their context, must be examined.
The first passage to be considered is Romans 14:10-12. “But why dost thou judge thy
brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us
shall give account of himself to God.”
In Verse 10, “.. for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" contains a
statement of fact, “.. we shall ..” of a yet future event. This does not state merely the
possibility or the probability of this event occurring, it does state with absolute
certainty that it will occur.
Verse 12 then states that, “.. every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Again, a statement of fact is presented in the scriptures. Each individual present at
this Judgment will give an accounting of himself, ".. each one shall ..". This seems to
be part of the very purpose of this Judgment day.
According to these two passages the Judgment Seat of Christ will definitely take place.
It is certain. It appears to be a literal event and will definitely take place. The next
passage of Scripture to be considered is II Corinthians 5:10. "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." This scripture
declares that we 'must' appear before this judgment seat. Thus, it is of necessity.
Since “the things done in his body, .." are certainly literal things done in a literal body, it is reasonable to
assume that the ‘things’ he receives are also literal things. It would thus seem that the
rewards given referred to are literal rewards.
This is not an option for the saved person, it is a necessary and definite event that will
take place, it is right. We shall all 'appear' which is to be made manifest before Jesus Christ.
The complete truth of every individual will be manifested.
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The word of God definitely teaches the reality of a coming day of judgment for every
saved individual. It is not a mystery hidden from man, but rather clearly presented in
the scriptures. God has revealed much to mankind regarding His judgment in His
word. It is of such importance and seriousness that the Lord wants us to know that
this Day is coming and He would have us to properly and adequately prepare for it in
this present life.
The promise is made that, ".. The Lord shall judge his people" (Hebrews 10:30).
"I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a
time there for every purpose and for every work" (Ecclesiastes 3:17). The Lord is a
God of judgment (Isaiah 30:18). There can be no uncertainty according to the word of
God, every child of God will be judged.
These passages indicate that man is an accountable being to his Creator. Only man, out
of all the creatures that God created, was created and made in the image and likeness
of God Himself (Genesis 1:26, 27 5:1 9:6 James 3:9). From the time of his creation,
man was given certain responsibilities that the Lord expected him to fulfill (Genesis
2:15). These first responsibilities given to Adam were to ‘dress’ the garden of Eden
and ‘keep’ it. God also gave Adam a command. “And the LORD God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17). God does not give
responsibilities or commands to those that are unable to comply. He does not
command us to do something that we are incapable of doing. The man was
responsible and accountable to the LORD God for his actions. There would be terrible
consequences if the man failed to obey the command of God. God warned Adam,
“..for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Adam
evidently was fully capable of understanding what God required of him and that there
were consequences for his actions. The Lord definitely held Adam accountable for his
deeds. Mankind is to obey His Creator and glorify Him. Man is accountable to God. This
same pattern of accountability is seen throughout the scriptures. It is seen with the nation of
Israel and it is seen with the New Testament churches. Individuals, nations and churches are responsible to and
accountable to the Lord.
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The scriptures also declare, “.. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more” (Luke 12:48). Among the truths that this passage teach is the truth that
accountability is related to responsibility. The greater the responsibilities a person is
given, the greater the accountability of that person. Responsibility and accountability
involve at least a second party, and may involve many other parties. If a person is
responsible, they must be responsible to someone. It is to that one the responsible
person is accountable to. This is a principle in this natural world, and it is a principle in
the spiritual world.
Accountability is not a popular concept and philosophy in this present day. Seemingly,
the prevailing philosophy much of the time is to blame others for one's own errors,
mistakes and failures. There can be a hesitancy to take responsibility for one's own
actions. To a degree, we all do this, or at least have the tendency to do this. It is the
result of the sin nature that we all have. The tendency of the old nature of sin is to
attempt to cover up our errors; to hide, run from or deny our mistakes and our sins
and to even blame others. Blame shifting is seen shortly after sin entered the human
race. This is seen in Genesis 3:11-13. When the LORD confronted Adam with the
questions concerning if he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, Adam responded by
blaming his wife, Eve. He said, “..The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she
gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Then when the LORD confronted Eve, she
immediately points blame to the serpent, “..The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
We may do this so that we won't have to feel guilty and we do not want to suffer the
consequences of our own actions. Blame shifting seems to be the normal response
for wrong doing in this world today.
Sometimes the blame is shifted to one's own genetic lineage (parents, grandparents,
others that raised the individual, etc.), or the immediate family (spouse, children), or
co-workers, and even the environment (where one was raised up; situations at home,
particular circumstances, etc.). But God holds every individual accountable for his own
actions. This is seen in the above situation in Genesis 3. The LORD pronounced
judgment upon the woman and the man individually for what each had done. The
consequences of their judgment have been passed on to each generation which has
followed. The LORD held them accountable, and He holds us accountable.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, preached about the coming of the Lord back to this
earth and the judgment that He would bring. "..Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all,.." (Jude 14, 15).
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The judgment of the Lord is not a new and only recent teaching for humanity. Man
has been told about God’s judgment from the time sin entered into the human race.
Scripture also shows the certainty of this judgment by its teaching on the principal of
sowing and reaping. This is an established law with God. "Be not deceived; God is
not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:7, 8). To reap life everlasting
does not mean that one obtains salvation by sowing to the Spirit. It means that the
rewards of living one's life in agreement with the will of the Holy Spirit will be one day
reaped, harvested, paid back. This teaches that there must come a time of future
judgment. The terms 'corruption' and 'life everlasting' may indicate a time after
physical death, or during the person's natural life on earth.
This Biblical principle also teaches that what is reaped is of the same sort (quality) as
that which was sown, but the amount that is reaped (quantity) is much greater. If one
sows to the flesh (sin, rebellion, unfaithfulness, etc.), then this one will reap much
trouble as a result. However, if one sows to the spirit (obedience, faithfulness,
humility, etc.), then this one will reap great blessings as a result. In one way it is
consistently proportionate (Example: One seed sown yields perhaps 5,000 seeds of
grain upon harvest; two seeds sown yields 10,000 seeds of grain upon harvest) and yet
can seem so very disproportionate, especially if the reaping is from sin.
The wonderful thing about this law is that obedience to the Lord and His word will one
day yield great blessings and eternal rewards. On the other hand, disobedience to the
Lord and His word will yield much loss of blessings and eternal rewards.
Even on the basis of logic, judgment must take place. Since man is ultimately
responsible and accountable to the Lord, there must be a time of recompense that will
come. This knowledge of certain judgment seems to be innate in man. Some may not acknowledge that
they know there is coming a day of judgment, some even do not acknowledge the existence of God, and yet
that also is innate in man. Of course, just because a truth is not acknowledged does not mean that that
truth does not exist. Denial that judgment will take place does not change the true
fact that judgment will indeed take place.
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Many other Scriptures give detail and information about this judgment and will be
considered throughout this study. God has made it very clear, there is a judgment day
coming for all.
MAN IS APPOINTED UNTO JUDGMENT
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews
9:27). There are two very definite events that the Lord promises to each person.
These are: 'death' and 'the judgment'. These are reserved unto every individual. They
await each one. Every person will die a natural death (a separation of the soul and
spirit from the body of flesh with its sinful nature) and every person will come before
the Lord in judgment. The Biblical exceptions to natural death, in this present
dispensation, are those that have been born of God at the time when the rapture
takes place (cf. I Corinthians 15:51-53). Even at the rapture the vile body of the living
child of God will be changed instantly into a glorious body (cf. Philippians 3:21). Thus,
practically there will be a separation ('death') from that body of flesh with the sin
nature.
The word 'appointed' means that these are reserved for every person. The verb as
used here is in the present tense. Man is continually under this appointment.
Judgment is certain. It is laid up for a future time. Judgment of each individual by the
Lord is just as certain as physical death. It is inevitable, all can be assured of its
coming. It cannot be avoided or prevented.
We do want to note that this death spoken of in Hebrews 9:27 is the physical, natural
death and not spiritual death. The person that is born of God will experience physical
death (unless the rapture occurs in his lifetime on earth), but will never experience
spiritual death. The scriptures make it abundantly clear that once a person has been
born of God there is never any danger of losing his salvation. It is not even a
possibility.
The Lord's judgment is appointed to both classes of the entirety of humanity (the lost
and the saved). The Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10) is for
saved individuals only. Lost individuals will be judged at the Great White Throne
judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
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God's judgment will also be upon the fallen angels, including the devil (II Peter 2:4; Jude
6; Revelation 20:10). Thus, God's judgment is extended to all those beings which God
created with certain abilities that make them accountable unto Him.
Even the times of our youth will not escape being evaluated during the judgment by the
Lord. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days
of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but
know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment" (Ecclesiastes
11:9).
“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and
the sinner” (Proverbs 11:31). The righteous and the wicked will be recompensed.
There is coming a judgment day for every person whether saved or lost. According to
Romans 2:5, 6, "..the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man
according to his deeds:". God will recompense, give back, to every man in accordance
to the deeds of that man. Man is appointed unto judgment by the Lord.
THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS AND ENLIGHTENS CONCERNING JUDGMENT TO
COME
When Felix sent for and heard the Apostle Paul tell him of ".. the faith in Christ", part of
his response was that he ".. trembled .." (Acts 24:25). In his message Paul, inspired of
God, ".. reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, ..”. Felix
trembled as he was convicted by God the Holy Spirit. He was confronted with his sin,
his lost condition, and the fact that there was a time of judgment coming that he
would face.
Jesus informed His church (John 16:8) concerning the Holy Spirit, “And when he is
come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”.
Certainly, the Holy Spirit convicts lost man of judgment that he will face before God.
This would be a most dreadful and fearful event. How terrible to realize that one is
facing eternal doom in the torments of a burning lake of fire and brimstone. But one
should be very thankful that the Holy Spirit does convict the lost sinner of judgment,
for even if he were not convicted he would still be doomed for hell. This conviction
can be used by the Holy Spirit to bring a person to a point of genuine repentance
toward God, with the intent that the lost sinner would receive Jesus Christ as his
personal Saviour and escape hell. Thus, even before a person is saved he is convicted
in regard to judgment.
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After salvation a person is helped and enlightened by the indwelling Holy Spirit in
understanding the word of God. Whereas, before that person was saved there was
very little of the scriptures that he could understand. But after this person has been
born of God, the now continually-indwelling Holy Spirit can give spiritual discernment
and understanding to this person (I Corinthians 2:9-14). The Holy Spirit can teach this
saved person the truths in God’s word concerning judgment and God’s rewarding
system. The Lord wants us to know that He is our Judge and our Rewarder. “But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews
11:6).
JUDGMENT IS LOGICAL
Just as there is an inherent knowledge of a Divine Being in every culture, there logically
should be an inherent knowledge of a “Pay Day” at some point in time. Since man is
made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) and has the ability to fellowship
with his Creator it is reasonable that such a judgment would take place. A time when
obedience and disobedience, loyalty and disloyalty, faithfulness and unfaithfulness,
submissiveness and rebellion, would be justly rewarded seems very logical and
reasonable. It seems logical that a person who obeys the Lord, and suffers greatly for
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sacrifices much in this life for His cause, would
one day be justly rewarded to a greater level than one who never obeyed, or suffered
or sacrificed for Christ, even though both were saved.
In the same manner, it is logical that this same principle of judgment would apply to a
lost individual. If a person dies lost, spiritually “.. dead in trespasses and sins;”
(Ephesians 2:1), and in his lifetime had committed such terrible acts such as murder of
innocent children (including performing abortions), robbed widows, etc., it is logical
that his sufferings after death will be greater than the suffering of a lost individual who
lived, at least outwardly, a moral life. The common expression is, “He’ll get his some
day.” This seems to be a natural response, and its source may be the inherent
knowledge within us all of a coming day of judgment and of recompense.
Even in this life the more mature a person is in age and abilities, the more accountable
society holds him. Consider the level of accountability of a CEO or President of a large
corporation in contrast to the new employee of that same corporation. The
employees and stockholders would hold the CEO or President to a much greater level
of accountability.
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Likewise, a person knows that if he breaks the law there is a penalty that will be paid if he is caught.
If accountability and judgment by man is a
part of this life, how much more logical is the certainty of the same by the Creator who
made man!
Judgment of man by the Lord is absolutely certain. The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a
reality. It will come to pass. It cannot be avoided. The next consideration will be
identifying the subjects that will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
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Chapter Three
THE SUBJECTS OF THIS JUDGMENT
This section is of great interest to many. Who is it that will appear before the Judgment
Seat of Christ? Is it every human being? Is it only those of a particular dispensation?
Will there be saved and lost people both at this Judgment?
In II Corinthians chapter 5 the Lord inspires the Apostle Paul, a saved men, to use the
word “we” 26 times; “us” 8 times and “our” 3 times. Verse 10 says “For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ;..”. This is addressed to saved individuals
who are church members there in the Lord’s church at Corinth (II Corinthians 1:1).
Also, in Romans 14:10, 12 it is “we” who shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ
and every one of “us” that shall give account of himself to God. The Apostle Paul
again, inspired of God, as he wrote to the saints in Rome (Romans 1:7) included
himself in those that would be judged on that Day. Thus, if the Apostle Paul and the
saved church members of the churches at Corinth and Rome appear at the judgment
seat of Christ this must be a judgment of saved individuals.
Mankind is divided into two classes according to national lineage: Jew and Gentile
(Romans 3:9). According to gender, mankind is divided into two classes: Male and
Female (Genesis 1:27). Spiritually, mankind is divided into two classes: Saved (not
condemned) and Lost (condemned) (Luke 19:10; John 3:18). It is the spiritual
condition of a man that is the determining factor as to where that person will exist
after death and forever thereafter (Philippians 1:23; Revelation 20:15). This is
regardless of their national lineage or gender during their earthly life. The human
occupants of the lake of fire and brimstone will consist of both Jews and Gentiles, both
males and females, but every individual there will be a lost individual, eternally
separated from God. They had never experienced the new birth from God, they never
believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and never received Him as personal Saviour.
Likewise, the human occupants of heaven, who will eternally be with the Lord, will
consist of both Jews and Gentiles, both males and females, but every individual there
will be a saved individual. Each one had experienced the new birth from God during
his/her life on earth. [Jew and Gentile, male and female are designations for mankind
in the flesh during their earthly life, not after.]
There is another class of humanity that will also be eternally with the Lord and that is
those who died and who never came to the point of, or age of, accountability. They
were sinners, but their sins were not imputed to them. ".. your little ones, .. and your
children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, .."
(Deuteronomy 1:39),
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and "For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, ..” (Isaiah
7:16). Babies, very young children and those who do not develop the mental
capability to understand (they do not come to the ‘point of accountability’) would fit
into this class of humanity. This class of humanity we might consider to be “safe”. In
this present age, when one of these dies he goes to be in the presence of Jesus
(cf. II Samuel 12:22, 23; II Corinthians 5:8), as does a person who has been saved.
The Judgment Seat of Christ is for those that have been saved. It is for the children of
God. It will be a time for divine determination of the eternal rewards, the positions,
the inheritance and the glory for His children.
The reward that is given, as presented in I Corinthians 3, is based upon every “.. man’s
work ..” (3:13), how he “.. buildeth thereupon” (3:10) the foundation. The foundation
is Jesus Christ (3:11). Jesus is the foundation of His church (Matthew 16:18). The ones
addressed in this was “.. the church of God which is at Corinth ..” (I Corinthians 1:2),
and is applicable to every true New Testament church. From this we gather that the
judgment seat of Christ is not for the lost, it is for saved individuals. It is for saved
individuals that are part of a New Testament church and for saved individuals that are
not part of a New Testament church.
This judgment is for those who have truly been born again, not merely made a
profession of faith. An example would be Judas Iscariot. He was not saved, although
he was baptized by John the Baptist, and he would have had to make a profession of
faith to be baptized by John. Another example would be some of those in Crete.
Today there may be many similar to those in Crete who, “.. profess that they know
God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto
every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). One of the grievous conditions in these last
days will be that men will be “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: ..” (II Timothy 3:5). Testimonies have been given by several who share that
they once gave a public profession of receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour and later in life
realized they had been mistaken. The Judgment Seat of Christ is for legitimate
children of God, who have been given eternal life by the grace of God, who were born of
God and are the sons of God (John 1:12, 13). A lost person who gives a profession of
faith, whether mistakenly, or intentionally, is still a lost person, and is hell-bound and
will not appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every individual needs to make very
sure that he or she has been genuinely born again of God (John 1:12, 13; 3:3, 7;
II Corinthians 13:5).
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As there will be two kinds of resurrections on at least two separate occasions (Luke
14:14; John 5:29; Acts 24:15) there will be at least two separate times for judgment of
humanity and their works. One for the saved (The Judgment Seat of Christ) and one
for the lost (The Great White Throne Judgment). The judgment of the lost will be a
day when the souls of lost humanity will be reunited with their resurrected bodies and
judged based on their works during their earthly life. Then each one of these lost persons
will be cast into the eternal lake of fire and brimstone, suffering various degrees of
torments based upon his works, deeds done and words spoken during his life on earth.
It should also be noted that these two judgments are different from the judgment of
nations as recorded in Matthew 25:31-46. The judgment of nations takes place at the
end of the Tribulation period, at the beginning of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ in
Jerusalem. Since nations are composed of individual people, the judgment of nations
will be a judgment of people. This judgment of nations will separate between those
that are saved, still in their natural bodies, and those that are lost, still in their natural
bodies, which live upon the earth at that particular time. Those that are saved will
enter into the millennial reign in their natural bodies. The lost will be cast, “.. into
everlasting punishment: ..” (Matthew 25:46).
There are various opinions of exactly who will appear at the judgment seat of Christ.
Will it be all the saved of all the dispensational ages? Will it be the saved of only the
present church age? The scriptures seem to indicate that all the saved, including
those that died ‘safe’, of all the dispensational ages up to the moment of the
rapture/resurrection will be present at this judgment. When Jesus comes in the air at
the rapture/resurrection, He comes, “.. with all his saints” (I Thessalonians 3:13),
those, “.. which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (I Thessalonians 4:14). This
would seem to include those that died during the Old Testament times that were
saved. Those that will be saved after the rapture (saved during the Tribulation and the
Millennial reign of Christ) will certainly also be judged by the Lord at some future time.
This judgment is not for the purpose of determining who is saved and who is lost. That
determination is settled during every individual’s earthly life. Whatever spiritual
condition (either saved or lost) a person dies in, that will be his condition forever
more. “.. and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place
where the tree falleth, there it shall be” (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Once death comes it is
too late to make any changes in one’s spiritual condition (cf. Luke 16:19-31). There
would be no purpose for a judgment day to determine if a person is saved or lost, for,
“.. The Lord knoweth them that are his ..” (II Timothy 2:19). The Lord does not need a
day of judgment to determine those that are saved, each individual makes that
judgment himself.
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This judgment is not for condemnation. No child of God is under divine condemnation.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John
5:24). The judgment for our sins was dealt with on the cross of Calvary when Jesus
took our sins upon Himself (I Peter 2:24) and became the propitiation (satisfaction) for
our sins (I John 2:2).
It is with Jesus' shed blood that the child of God is redeemed (I Peter 1:18,19) and is
cleansed from his sins (I John 1:7). Thus, the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ is
not to judge again the sins of the saved individual, but for the purpose of determining
the rewards (crowns, positions, inheritance, degrees of glory, etc.) given to that
individual from that point in time and continuing forever more.
Now that the subjects that appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ has been established,
the next consideration will be that of the Judge who will preside on that Judgment
Day.
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Chapter Four
THE JUDGE OF THIS JUDGMENT
I. THE PERSON OF THE JUDGE
In order for Judgment to take place, there must be a Judge. He is the one who has the
responsibility to make the determination of the results of the judgment. “For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:” (John 5:22).
God the Father has given His Son, Jesus Christ, “.. authority to execute judgment also,
because he is the Son of man” (John 5:27). The One who will preside as Judge at the
Judgment Seat of Christ will be the person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is the
Son of God and the Son of man. It is His judgment seat. He will be present personally,
bodily, and visibly. Jesus has been given this authority to exercise judgment of man.
The Apostle Paul, inspired of God, wrote in II Timothy 4:8 that the Lord was the
righteous Judge that would give him the crown of righteousness. The One that is
called “Lord” in that verse is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is identified in the same chapter
in verse one, “.. the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing and his kingdom;”.
The Apostle Peter, inspired of God, made it clear to Cornelius and his house that Jesus is
the One whom is, “.. ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead” (Acts
10:42). Just prior to this verse this same One is described as the One, “..whom they
slew and hanged on a tree: him God raised up the third day, and shewed him
openly;" (Acts 10:39, 40). There can be no mistake about it. The One that is
described here as the Judge is Jesus Christ. He is the “.. Judge of all the earth ..”
(Genesis 18:25).
His judicial decisions arrived at on that day will be in perfect harmony with the Triune
Godhead. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7). Jesus stated in John 5:30 that
He does not seek His own will, but He seeks the will of the Father. The eternal
decisions that result from this judgment will be in perfect agreement with the will of
God the Father. These decisions will be right in the eyes of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Jesus declared in John 5:30, “.. as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
There will be no, neither can there be, disagreement among the Persons of the divine
Godhead. This is a basic principle regarding the Triune Godhead. There is only one
true and living God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10, 11; 44:6; 45:5, 21; Jeremiah
10:10; I Timothy 2:5). The Triune Godhead is One in essence, in His being.
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Thus, it would not be possible for there to be a disagreement among the persons of the One
Godhead.
This is a very important issue. Since the judgment that is determined by the Lord Jesus
Christ finds full agreement with each Person of the Godhead, there can be no higher
One to go to, to challenge or appeal the result of the judgment. The Godhead is the
Highest. This indicates that the decisions issued on this day will be final. There will
not be, nor can be, anything added to or taken away from it. The results of this
judgment will stand.
It is not only at the Judgment Seat of Christ that we find that Jesus executes judgment.
He will judge the nations when He comes back to this earth and establishes His rule
(Matthew 25:31-46). Probably also shown by the judgment as revealed to Daniel in
Daniel 7:9,10. Jesus will also be the Judge at the Great White Throne Judgment
(Revelation 20:11-15). Judgment is His very nature of ruling. It could be considered
as a general principle. He rules, He judges. This judgment has been committed unto
Him by the Father. He will carry out this task perfectly in a manner that will be
pleasing to His Father.
In the Old Testament the LORD is presented as Judge. Abraham recognized the LORD as
“.. the Judge of all the earth ..” (Genesis 18:25, 26). This indicates that there is no
other such Judge as this One. He is the Judge of all humanity. Everyone will at some
time come before this Judge. Jesus Christ is the LORD, He is this Judge. This truth is
seen many times in the Bible and is found by comparing scripture with scripture.
“But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment”
(Psalm 9:7). This passage is dealing with the millennial reign of Jesus, not the
Judgment Seat of Christ, but the verse does show that even the ruling of Jesus will be
with judgment. The next verse (Psalm 9:8) indicates that He will judge the world (thus,
not at the Judgment Seat of Christ) in righteousness. His judgment will be ministered
in all righteousness.
Another Old Testament passage that speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact
that He will rule with judgment is found in Isaiah 9:6, 7. The passage speaks about the
Word being made flesh (in the past, at Jesus’ conception in the womb of the virgin
Mary ), but also about His future position as King. He will, “.. establish it with
judgment and with justice ..”, where 'it' refers to the kingdom of the LORD. The very
nature of Jesus’ rule will be that of judgment.
Jesus said, “.. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).
He has all power. This power indicates Jesus' complete authority and rule.
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Jesus has the authority and jurisdiction over all the affairs of creation (heaven and earth)
including man and his judgment.
It is Jesus, as the Judge, and based on His judgment, who will give due rewards to each
individual child of God. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with
his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew
16:27). “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
Thus, every child of God can truthfully say, as did the Apostle Paul, inspired of God,
“.. but he that judgeth me is the Lord” (I Corinthians 4:4). It is the Lord with,
".. whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). This passage meaning that it is to the Lord that we must,
and will, give an accounting of our lives.
II. THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE JUDGE
In any court of law, one would certainly desire to have a qualified Judge that had the
ability to render a right verdict. He would need to be properly trained, licensed and
one with experience. We would want him to be fair, honest and impartial.
Jesus will be the Judge at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Is He properly qualified for this
position? What is it that qualifies Jesus for this position? Consider the following:
A. HE IS GOD.
There are many scriptural evidences that Jesus truly is the true and living God. In the
Old Testament in Isaiah 9:6 where the prophecy of Jesus’ human birth is recorded, one
of the names He shall have is “.. The mighty God, The everlasting Father ..”.
Moses was inspired by God to write many things about the LORD. Jesus said that
Moses, “.. wrote of me” (John 5:46). Thus, Jesus is the LORD.
When Old Testament scriptures speaking about the LORD (Jehovah) are compared to
New Testament scriptures speaking about Jesus, it becomes evident that Jesus truly is
the LORD. Consider the following comparisons: Isaiah 6:1,5 with John 12:41; Isaiah
40:3 with Matthew 3:3; Psalm 24:10 with I Corinthians 2:8, James 2:1; Psalm 97:9
with John 3:31; Isaiah 44:6 with Revelation 1:17; Psalm 23:1 with John 10:11,
Hebrews 13:20, I Peter 5:4; I Samuel 2:2 with Acts 3:14; Isaiah 40:28 with John 1:3,
Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6 with John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3.
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The New Testament scriptures declare that Jesus is God. “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). The Word is the Lord Jesus Christ (John
1:14). Thomas declares that Jesus is Lord and God (John 20:28). God the Father
Himself declares that Jesus is truly God in Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith,
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
thy kingdom.” Jesus is fully God in a body of human flesh. “For in him dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The clear teaching of the word
of God declares that Jesus is the one, true and living God.
The passage in Romans 14:10 declares that “.. we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ.” In the very next verse the scripture declares, ".. As I live, saith the
Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Then the
next verse, verse 12, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Notice that it is the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will bow before the Lord, confess and
give account of ourselves to God. This seems to plainly state that Jesus Christ is Lord,
and that He is God. It is before Him we will come and bow. It is before Him we will
give account to of ourselves.
As God, Jesus has all the attributes of God. He is Holy (Luke 1:35; Acts 2:27 3:14). Jesus
is infinite in holiness and righteousness. He is omnipotent (infinite in power)
(Matthew 28:18). He is omniscient (infinite in wisdom and knowledge) (Matthew 9:3,4
12:25; Luke 9:46, 47; John 1:48 2:24 4:29; Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19 3:1, 8, 15). He is
omnipresent (infinite in presence, in all places in all times)(Matthew 18:20 28:20; John
3:13 14:20). Jesus possesses all other attributes of God including His eternality, truth,
love, grace, mercy, longsuffering, kindness, compassion, etc. These attributes are
continually perfectly present in the Lord. (They exist in Him in their fully-developed
state.) One attribute is not more fully developed in Him than any other. Each exists
absolutely, perfectly, fully and eternally in Him. This is important, because everything
He does is a manifestation of all His attributes. Thus, in
judgment a resulting reward for an individual will be a righteous judgment involving
God’s perfect holiness (which includes hatred of sin) at the same time involving His
love, mercy and grace. Since Jesus is the very God, He has perfect and infinite
understanding of the law of God. Indeed, He is truth. None of His attributes will be
set aside, or lessened in any instance. His judgment will be perfect in every aspect.
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Since Jesus inherently possesses these attributes we can be sure His judgment will be
conducted in the highest order of integrity. He sees and knows the depth of the real
truth about each person and every detail about that person’s life. Jesus’ judgment will
be that which is determined by a holy, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God.
To this we say, “Amen”!
B. HE IS MAN.
Jesus is a unique being. He is the very God, and He is also a man. This can honestly be
said about no other being. At the same time He is fully God, He is also fully man.
“.. God was manifest in the flesh, ..” (I Timothy 3:16). Deity and humanity are
perfectly united in the one person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the unique God-
man.
As man He personally knows and understands completely the realm of humanity. He
has experienced life on this earth firsthand as a man. It was such a tremendous
sacrifice for the eternal Son of God to lower Himself to come to this earth in the flesh
of man.
The scriptures clearly declare that Jesus was indeed a man even as we are, yet He was,
and is, without sin. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth” (John 1:14). Prior to His conception in the womb of the virgin Mary, the eternal
Son of God was Spirit only. This is the essence of God (John 4:24). But on the day that
He was conceived in Mary’s womb, as the Holy Spirit came upon her and
overshadowed her, the Son of God was MADE flesh. He became a man. Yet since He
had no earthly, human biological father He was born without a sin nature. “.. in him is
no sin” (I John 3:5). Regarding humanity, it is Jesus only about whom it can truthfully
be said that He “.. did no sin” (I Peter 2:22).
As a man, Jesus faced the temptations of this life that we face. “For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In His humanity Jesus
experienced hunger (Luke 4:2), weariness (John 4:6), thirst (John 4:7; 19:28),
sleepiness (Matthew 8:24), sorrow (Matthew 23:37-39; John 11:25) and temptations
of the devil (Luke 4:1-13). He also experienced rejection and hatred of many people.
He was, “.. despised and rejected of men; ..” (Isaiah 53:3). He knows what it is to be
lonely. Concerning material wealth, He was poor (Matthew 8:20). Jesus experienced
pain of various kinds in His earthly life. When the nails pierced His feet and His hands,
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He bled. When the spear pierced His side, there came forth water and blood. Jesus
was fully a man, yet without any sin.
One of the titles that Jesus used when talking about Himself was ‘Son of man’. A few of
these instances include: Matthew 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 12:8, 32; Luke 9:22; 12:8; John
3:13, 14; 8:28. It seems that Jesus loved to identify Himself with mankind. It is an
amazing truth that Jesus is not ashamed to call His brethren those who have received
Him as their personal Saviour and serve Him, even though they are still in the flesh.
“For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which
cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” (Hebrews 2:11).
From the point in time that the Son of God was made flesh, He will continue eternally to
be a man. His body is a glorious body, the same kind that He will give to His children.
Jesus is still God, and He is still man. “For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5). “But this man, after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
(Hebrews 10:12).
It is comforting to know that the Judge of man, will be a man. One who has lived
through the experiences that mankind does. One who has a personal understanding of
earthly situations and circumstances. One who knows the tenacity of the devil and his
temptations. One who knows the hurts that can come along in life. Jesus will not be
judging from a distant theoretical viewpoint as of a bystander. He will be judging from
the viewpoint that He Himself has personally “been there” and He knows what it is to
be a man living life on earth. He perfectly understands what we go through in life on
earth, He has experienced it. He is a caring Judge.
This certainly does not mean that He will excuse sin. Also, it does not mean that He will
accept man’s excuses for sin. The fact that Jesus was man and lived a life without sin,
sets a very high mark for man. Jesus’ life shows us what man’s life should be, and
what it would be without sin. (Of course, man will never be God or 'a god'.) Jesus is
the one perfect example for man to follow (I Peter 2:21). When the humanity of Jesus
is considered, it should cause every child of God to strive to become more and more
like Him.
One of the reasons that Jesus will be the Judge of mankind is Jesus’ humanity. God the
Father, ".. hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son
of man" (John 5:27).
Jesus Christ is the perfect Judge for mankind. He is Deity with all of the perfect
attributes of the true and living God. He knows the real truth of all matters.
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He will judge in righteousness. Jesus is also a man who has fully experienced humanity on
earth. He knows firsthand what it is to be a man living a life on earth.
Jesus is the absolute perfect judge in all matters that relate to humanity. He is qualified
in every way to properly judge and is then able to execute His rendering. The
scriptures make it abundantly clear that Jesus is qualified to be the Judge at the
Judgment Seat of Christ. The scriptures declare that Jesus Christ is fully God (God the
Son), and that He is fully man. This constitutes the ideal Judge. A person could not
hope for a better Judge than the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Perfect God, the
Perfect Man and the Perfect Judge.
III. THE QUALITY OF HIS JUDGMENT.
What kind of judgment can one expect when he or she comes before the Lord Jesus
Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ? What will be the nature of this Judgment? In
this present world we are used to hearing about the innocent falsely accused and even
convicted. In some instances there have been cases of innocent people put to death.
Judicial bias, partiality, discrimination, bribery, corruption all have been issues in
courts at one time or another.
The courts on this earth are composed of men and women who serve as witnesses,
jurors, attorneys and judges. All of these have a nature that is sinful and fallible.
Unfairness and mistakes are bound to take place.
Will such be the case at the Judgment Seat of Christ? Let’s examine a few scriptures to
study this. “.. for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons,
nor taking of gifts” (II Chronicles 19:7). "For there is no respect of persons with God"
(Romans 2:11). “And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of
persons with him” (Ephesians 6:9). “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong
shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons”
(Colossians 3:24, 25). “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons
judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in
fear:” (I Peter 1:17).
The conclusion is that there will be no bias, no partiality, no favoritism shown by the
Lord in any of His judgments. His judgments are based on truth. There will be no
bribery with the LORD. The position a person holds here in this life will not influence
Christ's judgment. Who a person is in the flesh will not influence Him in His divine judgments.
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A person’s position, power, possessions, or popularity in the world will not
have a bearing on the Lord’s righteous judgments. An individual may have great
riches, political influence and power in this life, but with God these matter not. None
of these will influence Christ and His righteous decisions on that Judgment Day.
The scriptures declare, "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors" (James 2:9). Godly wisdom is, “.. without
partiality ..” (James 3:17). In I Timothy 5:21 the instruction is given, “.. doing nothing
by partiality.” Partiality is sin, thus the righteous Lord could have no part of showing
any type of partiality. Partiality is favoritism, 'a leaning towards'.
The Lord Jesus is righteous (I John 2:1) and holy and all of His judgments are fair and
right. His judgments are: “.. true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9); “.. true and
righteous ..” (Revelation 16:7 19:2); “righteous” (Romans 2:5; II Thessalonians 1:5).
Jesus is “.. the righteous judge ..” (II Timothy 4:8).
Jesus' judgment is based on truth. Jesus stated, “.. my judgment is true: for I am not
alone, but I and the Father that sent me” (John 8:16). “But we are sure that the
judgment of God is according to truth ..” (Romans 2:2). His judgment is just. Jesus
said, “.. my judgment is just: ..” (John 5:30).
We can be assured that the Lord’s judgment will be fair and upright. “Before the LORD;
for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and
the people with equity” (Psalm 98:9). Notice, His judgment is with righteousness and
with equity. Equity indicates His judgment will be conducted rightly and fairly.
“But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek
of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4). Again, the scriptures state
that God’s judgment is with righteousness and with equity.
The nature of Jesus’ judgment at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be one according to
holiness, righteousness, fairness and equity. It will be absolutely just. It will be based
on truth. True facts will be presented, not madeup stories. There will be no deception
present. There will be no lies or any untruthes allowed at this Judgment. There will be
no bias or partiality at all in His decisions. Jesus, being the omniscient God, knows the
truth in infinite detail of every matter in the lives of every person. His judgment will be
in accordance with His perfect attributes. The final decision that He makes will be
absolutely fair and right according to truth.
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IV. THE SEAT OF HIS JUDGMENT.
Jesus will conduct this judgment from His judgment seat. “Judgment seat” is translated
from the root word 'bema' (bay-mah). Rulers judged and spoke from their judgment
seats. Judges at athletic events observed and rewarded from their judgment seats.
Garner states in his commentary on II Corinthians, “'The Bema' was a lofty seat raised on
an elevated platform, usually at the end of the Basilica, so that the figure of the judge
must have been seen towering above the crowd which thronged the long nave of the
building” (Garner-Howes, 1978, p. 70).
The Bema was also a place for athletes to receive their rewards or crowns after
completing a particular athletic contest. After the Christian race is run then the Lord
will examine the race of each individual and give to each one his proper reward.
Some general conclusions: Jesus will sit as Judge and Rewarder upon His own Bema, the
Judgment Seat of Christ. This is appropriate for He is the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. This will possibly be upon an elevated platform with steps and Jesus will sit
upon His throne. It may be elevated to a much greater height than one normally may
think. It certainly will be a very glorious setting and impressive sight. The scene may
be similar to that of Daniel 7:9 where the Lord is sitting on His throne for judgment,
“.. his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
Those that will be gathered to be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be saved individuals.
There will be no lost or condemned person present. It will be on this occasion that every child of God will give
an accounting of his deeds. There will be no doubt who is in authority at this
judgment. Jesus will be preeminent. He will examine, evaluate and issue appropriate
eternal rewards to each one of His children based on each ones works done in his body during his
natural earthly life.
Now having examined some facts concerning the Judge, what criteria will He be using at
the Judgment Seat? The next chapter examines some findings in regard to this.
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Chapter Five
THE CRITERIA USED FOR THIS JUDGMENT
This area of study should be of utmost importance to every person. There should be a
desire to know what will be used in determining the final outcome at the Judgment
Seat of Christ.
For any judicial decision and determination there must be criteria established. If this
were not so, then there could not be any fairness and equity in the judgment. Is the
Lord a righteous judge? Yes! As we have seen in II Timothy 4:8 the scriptures refer to
Jesus Christ as, “.. the righteous judge ..”. Since He is the Righteous Judge the criteria
He uses is set and established for His judgments, including the Judgment Seat of
Christ. There will be no guesswork involved. Since God is a holy God (Leviticus 19:2),
there will be no true claims of unfairness after the divine decisions, judgments, have
been rendered. Thus, on man’s part, there will be no legitimate excuses offered from
those being judged. What criteria will be used by the Lord at the Judgment Seat? Two
specific criteria will be discussed in this study. These are: (1). The Word of God, and
(2). The Works of the Individual Believer.
I. THE WORD OF GOD.
In Psalm 119:89 the Scripture says,“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”
In Isaiah 40:8 the Lord tells us, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word
of our God shall stand for ever.” Thus, we conclude that the scriptures are eternally
established and they are eternally unchangeable. The Lord tells us in His word that,
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty”
(James 2:12).
What is this ‘law of liberty’? It is referred to in James 1:25, "But whoso looketh into
the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." Thus, the law of
liberty is something that we can look into, hear, continue in it and do. In this same
chapter the word of God there is mentioned in the following verses: verse 18, “.. the word
of truth, ..”, verse 21, “.. the engrafted word, ..”, and verse 22, “.. doers of the
word, ..”, and in verse 23, “.. hearer of the word, ..”. The word of God is something
that can be looked into, heard, continued therein and can be done by obeying it. It is
concluded then that the law of liberty must refer to the word of God. So when the
passage in James 2:12 speaks of being, “.. judged by the law of liberty ..”, God is telling
us that we will be judged by the word of God.
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So we find that God’s word, His Law, will be involved in His judgments. Apparently, it
will be the standard, the measuring stick, the rule for His judgments. In a sense, this
can be likened unto the basis of law and judgment found in our nation. As the
Constitution is, at least supposed to be, the standard and the basis for the legal
system, and thus for judgments, in the United States of America and is to be adhered to in
all legal matters, so is God’s word the standard, the basis for God’s judgment. Even as
in our legal system the duty of the Judicial branch of Government is not to make new
laws, but it is only to enforce the laws, when accurately interpreted, put into place by
the Legislative Branch. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Judge will be arriving at
righteous decisions based upon God’s law as given in His word. After all, His word is
readily available, at least in this country at this time, for all to read, study and
practice. It is a readily available resource to everyone to know God’s will. We can, if
we choose to, read it, hear it, believe it, trust it, meditate on it, yield to it and obey it.
We have access to the same word of God that will be used at our Judgment. This is
right and it is fair.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16, 17). The word of God is to
be of greatest importance in the life of every child of God. The Lord, by means of His
word, is providing us with what we need to live our earthly lives in a pleasing manner
to Him, and thus, providing what we need in preparation, if we will heed it, for the day
of His Judgment and then throughout that future life with Him.
Are there other indications that the word of God will be involved in the Judgment Seat?
“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;
yet so as by fire” (I Corinthians 3:13-15). Three times in this passage, concerning the
Judgment Seat of Christ, the word “fire” is used. The believer’s work will be revealed
by fire, the fire shall try his work of what sort it is and some will suffer loss yet so as by
that fire.
Is the Word of God ever referred to as “fire”? There are at least three passages that do
liken the scriptures unto fire. These include: “Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of
hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire,
and this people wood, and it shall devour them” (Jeremiah 5:14);
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“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine
heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I
could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9).; “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and
like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).
These verses present the possibility that the fire that is discussed in I Corinthians 3:13-
15, at the Judgment Seat, is the word of God. This also is indicating the perfect
oneness of God’s word with God Himself. His word is like fire, and God is a
consuming fire. “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God”
(Deuteronomy 4:24), and, “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
Jesus states this truth, “.. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). (See also: Deuteronomy 8:3).
This is right and good for us for today and for eternity. With such brevity, the Lord is
giving advice to mankind that is of such great importance. The briefness of the
statement does not mean it is less important than longer statements He made. The
briefest of commands that the Lord gives is just as much a command as the longest of
commands. Man is to strive to live in obedience to the word of God.
In John 12:48 Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one
that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day." Also, in Revelation 20:12, at the Great White Throne Judgment, “.. the books
were opened: ..”. These “books” may be the sixty-six books of the Bible. Even though
these verses would directly apply to those that stand in judgment as a lost person, the
intention here is to show that His word is used in judgment. His word is the “one”
that judgeth. The word of God as the standard and Jesus, as the Righteous Judge,
having infinite wisdom and knowledge in all things will arrive at, and issue a just
decision for every person present at the Judgment Seat. For example, He knows to what
degree a person has obeyed His commandment to love Him, or the command to
forgive others. The scriptures have established the standard, Jesus will evaluate the
person’s works in comparison to the standard and reward accordingly, to what degree
did the individual meet the standard?
The first criteria we have considered that will be used by the Lord for His judgment at
the Judgment Seat will be His word, the word of God, the Holy Scriptures.
Thus, the admonition given in the book of James becomes so much more eternally
important to all. In James 1:22 God instructs us, “But be ye doers of the word, and
not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” There is such great importance, for
now and in the future, associated with doing His word, we will be confronted by it at
our Judgment. Next, we will consider the second criteria involved in judgment at the Judgment
Seat of Christ.
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II. THE WORKS OF THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER
Again, we must be reminded that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not about determining
if an individual is saved or lost, it is not about determining if a person will go to be with
the Lord in glory or go into hell, it is about determining the eternal rewards for every
person who is already saved. It is in the present life upon earth that one either
receives or rejects Jesus as his personal Saviour. The first criteria considered that will
be used at the Judgment Seat was the word of God. The other criteria to be used will
be the works of each individual.
What Scriptural evidence is there that the believer’s works will be considered and
judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ? Two specific areas of works, which are related,
will be examined. These two areas are, (1) Words spoken, and (2) Deeds performed.
1. Words Spoken
Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, 37, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Jesus
specifically says that every idle word that has been spoken would be given account of.
Examine this closer. “..That every [ each, individual, every single idle word]; idle
[false, causing injury, unprofitable] word that men shall speak, they
[each one that has spoken an idle word]; shall give account [to express an
explanation; an accounting of one's deeds].
Concerning “every idle word”, a word that is empty, vain or otherwise useless word.
This might include lies, malicious words, words that do no good. It is a word that is
empty of truth and of any useful value.
Concerning this giving of account of idle words, Spurgeon writes, “Words are to be
accounted for at the last great day. Words prove men just, or worthy of
condemnation. Their very works may be judged by their words. There is something
very heart-revealing about men’s language, and especially about those words which
spring from deep-seated passion. We may, when we are convicted of unjust speech,
shield ourselves behind the notion that our bark was worse than our bite, and that we
merely said so and so, and hardly meant it to be taken so seriously; but the plea will
not avail us.
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We must mind what we say about godly men, and especially about their
Lord; for libelous words will live, and will be swift witnesses against us in the day of
judgment, when we shall find that they were all recorded in the book of God”
(Spurgeon, Comments on Matthew 12:32, pp. 106-7). I.K. Cross writes in his book,
According to Matthew, “We are as accountable for careless speech as for careless or
reckless actions. It is a sobering thought to know that we are one day going to answer
to God for what we have said, though it may have been in a careless moment. Jesus
said plainly, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned” (Cross, 1990, p. 99). His last quotation is from Matthew 12:37.
In the parable that Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 19, He informed the wicked servant who
had been entrusted with the one pound, but had gained none, “.. Out of thine own
mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant .." (Luke 19:22). He would be judged
by his own words.
The Lord indicates that judgment will be issued against those that speak His name in
vain. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will
not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Deuteronomy 5:11).
Words spoken by man will be judged on the Judgment Day.
Do words that are spoken reveal anything about the heart of man? The scriptures
indicate that they do. Jesus said, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”
(Matthew 12:34). Words that are spoken and the heart of the person are intimately
related. The words are a reflection of that heart. The heart is actually the source of
spoken words. For spoken idle words to be judged would seem to be a judgment of
the very heart of the individual.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:18).
“The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut
out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the
wicked speaketh frowardness” (Proverbs 10:31, 32).
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the
fruit thereof" (Proverbs 18:21).
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named
among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Ephesians 5:3-5).
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“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is
set on fire of hell. ... But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison" (James 3:6, 8).
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath:" (James 1:19).
"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain" (James 1:26).
Right words that are spoken at the right time can be a blessing, of great value and used
to comfort, help and instruct others. But words also can be spoken that do great
damage. Much attention should be given to carefully use our words. "Be not rash
with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for
God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Ecclesiastes
5:2).
Words are very powerful. They can build up and they can destroy. They can be used for
good and right, or for bad and wrong. Words are a gauge or indicator of the condition
of the very heart of a person. The words that we have spoken during our lifetime on
earth will be evaluated at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
2. Deeds Performed
The second area of Works of The Individual Believer that will be evaluated at the
Judgment Seat are the actual deeds performed by the individual. These are those works
that involve what is done in and with the physical body. It is the result of physical
energy being exerted and movement taking place. Works are what we actually do and
accomplish with our physical bodies. In a child of God these deeds can be classified as
good (when the indwelling Holy Spirit is allowed to direct our actions; God alone is
good (Mark 10:18)). This area of study deals with how our deeds will be considered by
the Lord at the Judgment Seat.
Scriptures Considered:
“He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works” (Psalm 33:15). The
context of this passage is speaking about “.. all the inhabitants of the earth” (Psalm
33:14). Thus, the LORD considers all the works of all of those who have inhabited the
earth. Each person is an accountable being to God. “For God shall bring every work
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil"
(Ecclesiastes 12:14). This verse indicates that every single work and every secret thing, that no one besides
the individual and God knows about, will be judged by God.
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It also indicates that there is no partiality with God. He will judge these works and secrets
whether they are good or evil. All these works will be considered and evaluated.
"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10). The Lord will
recompense to every individual person according to (based on; determined by) that
person's ways (how the person actually lived his life) and according to the fruit (what
was produced by his works; what resulted from his ways; how did this person's life
effect others?) of his doings (this person's deeds and acts in life).
"For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will
recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own
hands" (Jeremiah 25:14).
"And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee
according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye
shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth" (Ezekiel 7:9). [Speaking of Israel directly,
but reveals how God will judge. He will judge the works that we have done in this
physical body which were determined by our ways.]
"The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his
ways; according to his doings will he recompense him" (Hosea 12:2).
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he
shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27). Again, we find that
the basis for judgment and rewarding is the works done by each individual person.
The works of the person is what will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. There
are no exceptions to this. Every person will be judged and every person rewarded
based according to his works.
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against
the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render
to every man according to his deeds:" (Romans 2:5, 6). God will render (give back) to
every individual according to the deeds performed by that person during his earthly
life.
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ... So then every one of us
shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10, 12).
"Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his
own reward according to his own labour" (I Corinthians 3:8).
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"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall
be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is"
(I Corinthians 3:13).
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God" (I Corinthians 4:5).
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad" (II Corinthians 5:10).
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that
of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord
Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and
there is no respect of persons" (Colossians 3:23-25).
"Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men
they follow after" (I Timothy 5:24).
"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to
every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:" (I Peter 1:17).
Jesus said to His church at Thyatira, "And I will kill her children with death; and all the
churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will
give unto every one of you according to your works" (Revelation 2:23).
Jesus said, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12).
These several scriptures make it clear that the works of men will be judged by
the Lord, according to their ways and their deeds. Not only what is done, but the
result of what is done, the “.. fruit of his doings”. It would be one thing to do
something that effects only one personally (even if there existed such a thing), and it is
another to do a thing that effects other people. (An example: If a person believes that
baptism is what saves a person, and he dies believing that, then that person will die
lost. That is one thing. But if that person teaches others that same damnable heresy,
and they believe it, then they all die lost. Then the one who taught them is
accountable for teaching them lies and resulting in their eternal damnation.) What a
person does effects others! “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself” (Romans 14:7).
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What we do in this body, even our secrets, will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Every single deed, every single work, every idle word, every single act of labour, every
secret, will be given account of. If it was a good work or a bad work, it will be
accounted for, it will be judged, and it will be recompensed by the Lord accordingly.
There is another area that might be considered in this section of Deeds Performed. This
is the idea that when a person knows to do something right and good, according to the
word of God, and then does not do it. Is there accountability for this?
The Lord gives this admonition in Hebrews 2:2,3 "For if the word spoken by angels was
stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of
reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard
him;”. The point is that if we neglect [do not heed; careless toward]
the salvation that God has given to us, which is so great, and do not the things
that we should, judgment awaits. In James 4:17 the Lord says,
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” These
are commonly called ‘sins of omission’. In Romans 14:14 we are also told that, “.. to
him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” (Here is a case in
which a person believes something is wrong and sinful and yet goes ahead and does it
anyway. It is clear, that person has committed sin.) Thus, it does seem likely that
those things left undone by a child of God, that could have, and should have, been
done, (and he knew these were deeds that were good and right, and had opportunity
to do them) will be considered at the Judgment Seat. Perhaps, this would fall into the
category of deeds that are “bad” (II Corinthians 5:10).
Even those that are lost will be judged, at the Great White Throne Judgment, and
rewarded for their deeds. “The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the
fool, and rewardeth transgressors”(Proverbs 26:10). “And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:12-14). This
provides evidence that there will be various degrees of punishment for occupants of
the eternal lake of fire and brimstone.
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Thus, the scriptures prove that the criteria that will be considered at the Judgment Seat
of Christ is the word of God and the works of man. Man’s work includes those words
that he has spoken and the works he has performed. The next logical concern would
be the results of this Judgment. What will be the outcome of the Judgment Seat of
Christ?
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Chapter Six
THE RESULTS OF THIS JUDGMENT
Certain facts have been clearly established up to this point in this study. These include
the following: The Certainty of the Judgment Seat of Christ taking place for all saved
people; Jesus Christ will be the Judge and His judgment will be impartial, showing no
respect of person, and will be infinitely righteous; The word of God is the standard that
He has established and made available to humanity; The ‘words’ and ‘works’ of each
individual saved person will be considered, evaluated and judgment rendered
accordingly for rewarding.
The subject matter of this Chapter concerns what the result will be of the Christ's
judgment at His Judgment Seat of His children. When Christ’s judgment is rendered,
what are the results for the individual being judged?
Again, this judgment is not to determine if a person is saved or lost. This is not a
judgment of condemnation. At the moment of salvation the repentant sinner was
delivered from condemnation. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
Salvation is the gift of God (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9) and is not the result of any
works on the part of man, but by the grace (“unmerited favor”; “undeserved kindness”) and mercy of God.
Scriptures Considered with Comments:
“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be
rewarded” (II Chronicles 15:7). These are God-inspired words of the prophet Azariah to Asa, and
all Judah and Benjamin. Notice, it is their ‘work’ that will be rewarded.
“As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward
of his work:” (Job 7:2). The laborer sincerely looks forward with desire to the end of
the work day when the sun sets and there will be a time of rest. The hireling anxiously
awaits the time when his work is compensated. In the same manner, the child of God,
with patience and anticipation, awaits the day when his labor with the Lord is over in this life and
he enters into rest. Also, he is looking forward to the time of recompense for his
labor. This day will come. Surely, the laborer will rest from his work, and his work will
be rewarded.
“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and
the sinner” (Proverbs 11:31).
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“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary
in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:7-9).
Presented in this passage is a definite law of God. The law of sowing and reaping. This
certainly implies that there must be a day when works done in this life are judged and rewarded. (For
more on this law, see II Corinthians 9:6.)
“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his
own reward according to his own labour” (I Corinthians 3:8). The context of this
passage concerns those members of the New Testament church at Corinth ( “.. the
church of God which is at Corinth ..” (I Corinthians 1:2)). This scripture indicates that
every individual church member definitely shall receive a specific reward which is his
own. This reward is given on the basis of (‘according to’) the labor of that individual.
The word translated ‘reward’ in this passage means 'recompense', 'retribution'. Rewards, according to Webster’s definition, is
“something given in return for good, or sometimes evil, or for service or merit;
compensation; return;” (Websters New World Dictionary, 1953/1964, p. 1248).
Presently, we may think of rewards as salary or wages received from the employer to
his employee for work performed. Work was performed, and then wages (rewards)
were given for that work.
“If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward”
(I Corinthians 3:14). In this verse we notice a conditional “If ..”. The reward will be given
‘if’ the man’s work abides. (This will be examined in greater detail later.)
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which
soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (II Corinthians 9:6) (For more on the
law of sowing and reaping see Galatians 6:7-9).
“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account"
(Philippians 4:17). In this passage the reward for supporting the Apostle Paul by the
church at Philippi is described as fruit. The church has a heavenly account. One day
the church at Philippi will be recompensed for their support of spreading the Gospel of
Christ by supporting and helping Paul. This indicates corporate rewarding based on
the actions of the church. It is a good work to invest in the Lord's work of spreading the
gospel of Christ in this world.
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“Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:2). This scripture indicates that God’s
judgment is one that is eternal. The results of His judgment have eternal
consequences. This seems to indicate that once His judgment is rendered, it stands for
ever. His judgments will not change from the time that He gives His judgment. It is settled.
God is a, ".. rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God does
reward those that seek Him (His ways, His will, in order to be pleasing to Him)
diligently. This indicates to earnestly and sincerely seek after, to search for.
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according
as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). Jesus is the one speaking and He is the one
who will give the rewards. The rewards belong to Jesus and they are His to give.
Again, each person will be rewarded based on his own individual work for and with the
Lord.
The result of the Judgment Seat of Christ will be rewards given to the individual based
upon the works of that individual (I Corinthians 3:8; Revelation 22:12). Also, we saw
that there will be corporate rewards given to Jesus' New Testament churches (Philippians 4:17).
This rewarding seems to be a payment, a recompensing and retribution of work performed, a reaping of what a
person has sowed in this life, good and bad. The scriptures seem to indicate that
Judgment Day will be a pay day for service rendered unto the Lord and other deeds
performed during the earthly life of a child of God. The rewarding of this Judgment Day will be eternal.
Various Degrees / Levels of Rewards:
This area of study will deal with the possibility of various degrees or levels of rewards to
be given. Since every individual will receive his own reward based upon his own
labour, the possibility seems to exist that there will be varying rewards given by the
Lord. Seemingly, there are potentially innumerable degrees of laboring that has been,
is being, and probably will be, done by saved individuals. From the extremes of just being saved and
doing no good works, to being saved and a faithful, working, sacrificing member of one of
Jesus' New Testament churches and giving his life for the Lord’s sake, and with many
varying levels of service between these two extremes. Thus, as many degrees of
laboring with the Lord there are, so will there be the same number of degrees of
rewards.
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In this present world we know that such varying degrees of retribution does exist.
Consider the following examples: The compensation given to a corporate chief
executive officer is considerably more than the wages given the common day laborer.
The extremes would be from thousands of dollars per day to a few dollars per day; In
any given city, there are many houses with values that vary greatly, from those worth
many hundreds of thousands of dollars to those worth much, much less; In contests
there are various levels of success with respective prizes awarded. First place receives
the largest prize and the one finishing last may receive nothing. Now, will this same
principle be applied to the rewarding on the Judgment Day of Christ?
The first passage that will be examined is I Corinthians 3:9-17. “For we are labourers
together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the
grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day
shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
The ‘day’ that is spoken of in vs. 13, according to the context, is the day that men’s
works will be manifest, declared, revealed, tried and rewards given. This day would
seem to be the day of the Judgment Seat of Christ.
This scripture was written to “.. the church of God which is at Corinth ..” (I Corinthians
1:2). This church is described as “.. God’s husbandry.. ” (I Corinthians 3:9), “.. God’s
building” (vs. 9), and “.. the temple of God ..” (vss. 16, 17). Jesus Christ is the
foundation of this church (vs. 11) and every one of His churches. One of His churches
can have no other foundation and still be one of His churches (vs. 11). Since these
church members are ".. labourers together with God .." (vs. 9), the admonition is for
each church member to “.. take heed how he buildeth .." on this foundation.
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Diligent care is to be exercised as each church member labours in the New Testament church
of his membership.
Warning is given to never defile the church (“.. the temple of God ..”) (vs. 17). If one
does, he/she will suffer loss (“.. him shall God destroy ..”) (vs. 17). Here are
indications that there are extreme degrees of rewards that will be given.
This passage deals with those that are building upon this foundation (Jesus Christ as the
foundation of His church) according to verse 12, “.. if any man build upon this
foundation ..”. Since this passage deals with those in a New Testament church, this
passage leaves us with a question. “What reward will be given to those who are saved
but are not even building on this foundation, who are not serving the Lord in any true
New Testament Church?” The Judge will determine this.
The quality of the works of men are evaluated as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay
or stubble. These materials vary greatly in quality and value. These are given in this
passage in order of the most valuable to the least valuable. These are the
summarization of men’s works for purposes of showing what will happen on the
Judgment Day. These represent different ‘sorts’ of works. It seems that all the
“works” (cf. Matthew 16:27) of a child of God will be evaluated and then classified as a
“work”. (This might be likened unto the many words of God, yet referred to as the
word of God). This ‘work’ then will be classified as one of these 6 categories. It may
be that there are many combinations between them, such as work that is categorized
as 75% gold and 25% silver, etc. If this is the case, then there would be an infinite
number of combinations and thus degrees of rewards given.
What is the result when fire is applied to each one of these? Fire would melt and then
purify gold and it would become more valuable. Silver when subjected to fire would
also become more valuable, yet not as much as gold. When precious stones are
placed in fire, one would expect that they would maintain their value without much
change. Wood, on the other hand, when placed in fire is consumed leaving only
considerable ash residue. Hay when it is placed in fire is consumed more completely
and even less ash residue is left. Fire would almost completely consume stubble with
very little solid matter left behind, if any. On a scale of value of the resultant material,
(which indicates the resulting rewards received) after these six materials are tried by
fire the great variableness in worth is seen: Gold, becomes much more valuable; Silver,
becomes more valuable; Precious Stones, little change takes place; Wood, devoured
with residue left, becomes less valuable; Hay, devoured with even less residue left and
becomes much less valuable; Stubble, devoured, nothing left, becomes worthless. Certainly, these materials which
indicate the sort of (kind of) work that will be tried that
day, represent several different degrees of materials. The implication is that rewards
that will be given, after the work is tried by fire, will also be given in many various
degrees to children of God.
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Those people whose work was evaluated as gold will receive a great and wonderful
reward that is so much more glorious and greater in value than the work that was
done. This principle may be shown in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.” However, it appears that those people whose work was evaluated as
stubble will be given no reward. In fact, it appears they will suffer loss and this loss will
be great. This is loss of their rewards, not of eternal life. It is not possible for a saved
person to ever be lost again.
Another indication that there will be various degrees of rewards is the comparative
terminology used in scripture. One such passage is in Matthew 5:12 (and also Luke
6:23). In this scripture Jesus is speaking to His disciples (vs. 1) and teaches them to
rejoice when they are reviled, persecuted and all manner of evil is spoken against
them falsely for Jesus’ sake. He tells them that “.. for great is your reward in
heaven: ..”. Thus, for those who do this sort of service (work) they will have a ‘great’
reward in heaven. ‘Great’ is a comparative word indicating amount or degree of size or value. If there exists rewards
that are ".. great .. " then the presumption would be that there are rewards that are
less than ‘great’. This indicates various levels or degrees of rewards that will be given.
Another passage to consider is Luke 6:35. Again, the promise is that their reward would
be ".. great .." if they will love their enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again. Thus, some rewards will be ‘great’.
The scriptures speak of a “.. full reward ..” in II John 8, "Look to yourselves, that we
lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."
The word ‘full’ indicates that which is complete and lacking nothing. Since there
exists a ‘full’ reward, then there would seemingly by necessity be rewards that are less than this.
This also helps make it clear to us that there will be various degrees of rewards given
at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Concerning this passage, Stevenson writes, “On the other hand,
it appears that none but church members can receive a full reward for labors during
the church age” (Stevenson, 1984, p. 93). If Stevenson is correct, it would again seem
that serving the Lord as a faithful member of a scriptural New Testament church is
very important not only for the present time, but also it is very important eternally.
Hebrews 11:35b also is a passage to examine in regards to various degrees of rewards.
“.. and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection:”. Certainly this ‘better resurrection’ is not speaking about the
resurrection of the saved versus the resurrection of the lost. This is dealing with a
specific conduct of a people who are already saved. They did not accept deliverance
from being tortured (for their faith, their profession of Jesus Christ) that (‘in order
that’) they might obtain a “better” resurrection. The word ‘better’ is a word showing
comparative degree. All the saved will have a glorified body at the resurrection. All
the resurrected saved will be eternally in the presence of the Lord.
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What would make a “better resurrection”? It would seem that this has to do with the
rewarding at their resurrection. These knew that if they accepted deliverance by
denying their Lord and Saviour then their actions would affect their condition at the
resurrection, and would lessen this condition in some respect. This would seem to be
affecting their rewards. Thus, knowing this, they did not accept the deliverance from
torture, which was availed them, in order to be partaker of these ‘better’ rewards.
This indicates that there will be various degrees or levels or rewarding at the Judgment
Seat of Christ. It also stresses the importance of striving, even sacrificing, to faithfully
serve the Lord.
The Various Degrees of Glory as Rewards
The various degrees of reward may be clearly revealed in visual perception of the
individual after the Judgment Seat of Christ. This will be evident by the varying degree
of glory showing forth from each individual. (It may be that the varying degrees of
glory given to the individual may in itself be a reward given by the Lord for the labor of
the individual.)
Jesus revealed some of His glory on the mount of transfiguration, before His death and
resurrection, when, ".. the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment
was white and glistering” (Luke 9:29). There on that mountain Jesus’ face, ".. did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light" (Matthew 17:2). His
raiment, “.. became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can
white them” (Mark 9:3). At that time on that same mountain there appeared with
Jesus, Moses and Elias who, “.. appeared in glory, ..” (Luke 9:31). Jesus’ glory, after
His resurrection, is seen as the bright light shining from heaven seen by Saul of Tarsus
on the road to Damascus. He described the light as, “.. light from heaven, above the
brightness of the sun, ..” (Acts 26:13), and this was at “.. midday .. ” (vs. 13), when the
sun is at its brightest. Jesus’ glory, after His resurrection, is also described by the
Apostle John, inspired by God, on the isle of Patmos. He said, “.. his countenance was
as the sun shineth in his strength” (Revelation 1:16). Yes, Jesus is very glorious. God
is a glorious God. It is of no wonder then that His children will also be glorious in
various degrees. Consider the following Scripture passages:
“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of
the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection
of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in
dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:”
(I Corinthians 15:41-43). The resurrected body of the child of God will be raised in
glory. It will be a glorious body. There may be various degrees of glory that will be
bestowed upon different children of God as an eternal reward received at the
Judgment Seat given by Jesus Christ.
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“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that
turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). The
promise here is that those children of God that are wise and that turn many to
righteousness (share with others the gospel of Jesus Christ) will, “..shine..”. Their
brightness is compared to the brightness of the firmament in which the sun, moon and
stars have been placed by the Lord. “And God made two great lights; the greater
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,”
(Genesis 1:16, 17). Even as there are great varying degrees of brightness of the sun,
the moon and the billions of stars in heaven, so will the glory that is given individuals,
with which they will shine, will vary so greatly one from another. Also, the Lord tells
us in this passage that these will shine, “.. for ever and ever”. This glory is an
everlasting glory. The rewards that the Lord gives on Judgment Day will be eternal
rewards. They will endure eternally.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). This glory will be a glory
which will be seen (‘revealed’). It is revealed in ‘us’, the Apostle Paul and the ones
whom the Lord inspired him to write to, including children of God today. The glory
that will be revealed may be proportional to “.. the sufferings of this present time ..”
by an individual. The more that a child of God suffers in life as a result of seeking and
doing the will of God, the greater the glory that may be revealed in him. The
comparison of the sufferings of the present are not even worthy to be compared to
this future glory. The present sufferings for Christ's sake are very, very small in comparison to the great
glory to be revealed in the future. In comparison, perhaps as a single grain of sand
compared to the vastness of the universe. Even this may not be an adequate
comparison.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (II Corinthians 4:17). In this verse we have a
similar contrast. The members of the New Testament church at Corinth whose
present “.. light affliction ..” is contrasted with their future “.. weight of glory ..”.
Their present affliction is not heavy at all (‘light’) compared to the future ‘exceeding’
weight of glory. If their present affliction could be placed on one side of a balance,
and their future glory placed on the other side, the balance would settle completely to
the side on which their glory was placed. It would be as if the affliction was
weightless, not even existing. Their affliction is exceedingly small, but the glory that
awaits them (if they continue to faithfully serve the Lord in His church there, as shown
by the verses before and after this passage) is exceedingly great.
There is also the contrast in the time of duration of both of these. Their present ".. light
affliction .." is but ".. for a moment .." (a very short time), whereas their future glory
is "..eternal ..", it will be never-ending.
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Also, we note that the present affliction (that they are suffering for Christ’s sake) is
working for them. This eternal glory that will be given them is a result of their
suffering affliction here on earth for Christ's sake. This glory given them may be
proportional to their affliction they endured.
“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:43). This verse again confirms that the
righteous shall be given a certain glory and will “.. shine forth ..” with that glory. Their
glory will be seen. By the various degrees of glory emanating from individuals in
eternity, others will be able to visually see the degree of faithfulness and loyalty to the
Lord that each person had during his earthly life.
The scriptural evidence presented seems to show that there will definitely be many
various degrees of rewards that will be given at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The
rewards presented on that Day will be eternal. This is very significant. This indicates
that in eternity that there will be differences, even among children of God. This
disputes the claim by some that every child of God will all have the same positions,
rewards, etc.
The Various Crowns Given as Rewards:
The New Testament speaks of various crowns that will be given to those who meet
certain standards or qualifications. It seems logical that the time of their presentation
would be at the Judgment Seat. In this present section these crowns will be examined.
The names of these crowns are: 1) The Incorruptible Crown [I Corinthians 9:25]; 2) The
Crown of Rejoicing [I Thessalonians 2:19]; 3) The Crown of righteousness [II Timothy
4:8]; 4) The Crown of Life [James 1:12, Revelation 2:10]; and, 5) The Crown of Glory
[I Peter 5:4].
In each of these passages the type of ‘crown’ spoken of is the ‘stephanos’. The other
type of crown spoken of in the New Testament is the ‘diadema’. These two types of
crowns are different. In the times of the New Testament, a stephanos crown was one
that represented victory in games, or special act of bravery, or times of joy. It was usually
woven from the leaves of certain plants. Thus, the stephanos crown is thought of as the victor’s crown.
Receiving this crown by the children of God will be such a tremendous honor. The stephanos is the type of
crown that the members at the church at Philadelphia (of which no problems within
the church are mentioned) would have (Revelation 3:11) and that the twenty-four elders had in
heaven that they cast before the throne of God in Revelation 4:10.
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This may indicate that that passage takes place after the Judgment Seat of Christ and these crowns have been
given as their rewards.
On the other hand the diadema crown was the kind of crown worn by a king, a royalty crown.
Thus, when Jesus returns to this earth in glory as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS, He has on His head, “.. many crowns ..”, the diadema crowns worn by Kings
(Revelation 19:12).
It seems appropriate that the type of crown that is given in rewards is the stephanos
crown. It symbolizes the victory in successfully finishing a race, the Christian race. It is
a symbol of honor, merit and gladness that will be given to those that meet the
standard. It is a crown that is earned.
The Incorruptible Crown (or, The Crown of Victory) is spoken of in I Corinthians 9:25.
The context of the passage includes I Corinthians 9:24-27. It seems to be a crown
given to those, “who get mastery over the old man” (Pentecost, 1958/1964, p. 225),
the old nature. This would involve maintaining self-control over one's own body and
life as he runs the Christian race (‘striveth for the mastery’) so as to please the Lord. In
this respect it is a Crown of Victory. The Apostle Paul, inspired of God, indicates that
he brings his body into subjection. He rules his body, his body does not rule him. He
does this so that he will not be a castaway, disapproved of. Paul “expresses the fear
that, having preached and led others to Christ and in the way of rewards, he himself
might become a castaway. This means that he might become unprofitable as a
servant. This can happen to anyone in several different ways. One can become
involved in a sin of the world and lose his influence. He can become involved in
business or other worldly affairs to the extent of becoming unprofitable in the work of
the Lord. Or, he can start compromising the word until his work becomes
unprofitable. Probably this last is the most common way of becoming a castaway. We
must never slacken in our contending for the faith” (Stevenson, 1974, p. 54). Our great
concern and desire is to always be found well-pleasing to the Lord. Perhaps this
particular crown, as the incorruptible crown, may also be descriptive of the quality of
all the rewarding crowns. Indicating that all these crowns given in rewarding are,
“imperishable”, thus, enduring. This reminds us that, “.. ye have in heaven a better
and enduring substance” (Hebrews 10:34). This seems to be speaking about rewards
given on judgment day. The Judgment Seat of Christ takes place in heaven and the
rewards received are for works that those addressed had done during their earthly
lives.
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Consider their works mentioned. It is addressed to those who: “.. endured a great
fight of afflictions;” (Hebrews 10:32), “.. were made a gazingstock both by
reproaches and afflictions;” (vs. 33), and they yet had compassion because of the
bonds of the human writer of Hebrews was experiencing and “.. took joyfully the
spoiling .." of their goods (vs. 34).
The Crown of Rejoicing is spoken of in I Thessalonians 2:19. This is sometimes called the
soul-winners crown. This seems to be a special stephanos crown of reward given to
those who have endeavored to win lost souls. The Thessalonian church members
themselves were the Apostle Paul’s “.. glory and joy” (vs. 20). Paul has gone to
Thessalonica and “.. three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,”
(Acts 17:2). A few of the Jews and many of the Greeks there believed the gospel and
were saved. Paul had a deep desire to see lost people turn to Jesus in faith and be
saved. He wrote, by inspiration of God, in I Corinthians 9:22, “.. I am made all things
to all men, that I might by all means save some."
Again, in Romans 9:2, 3, “That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my
heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my
kinsmen according to the flesh:”. God inspired Paul to write in Romans 10:1,
“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be
saved.”
To be a soul-winner is joyful and wise. The scriptures declare that, “.. he that winneth
souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). God speaks through Daniel also the wisdom shown by
those that win souls, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever” (Daniel 12:3). Also, in Psalm 126:5, 6, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Rewards are given to those who go
forth to other people to sow and/or water the word of God (I Corinthians 3:8). There
is no superiority one over the other. Both are needed in spreading the gospel of Jesus
Christ so that people will be saved. “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and
gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may
rejoice together” (John 4:36).
There is also a special rewarding stephanos crown given to those who love the
appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Crown of Righteousness (II Timothy 4:8).
To love Jesus’ appearing is to have one’s life in proper relationship and fellowship with
the Lord (otherwise, he would not love to see Jesus coming).
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This one is watching and prepared for Jesus’ return, and ready to leave this life to go home to be with his
Saviour. This would include those, who can truthfully say as could Paul, "I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (II Timothy 4:7). This
could be likened unto a person eagerly anticipating the visit from a loved one whom
he had not seen in a long time. Much preparation would go into getting things in
proper order and prepared for the loved one's arrival. After all the preparation is
done, then the person is ready for the arrival of his loved one. We are to love the
doctrine of the rapture and the resurrection and be preparing for it. If one truly lives
in anticipation of Jesus’ return it will affect his life. “Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath
this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I John 3:2,3). This crown will
be bestowed upon those who lived purified and righteous lives and are continually
looking forward to Jesus' return.
The Crown of Life is specifically mentioned in scripture two times. These passages are
as follows: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him"
(James 1:12); to the members of the church in Smyrna, “Fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye
may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and
I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). To receive this crown is a blessing
(“Blessed is the man .. for ..”). Certainly all rewards given by the Lord will be
tremendous blessings. This crown is given to those who endure trials of their faith and
continue to be loyal, faithful and committed to the Lord. It is given to those who love
Him, to those who suffer for the cause of Christ (“.. thou shalt suffer ..”). Some will
live their lives after the Lord saves their souls in the ‘path of least resistance’. These
will not take a stand for Christ or His truth, they will be compromisers. They will want
to please themselves, other men or the world more than they want to please God.
The scriptures make it clear that if a child of God will live righteously in this world, he
will suffer persecution. Consider the following verses: “Yea, and all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12); “That no man should
be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed
thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should
suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know” (I Thessalonians 3:3, 4);
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“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”
(II Timothy 2:12).
This crown is reserved for those children of God who are faithful, even to the point of
giving their life for the Lord’s sake. Notice some of the words used in association with
the conditions the believer must possess, overcome or endure: ".. endureth
temptation ..", ".. tried ..", ".. love him", ".. suffer ..",".. tribulation .." and ".. faithful
unto death ..".
The crown of life is not eternal life. Eternal life is given as a gift from God (Romans 6:23)
and is given by His grace and not according to a person’s works (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus
3:5). Eternal life cannot be earned, merited, purchased or attained unto by any man.
This crown of life, however, is given in response to the particular works of a person. It
is given by the Lord to His child as a reward for that person’s endurance and
faithfulness throughout the various and severe trials in his life.
The fifth crown that will be given as reward by the Lord is the Crown of Glory. This
crown is described in I Peter 5:4. “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” The ones that the Lord, through
Peter, was addressing in that statement were the elders, the ‘under-shepherds’. These
were New Testament church Pastors.
God calls His preachers into the Gospel Ministry. Some He gives the responsibility of
being a Pastor of a New Testament church. There are special trials and challenges that
come to Pastors. But here we find that there is an eternal reward to the Pastor who
will remain faithful in his God-called duty as Pastor. This is an eternal reward that
Jesus will give to His preachers that were obedient in answering His call and who
strive to be faithful to carry out their God-given pastoral responsibilities.
As in all the crowns there are conditions that must be met for the giving of this Crown of
Glory. It is given to the Pastor who takes the oversight of the flock of God willingly and
not by constraint, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind (I Peter 5:2). The Pastor is
not to ‘lord’ it over the flock, but he is called upon to be a godly example to them
(I Peter 5:3; I Timothy 4:12). To feed the church is to care for them and preach to them
the rightly-divided word of God. He is the under-shepherd, Jesus is the Shepherd of the church.
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The Pastor is to do everything required to genuinely care for the members of that New Testament church
of which God has placed him in to shepherd.
Rewards Given To Overcomers:
In Revelation chapters Two and Three there are special blessings given by Jesus Christ
to those New Testament church members who are ‘overcomers’. These special
blessings might be considered as rewards because they are given on the basis of the
conduct of the individual New Testament church member. Though it is difficult for us
to presently understand exactly and clearly the specific details of some of these great
rewards. The word ‘overcome’ and the various forms of this word used in these
passages means to have victory over, or to conquer. If taken in the
context of each passage where the overcomer is mentioned, there are special
challenges that that church member faces, or circumstances he must deal with. It
would seem then that these challenges or circumstances are what must be ‘overcome’
in a manner that is in agreement with the Lord’s will and that pleases Him.
Faith in the Lord and His word is vital to be an overcomer (I John 5:4, 5). It is impossible
to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is hearing the word of God,
receiving the word of God as truly His word, believing the word of God, trusting the
word of God, submitting to the authority of the word of God and then resulting in the
obeying the word of God. It seems that the overcomer in Revelation chapters Two
and Three is one who will apply these principles of faith, not only in regards to
salvation, but to specific circumstances and trials that come after salvation.
The seven letters that are found in Revelation chapters Two and Three were from Jesus
Christ and were addressed to seven New Testament churches. These were to
churches which were composed of individual members. The commendations, the
warnings and the promises then contained in these chapters apply to New Testament
church members, then and now. The rewards promised to these overcomers then are
potential rewards only to members of true New Testament churches.
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Members of Jesus' churches are encouraged to “.. hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches”(Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22). Then hearing what the
Spirit says, it would be understood that they were to heed what He says.
These rewards given to overcomers are given as follows in Revelation chapters Two and
Three:
(2:7) “.. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God” (To the church of Ephesus).
(2:11) “.. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (To the church
in Smyrna). Note, that the crown of life is associated with their successful
overcoming of the circumstances and challenges they faced (2:10).
(2:17) “.. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give
him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it” (To the church in Pergamos).
(2:26-28)“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give
power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the
vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my
Father. And I will give him the morning star” (To the church in Thyatira).
(3:5) “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot
out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my
Father, and before his angels” (To the church in Sardis). Note also vs. 4 where those who
have not defiled their garments are promised that they will walk with Jesus in white, “.. for they are worthy”.
(3:12) “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:
and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which
is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (To the
church in Philadelphia).
(3:21) “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame,
and am set down with my Father in his throne” (To the church of
the Laodiceans). This seems to reinforce the belief that the ‘overcomer’ is one that has overcome
some challenges or circumstances in life and not just one who has been saved, as some believe.
Jesus faced many challenges and harsh circumstances and He continued to remain faithful to the Father (“.. even as I
also overcame ..”). “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;” (Hebrews 5:8).
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Other Possible Rewards:
Other blessings that the Lord will give as rewards for good and faithful works might
include various positions, responsibilities and privileges beginning in the millennial
reign of Jesus Christ and continuing on afterwards. Some of these are indicated by the
following passages:
Matthew 19:27–29, “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said
unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall
sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that
hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall
inherit everlasting life.”
Luke 18:28-30, “Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said
unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive
manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”
The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 teach about the rewards given to the
good and faithful servant. Talents were given to the servants by the Master,
“.. according to his several ability ..” (vs. 15). At the appropriate time the Master
came and it was time for each of the servants to give account of how he had used the
talents given to him. “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and
reckoneth with them” (vs. 19). (This teaches the principles of reckoning, account-
giving of the child of God at the Judgment Seat.) The good and faithful servant had
used the talents (perhaps today representing our God-given abilities, talents,
possessions, opportunities, etc.) given into his care. He had wisely used and earned
more talents (fruit-bearing) for the Master. The Master rewards the good and faithful
servant with:
(1.) His personal commendation, “.. Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things ..” (vss. 21, 23);
(2.) A great
position: “.. I will make thee a ruler over many things:” (vss. 21, 23);
(3.) A great joy.
“.. enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (vss. 21, 23). This joy is also shown in I Peter
4:13, "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his
glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” This parable of the
talents teaches that faithfulness is the determining factor for the rewarding.
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The parable of the pounds in Luke 19:12-27 also instructs us as to certain principles in
Christ's rewarding. In this parable the good servant again wisely utilized the pound
given him. He had gained other pounds (fruit-bearing). One faithful servant had been
“.. faithful in a very little ..”(vs. 17) and he was given authority over ten cities.
Another faithful servant was given authority over five cities. Each one was given the
position in response to faithful service. Each one was rewarded in proportion to that
they had gained. The one who had used the pound and gained ten pounds was given
authority over ten cities. The one who had used the pound and gained five pounds
was given authority over five cities. This may have particular implications during the
millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Those who are truly good and faithful servants of the
Lord in this present dispensation, will be rewarded with positions and authorities over
cities during Jesus' one-thousand years reign on this earth. During the millennial reign
of Jesus on earth, He will be the King and everyone will know this (Zechariah 14:9).
Rewards are also likened unto a prize. The prize is given to the one who successfully
and legally finishes a race (the course), a fight or an assigned work. The prize is awarded after
the conclusion of the event, and not before nor during the event. Likewise, eternal
rewards are given those children of God who successfully and lawfully finish their
assigned race, course, fight and work. Rewards are given after the completion of the
of our earthly sojourning.
There is a prize that awaits. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but
this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14).
The Christian life is this race, fight and work. It is the, “.. race that is set before us”
(Hebrews 12:1). This race is an individual race that God assigns. He gives individual
children of His specific abilities and opportunities that they are to use in which to bring
God glory. It is likened unto an uphill obstacle course with many trials and afflictions.
It is the fight, in which we are to be good soldiers. The enemies that the Christian
faces include his own flesh nature, the world system and the devil and his angels.
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:3).
We are to “.. earnestly contend for the faith ..” (Jude 3). Thus, the Apostle Paul,
inspired of God, could rightfully say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith:” (II Timothy 4:7).
The running, the fighting and the working must all be done legally, lawfully, or the prize
will not be awarded. “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned,
except he strive lawfully” (II Timothy 2:5).
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This teaches that the rewards that the Lord
gives will be given to those who have followed His law, which is His word, and done
the things that He has commanded and done them in the manner, attitude and spirit as He has commanded.
Those who strive in this manner to please their Master may be criticized and called
‘narrow-minded’, ‘old fashion’, ‘not up to date’, ‘a traditionalist’ perhaps even ‘a
legalist’. If those who say such things would closely examine the scriptures and the
lives of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul and others, if they would be honest, they would have to
agree that the way of God is a narrow way. It is even possible to do things are that
right in wrong ways. An example might be seen in a church member going out on
community visitation to witness on Sunday at 11:00 AM. This is the time the church
has designated and approved as a time to assemble together to Worship the Lord.
Witnessing on community visitation is a good and right thing to do, but it must be
done in a right way. This member should have been in the Worship Services at that
time. It would have been more pleasing and honoring to the Lord. “.. Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, ..” (I Samuel 15:22).
If the race is not run, if the fight is not fought, if the work is not done, there is no
reward. “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in
harvest, and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4).
Thus far in this Chapter some of the results of the judgment have been seen that will
take place at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This could be summarized as: rewards
given; recompensing of good works done; a reaping of what was sown in life; the
eternal endurance of the rewards given; the fact of various degrees/levels of rewards
that will be given; the reward of glory; the reward of various crowns; the reward for
overcomers; the reward of assigned responsibility, authority, privileges and joy; the
reward as a prize for successful and lawfully completing the course that God had given
the individual child of His in his earthly life.
Rewards that will be given at the Judgment Seat of Christ must be great and wonderful
eternal blessings. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God”(I Corinthians 2:9, 10). God has revealed to
His children in His word many great things He has awaiting those that genuinely love
Him. These are revealed, many times a little at a time, sometimes as sort of an outline
instead of the full greatness of the thing He teaches to the child of God as he prays
for enlightenment from the indwelling Holy Spirit when studying the word of God.
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Also, as one submits to the authority, scriptural teaching and preaching of the
word of God in a scriptural New Testament church, of which he is a faithful member,
he will learn and understand more and more of the wonderful truths of God. It is the
Lord’s New Testament churches that God has given authority to teach His word
(Matthew 28:20).
It appears from the above study that once the rewards are given they are given forever
to the individual and have no potential to ever be lost. Just as it is ".. appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27) so this would indicate
that each person will die a natural death once, and be judged once. Thus, the
resulting rewards given once, are given for all eternity. However, do the scriptures
have any indication in them that it is possible for a person to lose rewards before they are
given (at least potential rewards) by how we live in this present life on earth? This is the subject of
the following section.
Loss of Rewards:
In I Corinthians Chapter Three the judgment of works by God's children is seen. Due to
the context of the passage it is seen that this is the works of saved individuals (they
were saved and members of the New Testament church at Corinth to whom the Book
was written). Every man’s works will be made manifest, revealed by fire and the fire
“.. shall try every man's work of what sort it is” (vs. 13). If the work abides, that
man shall “.. receive a reward”(vs. 14). In verse fifteen the following is found, “If any
man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so
as by fire”. It is at the Judgment Seat that this loss takes place, but it was due to the
work that was done during the person’s earthly life. The loss was prior to the giving of
rewards. Thus, no reward was lost after it was given. It seems that it was the
‘potential’ reward that was lost.
The question then we are faced with is, “Is the loss of a potential reward, a real and
actual loss?” Under normal circumstances when one thinks of a loss it brings a feeling
of sadness or regret. If a person loses a valued possession, a job, his memory, these
all cause the feeling of sadness or regret, and the person would consider it a real loss.
But how about a potential loss of something that the person never actually possessed
as his own? Consider a few examples: (1.) The married couple who were unable to
have any children; (2.) The person who never learned to read; (3.) The person who
lived in a country where there were no real freedoms; (4.) The person who was born
blind; (5.) A person who has his life taken prematurely by another.
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The person that was killed would have normally lived many more years, and will never experience those years on
earth; (6.) The farmer who plants his crops, but insects or hail destroy the plants
before they bring forth a harvest.
In all six of these examples there was something that existed as a potential and yet was
missing, that never was actually in the possession of the person. Could these people
have the feeling of sadness or regret, even the feeling of loss, under these
circumstances? Was their loss real? They knew the potential (having children; ability
to read; having freedoms; ability to see; living a full normal life; having a plentiful
harvest) and yet did not obtain it. Could this be likened unto loss of rewards at the
Judgment Seat of Christ?
What further evidence do the scriptures give that, at least potential, rewards can be
lost? Consider the following:
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye
have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). [The potential
reward was lost because the motive of this action was wrong. The motive was, “.. to
be seen of them: ..”. The proper motive should always be to do the works to please
the Father.]
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell: and great was the fall of it”(Matthew 7:26, 27). [This was spoken to Jesus’
disciples, His church, but for everyone to hear. The loss would be great to those who
did not do as Jesus commanded in His teachings (at least in chapters 5, 6 and 7)].
Jesus said, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of
cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise
lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42).
“And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall
be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath,
to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which
he hath” (Mark 4:24, 25).
“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong
to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41).
“Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have"
(Luke 8:18).
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Jesus said, "Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the
Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8, 9). [Since a person can
never be denied as a child of God after he has been saved, what is denied here must
be something else. Whatever it is that is denied, it is due to the fact that the person
denied Jesus before men and did not confess Him. What is perhaps denied is a
position, a crown, a reward of some type because of unfaithfulness. (See also
Matthew 10:32, 33)].
“Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that
we receive a full reward” (II John 8). [Notice, “.. that we lose not ..”, and, “.. full
reward”.]
“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown"
(Revelation 3:11). [Jesus was speaking in this letter to His church in Philadelphia. Here
the crown seems to be a crown of reward. Seemingly, even the stephanos crown is a
potential loss, prior to its granting. Jesus promised to keep them, “.. from the hour of
temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the
earth” (vs. 10). Jesus continued to tell the church, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that
fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (vs. 11). In other words, they
were not to give in to the pressure to compromise some truth of God’s word or in
some other way be, “.. carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” (Ephesians 4:14).]
“And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall
make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a
truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that
servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that
servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is
not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the
unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that
knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:42-48).
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[Again, we find the loss of the one who knew what to do and did not do it. This also
illustrates the principle of accountability of the servant to his master.]
By a person's very own deeds in this present earthly life, day by day, future rewards are
laid up, or potential future rewards are lost. Any loss must be considered to be very
great since it is an eternal loss. This will be made known at the Judgment Seat of
Christ. When a person is saved by the Lord, he is " .. his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them" (Ephesians 2:10). If a saved person does not walk in good works, as God has
before ordained that he should, then the rewards that that person could have had
will not be given. That person did not bring honor and glory to the Lord as he should
have. “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in
harvest, and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4). [This is the principle of working and then
being recompensed according to that work. This one had nothing (no rewards), he
suffered loss, because he did not do the work when he had opportunity.] Remember, it is the Lord
that we must please and not men. A person may be greatly admired and exalted by men, and yet be
very displeasing to the Lord. The Lord is the Judge.
The next area of consideration will be the study of the timing of the Judgment Seat. Are
there scriptural indications of when it will take place?
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Chapter Seven
THE TIMING OF THIS JUDGMENT
The topic under consideration for this present chapter deals with the timing of the
Judgment Seat of Christ. We will attempt to find what information the scriptures
contain on this subject.
Timing of future events is sometimes an area of disagreement. This is certainly true
when dealing with, for example, the subject of the rapture and resurrection, or the
tribulation and possibly the Judgment Seat, also. Usually, it is the substance of the
event, and knowing with certainty what will occur and the fact that it will occur, that is
so important, more so than the exact timing of the event. The precise timing of all
future events is of the Lord’s own choosing, as have been all past and present events.
However, sometimes He does give some general information. The following passages
will be considered in considering the timing of the Judgment Seat:
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews
9:27). From this verse it is understood that the Judgment would be after the physical
death of a saved individual. This would not necessarily mean that the Judgment would
take place immediately after death. There could be a considerable time after death
before the Judgment, but the order of the events is, physical death and then after
death the Judgment. Also, this is teaching that after death it is too late to do other
works that will be considered at the Judgment. This can also be extrapolated to mean
that the Judgment will occur after the rapture of all the saved, who will, in one sense,
experience a physical death (see previous discussion on this subject).
Death and judgment are appointed unto all men. The appointment is for one occasion
of each. A man is appointed to die once and then to be judged once by the Lord.
However, if a person rejects Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and dies a physical
death in that condition, that person will experience two deaths. He will experience
not only the natural physical death, but he will also experience spiritual death
(which is eternal separation from God). The spiritual death is not appointed unto all men, only the
physical death is appointed. The spiritual death is a result of a personal choice of the
individual who refuses to believe the gospel of Christ, to repent toward God and have faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour.
“And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). Here we find that the
timing of the resurrection is the time of the recompensing or rewarding. This
rewarding comes as a result of the judgment at the Judgment Seat. Notice, this is for
those that are saved, not those that are lost. This is at "..the resurrection of the just."
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Thus, at the Judgment Seat those judged will be in the glorified state, since it is post-
resurrection. In that glorified condition each one will be capable of receiving the
rewards to be given to them. Prior to this, none would be capable of receiving these
rewards. Since each one will be in a glorified state, the sin nature will not be present
in those that stand before the Lord on that Judgment Day. There will be no envy,
jealousy, hatred, resentment or any other such sinful attitude toward others on that
Day. This would also mean that there will be no pride in those who are greatly
rewarded. Though there will be many different degrees of reward but there will be
none of these sinful attitudes. No sin, what a blessing!
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of
our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” (I Thessalonians 2:19). Here it appears that this
will be the time that the soul-winner’s crown is given. The timing is at the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Apostle Paul, inspired of God, was writing in the
current church-age dispensation, this ‘coming’ probably means that coming which will
end this dispensation, which will be Jesus’ coming at the rapture/resurrection. These
two events seem to occur very close together.
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away” (I Peter 5:4). This is the crown of glory given to faithful Pastors. It is
given, “.. when the chief Shepherd ..” appears. He appears to His children, not this
world. The chief Shepherd is a title of Jesus Christ in reference to under-shepherds,
which are Pastors of New Testament churches. Since this passage deals with Pastors
of churches, and the Lord’s churches will be taken into heaven at the rapture, it seems
as if this must be speaking again of the rapture. Thus, after the rapture is when the
faithful Pastors will be given the crown of glory. This will occur at the Judgment Seat of
Christ.
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according
as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). The book of Revelation was written to the
seven churches of Asia, thus, applicable to all true, scriptural New Testament
churches. Jesus is informing those church members about His coming and rewarding.
The time of rewarding is when Jesus comes. When He comes in the
rapture/resurrection, all those that have been saved, born of God, up to that point will
be given a changed and glorified body and will be taken up into heaven. The Judgment
Seat of Christ will take place resulting in rewards being given. The reward is Jesus’ to
give. He gives His rewards to the individual child of God based on the work of that
person in his life on earth.
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A different judgment is the Judgment of Nations. “For the Son of man shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to
his works” (Matthew 16:27). This coming refers to Jesus’ return to the earth in “.. the
glory of His Father ..”. This is not the rapture/resurrection. This is when Jesus comes
back to earth and establishes His everlasting Kingdom, starting with His Millennial
reign on earth. This takes place sometime after the rapture, towards the end of the
great tribulation. Who are these that will be rewarded at His coming that this time?
Evidently, these are the ones who will be saved after the rapture, during the
Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-40; Revelation 7:9-14). This is known as the Judgment of
Nations. This is a separate event and at a different time than the Judgment Seat of
Christ. The ones that appear that this judgment may also include the 144,000 Jews
who were sealed by God (Revelation 7:3-8) and the two special witnesses that the
Lord sends during that time (Revelation 11:3-12).
From these passages a few general concepts of the timing of the Judgment Seat of
Christ can be derived. The order is: physical death and then sometime later the
Judgment. It occurs at/after the resurrection of the saved, ‘the just’. Thus, it occurs
after the rapture/resurrection. This is when rewards are spoken of as being given.
Jesus will also judge and reward those that are saved after the rapture, at the
Judgment of Nations, when He comes back to this earth to rule.
Another Judgment, conducted at a different time is the Great White Throne judgment of
the lost. It will take place after the Judgment Seat of Christ and after the Judgment of
Nations. The Great White Throne judgment takes place after the Millennial reign of
Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:7-15).
Confronted with the reality of this Judgment before the Lord Jesus Christ, what is it that
His children need to be doing in order to prepare for this most serious event? This is
the subject of the next Chapter.
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Chapter Eight
THE PREPARATION FOR THIS JUDGMENT
This final area of consideration is in the area of Practical Theology. It will deal with the
practical applications of many Biblical truths in order to help an individual child of God
prepare for the Judgment Seat. This Chapter is a vital part of this study. Information
that is read, learned and even understood is of no real value until it is used or applied.
Jesus said, ".. blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
The commandment is given by the Lord in James 1:22, "But be ye doers of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." All the previous study has
provided much information and many details, but all the information, statements and
proofs will not practically benefit any individual until it is taken seriously and a genuine
effort made to prepare for this Day of Judgment that will most certainly come.
Basically, there is only one variable that is left unsettled for the Judgment Day. The Day
is set (yet we do not know the exact timing, but it will come), those that will appear at
the Judgment Seat are set (those that are born again prior to that Day), the place is set
(before the Judgment Seat), who the Judge will be is set (the Lord Jesus Christ), the
criteria for Judgment is set (the word of God is settled heaven) and the various
rewards are set (based upon the result of each person's work tried by fire). The
variable that is not yet set is the actual works of each individual. This is a matter of
choice for every individual child of God. This is where the ‘genuine effort’ must be
made to prepare for this Day.
To sincerely strive to prepare for the Judgment Seat is altogether rational, logical and
reasonable knowing that the results of that Day are eternal and will settle the eternal
condition of every saved individual judged. Even as it is logical to prepare for earthly
events and situations (a profession or career, the birth of a child; a graduation; a
wedding; a retirement; a funeral) it is even more logical and reasonable to prepare for
eternity. First, it is logical, and wise, to receive Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and
next it is logical and wise to prepare for the Judgment Day of the saved.
This wisdom is shown by the ants in Proverbs 30:24, 25. These little creatures are
“.. exceeding wise”, because they “.. prepare their meat in the summer;”. They
prepare for the harsh days of winter by storing up food in the summer. This is wise.
The wisdom the Lord is trying to teach us is that we should learn to prepare now in
this present life for the future. (There are other lessons of wisdom in that passage,
Proverbs 30:24-28, that will help in preparing for the Judgment Day). The Lord,
through His prophet Amos, instructed Israel to “.. prepare to meet thy God, ..” (Amos 4:12).
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Preparation for an inevitable event, an event of immense importance, is wise.
The motive in preparing for the Judgment is not just the desire for the rewards, but the
great desire to please our Lord and Saviour because we love Him. He is absolutely
worthy of our obedient and submissive service to Him.
This present life on earth is the only time we have to do all this preparation. At the very
moment of death it is too late to prepare. It is all settled at that point. Nothing can be
added to, nor can anything be taken away from the works that the person has done.
While a person still has breath there is opportunity to do good works in preparation.
Each one should make the very most of that opportunity.
The two main divisions in this Chapter are, Salvation and Service. Only those that are
saved will appear before this Judgment Seat of Christ. Those that are not saved will
appear before the Lord at the Great White Throne prior to being cast into the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:11-15). The first step that must be taken is to be born again of God,
saved.
SALVATION determines WHERE a person will be for eternity. All the saved will be with
the Lord in glory. WORKS (Service) which are done by each individual child of God
after salvation, determines eternally WHAT CONDITION, WHAT POSITION, WHAT
GLORY and WHAT PRIVILEGES each individual will enjoy eternally. Following is a short
summary of God’s way, the Biblical way, the only way of salvation.
SALVATION:
The question being considered is, “What must I do to be saved?” What is man’s
condition by nature? In examining scriptures such as I Kings 8:46, II Chronicles 6:36,
Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12, it becomes clear that
all people have a sin nature and are sinners by practice. Since every person is born
with a sinful nature, inherited from his fleshly father Adam, every person that comes
to the point of accountability in his life needs to be saved, since the wages of sin is
death (Romans 6:23). This death involves the eternal separation from God. The Lord
loves each person and Jesus Christ died and paid the sin debt for every person (John
3:16; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 2:9; John 2:2).
Eternal life, the result of salvation, is a gift from God (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). It is
freely given to every person who obeys God’s instructions concerning salvation. After
hearing and believing the gospel of Christ (I Corinthians 15:3-8) a person must respond
in the way that God demands. The following summarizes this:
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T ell the truth, you are a sinner. The individual must recognize the reality that he has
sinned against God, that he is guilty and that he is lost. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" (Romans 3:10).
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23).
T urn to the Lord with your heart. This is repentance. There must be a genuine desire
in the heart to turn toward God. Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the
Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts
20:21).
T rust in the Lord Jesus Christ with your heart. This is faith. Trusting that Jesus died for
the person's own sins. Trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice of His body, His blood and in His
death as full payment for the person’s sins. Believing that Jesus was buried and was
raised from the dead. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he
that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18). ".. Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house" (Acts 16:30, 31). This also involves a willingness to receive Jesus Christ as
personal Saviour. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12).
T alk with the Lord in prayer. The person should just be honest with God in prayer and
confess that he is a lost sinner and then ask God for His mercy, for forgiveness of his
sins and to save him. "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner” (Luke 18:13). "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of
God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of
him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10). “But what saith it? The
word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on
him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the
Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:8-13).
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Is it possible for a person to know for certain that he is saved? It would seem that since
salvation is so very important, a person should want to make sure of his salvation.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not
your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
(II Corinthians 13:5). Every person is admonished to “examine” and “prove” himself to
make sure he is saved. Jesus Christ dwells within every saved person. In fact, “.. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9). The person
must take the scriptures and compare them with his own life to see if there is this
proof and evidence that he is saved. The Lord also tells of the importance of being
sure, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” (II Peter 1:10). “These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye
may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son
of God” (I John 5:13). The Lord wants every child of His to know that he has eternal
life.
When a lost person obeys the Lord after hearing and believing the gospel of Christ, and
then responds by genuinely repenting toward God, placing his faith in Jesus Christ and
calling upon the name of the Lord in prayer and asking Him for mercy, forgiveness and
salvation, then the Lord gives that person the gift of eternal life. At that point the
repentant person is born of God and becomes a child of God. This also establishes the
fact that this saved person will appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is settled.
Now, after this person is saved, he is to begin to serve the Lord. Here is where good
works are to begin.
SERVICE:
After a person is saved, what is there that must be done to prepare for the Judgment
Seat of Christ? What service needs to be rendered? Isn’t being saved enough? This
present topic of consideration will focus on the performance of good works by a
person that is saved, in order to be prepared on the day when that person stands
before the Judge. Since it is the works of the child of God that will be tried, judged and
then recompensed at the Judgment Seat, good works should be an important matter
for consideration for every child of God. What does the Lord tell us in His word about
good works?
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Salvation settles the question about WHERE a person will spend eternity. Works settles
the question about THE CONDITION, THE POSITION, THE GLORY, THE PRIVILEGES that
the child of God will experience after the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is only through
study and application of the word of God that one can really know God’s will and His
way. God’s thoughts and His ways are not the thoughts and ways of man (Isaiah
55:8, 9). God’s will and ways do not come by man’s natural ability or intellect. God has
given man His written word so that after salvation a person can begin to serve Him in
the right way. An amazing truth that God has given us is found in Psalm 138:2, ".. for
thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name”. His word must be followed, even
if the reasons for doing certain things are not understood. He requires His children to
be doers of the word (James 1:22) and the work (James 1:25). To be doers implies to
actually practice, with the right deeds, the right motives and the right attitudes, the
things that the word of God commands. To be a doer of the work implies that God has
a work that is to be carried out and performed and His children are to be actively
doing this. Again, these works are NOT in order to obtain salvation, but that the child
of God might grow spiritually and develop fully into the person the Lord wants him to
become. Thus, the command to Timothy to “.. lay hold on eternal life, ..” (I Timothy
6:12), and for the members of the Philippian church to “.. work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). These good works please God,
bring glory to God and help prepare the person for the Judgment Seat of Christ.
It would be too lengthy to mention every single act as given in the scriptures that the
child of God is to do, and what he is not to do. For this reason, in this present study,
only a short overview will be attempted to indicate some general principles from the
scriptures about how to serve the Lord after a person is saved.
What should be one's motive for his service to the Lord? “For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto
themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (II Corinthians
5:14, 15). We were all dead spiritually in our ".. trespasses and sins:" (Ephesians 2:1) before the Lord saved us by His grace.
He does this on the basis of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because He loves us.
The primary motivation in our serving the Lord is a love for Him. When
consideration is given to who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do,
for His child then this seems to be only reasonable. When Jesus was asked what was
the great commandment in the Law, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37, 38). Jesus is to be our first love. The
very serious offense of the church of Ephesus was that they had left their first love
(Revelation 2:4). That church was one that was active and seemed to be doctrinally
sound in many areas. Yet the church was in danger from the Lord because they had left
their deep, fervent love for Him who is always to be first in all things, Jesus Christ.
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Consider the following passages as God instructs Titus, the pastor of His church in Crete,
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These
things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee”
(Titus 2:13-15). The church members were to have a great zeal, to have an
eagerness, of performing good works. The good works are those deeds accomplished through the
power of the indwelling Holy Spirit which will always be in agreement with the word of
God. Good works are the result of yielding oneself unto God for His use. These good
works then become the result of what God, who only is good, does through the child
of God who has yielded himself unto God. These are the things that please God.
Since Titus was the pastor of the New Testament church at Crete (Titus 1:5), it seems
reasonable that this is to be a description of the church members, “.. a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.”
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to
be ready to every good work,” (Titus 3:1). These church members (“them”) were to
be continually ready, to perform “.. every good work ..” that they had opportunity.
“This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things
are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8). Titus was commanded to be teaching
and instructing the church members by continually affirming that they were to be
careful to maintain good works. This indicates the great importance that
Titus as pastor was to place upon teaching the members to maintain good works.
The word for the phrase 'be careful' is in the present tense meaning the people were
to be continually being careful. The people were to be giving great care, thought,
consideration in always doing good works. Again, the language used shows how
important doing good works really is. The word 'maintain' in this passage means to be diligently
doing this. This indicates that they were to diligently practice the good works
constantly. One of the reasons that this was and is so very important was that the
works of their lives would be judged and there would be eternal consequences.
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Their lives were to be that of doing good works. Again, this is doing that which God does through
His yielded children. The teaching and the application of these truths are still valid
today.
The importance of maintaining good works is also taught by the latter portion of this
scripture, “..These things are good and profitable unto men.” These are things
done that benefit and help people. These good works then that these church members were
to be continually doing were beneficial and helpful to people. Perhaps through their good works others
were saved or became faithful servants of the Lord. Also, it was profitable to the ones
doing the good works. Through these works God would be pleased and He would be glorified, and He would
reward them.
The examples as given in the New Testament give us the proper order. Consider Acts
2:41,42: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued
stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers.” The order appears to be: hearing and gladly receiving the word of God and
being saved; submitting to scriptural baptism; being added to a scriptural New
Testament church; continuing stedfastly in the teachings of the Apostles and in
fellowshipping (assembling together as a church body and worshipping the Lord);
continuing stedfastly in observing the church ordinance of the Lord’s Supper; continuing stedfastly in prayers.
This establishes the pattern according to the way and will of the Lord.
One other passage in Titus will be examined. This is Titus 3:14, “And let ours also learn
to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” Here we are
taught that good works are used in order to produce fruit. If they do not learn (a life
that is lived maintaining good works is a learning and developing process over a period
of time) to maintain good works, they will be unfruitful. The Lord wants His children
to bring forth fruit. In this God is glorified. Consider the following verses: Jesus said,
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”
(John 15:8), and, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus
Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11). Here we find that the
fruits of righteousness bring glory and praise of God. These are good works.
Are these good works in harmony with the purpose of the creation of man? God
created man for His glory, “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have
created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7).
Jesus taught His church, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
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The ultimate purpose of man is to glorify God. In the Old Testament this was by the
serving of God in His house that He was glorified. This was the message that God’s
prophet Haggai was to give to the children of Israel when they were neglecting to build
the house of God, His temple: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the
house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD” (Haggai
1:8) [underlining added for emphasis]. Thus, since man was created for God’s glory,
and it is through the doing of good works by God's children, which others can see, in His
house that He is glorified, good works and the purpose of the creation of man are in
harmony.
Does there exist today during this present dispensation the house of God? An
examination of the scriptures indicate that there is. “.. the house of God, which is the
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).
According to the word of God a scriptural New Testament church is the house of God.
The passage in I Peter 2:5 indicates that this house today is a spiritual house. More is
revealed about this from examination of Ephesians 3:21, “Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Thus, the
scriptures prove that it is still through serving God in His house that He is glorified.
When the context of the passage above in Matthew 5:16 is considered, it is clear that
Jesus was addressing His church. Thus, it seems that if man is to glorify God to the extent
that he should, in this present dispensation, then it must be through serving God
as part of one of His New Testament churches, His house. The logical steps that a
person needs to take seems to be this: after a person is saved then he should unite
with a true scriptural New Testament church and in that capacity serve God faithfully
to glorify God with his life.
A condensed definition of a scriptural New Testament church is as follows: A church is a
local, visible, called out assembly of scripturally baptized children of God who are
covenanted together to carry out the Great Commission and the commands of Jesus
Christ. This seems to fit the churches as described in the scriptures. In order to be a
scriptural New Testament church it must, by scriptural definition, be one that believes
and practices Biblical truth (I Timothy 3:15).
Is the New Testament church universal and invisible as so commonly believe today?
Such does not exist in the scriptures. When a New Testament church is mentioned in the scriptures it
always is speaking about a particular local assembly, or a local assembly in a general
sense. A universal New Testament church does not exist.
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It is commonly taught today, in error, that the church is universal and is composed of all the saved people.
This is never taught in God’s Word. God has no universal church.
Every scriptural New Testament church has been purchased with the shed blood of
Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). He loves His church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25).
It is Jesus who builds His churches and He is the foundation of His churches (Matthew
16:18; I Corinthians 3:11).
What are some of the other descriptions of the Lord’s New Testament churches?
In the first epistle to the New Testament church at Corinth God inspired the Apostle
Paul to write, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16). The word ‘ye’ is plural and the word ‘temple’ is
singular. This makes it clear that the many church members there made up the one
temple of God, the New Testament church at Corinth. The next verse gives warning to
church members to not defile the Lord’s church. “If any man defile the temple of
God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”
(I Corinthians 3:17). In these two verses we find that the Lord’s church is indwelt by
the Holy Spirit and that His church is holy. The New Testament church is thus shown
to be the house of God and the temple of God.
In Matthew 5:15, 16 Jesus was instructing His disciples, members of His church, to let
their light shine even as one who puts a light on a candlestick. What is the candlestick?
According to Revelation 1:20, a candlestick would be one of Jesus’ true New Testament
churches. The Lord’s New Testament church is the candlestick upon which a child of God is to place
his light. It would seem that this is where a person is to perform the good works
before men (publicly). The result is that our Father in heaven would be glorified among
men (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 3:21).
Does ‘the body of Christ’ refer to a church? This term sometimes refers to the physical
body that Jesus had (Romans 7:4). However, other verses such as, I Corinthians 12:27,
Ephesians 1:22, 23, Colossians 1:18 use the term to indicate that the New Testament
church is the body of Christ. Jesus is referred to as the Head of each one of His
churches (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Jesus is the Head of each one of His
churches, and each one of His churches is His body, a spiritual body.
What is the bride of Christ? Examination of Ephesians 5:22-32 shows that this passage is
speaking about a husband and his wife and their proper conduct toward each other.
However, there seems to be another, even greater, subject under consideration. In
verse 32, as a summation of this passage, the scripture says, “This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
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Comparing this to II Corinthians 11:2, as it was written to the New Testament church in Corinth, “For I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Also, comparing these verses to Romans 7:4, written to
the New Testament church there, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead
to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him
who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” The logical
conclusion from these verses is that every one of Jesus' true, New Testament churches is
the bride of Jesus Christ. As such she will enjoy great blessings and great privileges to
come.
The summation of this discussion is that the New Testament church is the house of God,
the temple of God, the body of Christ and the bride of Christ. If it is man’s purpose to
bring glory to God with his life, and it is through one of Jesus' churches that this is done, and
only saved, scripturally baptized people compose a true, New Testament church, it would
seem very wise to get saved, be scripturally baptized and become a part of, and be
faithful in, one of the Lord’s scriptural New Testament churches. From the verses we
have examined it seems that it is in this capacity that one can do good works and
glorify the heavenly Father.
After a person is saved, scripturally baptized and becomes a member of a New
Testament church what should be done next? Examination of several passages of
scriptures yield some of the important general and specific principles to be considered
in this. Each member of the church at Corinth was instructed to “.. take heed how he
buildeth thereupon” (I Corinthians 3:10). The context of the passage refers to the church as they were
building on the foundation of the church, with the church being the building (of God)
(I Corinthians 3:9,10). This was a command for all the church members to be
continually considering, taking to heart, directing their minds toward how they were
conducting their lives as they were building upon the church’s foundation. This would
seem to indicate the importance to giving much thought and care in their conduct as
they served the Lord in His church. This may be so that they, as church members,
would be “.. blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 1:8). Again,
the importance of the Day of Judgment, and preparation for it, is seen.
Examination of Galatians 6:9 gives instructions to the members of the Lord's churches in
Galatia. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not.” They are instructed to continue in ‘well doing’. The word ‘well’ means
‘good’ and the word for ‘doing’ means to be actively accomplishing what the Lord commands in His word.
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Again, these church members were not to ever be weary or disheartened in the continual
doing of good works that others could see.
Are members of New Testament churches the servants of God? If a comparison of
Revelation 1:1 with 1:4 and 1:11 is done it would seem so. The things contained in the
book of Revelation were to be shown unto “.. his servants ..” (Revelation 1:1). The
Apostle John is instructed by the Lord to write “.. unto the seven churches which are
in Asia;” (Revelation 1:11). John is obedient in that he does write and address this
book to “.. the seven churches which are in Asia:..” (Revelation 1:4). Thus, the
conclusion is that the servants of God are His churches. According to this, it would be
very important to know that a person is a member of a scriptural, true, New Testament
church in order to be a true servant of the Lord. Since not all religious organizations
and denominations believe the same doctrine (thus not all can be “.. the pillar and
ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15)), because God’s truth is unchangeable), then not all are scriptural
churches, it would definitely matter which one a person is involved with and a part of.
Diligent effort should be made to identify which church is one of the true, scriptural churches of
the Lord Jesus Christ and then serve Him actively and faithfully as a member of that
church. The importance of this is also emphasized by W. Dewey Owen. He writes, “If
the reader will but recall that the scriptures require salvation, scriptural baptism,
membership in a scriptural, local church, soundness of doctrine, and church fellowship
just to be eligible to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41,42), it would appear quite
evident that this unique position with Christ (the New Testament church as His bride)
has not been designed for undedicated, unconsecrated, unfaithful, unscriptural church
members; but for those who have been found faithful in life and service” (Owen,
2003, pp. 148, 149).
What are some of the other important principles that the scriptures give to us in doing
good works, because we love the Lord, (after salvation, scriptural baptism and
becoming a faithful member of a scriptural New Testament church) in order to help us prepare
for the Judgment Day? In reviewing several scriptures, the following were found and
are offered for consideration in this matter:
-Seek the kingdom and righteousness of God: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
This seems to be a priority, “seek ye first”. Is there any real benefit for this? “For
bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (I Timothy 4:8).
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Evidently, there is a real tangible benefit.
-Seek God in one's life. The scriptures encourage God’s people to seek His face
(I Chronicles 16:11; II Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 27:8 105:4; Proverbs 7:15 and others).
The Apostle Paul had a great desire to “.. know him ..”, the Lord Jesus Christ
(Philippians 3:10). This was not to know about Christ, but to know Christ personally, in
a very present way at all times in Paul’s life. To experience Christ in his life to the
fullest extent.
-Have a genuine, sincere desire for God’s righteousness in one's life. “Blessed are they
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew
5:6).
-Set your affection on the things of God: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). The ‘things of God’ are known by
reading, studying, meditating on, obeying and applying the teachings of the word of
God, the scriptures.
-Be faithful in serving the Lord in a scriptural New Testament church. Is this faithfulness
really that important? To be found faithful is a requirement in stewards (as addressed
to a New Testament church in I Corinthians 4:2). Faithfulness is to be found in areas of
Bible study (II Timothy 2:15), in assembling together to worship the Lord (Hebrews
10:24, 25), in prayer (Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:17) and as a faithful witness of
Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Thus, it would seem that the scriptures teach that
it is not enough to just have one's name on a church roll, but that the church member
must be actively, faithfully working, serving the Lord in the New Testament church of his
membership. (Remember, not all promises in the Bible apply to every person. Some
promises are to lost people. Some promises are to the nation of Israel. Some promises are to
children of God. Some are to the faithful members of the Lord’s New Testament
churches. Important principles of Bible interpretation are to know, ‘Who is speaking,
Who is being spoken to and Who is being spoken about'. Consideration of the context
of any particular scripture passage is always of the utmost importance to rightly
understand and interpret the scriptures.)
-Yield and submit yourself to the Lord, His will and His word. “Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield
ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments
of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:12, 13).
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-Mature and grow in the Lord. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (II Peter
3:18).
-Labour to be well-pleasing unto the Saviour. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether
present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (II Corinthians 5:9). This laboring is a continuous,
striving (working diligently; putting forth much effort continuously) earnestly with a
zeal for the cause of honoring Christ and in order to be accepted of Him. What does it
mean to be accepted to Him? The word ‘accepted’ means to be “well-pleasing”
(Bullinger, 1908/1999, p. 23). This word is used in Titus 2:9 referring to how a servant
is to strive to be pleasing to his master. “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their
own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;”. The
purpose of this labouring was to be well-pleasing to Christ, the Saviour, the Master.
-Don’t neglect the salvation that was given to you. “For if the word spoken by angels
was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence
of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard
him;” (Hebrews 2:2, 3). The salvation that is given to a person by God’s grace is to be
developed with a goal of becoming more Christ-like. It is to be ‘worked out’.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling” (Philippians 2:12). To 'work out' indicates to bring to the desired end goal.
Thus, after a person is saved he is to work in a scriptural manner so that his salvation will develop and the person will
mature spiritually and be a fruit bearer and one honoring the Lord with his life. Having
done this, the salvation that God has given him will have resulted in the desired goal.
-Lay hold on eternal life. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many
witnesses” (I Timothy 6:12). (This seems to be closely related to the previous section
on not neglecting salvation, but grasping its value and striving to please the One who gave it.)
-Lay up treasures in heaven. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
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A child of God should be much more concerned
about heavenly (spiritual) matters than earthly, worldly, carnal (fleshly) matters.
-Love the Lord first and foremost. This seems to be the motivation needed for doing all
the things listed above in an acceptable manner. Evidently, motive, attitude and spirit
for doing good works will be an important factor at the Judgment Seat. "Jesus said
unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37,28).
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for
all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again"
(II Corinthians 5:14,15). Jesus also said, “He that loveth father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my
sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:37-39). Jesus is to be the one that is loved more than
all others. He is to be every child of God’s ".. first love” (cf. Revelation 2:4). Jesus is to
have the preeminence in all things. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). Certainly, one of the “.. in all things ..” should be in
the child of God’s life. Jesus is to have the preeminence, hold first place, in the life of each one of His
children. No person or thing is be of greater importance in the life of a person than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus, the Scriptures give sufficient information and guidance to those who sincerely
desire to adequately prepare for the day they will stand before the Judgment Seat of
Christ. The above scripture listing does not pretend to be totally complete. That is not
the intent of the listing. To be complete would take much of the sixty-six books of the
Bible. Hopefully, the scriptures given present some of the important principles and
necessary areas to be attended to in the life of the child of God to help prepare for the
Judgment. The areas above listed include who a person is to love above all others.
The list includes what a person is to seek after and set his affections on. The scriptures
address the requirement for faithful service to the Lord. The scriptures tell of the
need for yielding, labouring and growing spiritually. They also tell what is to be laid
hold of and where our treasures are to be laid up at. These multifaceted listing of
scriptures involve a person’s heart, attitude, motives and actions.
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Chapter Nine
CONCLUSION
From the above study in the word of God there is definitely a future day coming for
every child of God during which his or her eternal state of condition, position, glory
and privileges will be determined. This in itself means that that day certainly must be
considered a day of immense importance and seriousness for each one involved. This
day that is spoken of is identified in scripture as, “The Judgment Seat of Christ”.
Though it is a day of judgment, it is a day of recompense, a pay day, a day of rewarding
of God’s children for their deeds done upon this earth during their lives. The
inheritance that the Lord gives is an "..eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15).
This Day might be considered the second most important day in a person’s eternal
existence. The first most important would be the day that a person received Jesus
Christ as personal Saviour and was born of God. On that day the saved person’s
eternal destiny was settled. The second most important day, the Judgment Seat of
Christ, will be the day when that saved person stands before Jesus as his Judge and his
deeds will be examined and rewarded. This will be final. This will determine his
eternal condition, position, inheritance and glory forever.
One of the purposes of this study has been to help us all understand the tremendous
importance of this judgment day and, hopefully, encourage each one to begin
preparing now in this life for that day. The real benefit will be to those who will
actually believe the word of God and then in response, will be doers of the word of
God and not hearers only (cf. James 1:22). Thus, so living that each one, “.. might be
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (I Peter
1:7) because of the life he had lived in anticipation of the Judgment Day.
Another important purpose of this study has been to challenge and encourage others to
do further study of this subject. Hopefully, this study has served as a stimulus to many
to continue in the study of the Judgment Seat of Christ. As mentioned previously
there are relatively few written works in detail on this subject. Not even the Doctrinal
Statements of many denominations or religious organizations address this subject.
Even when judgment or rewarding is mentioned, not much detail is actually given.
Specific areas of further Bible study in regards to the Judgment Seat could be done and
dealt with in a much more comprehensive manner. Further indepth studies such as:
the importance of the New Testament church as the Bride of Christ, the importance of
scriptural baptism, the importance of faithfulness to the Lord, the scriptural functions
and methods of a scriptural New Testament church in the present ‘market-driven’
religious climate. All of these would be very profitable studies.
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Considering the very important facts as related in this present study it seems that it
would behoove all children of God, in fact, every person, to carefully evaluate his daily
activities and seek to live holy, obedient lives to the Lord. Consideration should be made of the
value of day-by-day activities and choices we make in relation to the future. What
value will what we do and say today have in 100 years? 1,000 years? in the eternal
ages to come? Those things which are said and done in agreement with God and His
word will have great and wonderful benefits. Perhaps the lesson of prioritization, of
what is said and done daily, will be learned by some who study this material and lead
them to a more God-honoring and spiritually productive life.
As with many other subjects, God has revealed in His word only those details
concerning the Judgment Seat of Christ which He has chosen to reveal. He doesn't
record every minute detail (imagine the volumes that the Bible would consist of if He
did), but He does tell us everything we need to know for the present. So not all
questions may have been completely answered with the certainty that we would like
even after this study. But, hopefully, some will have a much greater understanding of
the truth in this matter by studying what God has revealed to us in His word. The child
of God is to be willing to change his opinions when they are changed by the leadership
of the Holy Spirit as he prayerfully studies the scriptures. He should not allow any man
to change his beliefs, but he should allow God to change his beliefs when they need to
be changed. All children of God should be as the Bereans were, ".. they received the
word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so" (Acts 17:11).
There have always been scoffers and mockers as to what the scriptures clearly teach, so
we would expect that there are those who reject such an idea as the Judgment Seat of
Christ, or reject the importance of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Some, in error, may
believe and state that in the end every child of God will be the same and have the
same eternal reward. But according to the scriptures that will not be so. What God
declares in His word is settled in heaven forever! The Lord wants His children to know
that, ".. he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Moses
was mindful of God’s rewarding for being faithful unto Him, “Esteeming the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the
recompence of the reward" (Hebrews 11:26).
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“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you
perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in
his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen”
(Hebrews 13:20, 21).
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