BEING READY FOR THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

2 Cor. 5:9-10

Morning Meditation 7/2/17

Verses 9-10 say, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 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.”

The return of Christ is a marvelous doctrine. It is something that we look forward to as children of God. There will be the new body and a new dimension of life with no death. There will be no temptations and trials and no devil to confront us. It will be a wonderful time.

We are promised as believers that we will not come into condemnation (John 5:24). Jesus took our judgment and paid the penalty in full. Does this mean that there will be no day of accounting for the believer? Does this mean that when the believer does wrong after he is saved that he gets away with it and there is no time in the future that he will not have to face the Lord with the wrong he has done?

Let’s look at our text and let the Bible answer this question. Paul says, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” The word “wherefore” connects what has just been said in this chapter with what he is now saying. What he has said up to this point is about the believer’s longing for the new body and the new home in heaven. So Paul is saying in the light of this, “We labor.” The words “we labor” translate “philotimeomai” and means “to be fond of honour.” It also means, “to strive earnestly, make it one's aim.” I believe Paul is using it here in the sense of “striving earnestly.” It is a present middle indicative verb. This means he is talking about a continuous on going labor. It is middle voice which means he is being benefitted personally by this action.

There words “whether present or absent” refer to being present on this earth or absent from this earth (see verse 6). The word “absent” translates “ekdemeo” and means “to immigrate, to be or live abroad.” This is the way Paul looks at death. It is to immigrate to heaven. It is to be alive abroad! The word “we may” translate “einai” and is a present infinitive. This means that he is talking about the present tense of his life not the future. So if he were absent from the body at the time he was writing this epistle he would be living abroad not sleeping in some grave! The word “accepted” translates “euarestos” and means “well pleasing.” If we live a life that pleases Him here, we will be well pleasing to him there.

Then he says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” The word “appear” translates “phaneroo” and means, “to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way.” The words “judgment seat” translates “bema” and refers to the official seat of the judge of games where the winner is crowned. This is not a judicial judgment where someone is condemned. The judgment of condemnation is forever removed from the believer through the death of Christ on the cross. It is a judgment for rewards.

I was recently in the Holy Land and we visited Caesarea. There is a large amphitheater there that they have excavated and they showed us the bema seat on which the official judge sat to award the winners of the games. The “bema seat” is associated with rewards.

Then Paul says, “ . . . that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The word “everyone” translates “hekastos” and means “each and every.” The words “may receive” translates “komizo” and means, “to carry, to bear, to carry away for one's self, to carry off what is one's own.” The verb is aorist tense.. The aorist tense refers to a point of time. The Judgement Seat of Christ will be an event at a point of time. I personally believe it will be between the rapture which will takes place before the tribulation period starts and the revelation which will be the Lord’s return to the earth as is described in Revelation 19. The words “done in his body” means that the Lord holds us responsible for the things we do in this life in our bodies. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” Our body is a temple of the Holy Ghost according to this verse. We are to glorify God in our body and spirit.

I have often compared our bodies to the church house. You know most people think of a building dedicated to the Lord as a meeting place when they think of the church. There are Christians who would not think of doing things in the CHURCH HOUSE that they freely do with their bodies. Yet a building in the New Testament is NEVER called the temple of God. However, your body is. Let me see if I can arouse some feelings in you. What if your preacher announced that a rock concert was going to be held in the church auditorium next Saturday night. I don’t think you would like that. In fact, I think most of you would move to do something to stop it and if you couldn’t do anything, you would probably consider a change in church membership. I would. However, there are those who would rise up against this but they will take the body which is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and take it to a rock concert if it is held some other place. There are those who would throw a fit if the preacher would announce a fellowship down at the church and beer would be served. Yet these same people keep a six pack of beer in their refrigerator at home. And they will go and get the beer and pour it into the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Let me say this again. The church building is never called the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT but the body of the believer is. Now you are right to be against having a rock concert in the church building. You are wrong to allow rock music to come through the ear door or beer to come through the mouth door into the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The body of the believer is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

We will be judged and rewarded according to what we have done in our body whether it be good or bad at the Judgement Seat of Christ.

One last passage before I end this meditation. ! Cor. 3:11-16: “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.” First, the believer is a builder in this passage and is said to be building on the foundation which is Jesus Christ. Second, there are two types of building material that can be used to build on this Foundation. Three things are mentioned as material which are perishable. Three things are mentioned which are not perishable. These materials which represent what the believer builds out of are tested by fire. The perishable burns but the believer himself is not burned. He is saved so as by fire. That means the house burned along with all it’s contents but the believer ran through a wall of flames to get out. Everything was lost but he himself was saved. The non perishable material stood the test fire and the one building out of this material was rewarded. Then notice what follows: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

Some take the teaching of grace in the New Testament and use it to teach that it does not make any difference how one lives. It make a big difference. There is a Judgment Seat of Christ for believers. Are you ready for the Judgment Seat of Christ? How much do you show your love for Jesus Christ by the way you keep the Temple clean? If you are saved, your destiny is settled but rewards at the Judgement Seat of Christ are not.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White