6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
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.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences you.
It has been said that this is a judgment for believers only and that it is for rewards, not punishment. This is true, the Judgment Seat of Christ is for believers only and it is not for punishment but is for rewards.
Now, I hope to prove to you that this is true. Keep your place here because we’ll be coming back to these verses.
I want you to know that Paul has no thought here of losing his salvation. Rom 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It wouldn’t be much of a gift if God would take it back. Neither would it be eternal. It would make God a liar, he said He’d give us eternal life then He didn’t keep His promise.
If we could lose our salvation then John 3:15-16 wouldn’t be true.
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 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.
These verses say eternal life, and everlasting life. If you could lose your salvation it wouldn’t have been eternal and God would be a liar.
We have sinned, but Jesus bore the punishment for our sins!
Ps 103:
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Heb 10:17, And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
If He doesn’t remember our sins, then how can he punish us for them.
We are chastened now but we will not be chastened after we get to heaven. When we get to heaven we will be given a glorified body and receive the inheritance and sin will be no more. So why should the Judgment Seat of Christ be for punishment?
Prov 3:11-12
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
The chastening of the Lord is to prepare us for heaven.
Oftentimes we see the wicked prosper and seem blessed more than the very children of God. But you see, they are not chastened by our Father as we are. For them, this life is as good as it gets. They will be punished later…in hell. Heb 12:5-11
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
The purpose of chastening is so that we will repent and do right. If God waited till we get to heaven to chasten us, then it would be too late.
Rev 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Romans 14:
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.Account for what?
As we have seen, God knows our heart, but He has forgotten our sins.
We must account for the good works which we did, and whether they were wrought for the right reason.
1 Cor 3:
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 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.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
This proves that our salvation is not in danger at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is talking about loss of rewards.
Notice that in II Corinthians 5:10, it says,
2 Cor 5:10
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.
As an employee, if we get fired we still get paid, whether our work be good or bad. (But we must be an employee.)
The awarding of rewards is a paradox. Mark 9:35
35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
1 Tim 1:16
16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
If the first is last and the last is first, does this mean that Paul, being the chief sinner, will receive the fewest rewards? No, we are not being judged for our sins. We are being judged for rewards according to our works, not our sins..
Rev 22:12
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Matt 16:27
27 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.
Luke 6:35
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
1 Cor 3:8
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1 Cor 9:16-17
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me
(I still have the job entrusted to me).
II Jn 1:8
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
What will these rewards be? Col 3:24
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
So we see that one of the rewards will be the inheritance. See Ephesians chapter one to see what the inheritance consists of.
Other rewards are the crowns.
Martyr’s Crown. Rev. 2:10
Pastor’s Crown of Glory. 2 Peter 5:4
Crown of Life. James 1:12
Crown of Righteousness. II Timothy 4:8
Crown of Rejoicing. II Thessalonians 2:1
Well, you may say, “If we are not going to be punished for our sins then we can do anything and get away with it.”
Ah, but you see, we are chastened by the Lord during this life for the sins we commit. Chastened…not punished, corrected…not burned.
Rom 5:
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 6:
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
John 14:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
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