The Life That Leads To Confidence At Jesus’ Judgment Seat (Part Five)

From the heart of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D. What is the judgment seat of Christ? The judgment seat of Christ involves a time in the future when believers will give an account of themselves to Christ. This is the plain teaching of Scripture: “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Our context (2 Corinthians 5:1-8) described Paul’s longing to leave behind the suffering of earthly life and his failing, temporary body. His motivation is a desire to be with the Lord in eternity and receive his eternal, glorified, and resurrected body. Knowing that day is guaranteed, someday, gives Paul courage to keep fulfilling the mission God has given to him. That security allows Paul to endure, and to continue bringing glory to God. His goal in whatever he does, Paul has written, is “to be pleasing” to the Lord. An important motivation to pleasing God is Paul’s knowledge that he will be judged by Christ for his works in this life. Paul insists that all believers in Jesus will appear before the judgment seat of Christ when He returns to rapture the church. The judgment seat of Christ is the place where Christ's evaluation of our works on earth happens. It refers to an assessment of what each saved, heaven-bound believer has done “in the body” since coming to faith in Christ. How has he or she used this life in Christ? What have they done, for good or for bad? Paul wrote in Romans 14:12 that each believer will “give an account of himself to God.” How will Jesus respond? Every good action will be rewarded. No good thing done for God’s glory will go unrewarded. Christians will receive those efforts “back from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8). Those who serve others are rewarded by the Lord. The works of those who have lived only for themselves, however, will be “burned up” or shown to be worthless. “If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). Be encouraged!