The Judgement Seat Of Christ

by Hyland, T. M. | Category: The Coming Again Of The Lord Jesus Christ: | May 1954

"Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each man according as his work is" (Revelation 22.12).

These words of our beloved Redeemer, spoken from" the excellent glory," are calculated to stir the hearts of His struggling saints here on earth. We sense in them His longing to receive to Himself those for whom He died, and His eagerness to dispense those imperishable honours for service rendered here for His Name's sake. What joy it will bring to Him to meet His own at last, and to reward the faithful!

Our Lord's words connect two momentous events which should never be dissociated-His personal return, and our appearance before Him at His judgement-seat (2 Corinthians 5.10).

Former articles in this series have focussed our attention on the glad day of His coming to the air. For us, too, this will be a day of unparalleled gladness. Wonderful moment! when all those "in Christ " will stand in His presence, on that glad resurrection morning, resplendent with heavenly glory; transformed into His image! Such, for us, will be the immediate result of His glorious appearing:

"We shall be like Him ; for we shall see Him even as He is"

(1 John 3.2).

But that season of glad disclosure and realization will be followed by a solemn tribunal at which the lives and service of all those caught up to meet the Lord in the air will come under review. Viewed in this light the prospect of our Lord's return assumes a more solemn aspect. For, if, at His coming, we are found in a state of unpreparedness or spiritual declension, our joy at meeting the Lord may well be tempered with shame. Such a possibility is implied in the words of the apostle John:

"And now, my little children, abide in Him; that, if He shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2.28).

It is quite clear, from the various references to the judgement seat of Christ in the New Testament, that only believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will appear there. The question at issue will not be the guilt of sin. This question was settled for the believer at the Cross and will never be raised again (John 5.24). At the judgement-seat of Christ the issue will not be salvation or condemnation. Its purpose is to review and appraise the life and the life-work of the believer.

The judgement-seat of Christ is to be distinguished from the throne of His glory (Matthew 25.31), and the great white throne (Revelation 20.11). None of those "in Christ" will stand for judgement at either of these thrones. Much confusion of thought and teaching has resulted from failure to distinguish between these judgements. Chronologically, the judgement-seat of Christ will take place first. As the passage already quoted (Revelation 22.12) indicates, it will be associated with our Lord's coming to the air; and the words "I come quickly, and My reward is with Me" suggest that there will be no delay (compare also 1 Corinthians 4.5, and 1 Thessalonians 2.19).

Within the limits of this short paper it is only possible to deal with this important matter in broad outline. I therefore propose to direct attention to the three important passages in Paul's Epistles which deal with the subject (Romans 14.10-12; 1 Corinthians 3. 10-15; 2 Corinthians 5.6-10) and indicate some leading lines of thought. In Romans 14.10 the description "the judgement-seat of God" is used, but a comparison with the other passages already mentioned leads to the conclusion that the same event is in view in each, and that the variation in this passage is to be understood in the light of the Lord's words, "For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgement unto the Son" (John

5.22).

Each of the three passages already referred to emphasizes the intense individuality of the judgement

"EACH ONE OF US shall give account of himself to God"

(Romans 14.12).

"EACH MAN'S WORK shall be made manifest"

(1 Corinthians 3.13).

"We must ALL be made manifest before the judgement-seat of Christ; that EACH ONE may receive the things done in the body" (2 Corinthians 5.10).

None will be exempt, none will be permitted to stand aside. And we shall not merely wait passively to hear the Lord's appraisal of us. We will be called upon to speak, to give account; so the Greek word logos in Romans 14.12 implies. There will be an enquiry and an account will be required in words. A question of intense solemnity suggests itself: what could I say if called upon to give account at this very moment? This question, if continually recollected, would have a wholesome effect upon our manner of life, and this is surely the purpose of the apostle's inspired words.

The passage in Romans 14. occurs in the section of the epistle which is prefaced by an appeal to present our bodies a living sacrifice and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (chapter 12.1,2). What follows in chapters 12. to 14. prescribes the conduct resulting from response to this appeal. Such a disciple will reflect a humble estimate of self in relation to his fellows, and a willingness to do the duty which lies to his hand; not grudgingly under a sense of grievance that another is not doing it too. Cheerful, loving service is set before us. In the latter part of chapter 12. the apostle, in a series of beautiful exhortations, gives an outline of the virtues of Christian character.

The emphasis is on being wholly conformed to the will of God in personal, social and other matters.

After dealing in chapter 13. with the disciple's responsibility to the civil powers, and his reasonableness in relation to the orderly conduct of human society, the apostle turns, in chapter 14., to consider the proper attitude of the strong disciple to his weaker brother. It is in this context that the judgement-seat is presented as a corrective to the tendency to harsh judgement in matters affecting another's conscience. The examples named here are those of meats and the observance of holy days. In English-speaking lands, at least, such matters may have little relevance to-day. But the principle enunciated is far-reaching. There is, of course, a proper place for judgement in the assemblies of God. Clear lines of action are indicated when the conduct of the disciple violates the law of the kingdom of God. But there is also a wide realm of things in which each one of us stands directly responsible to the Lord. In matters which are parallel to the examples given in this passage we must bear gently with each other and refrain from harsh judgements. Environment, temperament, convention, and preference are deeply engrained in many of our habits of life, and make the practice of Christian forbearance continually necessary. The weak must not judge the strong and the strong must not set at naught the weak. Judgement must be suspended until we stand before the judgement-seat, each to give account of himself. The Lord reserves to Himself alone the right to adjudicate in such matters and this He will do with perfect equity in that day.

The apostle, then, in Romans 14. states the principle of the disciple's personal responsibility to his Lord, and, as we have noted, uses it to deter us from hasty and uncharitable criticism of each other.

"But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgement-seat of God. For it is written,

As I live, saith the Lord, to Me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God"

(Romans 14.10-11).

In 1 Corinthians 3. an assembly of God is described as "God's building" (verse 9). Paul had laid a foundation of divine teaching upon which a building was constructed. That building was composed of those who were together for God in Corinth. But the apostle goes on to state that the foundation he laid also provided a basis upon which others could build. Then he makes this solemn pronouncement:

"But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man's work shall be made manifest:

for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire ; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, 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 through fire"

(1 Corinthians 3.12-15).

In its primary application this passage views the service of God's people in the assemblies of God in relation to its ultimate, rather than its immediate, results. Whatever may be the outcome of that service in the present, not until the judgement-seat of Christ will it be assessed at its true value. It will then be tested not as to its quantity, merely, but as to its quality. The figure used-revealed in fire-indicates that the trial will be severe but impartial. Each man's work will be subjected to the same fiery ordeal, and each man will be permitted to view the result.

No matter how obscure or difficult the task, there is surely no greater encouragement to earnest endeavour in the service of the Lord than the assurance of ultimate acknowledgement by our beloved Master in that day. Such a prospect clothes the lowliest tasks with the grandeur of eternity. Viewed by human standards the labours of the faithful disciple may appear to be of little consequence. But let this thought be grasped, we are building for eternity; present labour will have eternal consequences, then discouragement and disappointment here will be no deterrent. View any sphere of human endeavour you may choose; there is none to compare in importance, in its final assessment, to building for God in His assemblies. Such considerations were present in the mind of the apostle when he wrote:

"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgement .... wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God" (1 Corinthians 4.3 and 5).

The reference to the judgement-seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5.10, follows those remarkable statements in chapter 4. concerning the sufferings of the apostle and their purpose in relation to the life to come. "Our light affliction, which is for the moment," he writes, "worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory." He thus considered His afflictions in the light of eternity and looked forward to the "weight of glory" for which they were preparing him. By a transition of thought he passes on to consider the resurrection body in which he would sustain that weight of glory, and the judgement-seat of Christ at which he should receive it, and then discloses to us the great principle upon which the Lord will deal with His saints at that solemn tribunal:

"For we must all be made manifest before the judgement-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad"

(2 Corinthians 5.10).

This passage takes a wider view than the one in 1 Corinthians 3. Not our work in the assembly only, but the whole round of our conduct is to come under review. The emphasis here is on the use we make of our bodies-" the things done in (Greek, dia, through) the body." What we shall be in respect of place and service in eternity is inseparably connected with what we are in this life. Solemn thought! The use we make of our hands and feet, of our voices, our lips and our intellects, will somehow be reflected in the eternal state. By an inexorable spiritual law these accumulated acts will meet us again at the judgement-seat and be the cause of eternal gain or loss.

When a vessel takes in cargo, each item is listed in a document known as the ship's manifest. When she reaches port only those who have access to the manifest can assess the nature and value of her cargo. We, too, will reach home at last, and each one of us carries a freight of some sort, but its nature and value will not be known until the manifest is produced at the judgement-seat of Christ. What a day of revelation that will be!

May " that day" be continually in our thoughts, urging us to more consistent and devoted service.

"Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward" (2 John 8).

Hyland, T. M. | May 1954
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