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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
November 6
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Today's Pathway:
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Yesterday we began looking at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Verse 10 tells us that all believers must appear there, and that the actions and attitudes of our life after our salvation will be revealed, regardless of whether they were done for the Lord or not. There are several more things that we should notice about this judgment. First, this is not a judgment that will determine an individual's eternal destiny. This is a judgement for believers. I Corinthians 3:11 alludes to this when it states that the foundation for all who will be at that judgment is Christ. Second, this is not a judgment of sin. The sins of the believer were judged on the cross of Calvary, and have been covered by the blood of Christ. No one is going to be "punished" at the Bema seat. No one will lose their salvation, nor receive some sort of chastening because of the sins they have committed. The Bema seat is a place of reward, but this also includes the loss of reward.
I Corinthians 3:10-15 reads,
- 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.
This describes the Bema. Those who are there have the foundation of Christ (verse 10), and the end of that passage indicates that they are saved (verse 15). The judgment is based on how they built on that foundation (verse 12). We can build on our salvation with things that matter spiritually, (gold, silver, precious stones), or we can build with things that don't really matter (wood, hay, stubble). Notice that wood, hay, and stubble are not necessarily sinful, they are just inferior. Many Christians waste their lives on that which is material and trivial, and don't invest themselves in that which is spiritual and important. When the judgment comes our works will be tried by fire. That which was done for Christ - the gold, silver and precious stones, will remain. That which was done for self - the wood, hay, and stubble, will be burned up and lost (verse 13). That which remains will be the basis of our reward at the judgment (verse 14). That which is burned up will simply be lost, and if most of the "accomplishments" of a Christian's life are lost, then he won't receive much of a reward (verse 15). II John 1:8 warns,
"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."
So, while there is no punishment for sin at the Bema, there can be the loss of the rewards that could have been received had believers placed a higher priority on serving the Lord and less on serving themselves.
II Corinthians 5:10 concludes with the word "bad". This word does not necessarily mean "wicked". Richard Trench wrote concerning the Greek word translated "bad":
"There are words in most languages which contemplate 'bad' in another way, not so much that of malignity, but of its good-for-nothingness, the impossibility of any true gain ever coming forth from it… This notion of worthlessness is the central notion of 'bad'… which in Greek runs successively through the following meanings,—light, unstable, blown about by every wind, small, slight, mediocre, of no account, worthless". The "good" - that which is profitable for the cause of Christ and done for Him, will be rewarded. The "bad" - that which is of no eternal value, will be burned up. At the Bema there is no judgment for sin, just the loss of what could have been received if Jesus had been the priority.
If you stood at the Judgment Seat today, would yu receive any rewards?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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