|
Believers have not been chosen of
God to fulfill the same earthly destinies. God has given each
of us different gifts and different responsibilities. And God
will one day judge us for how these responsibilities are carried
out.
Believers today cannot deny the
tasks that we have been given to build upon the foundation that
has been laid for us. God has equipped each believer for a
particular work of faith. We are to fulfill our destinies before
God. And God will someday judge each believer for how we have
carried out our stewardship responsibility.
“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 Cor. 5:10)
“But you, why do you judge
your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother
with contempt? For we will all stand before the
judgment seat
of God. For it is written,
‘As I live, says the
Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall
give praise to God.’ So then each one of us will
give an account of himself to God.” (Rom. 14:10-12)
“Judgment Seat” comes from the
Greek word “bema.” The bema was a judgment stand found at
athletic functions throughout the ancient world. Likewise,
Christ one day will reward believers for the way in which they
have carried out their stewardship responsibility.
Paul in his letter to the
Corinthian church clearly connects the Judgment Seat of Christ
with the stewardship responsibility of believers. Many
Corinthians were struggling over their understanding of the
various roles of those working in the body of Christ. Some of
the Corinthians believers were taking sides between leaders in
the body. Paul told them that each believer has a different
responsibility before God.
“According to the grace of
God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid
a foundation, and another is building on it.” (1 Cor.
3:10a)
“According to the grace of God
that was given to me” is a phrase designed by Paul to take the
reader back into the stewardship responsibility that God had
given to him, and to us (Eph. 4:11-16, Rom. 12:6). He said that
as a wise master builder he is laying a foundation and others
are building upon it. He then reminded the believers at Corinth
to take care as to how they built upon the foundation.
“But each man must be careful
how he builds on it.” (1 Cor. 3:10b)
“It” refers to the bedrock solid
foundation that was laid by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died
for us. He paid the entire sin debt owed to God. The apostles
were used by God to put in place the original foundation upon
which others were to build.
“For no man can lay a
foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.” (1 Cor. 3:11-12)
Each believer has been given
grace to build upon the foundation. The “if” introduces a
conditional clause in the Greek language. The condition is the
possibility of building upon a foundation that will result in
gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay and stubble. Six
kinds of building materials are mentioned, and they fall into
two categories of three each. The basic difference between the
two categories is that one material grouping is combustible and
the other is not. Gold, silver, precious stone is not
combustible, but wood, hay and stubble will burn.
“Each man’s work will become
evident; for the day will show it because it is to be
revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the
quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has
built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s
work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will
be saved, yet so as through fire.”
(1 Cor. 3:11-15)
The word evident is “to come into
focus.” Each believer’s work will be focused in on. The
purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ is to expose the
believer’s works. The gold, silver and precious stones speak of
a reward that will be valuable and lasting. The wood, hay and
stubble reveal reward that will be burned away.
A day of reckoning is coming for
every child of God. The exposure to fire will make each
believer’s work clear. Fire will determine what kind of
material has been used.
The Lord Jesus Christ is going to
judge every believer's work. Notice that it is our “work” that
is going to be judged not our sin; and it is the quality of each
man's work, not the quantity that is to be judged.
If anyone’s work is burned, he
will suffer loss, but he will be saved, yet so as through fire.
What is being determined by this judgment is the believer's
status in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. As previously mentioned,
every believer has been granted an inheritance in Christ's
kingdom (Gal. 4:29). However, this inheritance varies based upon
how we carry out our stewardship responsibility within the body
of Christ (1 Cor. 9:16-10:32).
The Crowns
Crowns will be given for quality
stewardship.
-
A crown of joy - given to
believers who faithfully share the gospel (1 Thess. 2:9).
-
A crown of righteousness -
given to believers who have kept the faith in the face of
severe temptation (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
-
A crown of life - given to
believers who persevere through the trials of life (James
1:12).
-
A crown of glory - given to
believers who faithfully feed and meet the spiritual needs
of the flock (1 Pet. 5:1-4).
|
