Jon,
2 Corinthians 5:10 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 has
done, whether it be good or bad.
Could you clarify what it means by "...the things done in his body, according
o
that he has done..."?
First, sorry for the long reply below.
Second, all of the sins committed by the believer on Jesus Christ
(past, present, and future), were paid for by Christ's shed Blood on
The Old Rugged Cross of Calvary. If even one sin was NOT paid for,
Christ would still be in the grave, and all of us would be wasting our
time. As the Apostle Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15, "If Christ is not
risen from the dead, our preaching is in vain...your faith is in
vain...those who have died in Christ have perished...and we are the most miserable of all creatures. But, Christ IS risen from the dead, and is
the First Fruits of them that sleep" (a word for Christian death). Later
in that same chapter (verses 51-55), Paul talks about "a
mystery"...something that has never been revealed before. In this case,
it's The Rapture Of The Church.
Romans 8:1 notes "There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit". And, John
3:16-18 notes "For God so loved the world, that he gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in (on) Him, should not perish
(die in their sin), but have eternal life. For God sent His Son in the
world not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved. He that believes on The Son is NOT CONDEMNED. But, he who does
not believe on The Son is CONDEMNED ALREADY; because he has not believed
on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God".
Now, once we got saved, we were made alive spiritually, but we did NOT
lose our sin nature...never mind we still wake up with body odor, bad
breath, and the call of nature...as well as the rest of ills in this
life.
Concerning the Scripture above, for the believer on Jesus, The
Judgment Seat Of Christ, which will take place immediately after the
Rapture Of The Church, examines the WORKS of the believers...and NOT the believers themselves (it is NOT a judgment for sin). If the latter was
true, then Heaven would be empty.
As for "things done in the body", were these done for our glory (to
be seen of men)?? If so, that's all the reward we get. Or, were they
done for The Glory of The Lord??
Things like the Fifth Commandment of "Honoring your father and your
mother, so your days may be long upon the Earth" has special meaning for
me. As you know, my Mom is dying in the nursing home, and for so long,
I've felt like all that I've done for her (paperwork, phone calls,
faxes, etc.) has been for nothing.
Scripture notes that with taking care of ones parents (the roles are reversed), one will be "recompensed at the resurrection of the just".
However, to me, The Lord deserves ANY of the crowns, rewards, and glory,
far more than I do. But, with all I've done for her, it's not that I had
an obligation to do so, but it was "the right thing to do".
A more thorough explanation on The Bema Judgment Seat Of Christ (which
is for BELIEVERS ON JESUS ONLY)....from Pentecost until the Rapture, is
noted below. Even if a believer has all of their works burned up there,
they will still be in Heaven. They may have a less honorable place in
Heaven and Christ's Kingdom than others, but they will still be in Heaven...because they did "The One Thing God requires".
Also, note that those who die in their sins, without doing "the one
thing God requires" will instead be at The Great White Throne Judgment.
They will have "no mediator or defense attorney", and because they
didn't let Jesus pay for their sins, they will pay for them forever, in
The Lake Of Fire...and with Satan, his demonic hordes, the Antichrist
(The Beast), and The False Prophet, "will be tormented day and night,
forever and ever".
***
The Bema Seat -- Judgment Seat Of Christ
========================================
Bema is a Greek term meaning "judgment seat." In the city of Corinth, a
stone platform was constructed to support the Bema seat (judgment seat)
of the local officials. The seat was used to give out awards to athletes
for their competitive performances (usually a crown wreath of leaves),
but also to address legal charges brought against individuals. The great Apostle Paul was quite familiar with this seat. This is where he was
brought before Gallio, who was the proconsul of Achaia at the Bema seat
(Acts 18:12). This seat was also what Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians
5:9-11 as the "judgment seat of Christ." In this context, Paul explains
to us that this is where the Christian will receive an evaluation for
works done in the body, whether good or bad.
"Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted
of him. 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. 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." 2 Corinthians 5:9-11.
Who will be Judged at the Bema Seat?
The Judgment Seat of Christ, is reserved for the judgment of Christians
only. Born again believers in Christ Jesus. If a person is unsaved and
dies in sin, he will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment,
following Christ's millennial reign on earth. As already mentioned,
2 Corinthians 5:10 tell us "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."
In addition, Romans 14:10-12 reads, "But why dost thou judge thy brother?
Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before
the Judgment Seat Of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. In the
context of both Scriptures, it is clear that those judged at the Bema Seat
are Christians, not unbelievers. The Judgment Seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ.
When will the Judgment Seat of Christ Occur?
The Judgment of believers will occur immediately following the Rapture.
The rapture is a future event, an imminent event, when all born again
believers will be caught up in the air by Jesus and taken home, by Him,
to Heaven. The timing of the Judgment Seat of Christ is given in the
following scriptures:
! In Luke 14:12-14, reward is associated with the resurrection and the
rapture is when the church is resurrected. The term Church refers to
believers.
! In Revelation 19:8, when the Lord returns with His bride at the end of
the tribulation, she is seen already rewarded. Her reward is described as
fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints undoubtedly the result of
rewards.
! In 2 Timothy 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 4:5, rewards are associated with
"that day" and with the Lord's coming. Again, for the church this means
the event of the rapture.
So the order of events will be (a) the rapture which includes our
glorification or resurrection bodies, (b) exaltation into the heavens
with the Lord, (c) examination before the Bema, and (d) compensation or rewards.
Key Rapture Scriptures
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal [must] put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.
Who will Judge the Believer, and What is the Purpose of this Judgment?
John 5:22 states, "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son." When we also consider that Christ Jesus is God,
we must conclude there is no conflict between this passage and other
biblical scriptures which say that Christ will judge believers at His Appearing.
Although it is tremendously serious with eternal ramifications, the
Judgment Seat Of Christ is not a place or time when the Lord will mete
out punishment for sins committed by the child of God. Rather, it is a
place where rewards will be given, or lost, depending on how one has
conducted his life for the Lord.
It is important to emphasize that the Judgment Seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ's sacrifice on behalf
of the blood bought believer (1 John 2:2), and the believer's faith in
Him (John 3:16). All confessed sins are forgiven and believers will never
be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). To say otherwise would deny the
efficacy of the death of Jesus Christ, and nullify God's promise that
"their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17).
Instead, the purpose of this Bema Judgment by Jesus Christ is to reward believers based on how faithfully they served Him (1 Corinthians 9:4-27;
2 Timothy 2:5). Even so, this judgment will also deal with a loss of
rewards. Again, Paul tells us, in his letter to the Corinthians, "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." The Greek word translated as "bad" in this
phrase, is based upon the Greek word Phaulos. According to Strong's
dictionary (#5337), the primary definition of Phaulos is "easy, slight, ordinary, mean, worthless, of no account."
Again, the purpose of the bema judgment is not to determine the moral
goodness or evil of our earthly deeds, but whether each deed is acceptable
or worthless to the Kingdom and Glory of God. That is why 1 Corinthians
3:13 says that: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day
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