Notes:
The Judgment Seat Of Christ See Session Slides Here
‘We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether good or bad’ (2 Cor.5:10). This is a trial of works for the purpose of reward.
Paul spoke of 3 types of people:
- 1 Cor.2:14. The natural person is alive naturally and lives by natural means only. He is dead spiritually and disconnected from the life of God. He doesn’t even understand the things of God.
- 1 Cor.2:15. The spiritual person is someone who is alive spiritually. He has been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. He is positioned in Christ and lives by the resources of His grace.
- 1 Cor.3:1-4. The carnal person is someone who is born again, but lives like the natural person. He has access to the same spiritual resources as the spiritual Christian but lives according to the flesh.
- Paul wrote to the Galatians because they were viewing their salvation as a reward for works.
- He wrote to the Corinthians because they were living as if there were no prize to be won.
Read 1 Cor.3:11-15
- The first danger is building on wrong foundations. Foundations determine the difference between heaven and hell. What we build determines whether we receive a reward and not.
- The second danger is building the superstructure with wrong materials. Gold, silver, precious stones = life in the Spirit. Wood, hay, straw = fleshly living.
- The fire will test our works. Fire does two things – gives heat and provides light.
- ‘The Day will declare it.’ The Bible speaks of 3 days: man’s day – 1 Cor.4:3; the day of Christ – 2 Thes.2:2; the Day of the Lord – Judgment Day for mankind outside of Christ.
- 1 Cor. 3:14-15. Heat burns what is combustible. Light reveals what is left afterwards. If what we are building is burned we will suffer loss, not of salvation but of reward.
Example One. 1 Cor. 5:1-5. This man was fornicating with his father’s wife. If he died in this state he would have gone into eternity with no prospect of eternal reward. Yet, he would be saved.
Example Two. 1 Corinthians chapters 8-10. Paul warns the Christians at Corinth that though they were free to eat meat that had previously been offered to idols, their liberty may: a) Lead others to stumble, or, b) Cause them to be so bold with their liberty that they go back into the temples of idols again. They need to beware that they are not overpowered by the flesh and lose their inheritance. In chapter 1 Cor. 10:1-11 he illustrates this point using the example of Israel in the wilderness. Their deliverance from Egypt is a picture of their salvation. They were redeemed by the blood of a lamb, baptized, partook of the bread of life and the living water, etc. Most of them, however, perished in the wilderness without receiving the prize God intended for them. These things happened to them “as examples to us” (1 Cor. 10:6&11). They never lost their salvation. God did not allow them to go back to Egypt. But they died in the wilderness. They are a picture of carnal Christians who are overcome by the world, the flesh and the Devil.
Summary
There is an eternal reward, for those who faithfully run the race set before them. Paul was not certain that he had achieved that prize when he was writing to the Corinthians (1 Cor.9:24-27). But at the end of his lifetime he was confident of his reward: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing’ (2 Tim.4:7-8).
# Answers to this quiz are found in the notes above. Click on quiz to commence. Only correct spelling is recognised. A minimum 70% correct is required to advance to the next session.