“For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”  (2 Corinthians 5)

Reader, What is your understanding of the coming judgment of the Christ-ian?  Do you fear you will be judged for your sins?  Will your sins be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ?  Will Christ look upon you with fire in His Holy Eyes?  Will a sword come forth out of His mouth when He speaks to you?  When you hear the words, Judgment seat of Christ, what comes into your mind’s eye?  Is Christ an angry Christ.  In this article, God willing, we will look into these questions.

Let me put you hearts to rest and tell you, your sins will not be the subject of this judgment.  Christ will not be an angry Judge, but a Judge He shall be.  There will be no fire or lightning or swords. Christ will be judging your works or lack thereof. The greek word, itself means, “Foot print.”

The standard of Judgment will be the likeness of Christ we bear with in our Christ-ian persons.  Another point of judgment will be how closely does our footprint match His and how closely did you and I follow Him.  The judgment seat of Christ has everything to do with our Christ-likeness.  Our salvation has everything to do with our Christ-likeness.  Our entire predestination has to do with our Christ-likeness.  In other words, our entire life, our entire existence, our entire purpose is about our Christ-likeness.

The judgment seat of Christ will examine our works and will determine our rewards. Some of our works may be wood, hay and stubble. Some of our works may be gold, silver, and precious stones. The wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up and blow away. The gold, silver, and precious stones will endure the trials. Those works done in Christ’s Name and for His sake will endure. Those works done for self and to be seen of men will be chaff and will blow away.

To be clear, our works do not earn our salvation. Our works are due to our salvation and our works are required in order to persevere in our salvation, this is not contradictory, it is God’s way. “Workout your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Reader, it is not either or,  but both (James 2:24). The law doth not save the Christ-ian, yet the Christ-ian endures through the law and the law is not grievous to the Christ-ian.  Colossians 1, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not be moved away from the hope of the gospel…”   1 Peter 1,  “Ye are kept by the power of God through [your continuing] faith.  See previous article on the perseverance of the saint.

The Judgment seat of Christ differs greatly from the Great White Throne Judgment. This judgment is all about the sinner, the unredeemed, the reprobate, the worker of iniquity, the wicked, the lost and never sought or found, the non-elect and the never known. This judgment is about justice and anger and wrath.  This judgment is what the sinner has been asking for all his or her life.

Christ-ian witness:  “May i tell you of Christ and how you may know you are going to Heaven?”
Sinner:  “No, I’m good, but thanks. I believe God will weigh my good works against my bad works.”

Granted, this is a cleaned up version of what is usually said, but above is the crux of the exchange.  The sinner will get exactly what he has asked for and expected, the sinner will be judged by works and the sinner will be found wanting…greatly wanting, for, the LORD is not their Shepherd. The sinner will be judged against the Standard of God’s Son, The Lord Jesus. The sinner will not be judged against the standard of other persons worse than themselves or Hitler or Bin Laden, or Chairman Mao, or Stalin.

Those persons who put God’s Son among the ranks of Buddha, Confucius, Hindu gods, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and others will face a very angry God.  Those persons that are atheist, that are of other faiths that are false, Those that find solace in any other god beside the God of the Scriptures will be judged by a vengeful God of hate and fury. I know not how this judgment process will work. I know not if sinners will stand in a line or a que for my British readers or anglophiles.

If there is a line, if there is a wait, and sinners in that line see how God deals with sinners ahead of themselves, what dread will fill them. They will see that there is no escape, no exit, no way out, no way to avoid their turn. What thoughts will overwhelm them. These persons will be speechless, they will be week in the knees as they await their turn and when their turn comes, they will fall upon their knees and then their faces…they will involuntarily prostrate themselves before the God they have sinned against and rebelled against all their existence.

These persons, these sinners will have no answer, no mediator, no advocate, no hope, they will think themselves in Hell but how wrong they will be. The sinners have not yet entered Hell, but they shall, but Hell’s they shall and they shall never leave Hell’s Confines…O’ the Terror, the Horror, the never ending torment and the Pain, the unendurable pain that must be endured, there will be no choice now…the hopelessness, the only hope the sinner will have is hopelessness.

O’ Sinner, Repent and Believe Now…Right now, Call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus….Submit unto Christ the Lord. Do not wait.  Do not wait for a more convenient time. Do not put it off….it is the height of pride to say, “I will do this tomorrow.”  Boast thyself not of the morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”   “What is your life but a vapour?”   “He that is often reproved hardeneth his neck and that without remedy.”  “God commands everyman to repent.”

 

O’ Christ-ian, how thankful art thou that you shall not face the Great White Throne?  How thankful are you that you will fave the Judgment Seat of Christ?  The Christ-ian’s sin and sins have already been judged when darkness overshadowed the Son of God.  The Christ-ian’s sin was taken away and left behind when Christ went to Paradise. When Christ rose from the grave, Christ brought Cleansing and Forgiveness with Him, He brought justification and Sanctification with Him……O’ Christ-ian, O’ Elect and Chosen person of God, give Him praise and thanks and cease not this spirit of thanks and praise.

To God be the Glory.

Godspeed.