27. Believer's Judgment. God's Purpose for Man

Chapter 27
Believer's Judgment

Let's turn our scene away from the earth and backtrack seen years to the time just following the Rapture of the Church.  In heaven, a new event is beginning to take place. Everyone who has ever lived must face his or her judgment before God - believers and unbelievers alike.   There is no escape.  Each judgment, however, will be very different.  Believers will face Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ, while unbelievers will face God at the Great White Throne Judgment at a later date.

The word "judgment seat" in New Testament meant bema, which meant "step" - a unit of measure ( Acts 7:5 ).  It was a raised platform on which the judge sat during judicial proceedings, where he pronounced his verdict of the person at the bema seat.  It is similiar to a human tribunal.  The Judgment Seat of Christ uses the bema judgment as an example of what happens at the Judgment Seat of Christ - His final judgment on believers. (1 Col 4:5 ; 1 Thess 2:19;). 

2 Cor 5:10  For we (believers) 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 is good or bad.

Rewards Not Punishments

The Judgment Seat of Christ will take place in heaven - probably shortly after arriving.  Every believer will receive his or her reward based on what has been done in the flesh while on earth.  We need to be aware that this judgment has nothing to do with eternal salvation because that was determined on earth when that individual came to belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit then entered into his or her heart.  From that point on, eternal life with Christ was sealed as long as one remained in belief.

Rom 14: 10-12...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  For it is written, "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."  So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Works Will Be Tested By Fire

All believers, individually, will be judged for his or her actions while on earth.  Every deed will have to go through a testing of fire.  Our motives for every deed will be exposed before the Lord and tested.  Did we serve Him with a pure heart?  Or did we have ulterior motives, which came from selfish desires - such as control, pride, or even man's approval - anything that comes from self?

Our rewards will consist of jewels, crowns, and levels of rulership.  Our jewels will be for us, and crowns will be layed at Jesus' feet.  The level of our rulership will depend on the extend of our obedience to God in our earthly life to the callings we had on our life. 

Luke 14:14  And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.

I Cor 9:25  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

I Cor 3:11-15 ...Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear, for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.  If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Our works for Christ will be tested by fire to see if we were faithful, serving Christ with a pure heart.

Rewards For Following the Call of God

Every Christian has a call of God on their life.  God has planted certain gifts within each believer, and God expects each of us to use those gifts within us.

1 Cor 12:1  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

I Tim 4:14  Do not neglect the gift that is in you...

Prov 15:16  A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

There are ministry gifts that only certain believers are called to follow.  These gifts often require full-time efforts to follow.  These five-fold ministry gifts of God include  apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

Eph 4:11-12  And He Himself gave some to the apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Everyone, however, has at least one gift residing within him or her. It is our individual responsibility, as believers, to seek God to see what gift, or gifts, He has planted inside us.  We then need to use those gifts to serve God and others.   For that we will be judged.

I Cor 12:7-11  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all - for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit.  To another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

I Cor 12:31  But earnestly desire the best gifts...and yet I show yu a more excellent way.

I Cor 14:1  Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts...

I John 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved, us, we also ought to love one another.

We will be judged on how we treat other people.  Throughout the Bible, God speaks to us with His love, and He shows us how to love Him and serve one another.

I John 5:3  For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments.  And His commandments are not burdensome.

Matt 22:37-40  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.

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