EXAMINATION AND REWARD

The Examination and Rewarding of the Church

"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 bath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).

It is possible to walk through the streets of the old city of Corinth, where the apostle Paul once walked and preached. As you walk down the main street of the city in the direction of the Acro-Corinthus, you come to a place where it broadened out into what might be termed the city square. On the left was a raised structure made of huge stones. It appears as though it might have supported huge columns, which in turn supported some sort of canopy. A sign on the front attracts your attention. It contains four Greek letters: beta, eta, mu, alpha, spelling the Greek word "Bema." It is this word that appears in 2 Cor. 5:10 and is translated "judgment seat."

Though you might have read this text many times in the original Greek and have covered other passages where the same word appears, it was not till this moment that your thinking is thoroughly aroused. From this "Bema" the apostle Paul had no doubt witnessed many a soul stirring scene. From this official rostrum during the 18 months of his ministry in Corinth he had heard the announcement of imperial decrees, the pronouncement of sentences, the declarations of victory, and the awarding of crowns to contestants in the Isthmian games.

From this provincial background Paul drew the imagery for setting forth the examination and rewarding of the church. You might again to the text before us and it begins to flash with new meaning as the Spirit of God granted new insight into this precious portion of His Word. In five leading lines of thought I shall unfold the message of this verse of Scripture.

The People Who Will Stand Before This Judgment Seat Are Set Forth in These Words:
"We Must All Appear . . . Every One"

Both epistles to the church in Corinth were written to believers, and by the use of the word "we" Paul identifies himself with them. This fact differentiates this judgment from others referred to in the Bible. Those who come before this throne are saved people. The decision at this throne is to determine the degree of reward for those who are saved.

These two epistles were written to all believers. The presence of the word "all" emphasizes this fact. Clear analysis of the destination of these two epistles is made in the greeting of the first epistle. The local congregation is designated by the phrase "the church of God." The entire body of believers is indicated by the words "with all that in every place." And believers down across the whole church dispensation are included in the words "call upon His name." The word call is progressive in sense and reaches to that day when Christ will catch away His church.

These two epistles were also written to each individual believer, as the presence of the phrase "everyone" indicates. This terminology individualizes the issues at the judgment seat of Christ. The individual believer is therefore not lost in the mass. Unlike the Isthmian games, where only some chose to enter, ever man who takes Christ as his Savior also elects to enter the Christian race. From this point on he is under the scrutiny of the world, fellow believers, angels, and the great Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 4:9). More is accomplished than one might realize in their acceptance of His grace that saves.

In the very nature of the case it is necessary for all believers to come before this judgment seat; the presence of the word "must" defines this fact. Moral responsibility has been increased the moment one enters the family of God. Increased knowledge always brings greater responsibility. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11- 13). At His appearing believers will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of what grace has taught them.

The Procedure Which Will Operate at the Judgment Seat Is Declared in the Words,
"The Things Done in His Body, According to That He Hath Done"

The present will have its issue in the future, as marked by the phrase "according to." Since the phrase means literally as measured by, this means that the future judgment will be measured by the deeds done in the present. This speaks of a rule of measure, and with God there is a yardstick, a scale, a test tube. This phrase means that there will be a confronting of every deed. Every deed of the believer in this life will pass into the next and have its issue at the Bema seat of Christ. With God there are precise mathematics. Becoming a Christian does not suddenly obliterate all moral and spiritual responsibility. Becoming a Christian is a coming to Christ where the fierce light of holiness reveals the purity of God to which every believer is called. Nor does passing through the crisis at the end of the age change the moral issues. There at the judgment seat of Christ the moral issues of the present will be finally resolved.

The practice of the believer is the thing that will come up for review. The Greek words found in the phrases "the things done . . . that he hath done" provide us with several English words, such as practice, practical, pragmatic, which speak of performance. These refer to performance in its largest sense covering the sphere of the physical, psychical, and spiritual. These things will be particularized and itemized and each will be handled separately at the judgment seat.

The place where these deeds are centered is the body. Hence the expression, "in the body," more accurately "through the body," refers to the instrument by which these deeds were performed. No doubt the background of Greek philosophy, depreciating the importance of the body and exalting the meaning of the spirit, led him to say this. This sort of philosophy had promoted the lowest forms of physical excess under the guise that it was the spirit alone that mattered. "To Corinthianize" became a stock phrase for sensuality, and when this crept into the church at Corinth it brought the severe denunciation of Paul as recorded in chapters 5 and 6 of his first epistle.

The Publicity That Will Be Experienced at the Judgment Seat of Christ
Is Indicated by a Number of Things in This Text

The place each believer will stand is declared to be "before" the judgment seat of Christ. This is the way of saying that he will be in the presence of, as facing, this throne. In this statement there is something austere and frightening. This is true of the most insignificant human tribunals. They fill one with a sense of awe, of soul searching, of self-examination. If this is true of tribunals that are relatively insignificant, what will be the effect when the believer stands before the highest tribunal in the entire universe?

The person who sits on this throne and before whom the believer must come will make the difference. It is here declared that this is the judgment seat of Christ. Apart from the fact that Christ is incarnate, we are not to think of Him in terms of His humiliation. It is the glorified Son of Man who sits on this throne, crowned with white hair, eyes piercing and penetrating, and countenance blazing with light like the splendor of the midday sun. Holy men of old suffered almost complete physical collapse when thrust into His presence. Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone" (Isa. 6:5). Daniel declared, "There remained no strength in me ... I was in a deep sleep . . . my face toward the ground" (Dan. 10:8-9). John says, "I fell at his feet as dead" (Rev. 1:17).

The exposure that will be experienced at this judgment seat is set forth in the word "appear." The ASV has helped the translation by rendering this word "be manifested." It means to bring out into the open and make clear and plain that which hitherto existed but was not known. This will cover motives, thoughts, words, and deeds. If it is possible for men to record and reproduce now by means of the phonograph, photograph, and ideograph (lie detector), and now the computer, whose hard drive and communications cannot be erased concerning these issues, we may be sure that God will have no difficulty. His machinery is already set up, and He will then "bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and . . . make manifest the counsels of the heart" (1 Cor. 4:5). If this makes you shudder with fright, perhaps that is what Paul intended, as the next verse suggests. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11).

The Principle upon Which Judgment Will Be Passed Is Declared in the
Final Phrase of the Verse, "Whether It Be Good or Bad"

The quality of these works is no mere general classification into good and bad. It goes much deeper than that. In fact, the Apostle is here striking at the very heart of everything we do. He is here attempting to bring believers face to face with the grim realities of life. Where human judgments fail in this respect, the judgment of the supreme Judge will be sufficient for the occasion. He will probe to the very depths to reveal deeds for what they are, starting with the motive in the human heart and pursuing the examination through means and result.

The good deeds are described by a word which strikes at the inner essence of the event. A work has three aspects: motive, means, and result. Most people are occupied with the last. Fewer consider also the means. Almost none are concerned with the motive. But God looks at all three, starting with the motive. Therein lies the inner essence of a deed. In order for a work to receive God's approval the motive must be for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). This explains why we read in Romans 3:12, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one." This is true of all lost men. Here is the reason no man can earn his salvation by good works. His motive is wrong; his so-called good deed is for himself and not for God. Here also lies the wonder of salvation by grace. God gives men salvation and sets them free to give their whole lives to Him for His glory. At this point, however, there will be a judgment seat to evaluate the works of saved men.

The bad deeds are described by a word not appearing too often in the New Testament. It first refers to that which is ordinary. Justification for conduct on the earthly level is often explained on the basis that everyone does it. This is true at the time of the flood. But out of that vast population only eight were right and perfect in God’s eyes (Gen. 6:9). More often than not, this principle would condemn a deed rather than justify it. Then the word comes to refer to that which is easy. Our Lord described a broad way and a narrow way. The multitudes stream down the one, while the few have the determination and persistence to withstand the narrowing, pinching difficulties of the other. Even believers yield to the ordinary and easy, and fall therefore into that which is bad. Self-justification will have no place at the judgment seat of Christ. There the facts will be brought into view.

The Pay Which Will Be Meted Out at the Judgment Seat of Christ
Is Suggested by the Phrase, "That Every One May Receive"

Requital in kind is the meaning of the word "receive." This is a word whose intrinsic meaning marks recompense commensurate with the deed. For the good deeds that are performed there will be a reward commensurate with the positive value of the deeds. For the bad deeds that are performed there will be loss commensurate with the worthlessness of the deeds. It must be remembered at this point that this event has nothing to do with salvation. Salvation is a gift of grace irrespective of merit. Rewards at the judgment seat of Christ are recompense for works and as such are the recognition of merit. This displays the justice of a holy God. Let no man complain of this. If he gets to the judgment seat of Christ, it will be by the grace of God. If he suffers loss at that throne, he has only himself to blame.

There will be a loss suffered by those whose works are evil. When the examination of evil works exhibits the fact that they possess no real value for good, such a person cannot be granted any reward. He goes empty handed. This will mean that the span of life during which he enjoyed salvation was spent in worthless and evil pursuits. It may be easy for such people to say today that they are not interested in rewards. All they want is to be saved. But they will have a totally different perspective at the judgment seat of Christ. Salvation will then be complete. No shadow of sin will cloud their vision then. They will be able to see everything in its true perspective, as God sees it. All this will mean then, I am not prepared to say. But I am sure that moral discernment, then having reached its height, will bring some sort of remorse.

There will be rewards granted at the judgment seat of Christ for the good deeds that have been done. From this and other passages the declaration is clear. All this means is not apparent to us now. But there is sufficient here to provide incentive. The New Testament speaks of five crowns; a crown of life (James 1:12), a crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19), a crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), a crown of incorruption (1 Cor. 9:25), and a crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4). All of these sound good to me. And I would like to get in on some of them. Wouldn't you, too, like to participate in some of these? If so, now is the time to take heed to the words of the Apostle. Here in this passage we have the Spirit of God unfolding to us something of the future so that believers may condition their life now with what they know about the future.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."