The Judgement of Believers

2 Corinthians 5:1-10


1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.


6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.


9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.


The judgment seat of Christ probably isn’t our primary consideration as we go about the business of living week after week. However, we ought to give it some serious thought, because what Scripture reveals about this event should motivate us to lead a life that pleases God. 


All of us who have placed trust in Jesus will one day stand before Him to be evaluated for who we are and what we have done. The Lord will reveal the heart’s hidden attitudes, disclose every motive, and assess all our works for their eternal value (1 Corinthians 4:5). 


God’s purpose in this judgment is to recompense us for what we have done, whether good or bad (bad, in this case, meaning “worthless”). The deeds that are good will receive a reward, but those that are worthless will not. Undoubtedly, we’ll regret lost opportunities to serve the Lord, but He will wipe our tears away with His great love and forgiveness. 


If we’re not careful, the busyness of our culture could steal our motivation to live for that which is of eternal importance.  But the certainty of our future judgment should affect the way we live now. So let’s adopt one overarching ambition in life: to be pleasing to the Lord.






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