"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 hath done, whether it be good or bad." II Cor. 5:10
As I prepared to write this article, today's mail came with an "Amazing 'no obligation' free offer " from a well known magazine publisher. It simply reminded me that the greatest free offer in the world is God's offer of eternal life through His son Jesus Christ. You don't even have to return the postage paid envelope! Christ stands at the heart's door of every informed sinner, waiting to pass this incredible gift to all who will open the door and let Him in.
But, we cannot say that there is no obligation. The redemption which is in Christ Jesus carries with it a moral obligation for all who have received His free gift. That obligation is made evident in such passages as "And He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again [II Cor. 5:14]." or the sequel to the familiar Ephesians 2:8-9, "For we (who are saved) are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them [Eph. 2:10]."
Nearly as familiar, and no less significant, is the more extensive passage, Titus 3:4-8— "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward men appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being Justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
We cannot overemphasize the free grace of God by which salvation is offered to us. Our works have nothing to do with it. If we were to live a sinless life from the cradle to the grave, we would not accumulate enough "good works" to save our souls; we would still be the victim of a sin nature inherited from Adam, and disqualified for heaven. Salvation is a gift received simply by believing that Christ died in one's place, bearing the due penalty for our sins in His own body on the cross. But having said that, we must not overlook the fact that we are going to be held accountable for the life lived, the deeds done in the body. That is the implication of our text for today.
"For we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." This accountability is universal. No believer will be exempt. There, with perfect insight, and a precise and unalterable record of our behavior as professing Christians, Christ will mete out His commendation—reward, if you will—for how we have lived the life He made available to us when we put our trust in His redeeming grace. In a striking parallel passage we read, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath builded thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [I Cor 3:11-15]." Salvation and service are here distinguished. The salvation is a free gift, but there is compensation worked into the service, so that those who capitalize on the potential faith makes available to every believer will be appropriately rewarded. Those who merely pile rubbish on the foundation will have no return on their dubious investment.
Now, I have heard some say, "I don't want a reward…" I think the reward is linked to the crowns of scripture, which are not unlike the crowns of the four and twenty elders of Revelation, who "fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created [Rev.]." They become tokens of the believer's love for Christ, and evidence of worship. Wiithout those rewards, which are not the fruit of our service for Him, but evidence of how we have allowed Him to work in and through us—how much room we have given Him in our lives—we are going to be "ashamed before Him at His coming (Cf. I John 2:28-29)." That is not a happy prospect!
The motive of our "good works" is not to obtain merit for ourselves, but to manifest our love and appreciation for all He has done for us. May the Spirit of God make us eager to capitalize on the investment He has made in us, and so to be fruitful in every good work to do His will. Not because we have to, but because we want to!
You are not your own, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's [I Cor. 620]."
Yours for HIS glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
As I prepared to write this article, today's mail came with an "Amazing 'no obligation' free offer " from a well known magazine publisher. It simply reminded me that the greatest free offer in the world is God's offer of eternal life through His son Jesus Christ. You don't even have to return the postage paid envelope! Christ stands at the heart's door of every informed sinner, waiting to pass this incredible gift to all who will open the door and let Him in.
But, we cannot say that there is no obligation. The redemption which is in Christ Jesus carries with it a moral obligation for all who have received His free gift. That obligation is made evident in such passages as "And He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again [II Cor. 5:14]." or the sequel to the familiar Ephesians 2:8-9, "For we (who are saved) are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them [Eph. 2:10]."
Nearly as familiar, and no less significant, is the more extensive passage, Titus 3:4-8— "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward men appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being Justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
We cannot overemphasize the free grace of God by which salvation is offered to us. Our works have nothing to do with it. If we were to live a sinless life from the cradle to the grave, we would not accumulate enough "good works" to save our souls; we would still be the victim of a sin nature inherited from Adam, and disqualified for heaven. Salvation is a gift received simply by believing that Christ died in one's place, bearing the due penalty for our sins in His own body on the cross. But having said that, we must not overlook the fact that we are going to be held accountable for the life lived, the deeds done in the body. That is the implication of our text for today.
"For we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." This accountability is universal. No believer will be exempt. There, with perfect insight, and a precise and unalterable record of our behavior as professing Christians, Christ will mete out His commendation—reward, if you will—for how we have lived the life He made available to us when we put our trust in His redeeming grace. In a striking parallel passage we read, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath builded thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [I Cor 3:11-15]." Salvation and service are here distinguished. The salvation is a free gift, but there is compensation worked into the service, so that those who capitalize on the potential faith makes available to every believer will be appropriately rewarded. Those who merely pile rubbish on the foundation will have no return on their dubious investment.
Now, I have heard some say, "I don't want a reward…" I think the reward is linked to the crowns of scripture, which are not unlike the crowns of the four and twenty elders of Revelation, who "fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created [Rev.]." They become tokens of the believer's love for Christ, and evidence of worship. Wiithout those rewards, which are not the fruit of our service for Him, but evidence of how we have allowed Him to work in and through us—how much room we have given Him in our lives—we are going to be "ashamed before Him at His coming (Cf. I John 2:28-29)." That is not a happy prospect!
The motive of our "good works" is not to obtain merit for ourselves, but to manifest our love and appreciation for all He has done for us. May the Spirit of God make us eager to capitalize on the investment He has made in us, and so to be fruitful in every good work to do His will. Not because we have to, but because we want to!
You are not your own, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's [I Cor. 620]."
Yours for HIS glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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