![]() ![]() ![]() Here we discover that believers are not judged for sin, and there is only one reward. The Bible talks about judgment and it talks about a reward. Love but help me to remember that all my deeds will be judged by you and your standards.Judgment And Rewards | Christians Are Not Judged, And There is Only ONE Reward Prayer: Lord, thank you that nothing can separate me from your Thought: Our actions should prepare us for the judgement. Paul was motivated by this awareness, and so should we. Why? Because we must stand before the judgement seat of Jesus and be examined. When there are persons seeking refuge or needing a helping hand, and we can help, we should not pass by on the other side. In the face of obvious injustice, discrimination, evil, and wrong-doing, Christians should not remain silent, blind, and deaf. The guiding principle must not be “ when in Rome do as the Romans do”, but what the Holy Spirit impresses upon our hearts. Followers of Jesus should live righteous and sober lives and not according to the dictates of the world. Therefore, believers must live circumspect lives. This what Paul said: “ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” 1 Cor. ![]() Actions designed for selfish gains, and which failed to glorify God, will be “ burned up” or shown to be worthless. Believers whose actions were designed to glorify Christ will receive God’s “well done”. The Bible says, “ the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free” (Eph. We are assured that every good and bad action will be rewarded. Paul told the Romans that each believer will “ give an account of himself to God” Rom. So, the judgement will be an examination, an appraisal, of what each Christian has done “in the body” since putting faith in Christ. He was motivated by the desire to please Christ in the temporal realm. Assured of this, Paul was willing to courageously risk more suffering to advance the cause of the Gospel. In the previous chapter, Paul assured the believers that the glory of eternity with Christ outweighed the suffering experienced in this temporal realm. The Corinthian Church was riddled with divisions and competitiveness of a potentially destructive nature. In this judgement, Christians will give an account of the lives they have lived-whether good or ill. The word “ appears ”, or better yet, “ manifest”, means to be investigated into, to be searched and examined thoroughly. This is not for the judgement of our sins, because our sins were judged, and Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross. ![]() In the selected text, Paul told the Church in Corinth that all believers must appear before the judgement seat of Christ. Who will be judged and why? Will all persons, including believers, face the judgement? There will be separate rewards, but will there be a separate judgement for believers and non-believers? Is the purpose different for the believer and the non-believer? When I ponder the subject, I contemplate its scope and purpose. The Bible is replete with references to judgement in the temporal and spiritual realms. “For all of us must appear before the judg e ment seat of Christ, so that each may receive due recompense for actions done in the body, whether good or evil” 2 Cor. ![]()
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