2Cor 5:10 | KingComments | STEP | . The two-fold statement that we do not lose heart ( ) is followed by the also two-fold statement that we are “of good courage” ( ). You get this confidence if you no longer look to the circumstances but only if you look upward or forward. If you look forward you will see all that you will receive when the Lord comes. If you look upward you see the Lord Who helps you moment by moment. That does not make you blind to what is happening around you. It is indeed clear to you that as long as you live in the body you are absent from the Lord. This knowledge now is the determining factor for your life as a Christian. . Your life is determined by the things which you do not see, but they are definitely there. Faith is the assurance of what we hope or yearn for and it is the conviction of what we do not see with our own eyes at the moment ( ). You do not need faith for what you can see with your own eyes. You are sure it is present there. But to see the things the Bible speaks about – and which are also really present – you need faith. The one who does not live by faith but is led only by what is seen has no right to call himself a Christian. Faith is the fundamental principle for the Christian. Being a Christian and faith (in the biblical sense of the word) inseparably belong to each other. . We are not yet at home with the Lord, we still have our earthly body. But although we are not yet at home with the Lord, we do not lack good courage because we have the Lord with us. Yet we prefer to leave our abode in the body and go to the Lord. “To be absent from the body” happens when we die. This must be well distinguished from ‘to be clothed’ of which you read in , which refers to the rapture of the church. Whoever dies in faith is immediately after his death present with the Lord Jesus in paradise. He no longer suffers under his sinful nature neither of enmity. He is perfectly happy. Paul speaks very personally about his desire to depart and be with Christ. He calls it “far better” ( ). But he also adds that he has a task on earth. That is why the Lord let him live here still. This applies to you also. I hope that, although you are young and perhaps have many ideals, yet you want to be at home with the Lord. That it is not so far yet is because the Lord wants to use you in His service. This is a great privilege. . Make it your ambition to speak and act in a way that your life pleases the Lord. When your life’s goal is to live only for the Lord, it does not then make any difference whether you are “at home” in the body, which is to live in the body on the earth, or are “absent” from the body, which is to be at home with the Lord in heaven. Wherever you are you will make the Lord Jesus rejoice by living for Him and asking His will in everything. . You might ask how you can still be pleasing to Him when you are “absent”. If you die then there is no more work you can do for the Lord, isn’t it? But there is still something that is called the “judgment seat of Christ”. I would like to elaborate on this as it is important that this judgment seat leaves an indelible impression on you. Every Christian including you must stand before it. This moment is at the coming of the Lord. Please note that the coming of the Lord is something other than the death of the believer. At death a believer goes up to be with the Lord. The coming of the Lord means the Lord Jesus will come in the air to take the believers to Himself ( ). At His coming the Lord Jesus will first bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of the hearts ( ). You will look back on your life together with the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps it will be like a movie in which you will see again all that you did in and with your body on earth. Nevertheless there is a difference between the time when you did them and now when you see them again. The difference is that you see your life as the Lord Jesus always saw it. What He especially will bring to light are your motives which led your life. There will be things of which you thought that the Lord would be happy about, but of which the Lord will show you that your own glory was also connected with it. There will also be things to which you did not attach much importance, but of which the Lord might say how particularly He appreciated them. Before the judgment seat of Christ everything will be put in the right perspective and measured with the Divine standard. There will not be any dishonesty in reward and a mistake is not possible. Everyone will get what he is entitled to and will also be convinced himself that the reward is just. There will be no protest. When I think of the judgment seat of Christ I desire to be well pleasing to Him at that place so that He will be able to say: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” ( ). The one who has as his ambition to be pleasing to the Lord will receive the due honor before the judgment seat when his life on earth comes to an end. Then there will not be so much difference between how the Lord saw it and how the servant saw it. We will not then fall from one surprise into another, although of course we can always be wrong. We could have erred in our judgment but isn’t it still beautiful to hear the judgment of the Lord and be at last completely in agreement with His judgment of our life? The reward for what we have done in our service to the Lord will be presented in the form of authority over cities in His kingdom ( ). The Lord Jesus will erect this kingdom after our life has been revealed. May be you are afraid of appearing before the judgment seat of Christ, fearing that you will be assigned to hell by the Judge. Do not let this thought frighten you, for it will not be so. Just bear in mind that the Judge Who sits on the judgment seat is your Savior Who died for your sins on the cross. God has already judged your sins there and you will not be subjected to His judgment again (cf. ; ). God is not unjust and He will not punish sin twice. This appraisal of your life has nothing to do with your eternal destiny, but with a reward you will receive for your life as a believer on the earth. May be there are a few things in your life of which you know that they are not pleasing to the Lord and therefore you are still a bit afraid of the judgment seat. That you can change. Unreservedly confess to the Lord all that could hinder your joy when you think of the judgment seat of Christ. Now read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 again. Reflection: How do you imagine the judgment seat of Christ will be?

‏ 2 Corinthians 5:10

The Judgment Seat of Christ

2Cor 5:6. The two-fold statement that we do not lose heart (2Cor 4:1 ; 16) is followed by the also two-fold statement that we are “of good courage” (2Cor 5:6 ; 8). You get this confidence if you no longer look to the circumstances but only if you look upward or forward. If you look forward you will see all that you will receive when the Lord comes. If you look upward you see the Lord Who helps you moment by moment.

That does not make you blind to what is happening around you. It is indeed clear to you that as long as you live in the body you are absent from the Lord. This knowledge now is the determining factor for your life as a Christian.

2Cor 5:7. Your life is determined by the things which you do not see, but they are definitely there. Faith is the assurance of what we hope or yearn for and it is the conviction of what we do not see with our own eyes at the moment (Heb 11:1).

You do not need faith for what you can see with your own eyes. You are sure it is present there. But to see the things the Bible speaks about – and which are also really present – you need faith. The one who does not live by faith but is led only by what is seen has no right to call himself a Christian. Faith is the fundamental principle for the Christian. Being a Christian and faith (in the biblical sense of the word) inseparably belong to each other.

2Cor 5:8. We are not yet at home with the Lord, we still have our earthly body. But although we are not yet at home with the Lord, we do not lack good courage because we have the Lord with us. Yet we prefer to leave our abode in the body and go to the Lord. “To be absent from the body” happens when we die. This must be well distinguished from ‘to be clothed’ of which you read in 2Cor 5:4, which refers to the rapture of the church. Whoever dies in faith is immediately after his death present with the Lord Jesus in paradise. He no longer suffers under his sinful nature neither of enmity. He is perfectly happy.

Paul speaks very personally about his desire to depart and be with Christ. He calls it “far better” (Phil 1:23). But he also adds that he has a task on earth. That is why the Lord let him live here still. This applies to you also. I hope that, although you are young and perhaps have many ideals, yet you want to be at home with the Lord. That it is not so far yet is because the Lord wants to use you in His service. This is a great privilege.

2Cor 5:9. Make it your ambition to speak and act in a way that your life pleases the Lord. When your life’s goal is to live only for the Lord, it does not then make any difference whether you are “at home” in the body, which is to live in the body on the earth, or are “absent” from the body, which is to be at home with the Lord in heaven. Wherever you are you will make the Lord Jesus rejoice by living for Him and asking His will in everything.

2Cor 5:10. You might ask how you can still be pleasing to Him when you are “absent”. If you die then there is no more work you can do for the Lord, isn’t it? But there is still something that is called the “judgment seat of Christ”. I would like to elaborate on this as it is important that this judgment seat leaves an indelible impression on you. Every Christian including you must stand before it. This moment is at the coming of the Lord. Please note that the coming of the Lord is something other than the death of the believer. At death a believer goes up to be with the Lord. The coming of the Lord means the Lord Jesus will come in the air to take the believers to Himself (1Thes 4:17).

At His coming the Lord Jesus will first bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of the hearts (1Cor 4:5). You will look back on your life together with the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps it will be like a movie in which you will see again all that you did in and with your body on earth. Nevertheless there is a difference between the time when you did them and now when you see them again. The difference is that you see your life as the Lord Jesus always saw it.

What He especially will bring to light are your motives which led your life. There will be things of which you thought that the Lord would be happy about, but of which the Lord will show you that your own glory was also connected with it. There will also be things to which you did not attach much importance, but of which the Lord might say how particularly He appreciated them. Before the judgment seat of Christ everything will be put in the right perspective and measured with the Divine standard. There will not be any dishonesty in reward and a mistake is not possible. Everyone will get what he is entitled to and will also be convinced himself that the reward is just. There will be no protest.

When I think of the judgment seat of Christ I desire to be well pleasing to Him at that place so that He will be able to say: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21 ; 23). The one who has as his ambition to be pleasing to the Lord will receive the due honor before the judgment seat when his life on earth comes to an end. Then there will not be so much difference between how the Lord saw it and how the servant saw it. We will not then fall from one surprise into another, although of course we can always be wrong.

We could have erred in our judgment but isn’t it still beautiful to hear the judgment of the Lord and be at last completely in agreement with His judgment of our life? The reward for what we have done in our service to the Lord will be presented in the form of authority over cities in His kingdom (Lk 19:16-19). The Lord Jesus will erect this kingdom after our life has been revealed.

May be you are afraid of appearing before the judgment seat of Christ, fearing that you will be assigned to hell by the Judge. Do not let this thought frighten you, for it will not be so. Just bear in mind that the Judge Who sits on the judgment seat is your Savior Who died for your sins on the cross. God has already judged your sins there and you will not be subjected to His judgment again (cf. Jn 5:24; Rom 8:1). God is not unjust and He will not punish sin twice. This appraisal of your life has nothing to do with your eternal destiny, but with a reward you will receive for your life as a believer on the earth.

May be there are a few things in your life of which you know that they are not pleasing to the Lord and therefore you are still a bit afraid of the judgment seat. That you can change. Unreservedly confess to the Lord all that could hinder your joy when you think of the judgment seat of Christ.

Now read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 again.

Reflection: How do you imagine the judgment seat of Christ will be?