2Cor 5:14 | KingComments | STEP | Before we start with let me share a few more thoughts about the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus will pronounce His judgment from the judgment seat at three different interludes. Three different groups of people will appear before the Judge at three different intervals. We can say there will be three different sessions: 1. The first session will take place when the church is caught up and all the believers are revealed. We saw this already in of this chapter. 2. The second session will take place when the Lord Jesus has returned on earth. You read about that in Matthew 25 ( ). He will sit on “His glorious throne” ( ) and all the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him. The nations will be judged by Him according to their attitude toward those He calls “these brothers of Mine” who preached the gospel of the kingdom during the time of the great tribulation. 3. The third session will take place at the end of the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus. In this session the judgment seat is “a great white throne” ( ). Before this throne will appear all the people who have lived on the earth and died in unbelief. They are people who never repented for their sins and returned to God. They will be judged according to their deeds, which are written “in the books” ( ). On the basis thereof they will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” ( ). . The thought of the judgment seat should urge you to live for the glory of God and to warn people of the impending judgment. You know “the fear of the Lord”, don’t you? Paul had no doubt about it and therefore he persuaded men. “Persuade” is not a friendly request but an insistent warning. The judgment seat has an impact upon your life to live for the glory of God, and this also impacts others. You will share the gospel with them. Paul was not afraid of the judgment seat. He was quite transparent before God. He was always conscious of the fact that God looked into his inner life and he was pleased with that. Also before the Corinthians his life was always transparent and he had nothing to hide from them and hoped that they would see this in him. Some people spoke ill of him saying that he was after his own glory. Once suspicion is sowed it is difficult to judge the innocent victim – in this case Paul – properly and sincerely. . He adds to refute the charge that he is after his own glory. He matters not about himself but on the contrary about them! By his manner of life they had reason to boast. The Corinthians accepted the gospel not from some stranger, but from someone who stood behind his message with his whole life. There were many other preachers who came to them with an outward appearance. Their aim was self-acclamation. They merely kept an outward appearance and they did not speak from their heart. They were mainly concerned with their name and fame. They could perhaps rouse the audience with their speech, or they could boast of their lineage. Paul spoke to their heart and gave food for their soul, while leaving nothing of all that man can boast of. . He wanted to serve the believers. People could say that he was sometimes beside himself, ‘in ecstasy’. Others could say that he was out of his mind. Let such people just talk. Anyone who reads the Word of God with love and rejoices in the Lord Jesus will end up in intense joy and delight. God and the Lord Jesus are everything to them. I hope you also know such exhilarating moments. But you can also be of sound mind as Paul was. Then you can speak to your fellow believers about every day activities like eating and drinking, your work, marriage, of course in the light of the Bible. . The love of Christ is the only right motive for all that you do. His love was so great that He gave Himself up in death for guilty sinners. That the Lord Jesus had to die speaks volumes about the condition in which mankind had come. That means every man is dead. Death means there is no life for God. We “were dead in … trespasses and sins” ( ). The fact that the Lord Jesus died for all shows that there was no one who lived according to God’s expectation. The death of the Lord Jesus shows how hopeless was and is the condition in which man brought himself with his sins. Man could not free himself. How can a dead person do anything? The uniqueness of the gospel message is that the Lord Jesus has done what no man could do, namely, to give life to men who are sentenced to death. This became possible because He did not enter death because of His own sins. He never did anything that deserved the death sentence. He took this place voluntarily and out of love and for the sake of others so that everyone who believes in Him passes out of death into life ( ). . For the second time it is said that He died for all. Now it has become possible for everyone to be saved through what He has done. Every man is dead. The Lord Jesus went voluntarily into that same death and by dying identified Himself with the condition in which every man was. That does not mean that every person is now saved. Salvation from sin and the judgment of God will benefit only the one who personally and sincerely confesses his sins and believes that the Lord Jesus died in his place on the cross. The one who has done this lives and will continue living. He “has passed out of death into life” as mentioned in John 5 ( ) to which I already referred. It was so with you also. The life that you received is Divine life. When you were dead you were living, but you lived for yourself. That was not the real life. The life that you now received is the eternal life which is not the life in which you are the center of attention. God has given you this life so that you can live for the One Who died and rose again for you. The Lord Jesus is the center of the new life that you have received. It is a privilege to live for the Lord Jesus, you may always think of that. But here it is presented as a normal thing, nothing exceptional but as a natural course of life. The Lord Jesus died in order to show you the true meaning of life and let you live the real life. A person really lives only when he serves God and Christ. He has been created for this purpose. Every person who lives for himself has missed the actual goal of his life. Unfortunately there are plenty of Christians who do not understand this. God and the Lord Jesus know that you will find the greatest joy and satisfaction if you live for Him Who died and rose again for you. Every dedicated Christian will testify to this. Now read 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 again. Reflection: How does ‘the love of Christ’ work in you?

‏ 2 Corinthians 5:14

One Died for All

Before we start with 2Cor 5:11 let me share a few more thoughts about the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus will pronounce His judgment from the judgment seat at three different interludes. Three different groups of people will appear before the Judge at three different intervals. We can say there will be three different sessions:

1. The first session will take place when the church is caught up and all the believers are revealed. We saw this already in 2Cor 5:10 of this chapter.

2. The second session will take place when the Lord Jesus has returned on earth. You read about that in Matthew 25 (Mt 25:31-46). He will sit on “His glorious throne” (Mt 25:31) and all the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him. The nations will be judged by Him according to their attitude toward those He calls “these brothers of Mine” who preached the gospel of the kingdom during the time of the great tribulation.

3. The third session will take place at the end of the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus. In this session the judgment seat is “a great white throne” (Rev 20:11). Before this throne will appear all the people who have lived on the earth and died in unbelief. They are people who never repented for their sins and returned to God. They will be judged according to their deeds, which are written “in the books” (Rev 20:12). On the basis thereof they will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).

2Cor 5:11. The thought of the judgment seat should urge you to live for the glory of God and to warn people of the impending judgment. You know “the fear of the Lord”, don’t you? Paul had no doubt about it and therefore he persuaded men. “Persuade” is not a friendly request but an insistent warning. The judgment seat has an impact upon your life to live for the glory of God, and this also impacts others. You will share the gospel with them.

Paul was not afraid of the judgment seat. He was quite transparent before God. He was always conscious of the fact that God looked into his inner life and he was pleased with that. Also before the Corinthians his life was always transparent and he had nothing to hide from them and hoped that they would see this in him. Some people spoke ill of him saying that he was after his own glory. Once suspicion is sowed it is difficult to judge the innocent victim – in this case Paul – properly and sincerely.

2Cor 5:12. He adds to refute the charge that he is after his own glory. He matters not about himself but on the contrary about them! By his manner of life they had reason to boast. The Corinthians accepted the gospel not from some stranger, but from someone who stood behind his message with his whole life. There were many other preachers who came to them with an outward appearance. Their aim was self-acclamation. They merely kept an outward appearance and they did not speak from their heart. They were mainly concerned with their name and fame. They could perhaps rouse the audience with their speech, or they could boast of their lineage. Paul spoke to their heart and gave food for their soul, while leaving nothing of all that man can boast of.

2Cor 5:13. He wanted to serve the believers. People could say that he was sometimes beside himself, ‘in ecstasy’. Others could say that he was out of his mind. Let such people just talk. Anyone who reads the Word of God with love and rejoices in the Lord Jesus will end up in intense joy and delight. God and the Lord Jesus are everything to them. I hope you also know such exhilarating moments.

But you can also be of sound mind as Paul was. Then you can speak to your fellow believers about every day activities like eating and drinking, your work, marriage, of course in the light of the Bible.

2Cor 5:14. The love of Christ is the only right motive for all that you do. His love was so great that He gave Himself up in death for guilty sinners. That the Lord Jesus had to die speaks volumes about the condition in which mankind had come. That means every man is dead. Death means there is no life for God. We “were dead in … trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1).

The fact that the Lord Jesus died for all shows that there was no one who lived according to God’s expectation. The death of the Lord Jesus shows how hopeless was and is the condition in which man brought himself with his sins. Man could not free himself. How can a dead person do anything?

The uniqueness of the gospel message is that the Lord Jesus has done what no man could do, namely, to give life to men who are sentenced to death. This became possible because He did not enter death because of His own sins. He never did anything that deserved the death sentence. He took this place voluntarily and out of love and for the sake of others so that everyone who believes in Him passes out of death into life (Jn 5:24).

2Cor 5:15. For the second time it is said that He died for all. Now it has become possible for everyone to be saved through what He has done. Every man is dead. The Lord Jesus went voluntarily into that same death and by dying identified Himself with the condition in which every man was. That does not mean that every person is now saved. Salvation from sin and the judgment of God will benefit only the one who personally and sincerely confesses his sins and believes that the Lord Jesus died in his place on the cross. The one who has done this lives and will continue living. He “has passed out of death into life” as mentioned in John 5 (Jn 5:24) to which I already referred.

It was so with you also. The life that you received is Divine life. When you were dead you were living, but you lived for yourself. That was not the real life. The life that you now received is the eternal life which is not the life in which you are the center of attention. God has given you this life so that you can live for the One Who died and rose again for you. The Lord Jesus is the center of the new life that you have received.

It is a privilege to live for the Lord Jesus, you may always think of that. But here it is presented as a normal thing, nothing exceptional but as a natural course of life. The Lord Jesus died in order to show you the true meaning of life and let you live the real life. A person really lives only when he serves God and Christ. He has been created for this purpose. Every person who lives for himself has missed the actual goal of his life. Unfortunately there are plenty of Christians who do not understand this.

God and the Lord Jesus know that you will find the greatest joy and satisfaction if you live for Him Who died and rose again for you. Every dedicated Christian will testify to this.

Now read 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 again.

Reflection: How does ‘the love of Christ’ work in you?