How can the judgment-seat of Christ, at which the Christian will appear, be reconciled with the parable of the talents? ―Anon.
Our mistake is to attempt to reconcile the various lines of divine truth. It has been one of the most fruitful sources of controversy. The Scripture is given to us to believe. The fifth chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians states the fact, that “we” who “know that we have a building of God,” and are “always confident,” must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ to receive of the things done in the body.” We know that we shall have had our glorified bodies before that, and see fully with the Lord in all things. It is a question, not of salvation, but of stewardship.
We believe that the parable of the talents teaches, that all who profess to be the Lord’s servants will be judged. It will then be manifest, that the use the nominal professor has made of Christ’s name has been only for earthly purposes. He buried his talent in the earth. He had no eye to the Lord’s glory. Such persons will then be stripped, and the name of Christian, which they have so misused, will be taken away from them and given to the faithful. Never having tasted the grace of God, or known the Saviour’s loving heart, they will be forever banished from His presence.
What will be the position of those Christians, when the Lord comes, who have not been looking for Him? ―B.
We ought not to make light of a Christian being ignorant of any part of the truth God has graciously revealed for our blessing. Nor should it be regarded otherwise than a most solemn matter for any one professing to be Christ’s, to refuse the truth of His coming again for His saints. But though Christians fail, the Lord will not. He abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself. He will fulfill His gracious word, “I will come again and receive you unto myself.” It is true that the Scripture says, “To them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:2828So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28).) But Scripture also says, that “they that are Christ’s” will be raised at His coming. When the truth is clearly apprehended that the Church is a body united to Christ the head in heaven, it will easily be seen that when the meeting actually takes place in the air, not one of those could be omitted of whom the Holy Ghost now says, “We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.”