A Christian who has settled peace with God and walks uprightly before Him, though conscious of his many failures, loves the light of His Presence, instead of dreading it. He knows God's perfect grace in Christ Jesus. He wishes the light to shine into every corner of his heart, and into every crevice of his soul.
He may say with the Psalmist, though in a far higher, deeper and fuller sense: "Search me. O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way (way of pain or grief] in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psa. 139:23, 2423Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23‑24). He says so. not merely because he has been searched by the Lord and His Word, and has found how vain is the attempt of fleeing from His Presence, or of concealing or covering anything before Him, but knowing that perfect grace which makes the heart true (Heb. 10:2222Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)), he seeks those courts of light instead of fleeing from them.
Let not the Christian reader forget that it is not only now that we are to be in the light of His Presence, to judge everything that is not consistent with it, but that we all must (as a future thing) "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." 2 Cor. 5:1010For 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. (2 Corinthians 5:10). Notice the words may receive. There is the thought of retribution, not condemnation or judgment on persons, in this passage. As to the condemnation or judgment, Christ has borne that. But there is retribution: the reward for those that have done good and loss for the evil that has been done in the body.
We must take care not to go beyond the solid ground of Scripture lest we should get into swamps. Therefore, we need to remind ourselves that this debated passage, instead of weakening the sense and assurance of the believer's relationship in settled peace through and in Christ, only serves to consolidate that sense of our relationship. This can only be valued and fully realized by those who have settled peace.
The Greek word used by the Holy Spirit in this passage, and rendered in our common version by "receive" means: to carry off for my own use something which has become mine, either by promise, present, reward, or under any other lawful title. This is the original meaning of the word in Greek. Then in a general sense, it is used for, to receive, or to obtain something. Thus the word evidently conveys to us the idea of one who receives praise and reward or suffers loss, as the case may be, for the way in which he has accomplished his work.
Every good thing that a Christian may have done while in his body here below, is only through the gift and grace of God and His Spirit; still it will, through divine grace, be accounted to him as if it were all his own work. He will hear the "Well done!" from the blessed lips of his Master. He will not only receive the mark of approval from the Lord, but also the corresponding reward. This will be in the place that will be assigned to him in the millennial glory during the kingdom (not on the earth) and when we shall reign with Christ over the earth.
There are different rewards. In Matt. 25, it is a question of being faithful, during the Master's absence, with the talents He may have committed to us, without speaking of the degree of faithfulness. Thus, each of the faithful servants receives the same reward; that of being ruler over many things and entering into the joy of his Lord. In Luke 19, each of the ten servants receives the same amount, but not the same reward. The difference there, is to the degree of the faithfulness of each servant, consequently their reward is different, according to the different degree of faithfulness.
The one who has gained ten pounds, receives authority over ten cities, the one who has gained five pounds, over five cities. The reward corresponds exactly with their faithfulness. So there evidently will be a difference of reward. One star will differ from another star in glory, not as to the degree of glory in our resurrection bodies, but as to the places that we shall receive during the millennial kingdom when reigning with Christ over the earth. There will be not only the approval, but also the reward or the loss. What a solemn thought for each of us.
In the light of the judgment seat of Christ, "Who will make manifest the counsels of the hearts," everything inconsistent with that light that has been permitted in us while in our bodies, will be fully exposed and judged by ourselves. Because, being then in glory and in glorious bodies like Christ, it is the light of His Presence that will manifest everything. Flesh and self will no longer be there to deceive or to blind us. As having the mind of Christ, which we have now, only impeded so often by self and flesh, and in the perfect light of His Presence, as having bodies like His own glorious body, there will be nothing to hinder the perfect judgment, on our own part, of everything that has prevented the intended fruits of light and of His Spirit from appearing in us, when in our earthly bodies.
His judgment of approval, as to anything good done in the body, we shall receive under the deep and perfect sense of that divine grace. That is the grace to which we owe everything that is good in us, as being saved by grace through faith, which is the gift of God. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:1010For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10).
As to the evil done when in our bodies, we shall judge it ourselves as God would judge it. There can be no question of personal judgment by Christ at that time for the evil done in our bodies. As to condemnation, it is a thing of the past, for Christ has borne the judgment due us. Judgment in the sense of chastisement (God's love in correcting us), where this was necessary because we did not judge ourselves by His Spirit and under His Word, will then be a thing of the past. Chastisement has to do with our present state, while we are on earth in these frail bodies of ours. There cannot be any question of personal judgment of the saints by Christ at that time, because then we shall be with Him in glorious bodies, in which there will be nothing to be judged. Thus, no sin can reappear and arise against us there as to judgment, whether it be condemnation or chastisement.
What does the apostle mean by saying, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ?" It does not mean that the judgment seat of Christ would or could have anything to say in the way of judgment to His saints personally, for the reasons mentioned above. It does not say that we shall all be judged, but that we shall all appear (be made manifest) before the judgment seat of Christ because the saints are included.
In order to relieve, as much as possible, the last difficulty from the mind of any of us, I will give here the word of an eminent servant of Christ, which will serve the purpose better than anything I could say. The subject is of great importance for the spiritual health of every Christian, and so he says:
However great the happiness of being in the perfect light—and this happiness is complete and divine in its character—it is on the side of conscience that the subject is here presented. God maintains His majesty by the judgment which He executes, as it is written: "The Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth." Psa. 9:1616The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. (Psalm 9:16). I believe that it is very profitable for the soul to have the judgment of God present in our minds, and a sense of the unchangeable majesty of God maintained in the conscience by this means. If we were not under grace, it would be—it ought to be—insupportable, but the maintenance of this sentiment does not contradict grace. It is only under grace that it can be maintained in its truth, for who otherwise could bear the thought for an instant of receiving that which he had done in the body? None but he who is completely blinded. The authority, the holy authority of God, which asserts itself in judgment, forms a part of our relationship with Him. The maintenance of this sentiment, associated with the full enjoyment of grace, forms a part of our holy spiritual affections, It is in this sense that: "happy is he that feareth always." It is the "fear of the Lord.”
J. Von Poseck