Text: 2 Corinthians 5:10a
For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ… (NRSV)
What does it mean to appear before the judgement seat of Christ? It means that we will be judged by our hearts and not our intellect. We will be judged from the prospective of what is righteous in God’s eyes, not by human standards. It won’t matter how much information we have stored in our minds about Jesus. What will matter is how much we lived out of our relationship with Jesus.
The Judgement Seat of Christ for a Christian should not be anything to fear, it should be something to which the Christian strives. It is the prize at the end of the race (see Acts 20:24). It is where the Christian finally hears, “Welcome my good and faithful servant.” (see Matthew 25). It is where we no longer see Jesus dimly as through a mirror but where we see him clearly, face to face (see 1 Corinthians 13).
It is certainly not wrong to know “about” Jesus. In fact, until you know about Jesus, it is unlikely that you will develop a relationship “with” Jesus. But it is the relationship lived with Jesus that changes a person. You can know all the details about Jesus and never be transformed from the old life to the new life. But once you start living in a relationship with Jesus your life will be changed. You will live in the righteousness of God forsaking the brokenness of the kingdom of this world.
We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ. Has your heart been changed by a relationship with Jesus? Are you looking forward to seeing him face to face? Are you excited about hearing his sweet voice say to you, “Welcome my good and faithful servant.”?
Pray with me:
Jesus, walk with me day by day that I might be transformed by your love in a relationship that leads to eternal life. Give me the assurance of the life to come as I await my appearance before your judgement seat. AMEN.
For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ… (NRSV)
What does it mean to appear before the judgement seat of Christ? It means that we will be judged by our hearts and not our intellect. We will be judged from the prospective of what is righteous in God’s eyes, not by human standards. It won’t matter how much information we have stored in our minds about Jesus. What will matter is how much we lived out of our relationship with Jesus.
The Judgement Seat of Christ for a Christian should not be anything to fear, it should be something to which the Christian strives. It is the prize at the end of the race (see Acts 20:24). It is where the Christian finally hears, “Welcome my good and faithful servant.” (see Matthew 25). It is where we no longer see Jesus dimly as through a mirror but where we see him clearly, face to face (see 1 Corinthians 13).
It is certainly not wrong to know “about” Jesus. In fact, until you know about Jesus, it is unlikely that you will develop a relationship “with” Jesus. But it is the relationship lived with Jesus that changes a person. You can know all the details about Jesus and never be transformed from the old life to the new life. But once you start living in a relationship with Jesus your life will be changed. You will live in the righteousness of God forsaking the brokenness of the kingdom of this world.
We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ. Has your heart been changed by a relationship with Jesus? Are you looking forward to seeing him face to face? Are you excited about hearing his sweet voice say to you, “Welcome my good and faithful servant.”?
Pray with me:
Jesus, walk with me day by day that I might be transformed by your love in a relationship that leads to eternal life. Give me the assurance of the life to come as I await my appearance before your judgement seat. AMEN.
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