Questions on the Judgment of Believers

[Steven Yeadon]

I must add that I believe the problem with the view God is not fear inspiring is that you get false teachers like Mike Bickle who call the river of liquid fire before Jesus' throne (Daniel 7:9-10) "a river of love" instead of what it really is: a terrifying sign of Jesus' authority.

Also, if a man has the power to get rid of a thunderstorm or make sign in heaven with a wave of his hand, this is not a fiction book of fantasy, instead of overwhelming wonder at such a feat we will feel stark terror at the presence of the supernatural and at the man who could do such a thing.

 

[Aaron]

OK, this one has me kind of stumped. I am told that Romans 14:10-12 and 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 show that there will be a judgment of believers one day before Jesus. The term for judgment seat here is Bema, from what I know this is the seat of the guest of honor and official over the gaming event. This implies that special rewards will be handed out as far as I know.

However, many Christians I know have died as my pastor put it: "Babes in Christ." We even had a sermon on the subject of the prevalence of "Babes in Christ" in the church. Going with this thought, what will be done with those that bore very little fruit and matured very little due to their own choices on such a day? Will they simply get no special favors at all? Or is there something far more sinister going on here?

We will all give an account. That's all those verses are saying, but focusing on the reward or penalty is the wrong focus. Your union with Christ is what makes you acceptable to the Father, and your faith is counted unto you as righteousness. Christ's rewards are my rewards. What more could I ask?

But do not with a vile crown of frail bays
Reward my Muse's white sincerity ;
But what Thy thorny crown gain'd, that give me,
A crown of glory, which doth flower always.
—John Donne

 

[Van]

At this point I am stumped again, but I will begin with what doesn't stump me:

1. Yeshua1 is right in that a big part of this is that God will reward his servants equally in the end with eternal life.

2. The parable of the talents and the parable of the minas show we will still receive more or less according to how much we were given. Given how we invest it for God's fame to be spread and His will to be done on earth. The parable of the talents would seem to be an aspect of Jesus' Bema seat, and because of this parable I can see various rewards equivalent to "taking charge of a city" being given to believers.

Thus, while still a mysterious thing to us, the judgment of believers appears to be such that we receive varying prizes for our hard work, but all faithful believers in the end get the ultimate prize of eternal life no matter how long they have been saved or how long and hard they have worked.

Now, I will turn to what stumps me:

1. What in the world does it mean to be saved as through fire as told to us in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15? Does this apply to just church leaders, which were being discussed just before or does it apply to all believers at the Day?

2. What is the difference between "believers saved as through fire" and "believers" who are cast into hell for practicing lawlessness and forsaking the will of our Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21-23)?

Thanks for presenting doctrinal questions, supported by scripture!

Our Christian life is a life of striving to become Christ-like, and of serving Him. Before being saved, all our works of righteousness are as filthy rags. But when we are saved, we are new creations, created for good works. And God has promised us rewards for service. Our our judgement will evaluate our post salvation service. Some, will enter heaven abundantly (with earned rewards) but others will enter heaven as one escaping from a fire (without bringing anything - rewards - with them. Both are saved forever, but their rewards for effective service will differ.

The difference between "believers" is that God credited the faith of those in 1 Cor. 3:11-15 as righteousness, and therefore transferred them into Christ, causing them to be born anew and those of Matthew 7:21-23 whose faith was not credited as righteousness, and therefore they were not transferred into Christ, and therefore Christ "never knew them." They were never saved, never born anew, and all their works of righteousness were therefore as filthy rags to God.

 

[Yeshua1]

I hold firmly to how God has revealed Himself in the Old Covenant as a good way to relate Him today, that needs to be updated with the New Covenant but not replaced. I will just have to disagree with you. I can think of no other word than "dreadful" to imagine standing before the presence of the Cherubim while in His courts. Let alone standing before the holy, holy, holy God of all creation.

God wants us to see Him now as our loving heavenly father !

 

[Steven Yeadon]

God wants us to see Him now as our loving heavenly father !

This is true, but the issue is whether God is a grandpa giving gifts on holidays and visits? Or whether He is a Father like our dads, who disciplined their children and could be very harsh and scary at times for good reason (Hebrews 12:4-17). I see that I may be viewing God as not fatherly enough when combined with my fear of Him, I seem to leaning too much fear it seems when the two concepts must be held in tandem with other concepts like veneration, wonder, and holiness. However, I feel confident in saying God is like Santa Claus to most churchgoers, who is really an imaginary grandpa. When God is a Father who should incite veneration, wonder, the reality of the holy, love, adoration, healthy fear, and paternal feelings. All held in tandem.

Wow that last sentence would be a great thesis for a paper in a seminary class, I'll have to note it for further writing.