Spirit of the overcomer pt 6
Jesus Christ is Judge (vv. 10–12 ).
Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Paul asked the weak Christian, “Why are you judging your brother?”
Then he asked the strong Christian, “Why are you despising your brother?”
Both strong and weak must stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and they will not judge each other—they will be judged by the Lord.
The Judgment Seat of Christ is that place where Christians will have their works judged by the Lord.
It has nothing to do with our sins, since Christ has paid for them and they can be held against us no more ( Rom. 8:1 ).
The word for “judgment seat” in the Greek is bema, meaning the place where the judges stood at the athletic games.
If during the games they saw an athlete break the rules, they immediately disqualified him.
At the end of the contests, the judges gave out the rewards (see 1 Cor. 9:24–27 ).
First Corinthians 3:10–15 gives another picture of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul compared our ministries with the building of a temple.
If we build with cheap materials, the fire will burn them up.
If we use precious, lasting materials, our works will last.
If our works pass the test, we receive a reward.
If they are burned up, we lose the reward, but we are still saved “yet so as by fire.”
How does the Christian prepare for the Judgment Seat of Christ?
By making Jesus Lord of his life and faithfully obeying Him.
Instead of judging other Christians, we had better judge our own lives and make sure we are ready to meet Christ at the bema (see Luke 12:41–48 ; Heb. 13:17 ; and 1 John 2:28 ).
The fact that our sins will never be brought up against us should not encourage us to disobey God.
Sin in our lives keeps us from serving Christ as we should, and this means loss of reward.
Paul explained that they did not have to give an account for anyone else but themselves.
The phrase “idle word”
in Matthew 12:36 means “words that accomplish nothing.”
If God is going to judge our “small talk,” how much more will He judge our deliberate words?
It is by our conversation at unguarded moments that we reveal our true character.
So they were to make sure that their account would be a good one.
He was stressing the principle of lordship—make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, and let Him be the Lord in the lives of other Christians as well.
Two of the most famous Christians in the Victorian Era in England were Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker, both of them mighty preachers of the Gospel.
Early in their ministries they fellowshipped and even exchanged pulpits.
Then they had a disagreement, and the reports even got into the newspapers. Spurgeon accused Parker of being unspiritual because he attended the theater.
Interestingly enough, Spurgeon smoked cigars, a practice many believers would condemn.
Who was right?
Who was wrong?
Perhaps both of them were wrong!
When it comes to questionable matters in the Christian life, cannot dedicated believers disagree without being disagreeable?
“I have learned that God blesses people I disagree with!”
a friend of mine told me one day, and I have learned the same thing.
When Jesus Christ is Lord, we permit Him to deal with His own servants as He wishes.
1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Romans 2:
Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
1 Corinthians 2:
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
James 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
James 4:15 For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
James 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.
James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Proverbs 31:8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Proverbs 31:9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
14:9-12 . In these verses Paul stated the theological basis for his exhortation for Christians to desist from and to resist judging one another. One of the reasons for the Lord Jesus’ redemptive death and resurrection is to be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Since Jesus is the Lord, Christians should not judge ( krineis ) or . . . look down on ( exoutheneis, “despise” or “reject with contempt”; cf. v. 3 ) one another, their brothers, in such matters. One Christian is not above another as his judge; all are equally under Christ, the Judge.
As Lord, Jesus will one day review and evaluate the ministry of His servants at His judgment seat ( bçma ; see comments on 2 Cor. 5:10 ).
Paul affirmed the certainty of this event by quoting Isaiah 49:18 and 45:23 , pertaining to everyone standing before Christ and confessing Him as Lord ( cf. Phil. 2:10-11 ). At that event each believer will give an account ( lit. , “a word”) of himself to God.
Since Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome (Rom. 1:7 ) and included himself with them in the first personal plural pronoun and verb (“ we will all stand,” 14:10 ), “God’s judgment seat” is only for believers in the Lord. What is here called God’s judgment seat is the judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10 .
Because God judges through His Son (John 5:22 , 27 ), this judgment seat can be said to belong to both the Father and the Son. The issue of the believer’s eternal destiny will not be at stake; that was settled by his faith in Christ ( cf. Rom. 8:1 ).
Each believer’s life of service will be under review in which some loss will be experienced ( cf. 1 Cor. 3:12-15 ), but he will be rewarded for what endures ( cf. 1 Cor. 4:4-5 ). This judgment of believers climactically demonstrates God’s lordship.
10. But why, &c.—The original is more lively:—“But thou (the weaker believer), why judgest thou thy brother? And thou again (the stronger), why despisest thou thy brother?”
for we shall all —the strong and the weak together.
stand before the judgment-seat of Christ —All the most ancient and best manuscripts read here, “the judgment-seat of God.” The present reading doubtless crept in from 2Co 5:10 , where “the judgment-seat of Christ ” occurs. But here “the judgment-seat of God ” seems to have been used, with reference to the quotation and the inference in Ro 14:11 , 12 .
11, 12. For it is written —( Is 45:23 ).
As I live, saith the Lord — Hebrew, JEHOVAH .
every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God —consequently, shall bow to the award of God upon their character and actions.
12. So then —infers the apostle.
every one of us shall give account of himself to God —Now, if it be remembered that all this is adduced quite incidentally, to show that CHRIST is the absolute Master of all Christians, to rule their judgments and feelings towards each other while “living,” and to dispose of them “dying,” the testimony which it bears to the absolute Divinity of Christ will appear remarkable. On any other view, the quotation to show that we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God would be a strange proof that Christians are all amenable to Christ.
13. Let us not therefore judge —“assume the office of judge over”
one another; but judge this rather, &c.—a beautiful sort of play upon the word “judge,” meaning, “But let this be your judgment, not to put a stumbling-block,” &c.
