- Joined
- Jun 19, 2023
- Messages
- 1,043
- Reaction score
- 2,181
- Points
- 133
- Age
- 46
- Location
- Canada
- Faith
- Reformed (URCNA)
- Country
- Canada
- Marital status
- Married
- Politics
- Kingdom of God
This morning I was reading Paul's second epistle to the Corinthian believers and came across this well-known passage: "For every one of us will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we will receive whatever we deserve for what we did in this earthly body, whether good or evil" (2 Cor 5:10).
I explained to my wife how this passage used to be paradoxical to me, because the good works we do are not actually ours; they are the work of the indwelling Spirit who conforms us to the image of the Son (Gal 5:22-23; Rom. 8:29). They are the outworking of divine grace in the life of the redeemed, works which "God prepared beforehand so we may do them" (Eph. 2:10). Although Paul exhorts believers to "continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence," he immediately grounds that exhortation in the prior and sustaining action of God: "for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God" (Php 2:12-13).
What, then, is being judged at the judgment seat of Christ? If the works in question are truly good, then they are the visible, tangible manifestations of Christ's redemptive power in his people. Augustine was right: "When God crowns our merits, he crowns his own gifts." In the judgment of the saints, God is not rewarding man for man's good works, but rather glorifying himself for the efficacy of Christ's cross and intercession, the transforming power of the Spirit, and the faithfulness of the Father's promises.
Since our good works are really the fruit of the Spirit at work in us, conforming us to the image of the Son, they're not really ours at all. Maybe it's about the before-and-after picture that exposes our deeds done in the body, whether good or evil, in order to vindicate Christ's mercy and grace (in contrast to the final assize of the wicked which will reveal Christ's mercy and justice.) This thought makes sense if the Spirit in me seeks to glorify the Son; after all, the Son seeks to glorify the Father. Maybe the history of creation is an intratrinitarian play.
This reorients our understanding of judgment from a merit-based schema to a Christocentric display. The judgment seat becomes a platform upon which Christ's grace is magnified, his power is exalted, and his redemptive mission is vindicated before angels, men, and demons.
Christ-Centered Focus of the Judgment: In Scripture, Christ is not a mere arbiter but the focal point of judgment. All judgment is entrusted to the Son "that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father" (John 5:22–23). The bēma of 2 Corinthians 5:10 exists within that frame. The verdicts rendered there—both the commendation of the righteous and the exposure of the hypocrite—publicly display the truth of Christ's words and the efficacy of his redemption. In this way, the judgment vindicates him as the faithful Shepherd who loses none of his own (John 6:39) and as the righteous Judge whose justice is perfect (Rev 19:11).
Good Works as the Spirit’s Fruit: When I said "our good works are really the fruit of the Spirit," I was referring to Romans 8:29 and Ephesians 2:10. In Pauline thought, whatever endures the testing of fire (1 Cor 3:13–15) is that which the Spirit has wrought in union with Christ. This undercuts any ground for boasting (1 Cor 4:7). At the bēma, what is praised is the Spirit's workmanship in the believer—Christ formed in them—thereby magnifying his grace, not human achievement.
The Before-and-After Contrast: I believe this is exactly what Paul sets up in texts like 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ("such were some of you, but you were washed …"). The judgment seat will unmask the totality of what we were in Adam and what we became in Christ, making the transformative power of grace undeniable. The evil works burned away (1 Cor 3:15) will show what we would have been without him, while the enduring works display his sanctifying power.
Contrast with the Final Assize of the Wicked: The distinction drawn here between the judgment of believers (vindication of grace) and the judgment of the wicked (vindication of justice) should be sound. In the final judgment of the wicked (Rev 20:11–15), Christ is vindicated as just (in condemning sin) and as true (in his warnings). In the believer's evaluation, he is vindicated as gracious in saving sinners to the uttermost and as faithful in completing the good work begun in them (Phil 1:6).
Intratrinitarian Glory: And that last thought—that history is an "intratrinitarian play"—seems to fit Johannine and Pauline theology, provided it's not taken in a reductionist or merely theatrical sense. The Gospel of John is explicit:
Proposed verdict: Doctrinally, this view shifts the emphasis from anthropocentric judgment to Christocentric judgment, consistent with Reformed eschatology—so long as we still affirm that the believer's life is truly evaluated. (It is, but not for its own sake.) Biblically, it fits the thrust of 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 4:5, and Philippians 1:6, where the believer's transformation is evidence of Christ's saving work. Theologically, it properly resists anthropocentrism and aligns the bēma within the broader eschatological glorification of Christ.
I explained to my wife how this passage used to be paradoxical to me, because the good works we do are not actually ours; they are the work of the indwelling Spirit who conforms us to the image of the Son (Gal 5:22-23; Rom. 8:29). They are the outworking of divine grace in the life of the redeemed, works which "God prepared beforehand so we may do them" (Eph. 2:10). Although Paul exhorts believers to "continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence," he immediately grounds that exhortation in the prior and sustaining action of God: "for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God" (Php 2:12-13).
What, then, is being judged at the judgment seat of Christ? If the works in question are truly good, then they are the visible, tangible manifestations of Christ's redemptive power in his people. Augustine was right: "When God crowns our merits, he crowns his own gifts." In the judgment of the saints, God is not rewarding man for man's good works, but rather glorifying himself for the efficacy of Christ's cross and intercession, the transforming power of the Spirit, and the faithfulness of the Father's promises.
Since our good works are really the fruit of the Spirit at work in us, conforming us to the image of the Son, they're not really ours at all. Maybe it's about the before-and-after picture that exposes our deeds done in the body, whether good or evil, in order to vindicate Christ's mercy and grace (in contrast to the final assize of the wicked which will reveal Christ's mercy and justice.) This thought makes sense if the Spirit in me seeks to glorify the Son; after all, the Son seeks to glorify the Father. Maybe the history of creation is an intratrinitarian play.
This reorients our understanding of judgment from a merit-based schema to a Christocentric display. The judgment seat becomes a platform upon which Christ's grace is magnified, his power is exalted, and his redemptive mission is vindicated before angels, men, and demons.
Christ-Centered Focus of the Judgment: In Scripture, Christ is not a mere arbiter but the focal point of judgment. All judgment is entrusted to the Son "that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father" (John 5:22–23). The bēma of 2 Corinthians 5:10 exists within that frame. The verdicts rendered there—both the commendation of the righteous and the exposure of the hypocrite—publicly display the truth of Christ's words and the efficacy of his redemption. In this way, the judgment vindicates him as the faithful Shepherd who loses none of his own (John 6:39) and as the righteous Judge whose justice is perfect (Rev 19:11).
Good Works as the Spirit’s Fruit: When I said "our good works are really the fruit of the Spirit," I was referring to Romans 8:29 and Ephesians 2:10. In Pauline thought, whatever endures the testing of fire (1 Cor 3:13–15) is that which the Spirit has wrought in union with Christ. This undercuts any ground for boasting (1 Cor 4:7). At the bēma, what is praised is the Spirit's workmanship in the believer—Christ formed in them—thereby magnifying his grace, not human achievement.
The Before-and-After Contrast: I believe this is exactly what Paul sets up in texts like 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ("such were some of you, but you were washed …"). The judgment seat will unmask the totality of what we were in Adam and what we became in Christ, making the transformative power of grace undeniable. The evil works burned away (1 Cor 3:15) will show what we would have been without him, while the enduring works display his sanctifying power.
Contrast with the Final Assize of the Wicked: The distinction drawn here between the judgment of believers (vindication of grace) and the judgment of the wicked (vindication of justice) should be sound. In the final judgment of the wicked (Rev 20:11–15), Christ is vindicated as just (in condemning sin) and as true (in his warnings). In the believer's evaluation, he is vindicated as gracious in saving sinners to the uttermost and as faithful in completing the good work begun in them (Phil 1:6).
Intratrinitarian Glory: And that last thought—that history is an "intratrinitarian play"—seems to fit Johannine and Pauline theology, provided it's not taken in a reductionist or merely theatrical sense. The Gospel of John is explicit:
- The Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:14)
- The Son glorifies the Father (John 17:4)
- The Father glorifies the Son (John 17:1)
Proposed verdict: Doctrinally, this view shifts the emphasis from anthropocentric judgment to Christocentric judgment, consistent with Reformed eschatology—so long as we still affirm that the believer's life is truly evaluated. (It is, but not for its own sake.) Biblically, it fits the thrust of 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 4:5, and Philippians 1:6, where the believer's transformation is evidence of Christ's saving work. Theologically, it properly resists anthropocentrism and aligns the bēma within the broader eschatological glorification of Christ.
