"The Finality of Judgment" Sermon: II Corinthians 5:1-10

“The Finality of Judgment”

[II Corinthians 5:1-10]

March 17, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            Are Christians judged at the end of the age?  And, if so, what are we judged for – or on?  Isn’t salvation by faith alone?  Why would we be subject to judgment?

            Last week we looked at the certainty of death:  since we are all born sinners, we will all die, unless Jesus returns first.  You will die.  I will die.  Because we are born with “Original Sin” – with our wills bent towards sinning – with a sin nature.  Due to Adam’s sin, we are quite literally,”born sinners.”

            Our text begins by looking at the idea that we will all die – and, specifically, here, we see that all Christians will die.  But death is not the end.

            “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

            Our physical, corruptible bodies will be destroyed, but God will replace our bodies with incorruptible, glorious bodies.  We learn several things from this:  first, the body is good – the physical world is good.  Unlike the Greek philosophers who taught that salvation was escape from the material world, Christianity teaches that salvation includes the restoration of the fallen world.  Christianity teaches that God created all of the Creation good, but sin caused it to be corrupted.  However, God’s plan includes a restoration of the Creation – God has not given the Creation over to the effects of sin permanently.

            Second, we see that the separation of our souls or spirits and body is temporary.  Salvation is not merely of the spiritual, but of the physical.  God saved the whole person – body and spirit – through Jesus.  And we will live eternally are whole people.

            Third, if our new body comes from God, not from the earth, we know that it is not a body that can be corrupted or die, but it is a body that is incorruptible and eternal.  When God restores our bodies and the Creation, it will be in a state in which we cannot sin and everything will last perfectly and in holiness for all of eternity.

“For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

In our current bodies – in our sin-wracked, fallen bodies, we long for relief – we long to be changed.  Is there anyone here who has never wanted to have sin not be a problem for you?  Haven’t we all groaned and yelled at God and desired to be free from selves that will give in to sin?  And haven’t we also groaned about the frailty of our bodies?  Haven’t we all desired to be physically well and whole – to never have pain and injury any more?  In death this tent – this body – is taken off so that God can take it and fill it with life and reclothe us.  God gives us a new tent, which is the perfection of our old tent.  The Christian does not seek to be rid of the body forever – because the body is good – and it is part of who we are – but the Christians desires that just as God has raised us spiritually from the dead and is bringing us to holiness, that He would raise our bodies in holiness that we would never sin or experience the effects of sin again.

Elsewhere, Paul writes, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23, ESV).

Our bodies are a problem for us, and God takes our bodies from us in death, but not to leave us naked – because the body – and all of Creation – is good, but that God would take our bodies and redeem them and return them to us that we might be whole and holy in His Kingdom.

As again he writes, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:  ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54, ESV).

And some will say, how do you know that is true, no one has ever risen from the dead – which is not true – but consider what Paul has to say:  “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

How is the Spirit a guarantee?  Where does God the Spirit dwell?  In our bodies.  So, if the Holy Spirit indwells Christians eternally, we have to have a body for Him to indwell.  Therefore, we will get our bodies back.

            “So we are always of good courage.”

            Jesus said, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do” (Luke 12:4, ESV).  In the first century, there was a very real possibility that you would be killed for professing Christ.  And Jesus said – and Paul said – the worst they can do is kill your body, and you are getting a perfect body back from the Lord at the end of the age, so stand for the Gospel, even if they kill you – don’t be afraid.

            Even if they get you demoted at work, or say they won’t be your friends, or don’t let you into school, or make fun of you, or don’t let you graduate, or berate your scholarship, or accuse you of every sin in the book, or kill you, don’t be afraid.  They can’t take your soul.  They can’t take your salvation.  And God is going to make your body perfect and give it back to you.

“We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”

We all long to be with the Lord at one time or another and in one way or another, and we know that we are living by faith now – Jesus is not visibly by our side audibly telling us what will be and what we should do.  But when we talk about faith, it is not what many call “blind faith” – that we act or believe irrationally and without reason.  The author of Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV).  Faith is believing in the promises that we look forward to, having a surety based on the Promiser that these promises will come to past.  Faith is based on the Character of God, which is a rational belief.  If God is Who He says it is, it makes sense to believe what He says is true, does it not?  And it makes sense to do what He says as well, right?

As Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV).  Do you love Jesus?  Do you keep His commandments?  We could spend the rest of our time looking at this, but for today, let us press forward to our main question of the morning:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Does something seem wrong with that sentence?  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Is Paul saying that the judgment is based on our works?  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Is Paul saying our salvation is based on our works?

Wait a minute, maybe Paul isn’t talking about us.  I’ve seen me do this before – who does the “we” in this sentence refer to?  Let’s look back in our text – verse five – “we” that he keeps talking about are those whom God has given the Spirit.  Hmm…that would be Christians.

Well, maybe he’s talking about our spiritual disposition, but he says these works are those which were “done in the body” – they works we have done with our physical body.

Well, then, it can only be one thing – this verse is some sort of error – tear it out!

Don’t really tear it out, but we all know the famous section by Paul where he writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).

Dare we say that Bible contradicts itself?  We have Paul in one place saying that we are judged and receive based on our works and in another place he says that salvation is not by works – it is not our own doing at all!  Which is correct?

What else do we see in the Scripture:

The author of Hebrews wrote, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV).

Paul said in Greece, “because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31, ESV).

John wrote,”Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15, ESV).

Jesus said, “and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29, ESV).

And, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27, ESV).

And, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12, ESV).

And, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:31-46, ESV).

One more Scripture – and listen carefully, this one is a little different:

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, ESV).

Ought we give up the Protestant idea of sola fide – that we are saved through faith alone?

No.  In this last Scripture, we see that the foundation which is laid – our salvation – is Jesus Christ Alone.  Through the Word of God read and preached, God causes a person to believe, and the foundation – the only foundation of salvation, Jesus Christ – is laid.

This is what we also see Paul saying in Ephesians:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).  Salvation is not something that is earned by works.  Salvation is God’s Gift.  The faith through which we are saved by God’s Grace is a gift.  Salvation is completely God’s Work, so that no one can boast.  You cannot boast in believing.  I cannot boast if my preaching leads to someone believing.  Salvation is completely God’s Gift as God is pleased to give it.

That means that the judgment that the Scripture talks about is not about becoming saved.  The judgment that we see referred to in all these Scriptures is not about going from a reprobate – an unbelieving state – to a believing state.  The judgment – and the works these Scriptures talk about – is about something else.  What is the judgment about?  And why do Christians go through it?

The judgment is about our works.  Don’t worry, I haven’t just contradicted myself.  James helps us here, as he writes, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14, ESV).  And Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, ESV).

When Jesus talks about “fruit,” He means the same thing that James means when he talks about “works.”  They are both saying, “Only a Christian can do good works in God’s Eyes, and the good works that a Christian does is proof that a person is a Christian.”

If you claim to be a Christian – if you claim to have faith – and nothing changes in your life – if you don’t live differently – if you don’t do the good works that God has called His people to do in Jesus Christ – you are not a Christian.

If you claim to be a Christian – if you claim to have faith – and you continue unrepentantly in your sin – if you continue to sin and you don’t care that you continue to sin and you do not repent of your sin, you are not a Christian.

And so, we turn back to our troublesome verse:  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

We have seen that it is not possible to work your way to salvation – salvation is the gift of God.  So this verse is not saying that our works are being judged to see if we merit salvation.  That would make no sense in the whole context of Scripture.  Our works play no part in our salvation.  God lays the foundation of salvation Who is Jesus Christ as He wills.

Then why are our works judged?  For two reasons:

First, to show who is a Christian and who is not. 

Understand, our works are not judged to see if we have earned or merited salvation, but to see if there is proof of our salvation.  Jesus said if we are in Him (the Vine) we will produce fruit (good works).  James said (supposed) faith which does not evidence itself through good works is dead (it proves itself not to be real).

This is what Jesus is arguing in the parable of the sheep and the goats – both the sheep and the goats call Jesus “Lord,” but Jesus dismisses the goats into Hell.  Why?  Because they did not really believe and their lack of good works proved that they did not really believe.

If you call yourself a Christian and you have no use for the Church and you don’t love your fellow Christians and you don’t do anything that would show your love in action to others, you are probably not a Christian.  Maybe you don’t understand.  Maybe you are self-deceived.  But if there is no evidence that you are a Christian other than your saying you are, you are probably not a Christian.  That will be shown in the judgment, and there will be no time left to repent and change your ways.  It will be the end – judgment will be passed, and Jesus will throw you into Hell.

Please be careful and understand this clearly:  salvation is not based on works.  You cannot earn your salvation.  The judgment shows if there is proof – evidence – through our works – that we are Christians or not.  OK?

The second reason our works are judged, is that Christians receive a reward based on the works that they do which prove that they are Christians.

Listen to part of one of the verses I mentioned earlier:  “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, ESV).

Notice, our works, based on our true faith and belief in Jesus and His Gospel, will be judged by fire.  Anything that survives the fire will merit us rewards.  So, Christians receive different rewards in the Kingdom.  But, even if all of a Christian’s works are burned up, he will not lose his salvation, because salvation is not based on works.

So, all people, including Christians, will be judged at the end of the age.

The judgment is of our works.

Salvation is not based on our works, it is the gift if God.

The judgment shows who are true Christians and who are not.

The judgment also shows the reward true Christians will receive in the Kingdom.

So do not be afraid, you cannot lose your salvation.  If you are a believer, it is because God made you believe and you will always believe.  Not even you can remove yourself from God’s Hands.

But, consider how you are living:  does the way you live exhibit to others that you are a Christian?  If you never opened your mouth, would others know just by what you do and the way you live that you are a Christian?  Is there any proof besides your confession that you are a Christian?  Your works will be judged.  And you will not lose you salvation based on the judgment, and I will not lose my salvation based on the judgment, yet, our reward in the Kingdom will vary based on the judgment.

May we meditate on these things.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we affirm again that we cannot save ourselves and You save Your people according to Your Sovereign Good Pleasure and Will, and we humbly give You thanks for saving us when we were dead and enemies.  We also thank You for letting us know that it is possible to fool ourselves about what we believe, and it is important that there be proof that we believe what we say that we believe.  Help us to live lives worthy of You – lives that show not only with our mouths, but with our actions that You Alone are Savior of all those who believe.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.