The False Doctrine of the Judgment Seat of Christ for Believers

January 18th, 2022 § 1

The amazing grace of God is revealed in Jesus and in His finished work in that God was in Christ reconciling the whole world unto Himself, not counting our sins against us any more.  God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus.   Those who believe on Jesus receive this awesome gift of righteousness.  (II Corinthians 5:19-21)  Under the New Covenant God no longer remembers the sins of the believer because of the offering of Jesus once for all sin, for all people, for all time.


And yet . . .


It is widely taught in churches today that every believer in Jesus will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an account of the deeds they have done in their body, whether good or bad.  A weak attempt is made to explain away this glaring contradiction with the Gospel of Jesus by saying this is not a Judgment Seat where the believer’s sins are brought up or their eternal destiny is determined but rather it is a Judgment Seat where the believer’s rewards are given.  Never mind that the passage quoted specifically says that the good and bad deeds done in the body by the individual will be examined, in other words the person’s sins will be addressed, and never mind that the passage quoted does not mention the word “reward” at all in the entire chapter.  The passage that this false doctrine is primarily based on is II Corinthians 5:10-11.  In addition, Paul says in this passage:  “knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade people, . . . ”  The “terror” of the Lord?  That does not sound like this is a meeting before the Judgment Seat of Christ to hand out rewards to believers.


Because it is not. We have been taught a false doctrine regarding the Judgment Seat of Christ.  

What do you think Paul is seeking to persuade people to do, knowing the terror of the Lord?  We find that answer a few verses down in the same chapter.  Paul writes: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (II Corinthians 5:17-21)


Paul was seeking to persuade people and even begging people and making an appeal to people to be reconciled to God!  Paul was seeking to persuade people to believe on Jesus so that they could receive the gift of everlasting righteousness from God!  Paul was seeking to persuade people to receive the death of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins so that they would not face the terror of the Lord in their sins and have to give an account of what they did in their body, whether good or bad!  Paul said God Himself was making this appeal through the believer to the world!


This chapter has nothing to do with rewards for the believer.  That is why the word “reward” never appears nor is ever discussed in the passage.

 
This chapter is simply the apostle saying that every person will stand before God one day and there will be only two groups of people before God.  Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  If your name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life then that means you put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of all your sins and you will not stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an account of what you did in your body on earth, whether good or bad.  But if your name is not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life then that means you did not trust in Jesus and you will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an account of what you did in your body on earth, whether good or bad.  As the Book of Revelation states in Chapter 20, other books will be opened for those whose names do not appear in the Lamb’s Book of Life where there is a record of all the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad, and all in that group fall far short of the perfect righteousness of Jesus and will never see Heaven.


The apostle Paul said a little leaven will leaven the whole lump.  He was referring to the law and how if a believer has a mixture of law and grace in their thinking that even a little legalism will eventually ruin the mind of the believer and blind that person to the awesome freedom they have in Christ.  That is what this false doctrine concerning the Judgment Seat of Christ is doing to believers who have adopted this view.  In the back of their mind they believe that one day when they die they will have to give an account to God for the good and bad they did on earth.  That erroneous thinking is eating away at the powerful revelation of their union with Jesus and the great love of God for them.  It is eating away at the revelation of the gift of everlasting righteousness that they have from God in Jesus.  The scripture says that blessed is the person whose sin the Lord will not take into account.


Paul said do not think it strange that Satan himself can appear as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness.  (II Corinthians 11:14-15)  Strong words from the apostle but very true.  Not everyone who is teaching this false doctrine of the Judgment Seat of Christ is a minister of Satan, obviously, but they are doing the devil’s work by teaching something that is not scriptural and is in direct opposition to the true liberating Gospel of Jesus.


I urge you to search this out for yourself.  Read the scriptures yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you personally what the apostle Paul was trying to say in this Chapter 5 of II Corinthians.  Read the whole chapter.  See the whole context.  I pray the Spirit will open your eyes to see and when you see go tell someone.  This horrendous false doctrine in the church must be exposed for what it is that the saints of God might be released in their minds to the great freedom found in Jesus.  Jesus said that he who believes in Him shall not come into judgment but had already passed from death and into life.  (John 5:24)


James Barron