2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Wow!! It’s the 4th of July, and all throughout our country we are celebrating the 250th birthday of our nation. No doubt you have plans to spend time today with family and friends, partying patriotically, setting off thunderous fireworks, maybe even traveling to "America's Official Fourth of July City—Small Town USA" (Seward, Nebraska). This 250th birthday is a significant milestone, a colossal event.
The text selected for today's devotion, II Corinthians 5:1-10, references a much grander event not just for citizens of our country but for the whole world, for all time. Can you guess what that might be?
5:1 We are convinced that even if these bodies we live in are folded up at death like tents, we will still have a God-built home that no human hands have built, which will last forever in the heavenly realm.
2-3 We inwardly sigh as we live in these physical “tents,” longing to put on a new body for our life in heaven, in the belief that once we put on our new “clothing,” we won’t find ourselves “naked.”
4 So, while living in this “tent,” we groan under its burden, not because we want to die but because we want these new bodies. We crave for all that is mortal to be swallowed up by eternal life.
5 And this is no empty hope, for God himself is the one who has prepared us for this wonderful destiny. And to confirm this promise, he has given us the Holy Spirit, like an engagement ring, as a guarantee.
6-7 That’s why we’re always full of courage. Even while we’re at home in the body, we’re homesick to be with the Master—for we live by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.
8 We live with a joyful confidence, yet at the same time we take delight in the thought of leaving our bodies behind to be at home with the Lord.
9 So whether we live or die, we make it our life’s passion to live our lives pleasing to him.
10 For one day we will all be openly revealed before Christ on his throne so that each of us will be duly recompensed for our actions done in life, whether good or worthless. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (TPT)
The grand event for the whole world? It is giving an account of one’s life before Christ. The translation we are more familiar with puts it this way: “For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive due recompense for actions done in the body, whether good or evil. “ (NRSVUE)
I am imagining this might be a little unsettling for you, as it was for me. That is, until we dig a little deeper. The judgment seat of Christ, sometimes translated as the throne of Christ, is in Greek, the “Bema” seat. This seat is not for eternal judgment but for reward, similar to the judges' or trophy stand at an athletic event. For those of us in Christ, salvation has already happened for us at the cross. What is examined here at this “seat” is what we have done with that salvation in Christ.
Now that makes me uncomfortable. Well, for a moment. Then I realize I have been living my life under grace. Sure, I have messed up, done terrible things, and “fallen far short of the glory of God”, but that is covered in the blood of Christ. And sure, I have done some useful, faithful, exciting things as I have followed Christ and surrendered to His Spirit living in me, but that is on Jesus: I would have done nothing good without the Spirit prompting and equipping me. God gets the glory.
Unsettling? Nope. I live under grace in Christ, so when the time comes to stand before the Throne and be an open book, I will be ready by the grace of God, because of the grace of God.
And so will you!
Questions for Reflection:
- How can the reminder of the judgment seat of Christ motivate you to serve someone else today?
- If Christ were to evaluate how you spent your time and energy this past week, what would that reveal about your current priorities?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the gift of grace and the promise of eternal life. Forgive me for the times I get distracted by the temporary celebrations and worries of this world. Help me to live each day with eternity in view, using the gifts and time You have given me to honor Your name. May my life bring glory to You now and stand as a faithful testimony before Your throne. Amen.
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