“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
1 Corinthians 11:31-32 KJV
JUDGMENTS OF THE BELIEVER
The average Christian today has the idea that there is only one judgment at the Great White Throne; and that there everyone, good and bad, saved and lost, saint and sinner, will meet and be separated like sheep and goats. It may come as a shock to many to learn that the Bible teaches no such thing! Apart from the past and future destructive judgments already considered, the Scriptures reveal many, many other judgments, and alsothree distinct judgments that must be experienced by every saint who would press forward into the fullness of sonship to God. Of these three judgments that pertain to saints, one is already past; one is continuously present; and one is yet future. In one we are judged as sinners; in one we are judged as servants; and in one we are judged as sons.
The first, the judgment of our sins and of us as sinners, is already past for every Christian. I Pet. 2:24 says, "He personally bore our sins in His own body to the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." Again we read, "Christ died FOR OUR SINS" (I Cor. 15:3). Christ died for our sins 1900 years ago - and there is absolutely nothing that you or I can add to its effectiveness except to trust in it! The sins of the believer in Christ were judged at the cross - IN JESUS. Whether they are the sins of the past, or of the present, or of the future - ALL were judged at Calvary. The omniscient God in His foreknowledge of all things from eternity laid all of the believer's sins upon Christ as He hung there upon that cruel tree on our behalf. Because the Father chose every one of the elect "in Christ" before He ever made the universe or framed the ages of time (Eph.1:4-5), He saw us under wrath as He placed the judgment upon the Christ at Calvary. This is why Paul could say, "I am crucified WITH CHRIST" (Gal. 2:20). Every one of God's elect, having been chosen "in Christ" in eternity past, was seen to be "in Christ" at Calvary, and the never-to-be-repeated sentence was carried out in full on the cross and the death that followed. He who was without sin has paid the penalty for the sins of all who believe, therefore through faith we are absolutely without condemnation by the grace and verdict of the all-glorious God! This is why Paul cried out: "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them that are IN CHRIST JESUS" (Rom. 8:1). Christ descended, first in the incarnation, secondly in the judgment of the cross, and thirdly into the darkness of Hades. He descended into the LOWEST PARTS OF THE EARTH (Eph. 4:9-10), into the deepest woe of mankind. The Son of God left His glory, and descended to the depths of shame and reproach. He came and took our place of disgrace. Our Lord was the Mighty God. But He descended from that state. He humbled Himself, and took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. He became despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. "For He hath made Him to be sin (a sin offering) for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21). "Sin for us," not sinful, but a sin offering, taking unto Himself the whole sin of our race, one vast aggregate of sin, of all men, past, present, and future. He made our CONDITION His own. He made our DOOM His own. He tasted of what we are; experienced the pangs of the lowest hell into which men have sunken. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being MADE A CURSE for us" (Gal. 3:13). He descended into this!
Thank God, the good old Book is true! The wages of sin is actually death, and Jesus died that death. THE DEBT IS PAID I-N_F-U-L-L. Thank God, Rom. 8:1 is actually true! "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus..." No condemnation! The word in the Greek is KATAKRIMA and speaks of an "adverse sentence, to be judged against." I cannot be judged against! N-O_J-U-D-G-E-M-E-N-T! "There is therefore NOW NO JUDGMENT to them which are in Christ Jesus." He does not say, "There is nothing in them that deserves judgment," for this there is, and they see it, and own it; but it shall not be to their ruin. This one glorious truth should deliver a whole world full of believers from "guilt complexes," "depressions," and "condemnation." There are other judgments for the believer, but in the judgment of sin and sinners THE BELIEVER CANNOT AND SHALL NOT APPEAR. The judgment is past. It is accomplished. Jesus appeared for us. The debt is paid in full. Hallelujah!
Thank God, Rom. 3:23 is really true! "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Thank God, II Cor. 5:18-21 is not an infamous fairy tale! "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, RECONCILING THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM ... for He hath made HIM to be sin (a sin offering) FOR US, Who knew no sin." Thank God I shall never stand in the judgment for my sin. My case will not even be reviewed. It is settled, forever, bless His wonderful name! Our judgment as sinners is forever past!
The next point I wish to present is THE JUDGMENT OF SONS. Through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit God has given us new birth, making us His own children. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 3:26). "Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God" (I Jn. 3:2). "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (Gal. 4:6-7). "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16).
It has been the Father's good pleasure to bring us into this relationship of sonship to Himself and now His supreme desire for us is that we may truly grow up and become mature, that we may be SONS INDEED. He has given us the standing of sons through faith in Jesus Christ. But He purposes for us to become sons in state of being as well. He wants His sons to be son like! And being the great and faithful Father that He is, He deals with us unto this expected end. In order to make us sonlike He brings us into judgment - SON JUDGMENT. The prodigal son was not sonlike, but he was still a son. So you, beloved brother, sister, if you are in Christ by faith, you have been birthed into God's family and so are His son. The Father plans for His sons to be completely and exactly like unto Himself in mind, will, purpose, power, and glory. In order to make us so He faithfully brings us into judgment - son judgment. God wants His sons to be sonlike. If we are not, He judges us!
Paul sets forth this judgment in I Cor. 11:31-32: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are CHASTENED OF THE LORD, that we should not be condemned (judged) with the world." There are several thoughts in this verse which we should note in passing. First, when we are judged, we are CHASTENED of the Lord. Thus, the chastening of the Lord upon His sons IS the son-judgment of which I speak. The chastening of sons and the judgment of sons are the same thing. Secondly, if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged (chastened). The message is clear - if we would chasten ourselves we should not be chastened by the Lord. Judgment and chastening; the two terms are identical. The meaning is the same. Furthermore, when we are judged we are chastened by the Lord THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONDEMNED (judged, chastened) WITH THE WORLD! How plain that there is appointed a great day of judgment, chastening, and correction for the world! "He hath appointed a day, in the which He will JUDGE THE WORLD in righteousness by that Man Whom He hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). The saints of God, the members of the Corporate Son, will be the instrument through which that judgment of the world shall be executed. "Do ye not know that the saints SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD?" (I Cor. 6:2). Paul emphasizes that we must be judged now, so that we will not be judged with the world. We must be chastened and corrected NOW, that we be not chastened and corrected WITH THE WORLD. The judgment, chastening, and trial of the sons of God must take place at this present time, in this present age, because it is the Christ, Head and body, which is to initiate and administer the work of judgment upon the world in the age and the ages to come. It is with this great truth in mind that the Holy Spirit faithfully declares that if we are judged now, by either judging ourselves, or coming under the chastening of the Lord, then we "shall not come into condemnation (Gr: krisis, judgment) with the world;" we shall not share in the world's judgment day of chastening and correction, being fully dealt with in advance of the world, already passed from death unto life, brought unto obedience as elect members of His body, the firstfruits of His redemption, to be used in the disciplining of the nations when the time is ripe for it.
So, then, this present life is to each of the consecrated ones his "day of judgment" - his day of trial, testing, proving, chastening, his day of being brought to perfection in Christ. The apostle Peter's words are in harmony with this: "Judgment must begin at the house of God!" (I Pet. 4:17).
Let all men know that the hour has come when judgment must begin at the house of God. Judgment beginning at the house of God! This does not imply a sudden visitation of catastrophes, calamities, and troubles, but it means that there will be a concentration of divine instruction and discipline, as the Father purifies each individual, until He can gather to Himself a FIRSTFRUITS. He chastises us - and chastise comes from a root word meaning chaste or pure. As Ray Prinzing has so aptly stated, "Those who are apprehended for this hour will find that their ways are under the watchful eye of the Lord, He orders every step of their path, and He will bring pressures to bear upon them which help to turn their feet in the right direction. In due time there will be an outreach, as this correctional working proceeds to those who yet wait to be called and drawn by the Spirit, for He is to be the Saviour of all men. But remember, for us, it is a present-time process, as we seek to be filled with His fullness, we must be daily purged and cleansed, and there are these ordained TURNING POINTS, CRISIS', JUDGMENTS to work His way in us. There are many conditions and situations, confusions and frustrations, limitations and complications, which, if we but knew it, are judgments. They are brought our way by the hand of God, to hem us in, to subdue us, to bring us to the point of complete submission to His will.
"How lovingly the Father watches over His own. What tenderness and faithfulness are seen in the way HE 'girds up' our way. It would be a real mark of learning if, when we find ourselves frustrated and confused, to simply sit down and ask the Lord for more understanding of HIS way - to learn to USE these situations as sign posts along the way, telling us that God would put a bend in our path, and turn us more towards His plan for us. There seems to be so much 'fight' yet left in men. We are so determined to push our way through, regardless of how rough the going becomes. And so the frustrations continue to build up, the limitations are increased, and the complications multiply until we come to the end of ourselves, and then cry out, 'Lord, show me Thy way.' Yes, thank God for these little measures of His judgments, divinely used to correct us, to instruct us, to bring us into alignment with His will and purpose.
"If these judgments are effective in us now, then we read, 'He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting fife, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life' (Jn. 5:24). The word 'condemnation' is actually the Greek word KRISIS, the process of judgment. To yield to the mighty hand of God NOW is to escape the future, general judgments which will yet come. For after the HOUSE has been thoroughly judged, and brought up to divine specifications and qualifications, and found approved in His sight, then shall the process of judgment pass onward to the next order" - end quote.
The final judgment of believers is to be judged as servants. This is a judgment that is both present and future reality for Christians. It involves rewards for works, not a dealing with sin or development of character. It is reward for works, not a discipline for the perfecting of sons. It is vital to our understanding of this subject that we see clearly the distinction between three important biblical terms: salvation, inheritance and reward. Salvation relates to the sinner, inheritance relates to sons, and reward relates to servants. SALVATION means to be rescued from the power of sin and death and is the free gift of God to the believer. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Mat. 1:21). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). INHERITANCE, on the other hand, is that which a son receives by virtue of his relationship to the Father. It is not a gift; it is not earned; it is his by right. "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an HEIR of God through Christ" (Gal. 4:7). "And if children, then HEIRS; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). REWARD, furthermore, is something that is given for service rendered. It is not a free gift, as is salvation, nor is it bestowed because of right, as an inheritance. It is earned by work! "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall REWARD EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS" (Mat. 16:27). "And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thyservants" (Rev. 11:18).
We are aware that we were all included in the JUDGMENT OF SINNERS that was meted out upon Jesus Christ at Calvary. Furthermore, we know that we may each be included in the JUDGMENT OF SONS as we follow on to know the Lord and remain yielded unto all His processings. It is when we come to this thought of SERVANTS that there arises a great deal of misunderstanding among the Lord's people. When we speak of servants, some boast that this calling does not apply to them, for they are no longer servants, but sons. And that is true in the spirit in which Paul argues in Gal. 4:6-7 wherein he states, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, THOU ART NO MORE A SERVANT, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
It is far from the truth, however, to say that there is no sense in which those who are sons are also servants. Paul is speaking of OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, THE FATHER, Under the Old Testament economy the people of God had not received new birth by the Spirit and so were not, by spiritual generation, the children of God. They are called a "house of servants" (Heb. 3:2-6). Their relationship to God was the relationship of servants. They were not sons. Now, bless His name, He has redeemed us from the curse of the law that we might receive placement as sons, and He has birthed into our hearts the Spirit of His Son, the Spirit of Sonship, whereby we cry, "Abba, FATHER!" This has brought a change of relationship to God. To Him we are no longer servants, but sons. However, as sons we enter not only into a relationshipto God, but we also become UNIQUELY RELATED to men. It is here that we must be very clear in our understanding. Unto GOD I may be a son, but unto MEN I may be a servant - because I am a son! I cannot be a servant TO GOD, for I am a son. But I cannot be a son TO MEN, therefore I must approach unto men in a relationship through which I can minister to them the LIFE OF THE SON which indwells me. The only way in which I can minister the life of the Son unto men is as a SERVANT. To minister means "to serve," and both "minister" and "servant" are frequently translated from the same Greek word.
Can a son be a servant? Jesus, the Pattern Son declared: "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (serve), and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mat. 20:28). Jesus was a Son to His Father, but He came as a servant unto men. It is the SON that SERVES! The Son is a Servant-Son. The very same Jesus, the Son, of whom the Father witnessed, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," of Him the Father also witnessed, "Behold My SERVANT, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:1). Mat. 12:15-21 shows unmistakably that this SERVANT of the Lord is JESUS. The Son came into the world as a Servant-Son. The beloved John understood this beautiful truth, for the same John who wrote in I Jn. 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God," later penned these significant words: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servantsthings which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (Rev. 1:1). The great apostle Paul also understood this truth, for the very same Paul who wrote in Gal. 4:7, "Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son," also said in Rom. 1:1, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle." Is Jesus a Son or a servant? Was John a son or a servant? Was Paul a son or a servant? And lest we would exalt ourselves above John, or Paul, or Jesus, we further find of the 144,000 in Revelation, that glorious company of the manifested sons of God which stands with the Lamb upon Zion's holy hill, that even of this exalted company it is written, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed THE SERVANTS OF OUR GOD IN THEIR FOREHEADS" (Rev. 7:3). So there you have it! The sons are the servants! Not servants to God, of course, but sons who are servants to men, humble ministers of the life of the Father.
At this point I wish to mention again the divine order: Men receive salvation from God as a GIFT; sons receive from the Father an INHERITANCE; servantsreceive in consideration of their WORK, a REWARD. Inheritance is given on the basis of relationship, while rewards are given because of work done. All believers are saved by grace, but rewarded for works. There is great glory and heavenly wealth awaiting those who become profitable servants, fully equipped to serve. As sons we shall truly receive our inheritance, but as servants we shall in no wise lose our reward. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's WORK shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try EVERY MAN'S WORK of what sort it is. If any man's WORK abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a REWARD. If any man's WORK shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (I Cor. 3:11-15).
This wonderful passage speaks so adequately of the JUDGMENT OF SERVANTS. Paul mentions this judgment in Rom. 14:10-12, saying, "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God." Paul shows that Christ, the FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, is being built upon by every child of God. Some of our works which we are seeking to build on Him are referred to as "wood, hay, and stubble." These are all works which are built on Christ but they are not of the nature of Christ, works of the flesh rather than works of the Spirit. Without doubt the vast majority of the "works" being done today by the harlot church systems fall into this category! Wood, hay, and stubble are not sins such as lying, drunkenness, or adultery, but so-called "good Christian works" which are built upon THE FOUNDATION OF CHRIST and done in His blessed name, although they are not products of His Spirit. Constantly we are receiving some letter in the mail telling of this great program and that great endeavor for God; a missionary program, a television ministry, a radio program, church building, recording studio, evangelistic crusade, Bible school, Christian hospital or some other GREAT WORK, with their heart-rending pleas for financial help, with their self-addressed envelopes into which the poor and the widows are urged to put their offerings. With glib tongues and plausible programs by which the world is going to be won for God, or a cure found for cancer, well-meaning people are urged to give to further grandiose programs hatched by kingdom-building preachers who live in wanton luxury upon earth, which programs are not the plan of God at all, but merely the product of an imaginative, scheming, and avaricious mind. Through long centuries billions of dollars have been squeezed from God's precious people to build huge temples, cathedrals, church buildings, Christian communities; to promote innumerable programs and methods to do this and that for God which, not only did God not ordain, but were in all truth a stench in His nostrils and an abomination before His face.
When all these good fleshly religious works are brought into the blazing presence of the holy God they will one and all go up in smoke! What a bonfire that will be! I declare to you that the fires of that judgment shall be witnessed from the farthest extremities of the universe so that every creature in heaven and on earth may understand once and for all that "Except THE LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it!" All works which are to the glory of the creature, or the invention of the creature, and not to the glory of HIM WHO IS THE BUILDER OF ALL THINGS will be totally consumed.
But other works are identified as "gold, silver, and precious stones." These symbols speak of works of faith and righteousness wrought in and through us by the Holy Spirit. These are the works which are the product of HIS LIFE, wrought in union with His will. Gold and silver are refined by fire. Precious stones are fire resistant. These are Hebrew symbols for those works which are made pure by the consuming fire of our great and glorious God and, therefore, will remain for evermore. The apostle goes on to say that every work which successfully passes the test by fire (which "abides") will be REWARDED. Obviously, the "wood, hay, and stubble" variety of carnal works, which were not of the Spirit nor to the glory of God alone, will go up in smoke. Praise the Lord! But those works of the "gold, silver, and precious stones" variety, which are accomplished by obedience to the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God, will be rewarded. This is the order of the JUDGMENT OF SERVANTS. I would point out to you, dear ones, that it does not say a thing about being saved or lost as the result of our WORKS being JUDGED. No, our SIN JUDGMENT is already past, forever settled, hallelujah! We are neither saved nor lost by the kind of works we build upon the foundation of Christ. However, our works are judged "as by fire" in order to get rid of those that are of the flesh and not of the Spirit. I do not doubt but that there will be a lot of red faces and embarrassed countenances in that day when men who received the applause and acclaim of multitudes stand empty-handed before God with nothing to offer Him, and receive not even a nod of recognition from Him!
Then Paul makes a fantastic statement. He states plainly that a man's works may ALL BE CONSUMED by the blazing glory of God so that he has absolutely no reward, but the believer himself "shall be saved." Even if a believer loses all reward, all credit for what he did and supposedly "accomplished for God" because he ends up with tons of empty, worthless, vain religious works, still he shall be saved "so as by fire," purged and purified, corrected and disciplined, that he might serve God acceptably. God's purpose in judging our works as servants is that He may reward (the reward is actually the increase of glory and life from the seed of faith and obedience we planted) our works of righteousness and forever eradicate all that is of self!
Extracted from -
The Saviour of the World Series
by J. Preston Eby
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/Judgment-Eby.html
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/
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