Bible Reading: II Corinthians 5:1-10
Key Verse: Verse 10 - “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Key Words: we must all appear
The letter begins something like this, “Dear Mr. Taxpayer, in processing your return, we need more information about certain items.”
If you have ever received a message like this, you are one of almost two million Americans chosen yearly for an income tax audit. Such news would hardly be welcomed, even though the Internal Revenue Service says that the vast majority of taxpayers are honest and have nothing to fear. But the fact of the matter is that in the previous year more than two-thirds of those examined by the IRS did owe more taxes. Most people, however, do not expect to be called in to declare their earnings because only one out of every forty-six tax payers are ever audited.
The time is coming, though, when every believer will receive notice of another kind of audit; and no believer will be excluded from this process. Being saved from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:10) does not free us from accountability.
Today’s scripture reading tells us that we [believers] must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is not a threat; it is a simple statement of fact. Our works here on earth - what we have done for Christ, and what we have not done for Christ - will be revealed.
Now, while we do not know everything about the Judgment Seat of Christ, we do know this one thing for sure—it will happen.
There is no random sampling or random selection process at the judgment seat. One out of every forty-six will be judged, and so will the other forty-five. So I remind you that living without accountability is an impossibility.
What to do:
✞ Learn the five rewards given out at the judgment seat:
- Crown of Rejoicing ~ soul-winner’s crown,
- Crown of Glory ~ faithful pastor’s crown,
- Crown of Life ~ crown for faithfulness under adversity,
- Crown of Righteousness ~ live for and love God’s appearing (second coming), and
- Incorruptible Crown ~ for having a Godly testimony.
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