The Bible talks about two judgments… the Great White Throne Judgment (for unbelievers) and the Judgment Seat of Christ (for believers). Now, I’m not going to get into what each of these are and what the Bible tells us (a message for another time), but the apostle Paul gives us a peak into the Judgement Seat of Christ in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. This passage is very telling. Keep in mind that EVERY believer will go before the Judgment Seat of Christ, where Jesus will prevail. I would like to discuss three aspects to this judgment… the foundation, the builder, and the fire.
The foundation! Paul tells us that it begins with the foundation. So, what is that foundation? It’s the foundation that was put in place on the Day of Pentecost when the Church was launched. And it came to light in the first gospel message delivered by Peter. Here are three things he said,
“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this” (Acts 2:32).
“Let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36)!
“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
The foundation of the Church rests on the resurrection of Jesus and the way to salvation… repentance of sin and coming to Jesus. Hence, the formula to salvation is: belief / repentance / surrendering to Jesus. This the strongest foundation that has ever been laid.
The builder! Each believer is to build on this foundation but Paul says that we must be “very careful” (1 Corinthians 3:10). He goes on to say that it’s important we use the right materials to build. In other words, if we build with truth (the truth of the whole gospel), love, patience, humility, and all the mandates of Scripture, we are doing well.
With that said, let’s talk about some of the wrong things. If we sow seeds of discord, cause division, or hurt people with our words and actions, these things will not make the foundation stronger. If we drift from the whole gospel, use our platform for our own benefit, teach things that do not align with Scripture, or are hypocritical, these things can put cracks in the foundation. If we build on a faulty foundation, such as wealth, security, success, or people, then we are using the wrong materials.
The fire! At this Judgment Seat, there will be a fire. This is a revealing fire. All the materials we used to build with on this earth will be thrown into that fire. Anything that did not have eternal value will be burned up. But everything of eternal significance will rise to the surface and survive the flames.
But the most telling part of all this is that the builder who built with materials that make it through the fire will receive a reward. But the builder whose work is burned up will suffer “great loss” (1 Corinthians 3:14). We don’t know exactly what that means, but I’m guessing it will be a sad day for the ones who do not get rewarded. But a glorious moment for those who receive the heavenly reward.
This passage always pulls at my heart. Let me encourage you to live now with eternity in mind… building on the foundation with materials that will survive this great fire. Hope this encourages you today.