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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Marriage of the Lamb, #14
. . . that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)
At the Judgment Seat the believer receives the consequences of the good things he has done and the bad things he has done. The issue is not that of good and less good, as is taught commonly, but of good and bad. The Judgment Seat of Christ has to do with the evaluation of the good we have done and the evil we have done.
Paul adds:
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; . . . . (II Corinthians 5:11)
To hold that the Judgment Seat of Christ is an awards ceremony is not consistent with the New Testament usage of the term beema, the express statement of the verse, or the context. Paul's exhortation continues, in II Corinthians, until he says:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (II Corinthians 6:17)
Also, in Romans, Chapter 14, in a discussion of holy living, Paul exhorts the stronger believers to cease judging their weaker brothers, for the weak will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and be judged concerning their holiness or lack of it (Romans 14:10).
Every knee will bow to Christ and every one of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:11,12), concerning not only our Christian service but also all we have done in the body. According to Paul, the day will come when all the deeds of the believer will be brought forth into the light, just as the five kings of the Amorites were brought forth from the cave of Makkedah.
It is evident, then, that being clothed with the righteousness of Christ holds true under a specific condition. It is not an eternal amnesty we obtain by confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. We fall into error when we receive only a part of the counsel of God.
The specific condition is that we are obeying God. As long as we are walking in obedience, walking in the light of God's will for us, the blood of the Lord Jesus serves as a compensating righteousness that makes up the difference between what we are and practice and the standards of Divine righteousness.
As we follow the Spirit of God, putting to death the deeds of our body, the Divine Nature that is entering us is creating in us the standard of Divine righteousness. Meanwhile the blood-covering makes up the difference.
If we persevere in following the Lord our behavior finally will attain the quality of righteousness and holiness necessary for immortality in the body when the Lord appears. This is what Paul means by "attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:11).
The concept of the blood-covering serving as a compensating righteousness while we are being transformed into the image of Christ is the central concept of the new covenant. It is radically different from the currently-expressed doctrine that the blood-covering is an eternal screen that prevents God from witnessing the actual personalities and behaviors of His children.
To be continued.