

But we need to understand the nature of these rewards to understand the nature of the motivation. Rewards become one of the great motives of the Christian's life or should. While salvation is a gift, there are rewards given for faithfulness in the Christian life and loss of rewards for unfaithfulness. Revelation 22:12 (Jesus said) “Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has done.” It is significant that among the final words of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we find these words of the Lord: The Lord's return and what this means not only to the world but to us individually is a very prominent subject of the New Testament.ġ Thessalonians 2:19-20 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy! In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, the Apostle Paul drew courage and was motivated by the fact of rewards at the return of the Lord for the church which he mentions in every chapter in this epistle and becomes the primary subject of 2 Thessalonians. ( Added Note: Maybe better stated, “Rewards will be based on the fruit that I have allowed the Holy Spirit to produce through my life, as I by faith in His promises, have abided in fellowship with Him.” – Art Barkley) Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord. A common misconception which arises from this English translation is that God will mete out a just retribution for sins in the believer's life, and some measure of retributive punishment for sins will result (Bibliotheca Sacra, Article by Samuel Hoyt).Īs it will be shown below, though it is tremendously serious with eternal ramifications, the judgment seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by the child of God.

The expression "the judgment seat of Christ" in the English Bible has tended to cause some to draw the wrong conclusion about the nature and purpose of this evaluation. It is a doctrine often ignored or, when taught, it is misrepresented because of the term "judgment" that is used in translating the Greek text.Ĭommenting on this Samuel Hoyt writes: Within the church today there exists considerable confusion and debate regarding the exact nature of the examination at the judgment seat of Christ. One of the prominent doctrines of the New Testament is the Doctrine of Rewards and the Judgment Seat of Christ.
