Morning Watch Monday 6/1
Receiving the Believers –
According to God’s Receiving
Romans 14:10-23
Related verses
Rom. 14:10-12
10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the 1judgment seat of God,
11For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall openly confess to God.”
12So then each one of us will give an account concerning himself to God.
2 Cor. 5:9-10
9Therefore also we are determined, whether at home or abroad, to gain the honor of being well pleasing to Him.
10For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad.
1 Cor. 4:1-5 (1-2, 5)
1A man should account us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2Here, furthermore, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful.
3But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you or by man’s day; rather I do not even examine myself.
4For I am conscious of nothing against myself; but I am not justified in this, but He who examines me is the Lord.
5So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God.
Matt. 7:1-2
1Do not judge, that you be not judged.
2For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.
Footnotes
Rom. 14:101The judgment at the judgment seat of God is different from the eternal judgment of God mentioned in 2:2, 3, 5, 16, and 3:8, which will be carried out mainly at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). The eternal judgment at the great white throne will be (1) after the millennium, (2) to judge all the dead unbelievers, and (3) for eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Since this judgment will be executed upon all the condemned sinners, it is mentioned in this book in the section on condemnation. However, the judgment at the judgment seat of God, or the judgment seat of Christ, will be (1) before the millennium, immediately after Christ’s coming back, (2) to judge all the resurrected and raptured believers, and (3) for reward or punishment in the millennial kingdom. This judgment will take account of the believers’ life and work after they were saved. Since this judgment is very much related to the transformation of the believers, it is mentioned here in this section on transformation.
Suggested daily reading
Furthermore, we must also receive the saints in the light of the judgment seat. We need to read verses 10 through 12. “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then, each one of us shall give account of himself to God.” The “judgment-seat of God” of verse 10 is the “judgment seat of Christ” of 2 Corinthians 5:10. The judgment at the judgment seat of God will be held before the millennium, immediately after Christ’s return (1 Cor. 4:5; Matt. 16:27; 25:19; Luke 19:15), and the life and work of the believers will be judged at that time (Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27; 1 Cor. 4:5; 3:13-15; Matt. 25:19; Luke 19:15). This judgment has nothing to do with a believer’s salvation, for everyone who appears at the judgment seat of God will have already been saved. This judgment will judge the believers’ life and work after they have been saved. This judgment will determine a believer’s reward in the millennial kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17, 19; 1 Cor. 3:14-15; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; Luke 14:14; 2 Tim. 4:8). The believers will stand before this judgment seat to give account to God of their life and work. Here is Paul’s thought: we should not argue with others or criticize them, but take care of ourselves, because one day we shall stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of our life and work after we were saved. Since this judgment concerns how the believers have lived before the Lord and what they have worked for the Lord after they were saved, and since the transformation of the believers has very much to do with this judgment, it is mentioned here in the section on transformation.
Because the truth of the judgment of the believers has been almost completely hidden from the saints, we need to read and comment upon some of the verses given as references in
Morning Watch Monday 6/1
Continued. . .
the preceding paragraph. We may begin with 2 Corinthians 5:10. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” This is not the eternal judgment of God mentioned in Romans 2:2, 3, 5, 16 and 3:8, which will be mainly carried out at the white throne revealed in Revelation 20:11-15. The eternal judgment at the white throne will be after the millennium, will judge all the dead unbelievers, and will concern eternal punishment in the lake of fire. The judgment at the judgment seat of Christ will judge the life and work of the believers and it will determine whether the believers will receive a reward for the “good” or suffer a type of loss for the “bad.” Then 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” This verse also denotes the judgment at the judgment seat of God or of Christ. If we do rightly, we shall receive “praise of God.” Matthew 16:27 also speaks of the judgment of the believers. “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.” This verse tells us that at His coming the Lord will reward us according to our works. We find a similar thought in Matthew 25:19. “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.” What does this mean? It means that the Lord will look into our record and that we will have to render a full account to Him of our life and work after we were saved. This will occur at the judgment seat of Christ. Luke 19:15 is closely related to this. “And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” Once again, this denotes the reckoning that will be made to the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ.LS Romans Message 28 – Transformation in Receiving the Believers (1), pg. 336-338
© Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission
Morning Watch Tuesday 6/2
Related verses
Rom. 14:10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God,
1 Cor. 3:10-15
10According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each man take heed how he builds upon it.
11For another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble,
13The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declareit,because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14If anyone’s work which he has built upon thefoundation remains, he will receive a reward;
15If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Matt. 25:19-21
19Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
20And he who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained another five talents.
21His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.
Suggested daily reading
We need to pay close attention to 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. “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.” The words “suffer loss” in verse 15 do not mean to perish. Our salvation is eternal and we cannot perish. However, if you suffer loss, you will be saved “as by fire.” Many Christians neglect this verse. Nearly all of them claim that as long as they are saved there will be no problem in the future judgment. If you tell them that they might suffer loss, they will insist that such a thought is heretical. Nevertheless, we must listen to Paul’s clear word in 1 Corinthians 3:15. Paul definitely says that if a man’s work is burned, he will suffer a loss. What kind of work will be burned? The wood, hay, and stubble mentioned in verse 12. What kind of loss will this be? Although we cannot say with certainty, it is definite that some loss will be incurred. It is not the loss of our salvation, for Paul says of the man whose work is burned that “he himself shall be saved.” Nevertheless, we should not be complacent, because Paul concludes the verse by saying that the man will be saved “so as by fire,” a phrase which is better rendered as “as through fire.” When hearing this some may respond that this is the Catholic teaching of purgatory. I am familiar with the Catholic teaching about purgatory and with the fact that Catholicism does use this verse from 1 Corinthians as a basis for their teaching about it. According to the Catholic teaching concerning purgatory, you may shorten the suffering of a relative who is enduring the purifying fires of purgatory after his death by making a monetary contribution on his behalf. However, when we refer to the pure Word of the Bible, we do not have in mind this concept of purgatory. Along with Paul, we are simply saying that we must be careful, for when the Lord returns He will ask us to render to Him a full account of our life and work. He will say, “I gave you a certain gift. What have you done for Me? What have you accomplished for Me since you were saved? What kind of building work have you done? Have you built with wood, hay, and stubble, or with gold, silver, and precious stones?” This will determine whether or not the Lord will reward us. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul tells us clearly that if our work remains, we shall receive a positive reward, but if our work is consumed, we will suffer loss, although we shall be eternally saved. I dare not say what the loss will be, but I know that it will not be pleasant. I simply present to you the pure Word. This is an aspect of the judgment seat of Christ. This is the clear word of the Bible, and the Bible can never be wrong. To be saved is one thing; to receive a positive reward from the Lord for your work is another thing; and to suffer loss for your improper work is still another. This is very serious, and we should not be loose about it.
Because Christians are not clear about the pure Word of God, there are the two major schools of Calvinism and Arminianism. According to the Calvinist school, once you are saved you are eternally saved, and there will be no problems in the future. According to the Arminian school, it is possible to be lost again if you do not live and work uprightly after you are saved. These two schools represent two extremes, and neither school has
Morning Watch Tuesday 6/2
Continued. . .
found the bridge in the Bible which spans the
gap between them. The bridge is the judgment seat of God. Once we have been saved, we are eternally saved and can never be lost. This contrasts with the Pentecostal teaching which claims that people are not eternally saved in this life and that it is possible to be saved and lost many times during the span of one lifetime. This kind of salvation is like an elevator: it goes up and down. However, the Bible declares that God’s salvation is eternal. In John 10:28-29 we are told that once we have eternal life we shall never perish. Nevertheless, there are verses, such as 1 Corinthians 3:15, which tell us that in the future we may suffer loss. When the Lord returns, He will gather all His servants before Him and have them give an account to Him of their life and work. Although we are saved eternally, we must still give an account to the Lord of our life and work at the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord will look into our account and decide whether we will receive a reward or suffer a loss. In 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul could say, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.” However, this does not mean that every believer will receive such a crown. Whether or not you receive a crown of righteousness will depend on the results at the judgment seat. Finally, in Revelation 22:12 the Lord Jesus Himself says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” I believe that by now the matter of the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ has been made clear. We must be careful about judging others, for we ourselves will be judged by God.
We must receive the believers in the light of the judgment seat of God. We should not criticize others, but judge ourselves. If we do not judge ourselves, we shall have to give an account before the judgment seat of Christ. Some believers judged the ones who wanted to get rid of their oldness by the water burial, but did not judge themselves for going to the movies. If you criticize others without judging yourself for attending the movies, at the judgment seat the Lord will ask you to give an account of that. Some sisters in a certain group cover their head with a long white covering and are accustomed to judging and condemning other sisters who pray without a covering or who, at best, only wear a small cap. Although these sisters cover themselves with a long white covering in the church meetings, some of them usurp the headship of their husbands at home. They need to judge themselves in this matter. Do not judge others, judge yourself. Whenever we are about to receive another believer in the Lord, we must exercise our discernment in the light of the judgment seat and say, “O Lord, have mercy on me. I am not worthy to judge my brother. Cover me, Lord. I want to be judged by You. I want to pass judgment on myself, on my life and living.” This should be our attitude.
We should not criticize others, but should pass judgment on ourselves. If we fail to do it now, we shall stand before the judgment seat of God and do it then. We must all be enlightened by the judgment seat. Whenever a new believer comes to us, we must exercise our discernment in receiving him. However, in the light of the judgment seat of God, we must judge ourselves more. Thus, Paul’s thought in Romans 14:10-12 is that we should not judge others, but let the Lord take care of them. We should judge ourselves. As we are about to judge others, let us remember that the Lord will reckon with us when He returns. This is a serious matter.LS Romans Message28 –Transformation in Receiving the Believers (1), pg. 338-341
© Living Stream Ministry, 1984, used by permission
Morning Watch Wednesday 6/3
Related verses
Rom. 14:13-16 (13, 15-16)
13Therefore let us judge one another no longer, but rather judge this: not to put a stumbling block or cause of falling before your brother.
14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, except to him who considers something to be unclean; to that man it is unclean.
15For if because of food your brother is wounded, you no longer walk according to love. Do not destroy by your food that man for whom Christ died.
16Therefore do not let your good be slandered;
Eph. 5:1-2
1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
2And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.