CHRIST; OUR JUDGE [2 Corinthians 5:1-10]
The Very Rev Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost.
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. Today we continue with our Series on Christ and our focus is His legal side.Jesus is a friendly King, full of Grace now but on the last day, He will be the judge.He will examine how every believer lived his or her life on earth. Standing before Him, we shall explain how we used each day, hour, minute and second in this world, based on the standards of the Bible. I do not know
about you, but since childhood this has been a serious issue concerning the future for some of us. Just imagine standing before God, His angels and the entire heavenly host and all the billions of people to systematically narrate how you lived. Some of
our parents emphasise that God will replay a video to assist in this process.
Our passage gives the context of Christs final opinion. 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 is a continuation from chapter 4, teaching that the glory of eternity with Christ is far weightier than any suffering experienced in our temporary bodies in this life:- Vs 1-9 explains that this earthly body represents a tent that can be destroyed in comparison to the permanent building; the heavenly dwelling that we christians long for. In this heavenly state the immortal in us gets swallowed by life but before we reach there God has already given us a deposit of His Spirit to guarantee us of what is to come.
Being in this worldly body is a sign that we are not directly in the presence of God but we are confident (of getting there)as we live by faith and not sight in this body.
Apostle Paul expresses his desire to be away from this body. However, he brings in the idea that it is better for us to make it our goal to please God when we are in this body or away from it (alive or dead) Vs. 10 “...For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that
each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Judgement as the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. Bible Reference commentary authors elaborates this verdict as follows; “Judgment, or the deeds it examines, are what decide someone’s eternal fate. Salvation is a gift given to everyone who trusts in Christ. Paul’s gospel is that the gift of salvation is “not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9),
or nobody could achieve it (Romans 3:23; 6:23).The judgment seat of Christ is something exclusively for believers, as Christ’s evaluation of our works on earth. This refers to an assessment of what each saved, heaven-bound Christian has done “in the body” since coming to faith in Christ. How has he or she used this life in Christ? What have they done, for good or for evil? Paul wrote in Romans 14:12 that each believer
will “give an account of himself to God.”
This judgement is not meant to scare us but to call upon us to repent and develop a worship lifestyle that gives God the Glory in every aspect. I pray that Jesus Christ who is a friend, Lord and saviour now, in His capacity as a judge, will find us worthy and faithful to be rewarded and remain in God’s presence forever. That through the Holy Spirit each one of us will be strengthened to please the Lord with our faith in
Christ. It is indeed useless for you gain the whole world and lose your lose soul.
The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost, All Saints’ Cathedral, Kampala