- There's a new day dawning...
- When this life is over, then what?
- But if I'm living a good moral life, I have nothing to worry about, right?
- But surely good works help, don't they?
- If I can't tip God's scale in my favor with my good works, how can I gain eternal life?
- You mean it's as simple as believing in Christ?
- But doesn't the Bible also say that God will judge everyone according to their works?
- Why, then, would God judge the works of someone who is unsaved if his works weren't really necessary for his salvation anyway?
- O.K. But why would God judge the works of someone who is saved?
- Will there be rewards for each and every good work Christians do during their Christian lives, or does God only look at the entirety of their lives?
- Will there be any special reward for those Christians who persevere in doing good works until the end of their lives?
- But doesn't salvation apart from works eliminate the possibility of rewards for works?
- Isn't it selfish to strive for rewards?
- So, how do I prepare for the Judgment Seat of Christ?
- Are you ready?
O.K. But why would God judge the works of someone who is saved?
God says…
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10 & 12)
Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)
That means…
The reason God will judge the works of the saved is because He has determined that "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." This is true of all people, the saved and the unsaved. Believers are indeed accountable. "Each of us shall give account of himself to God." The reception of eternal life is not a license to sin. God expects believers to glorify Him with their lives and He has promised to reward them if they do.
Therefore, if a Christian wastes the time, talent, and treasure that God has given him, "he will suffer loss." What will he lose? He won’t lose his salvation, for that is impossible. Notice that Paul says, "he will suffer loss, [but] he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire." What he will lose are those rewards which God would have given him if he had done works that had enduring quality. It is beyond the scope of this booklet to detail and explain the various rewards God will give (e.g., treasure, ruling with Christ, hidden manna, special white garments, special abundance of life). The point is that the good works which believers do now will be recompensed by God in tangible ways at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
