No other foundation/the judgement seat of Christ

Jesus told us that the  path that leads to eternal (and abundant) life is narrow (Matthew 7:13,14). There are many ditches on either side of the road we travel, of  this “highway of holiness” as Isaiah puts it 35:8. There are many traps we can fall into, many dangers to avoid, many truths to learn, principles to understand and to practice.  It is far too easy to become unfruitful, to live in ingratitude for all that He has done. There are many teachings that He has given us to discern the path, to help us to see if we are on it, to help us to stay on it and to get back on it when we have strayed from it.  The posts this month will be discussing some of these things.

The last couple of posts are already part of this. Part of what we looked at was the “ditch” of presumption. Paul tells us “By Grace we are saved through faith, …  it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)”.  Grace has been described as God's unmerited,  undeserved favour. We do not deserve to be saved, it is only by His mercy, His loving kindness - His Grace. Paul is aware that some will try to take advantage of God's goodness and asks “Shall we continue in sin that the Grace of God may abound?  He answers “God forbid”. How unthinkable! We talked about the attitude “God will forgive me that's His job”, and suggested that such a person needs to examine himself to see if he is on the narrow path to eternal life.  This is one ditch, there are others. Today we will be looking at foundations of faith, principles and truths that are sure, rocks on which we can stand in this stormy life here below.  His desire for us is that we be assured of our relationship with Him, assured but not presumptuous, established and growing in love, grace and mercy,  becoming more and more like Him (Romans 8:29).

An other ditch we can fall into, is believing that we are already good enough without Him. “I never did anyone any harm” I hear people saying all the time. The full version of Ephesians 2:8, 9 is “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.   To put this another way, the foundation of our salvation is not works, it is not 'doing no harm', it is not being or even doing good, it is God's grace.  “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). We could never be good enough for heaven (see Pulled over for speeding. Mercy or Justice? June 2010).  Believing that we can be or are,  pushes us into the Pharisee's camp, into the camp of the self righteous.  This is a second ditch.  So if we  should not trust in our goodness to get us to heaven, in what shall we trust? 

Scripture  is very clear on this. From the lips of Jesus we hear “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Note Jesus, does not say that He is a way, a truth and a life.  He is the unique way, the unique truth and only in Him is there fullness of life. Paul tells us that there is one and only one foundation,  Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11 again) .   He and He alone is the full necessary and sufficient sacrifice and substitution for out sins (Hebrews 10:12).  Because of what He did on the cross we who trust in Him for our salvation, have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12).  Jesus is the foundation,  He  is our surety, He is the  root and ground of our salvation. It is in His name and in His name alone,  that we are saved, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We are not saved by the things that we do or do not do then (Ephesians 2:8,9). However, in the very same context  Paul tells us that God has works for us to do. He even prepared them in advance for us to do them (Ephesians 2:10). The foundation then is sure, but Paul warns us to be careful how we build on this foundation.  After all “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul describes this as a test,  as a fire.  Fire of course does not destroy rock, fire does not destroy foundations.

If we build solidly on this foundation (silver, gold,  precious jewels – things unaffected by fire) we will receive our reward. If on the other hand we build with wood hay or stubble, things that a fire will burn up, we will loose our reward  (I Corinthians 3:15).  In a world where image is everything, we need to realize that God sees the heart. Perhaps the wood hay and stubble are things that are concerned with outward appearance.

There is nothing hidden from God, He knows when we are going through the motions, or doing good merely to be seen. If our works are burned up, we will suffer loss “but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire”  (I Corinthians 3:15).  For the Christian, this judgement then, is not about getting into heaven or not.  On the other hand, we will still be held accountable for what we have done or not done. The judgement seat of Christ for the Christian  is about gaining or loosing rewards.  On that day there will be those who will have nothing to bring to Jesus, no crown to cast before Him.   On that day, we will see that some of the things that seem important now, some of the things that we pursue are as chasing after shadows. I know what I want to hear on that day, I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”.   We are not our own we are bought with a price, with the precious blood of Jesus. Paul tells us that “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).  In a World that is going to hell in a hand basket, our lives need to show that there is a better way. We will never be perfect, but we can be being changed.   There is no room here for presumption. The only sure sign of life is growth.