To be saved means that the Lord assumes responsibility for us. He chastens severely every son whom He receives. The chastening is described in the fourth chapter of First Peter. The chastening consists of fiery ordeals designed to drive the sin and self-seeking from us, making it possible for the Divine Seed to grow in us and for us to enter union with the Father through the Lord Jesus.

The chastening, the fiery ordeals, the prisons we endure, the tribulations, are Divine judgment upon our personality. The Divine judgment produces salvation: this is to say, the suffering separates us from Satan and his works, makes possible the maturing of the Divine Seed in us, and drives us into the dependence on Christ and union with Himself that God desires.

It may be true that some of this judgment and suffering will take place in the spirit realm after we die or at the coming of the Lord.

It is appointed to men once to die and after that they shall be judged. We understand this to be true, but what does it mean? Will Christians be judged? Of course! Christ is ready to judge the living and the dead. The fiery trials that come upon the living may come upon the dead also, as far as we know. God judges the living and the dead whether or not the individual is a Christian.

The lashes to be given to the Lord's servants who did evil works worthy of lashes may very well take place after death or at the coming of the Lord.

Let us think about the Judgment Seat of Christ. There is widespread misunderstanding of the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Greek term is beema. The word beema is employed in the New Testament to indicate a court where accused criminals must appear.

It commonly is taught that the Judgment Seat of Christ is a kind of awards banquet in which some Christians are given first prize and others are handed lesser prizes. There is nothing to fear. All shall be given a reward and there absolutely is nothing for the believer to fear at the Judgment Seat of Christ; no terror of the Lord.

This is what is taught to Christians in our day. Can you see why Satan would desire that Christians be taught not to fear the Judgment Seat? It is no wonder that the fear of God is gone and in its place is silliness, foolishness, joking from the pulpit. Are we truly ready to be lifted in our foolishness into the Presence of Him whose eyes are a flame of fire?

Let us look at the Scripture, the unchanging Word of God.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

It seems clear that:

All of us shall appear (be made manifest) before Christ.

For most Christians this judgment will take place in the spirit realm after death or at the coming of the Lord.

The believer will receive at the hand of Christ the things he has done while living in the physical body.

The believer will receive good for the good things he has done and evil for the evil things he has done.

The Judgment Seat of Christ is not based on our statement of faith but on the things we have done.

To be continued.