The problem with taking one
verse of Scripture and then rendering an opinion on what
is being said can be
seen in the three passages I have chosen. In this instance, I am examining the
thought that all of our sins, public and private, will be exposed for all to
see at the judgment. Many people, even Christians, believe this. I have even
heard it preached from the pulpits on several occasions. So, the question is,
“Are all of our sins exposed for all to see at the judgment?”
Now I need to ask another question, “Which
judgment?” I’ll come back to this at the end of this commentary.
FIRST VERSE:
“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.” 1 Corinthians 4:5
It seems, by reading this one
verse, that all the hidden sins we have ever committed will be exposed to the
light by God for all to see.
FIRST VERSE REVIEWED:
“This is how one should
regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
But with me it is a very
small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do
not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am
not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce
judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the
things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then
each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (ESV)
To get a very clear picture
of what is going on we actually need to read, at least, the chapter before and
after our verse, but I have chosen the four verses before verse five to keep
this article at a reasonable length.
Just as some do today, the
Corinthians were choosing sides as to their favorite preacher. Some liked Peter
(Cephas) better perhaps because he was actually with Jesus for three years.
Others may have preferred Apollos because he was a better speaker and had more
charisma. Others may have chosen Paul because of his passion. Who knows? For
whatever reason, they had their favorites.
To get right to the point,
Paul is telling them that he, Peter and Apollos are merely servants of Christ
and any praise they receive, if any, will come from Him. Their work will be
examined by Jesus himself, and they will be rewarded accordingly.
If you will read further, you
will notice that the Corinthians were even getting pretty haughty about this,
thinking more of themselves than they should. Jesus Christ will judge the
intentions of our service to Him. For example, if we are serving Him for our
glory, it will show up based upon the reward we receive or do not receive. If
our intentions are 80% for Christ and 20% for us, it will be shown, and if they
are 100% for Christ they will be shown. Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians
3:11-15.
Therefore, this is the true
intent of 1 Corinthians 4:5, our verse above, our true intentions will be
revealed, and then we will praise Christ.
SECOND VERSE:
“For there is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.”
Luke 12:2
Again, it appears that the
judgment is going to be very embarrassing for us all, since we all have sins we
have tried to cover and hide.
SECOND VERSE REVIEWED:
“In the meantime, when so
many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one
another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed,
or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark
shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall
be proclaimed on the housetops. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who
kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will
warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast
into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” Luke 12:1-5 (ESV)
Here I have chosen the first
five verses to review verse two of Luke twelve, but also read chapter eleven
verses 39-54.
The religious leaders of that
day were claiming to speak for God, but were they? We know now that they were
not speaking for God. How do we know that? One reason is obvious they were
standing face to face with God in the flesh and hated Him. Most of the Jews at
that time though did not see through the hypocrisy of these religious leaders,
but one day their hypocrisy will be revealed.
Many religious leaders of
today claim to be speaking on behalf of God, but are just as hypocritical as
the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They too will be exposed as charlatans. As
we saw in 1 Corinthians chapter four, our true intents will be exposed. Those
who are not of God will be judged, and those who do belong to God will be
rewarded with “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble.”
Please read 1 Corinthians
3:11-15 again.
THIRD VERSE:
“For there is nothing hid,
which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it
should come abroad.” Mark 4:22
It isn’t getting any better
is it? We already know, I hope, that nothing is hidden from God and now it is
obvious that our nasty deeds won’t be hidden from anyone else either.
THIRD VERSE REVIEWED:
“And he said to them, “Is a
lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For
nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to
come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them,
“Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will
be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:21-25 (ESV)
Read Mark 3:22-4:34
This whole section is talking
about the kingdom of God and Jesus speaking in parables. The religious leaders
who came down from Jerusalem crossed the line. They actually accused Jesus of
being possessed by Satan and working under Satan’s power. From this point
onward Jesus speaks to the crowds in parables and then explains the parables to
His true followers.
In verse eleven of chapter
four Jesus tells His disciples that they are permitted to understand the
mystery (secret) of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside would only
hear them in parables (stories). This was done to fulfill the Scriptures, and
the Scriptures relating to this are found in Isaiah 6:9-10.
The lamp or light that Jesus
is referring to is the mystery the Apostle Paul spoke of many times. Jesus is
telling His disciples in the parable of the lamp that this mystery kingdom of
God is about to be revealed. All that God has hidden before will now be
revealed.
Furthermore, those who are
open to Christ’s teaching will have even more revealed to them, but those who
don’t want to hear it will lose out.
SUMMATION:
In all of this we are dealing
with two categories of people; i.e. those born-again, and those not born-again,
the saved and the lost.
I asked the question at the
beginning of this commentary, “Which judgment?” Basically, there are five
judgments: time of Jacob’s trouble (Tribulation), judgment of living nations,
judgment of fallen angels, the great white throne judgment and the judgment
seat of Christ.
As a child of God, saved by
the shed blood of Jesus Christ, where do I stand under the grace of God? Will
my sorry, pathetic, sinful life be exposed for all to behold?
Looking at the judgments
mentioned above, I won’t be at the judgment of the time of Jacob’s trouble, or
as it is commonly called, the Tribulation. So that’s out.
I am not a nation. I am an
individual. So that’s out.
I am not an angel, fallen or
otherwise. So that’s out.
Only those not born-again in
Jesus will stand for judgment at the great white throne. Since I’m born-again
(a Christian), that’s out.
The judgment seat of Christ
is the last one, and I’ll be there. We have discussed this. Remember? 1
Corinthians 3:11-15. Thank God, there is no judgment or revelation of my many
sins against God. This is a judgment of my works. Are they done for His glory
or mine? Will I receive any rewards? What will they be, gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble, or some of each? This is a judgment of rewards, not
condemnation!
“There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1
“As far as the east is from
the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
Is it possible there could be
some Christians thinking, “Great, now I can keep on with my “secret” sin and no
one is the wiser!” God is the wiser. He is our Father in Heaven, and He doesn’t
take disobedience lightly. Believe me He knows how to get our attention when he
needs to. Don’t push it. If this is the way you think, you may not be His
child. Think long and hard about that.
What about the lost, those
not born-again in Christ? Will all their sins be revealed to one and all? I
think they will be, because they have never asked to be forgiven of their sins.
They have never trusted and followed Jesus, who takes the sins of His sheep
upon Himself. The most important thing though, they will be shown every
opportunity they had to believe on Jesus and every time they ignored Him or
just right out said, “No.”
Keep this verse in mind: “For
God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it
be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14
Our works, Christians and non-Christians, will stand or fall before
Him. If our works rest in Jesus they will be accepted, because they glorify Him.
If our works rest in us, they will be rejected.
As a Christian we will lose
our reward (not salvation), and as a non-Christian the soul remains condemned
to hell.
My only work for salvation is
that, by the faith He supplied, I trusted in His Son to be saved. My work as a
Christian is to glorify Him. That is all we can claim if we are His.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
