II Corinthians 5:9-10: "To Please Him"
To continue to exhort and encourage the Corinthians, Paul not only encourages them to think about heaven, but to also think about their attitudes and motives here on earth. Paul explains that they should be driven and have ambition to be pleasing to God, knowing their deeds will be exposed for their true motives. Paul writes, "Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him". Normally ambition has a negative connotation as one with ambition is known to be ruthless and selfish, looking to get whatever they can no matter the cost. However, Paul uses ambition in a positive sense. Paul is saying that the believer should do whatever they can in all their pursuits to be pleasing to God. Paul never sought to be pleasing to man, as the false teachers did, rather, his mindset was that of pleasing God and God alone in all that he did. Looking back to what Paul had previously mentioned he was always in flux between death and life. He knew to be "home" would be to be with his true Heavenly Father, and to be "absent" was to be apart from God. Therefore, Paul is saying that no matter if he was present with God, or still here on earth, his goal should be to please God. MacArthur writes, "Paul's ambition to please God, imperfectly on earth or perfectly in heaven, remained unchanged. Expressing that same breadth of devotion he affirmed, 'For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's' (Rom. 14:7-8)".
Paul's recognized that his life here on earth was important, and how he lived it out would be meaningful in eternity. He recognized that God would uncover each of his deepest motives in everything he did. He wanted to be found pure and unstained by the world in his desires to serve. He writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each on may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad". Paul lets us know that we will be held accountable for every action we take here on earth. And the God who knows every thought and every motive of each person will reveal to us our hearts. On the surface this may look to be judgment on our works, including our sin. However, we must understand that, here, Paul is saying that each believer (who's sin has already been judged on the cross) will have all their works laid bare before them. MacArthur explains, "In that day, the full truth about their lives, character, and deeds will be made clear to each believer. Each will discover the real verdict on his or her ministry, service, and motives. All hypocrisy and pretense will be stripped away; all temporal matters with no eternal significance will vanish like wood, hay, and stubble, and only what is to be rewarded as eternally valuable will be left". Our sin has already been judged on the cross, and therefore no sin will be taken into account on the judgement seat of Christ. "Each one" shows us that each individual believer will be taken before the judgement seat to be recompensed for their actions here on earth. MacArthur writes, "Recompensed translates a form of the verb komizo, which means, 'to receive back what is due'- whether punishment for a criminal, or reward for one to be honored. When believers stand before the Lord Jesus Christ they will be recompensed for the deeds they have done in the body (cf. Rev. 22:12)". The point of this is that although Paul desires to be present with God and absent from this world, he still understands his importance while he is here, and he is to be a living sacrifice to Christ while here on earth. When Paul says that both good and bad deeds will be judged, he is referring to those things which were pleasing to him, and those that were useless. God will take those things which we did on earth and wipe away anything done with improper motives, or selfish attitudes. He will tear back how things may have looked here on earth, and reveal to us the true nature of the deed. Anything that is done improperly will be wiped away and not rewarded. Everything remaining we will be rewarded for. "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire". Therefore, we must continually check our hearts and make sure our motives for ministry our pure and right before God. May we continually pray to do things that would be pleasing to God.
Paul's recognized that his life here on earth was important, and how he lived it out would be meaningful in eternity. He recognized that God would uncover each of his deepest motives in everything he did. He wanted to be found pure and unstained by the world in his desires to serve. He writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each on may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad". Paul lets us know that we will be held accountable for every action we take here on earth. And the God who knows every thought and every motive of each person will reveal to us our hearts. On the surface this may look to be judgment on our works, including our sin. However, we must understand that, here, Paul is saying that each believer (who's sin has already been judged on the cross) will have all their works laid bare before them. MacArthur explains, "In that day, the full truth about their lives, character, and deeds will be made clear to each believer. Each will discover the real verdict on his or her ministry, service, and motives. All hypocrisy and pretense will be stripped away; all temporal matters with no eternal significance will vanish like wood, hay, and stubble, and only what is to be rewarded as eternally valuable will be left". Our sin has already been judged on the cross, and therefore no sin will be taken into account on the judgement seat of Christ. "Each one" shows us that each individual believer will be taken before the judgement seat to be recompensed for their actions here on earth. MacArthur writes, "Recompensed translates a form of the verb komizo, which means, 'to receive back what is due'- whether punishment for a criminal, or reward for one to be honored. When believers stand before the Lord Jesus Christ they will be recompensed for the deeds they have done in the body (cf. Rev. 22:12)". The point of this is that although Paul desires to be present with God and absent from this world, he still understands his importance while he is here, and he is to be a living sacrifice to Christ while here on earth. When Paul says that both good and bad deeds will be judged, he is referring to those things which were pleasing to him, and those that were useless. God will take those things which we did on earth and wipe away anything done with improper motives, or selfish attitudes. He will tear back how things may have looked here on earth, and reveal to us the true nature of the deed. Anything that is done improperly will be wiped away and not rewarded. Everything remaining we will be rewarded for. "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire". Therefore, we must continually check our hearts and make sure our motives for ministry our pure and right before God. May we continually pray to do things that would be pleasing to God.
posted by amesfam | 4:50 PM
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