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 PrintableVersion The judgment seat of ChristRewards in heavenTHE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST First published in 1993 under the title When God says well done, this book is indeed worth another edition at a time when the whole notion of judgement is disappearing from the horizon of many Christians. R.T. does not deal here with the great divorce between heaven and hell with their saved and lost. The question is as to whether there will be a reward for believers in heaven. For some interpreters, reward would simply be acceptance with the Lord in glory, the greatest privilege, and there can be no entertaining degrees of remuneration before the judgement seat. Such an idea would seem to be not only unthinkable, but tainted with examination-like grading, which hardly fits ethically with the heavenly verdict. Such is not Kendall's approach. Reward is not heaven, it is in heaven. The crown, prize and reward are over and above salvation itself. The biblical writers do not envisage our spiritual maturity this side of heaven to be such as to make the idea of reward beneath us. The fact that some are saved but receive no reward is not a threat but an encouragement to personal sanctification and compatible not only with the holiness and justice of God but also with his love and sovereignty. The main part of the book, both readable and accessible due to its homiletical style, consists of an exposition of 1 Corinthians 3.6-15, plus chapters on 4.3-5, 5.3-5 and 9.24-10.5. Gold, silver and precious stones will be preserved in the fire of judgement, whereas wood, hay and stubble are consumed. The foundation, without which no superstructure can be erected, is the work of salvation of Jesus himself, which alone insures acceptance with God (3.10). Kendall points out that the types of building material do not concern classes of believer; Paul is speaking about the variety in our spiritual building and how it will be judged. ‘Work’ is in the singular and refers to the totality of spiritual progress in this life, its quality not its quantity. The believer has the possibility of building with all the materials, hence the importance of what is imperishable for future reward. On the final day, all will be laid bare, except, repeats Kendall, sins which have been confessed and covered by the work of the cross. Trials in this life are presented as providing opportunities for testing the nature of the construction begun, and constitute a dry run anticipating the trial of the last day. Dr. Kendall is at his most challenging when he writes about the temptation of replacing divine judgment with one's own and the danger of running before the Lord in condemnation of others. The triple distinction he makes between discernment or necessary discrimination, being self-critical and drawing the final conclusion in a condemning verdict, is capital. Reflection on this can help us to be both discerning and loving instead of acting as though the final word were ours. Paul Wells
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