The article that I’ve written, which will be posted in full on The Two Cities tomorrow, offers a fresh perspective on the timing, venue, and nature of Christ’s judgment of believers (i.e., the Judgment Seat of Christ taken from 2 Cor. 5:10). The article suggests that this evaluation does not take place in some post-death apocalyptic venue as is commonly believed, but rather is an ongoing process undertaken in the earthly life of believers. It suggests that once the believer’s time in this life is over, there is no more judgment, at least in some evaluative or corrective sense. The article posits that for the Christ-follower judgment does not involve some scary appearance before an intimidating post-death tribunal, but instead represents the daily interaction between Christ and the believer as our Lord guides us to a richer and more fulfilling experience in this life, while also preparing us for eternity. Under this view, the judgment of believers, as with salvation, forgiveness of sins, sanctification, and pretty much everything else in the Christian experience, takes place while we are here on earth in the physical body, and that the main actor in all of this is not us, but Christ. The article argues that the traditional translation of 2 Cor. 5:10, specifically the subordinate clause, badly misses the mark, to the detriment of believers both lay and scholarly alike, and cites some evidence that early Christians likewise regarded Christ’s judgment of believers as a bodily process conducted by Christ here on earth and not in some vague apocalyptic venue. The article posits that, as with most everything in Christian theology, the nature of judgment is not so much what we do that counts for eternity, but what Christ does on our behalf. The article argues that the phrase τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος found in 2 Cor. 5:10, properly understood, does not so much denote what we do in the body, but rather how Christ acts upon us in this life. The article goes on to suggest that there could be no more personal and intimate vehicle by which Christ can interact with his followers than through their Soma.
Before readers can fully appreciate the theological and eschatological implications of this revised reading of 2 Cor. 5:10, it is first necessary to build the case point by point that the conventional rendering of this passage is incorrect. To do that successfully requires a rigorous and detailed analysis of the formal (that is, the grammar and syntax) and the conceptual underpinnings of the passage. As a result, the article is rather long and in places admittedly tough sledding. Readers who are skeptical of the arguments and conclusions reached in the article are asked to hold their fire until the very end. This is because the interplay between the formal (grammar and syntax) and conceptual components of the presentation is ongoing throughout and indeed builds in intensity as the analysis proceeds. In other words, it is only by the very end of the article that the reader can fully appreciate both the grammatical and conceptual aspects of the discussion.
A thorough understanding of the implications of the proposed rendering of the subordinate clause in 2 Cor. 5:10 is a weighty undertaking and, in the author’s opinion, would require a lifetime of determined study by someone far more qualified than he. It is the author’s hope that one or more readers looking to make their mark on the development of Christian doctrine might take up this challenge. In any event, the author looks forward to attempting to address any comments, observations, and criticisms that readers might have. Because German theologians have enjoyed a disproportionate say on this topic, the article presents a fair amount of German text. The article is written in such a way that the ability to read German, while perhaps helpful, is not necessary to a full understanding of the arguments advanced.
For the full argument, in all of its detail, see my post on The Two Cities website tomorrow.
“The Judgment Seat” by Ian Sane is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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