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Here is an interesting thing: Being Blameless. What makes a person blameless in the eyes of God?

And in your opinion, is there any difference between sinless and blameless?

Noah, Job, Abimelech were blameless. But the Corinthians were not. Why is that?

As Christians, we have the mind of Christ, we are not carnally minded. But we do wage a war in our physical bodies against our carnal nature. And in physical bodies we are conformed to the laws of physics because God created us this way. As physical—flesh, bone and blood--we cannot enter into the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 15:50ff) The spiritual is not first, but the natural is first. v 46. Thus the war between our godly inclinations and our worldly inclinations.

James 4:4-6 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

1 Corinthians 10:21-23You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.

If we know for certain that we are eternally secure and will be with Jesus forever, does our behavior here on earth really make any difference at all? I have heard this question from many skeptics, as well as genuine believers. Essentially, their charge is that if God has already sealed and secured us, then that must mean that our behavior does not have any eternal consequences. My friend, this could not be further from the truth. God is very concerned with our behavior, and Scripture teaches that we still have a great deal to lose even after we’re saved. Remember you may be the only word of God that some lost people read.

The first thing I want you to notice is that we will have to give an account of our lives to the Lord Jesus. Our salvation and our relationship is deeply personal. This is a truth presented over and over in Scripture that it is very individual: One-on-one. Throughout the New Testament, we see the personal aspect through the use of “each man” and “any man.”

Take a look at these passages.

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

Romans 14:10,12But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all be (manifested- Apostilic Bible Polyglot) before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.14If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

These verses emphasize what will be judged. The apostle Paul mentions the believer’s “work” four times. And what will the Lord do to each man’s work? Paul uses four different words here to express the same idea: the revelation of each one’s work.

Bring to light: phōtizō shine, illuminate, render evident.

Give an account: logos usually means Word of God, but it also means matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law.

Manifested: phaneroō from the direct Greek translation (ABP) means to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way.

Revealed: apokaluptō Recognize that word? It means 1) to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up 1a) disclose, make bare.

Without a doubt, God’s Word is stressing a vital point in these few verses, and that is that everything in your life and my life is going to be revealed and evaluated. So, consider that old adage that says “never do anything that you don’t want to read about on the front page of the newspaper.” Your deeds will be made public and evaluated, judged. Furthermore, we will receive our reward based on that evaluation. Verse 14 states, “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.”

Earlier, in verse 12, Paul describes our work in rather odd concepts: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw.

Now consider: 1 Corinthians 3:12-13: If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

What do the comparisons between gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw mean?

Remember, the issue here is that our deeds will be examined by fire. Wood, hay, and straw are all combustible material; they completely burn up in a fire. So, Paul is saying that if our deeds are empty, meaningless, or done with the wrong motive, then they are like wood, hay, or straw. When these works are revealed in the Lord’s refining fire, they will turn to ash. However, if our deeds are valuable, Christ-centered, and done in humble service, these things are like gold, silver, and fine stones. They will survive in the testing fire.

Jesus does not want His Bride going to Heaven smelling like smoke! But those whose motives and deeds are worthless throughout their Christian life will smell like smoke.

E. W. Rogers points out: “Loss does not imply the forfeiture of something once possessed.” It should be clear from this verse that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not concerned with the subject of a believer's sins and their penalty. The penalty of a believer's sins was borne by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and that matter has been settled once for all. Thus the believer's salvation is not at all in question at the Judgment Seat of Christ; rather it is a matter of his service.

Many seminary scholars have a problem with this interpretation because of James’ declaration that faith without works is dead so how can a believer act like a heathen? They say that one who has a true salvation experience will act like Jesus and be done with wicked actions. But I say, who can live a perfect life with all deeds being sinless and motivations blameless? Not even the most devout Christian can. Those sinful deeds and motivations have already been paid for. The service to Christ, the works done or not done in His name are classified as gold, sliver, gemstones, hay, stubble, or wood. Some will have more hay, stubble, and wood burning before the Bema Seat of Christ than others. Thus, the good works remain and the evil works are so much ash in the eternal wind.

Regardless of how you interpret the Bema Seat, we are blameless and sinless all because of the work of Jesus. He not only paid for the sins but He burns up the bad works and motivations of the believers. Thus we are spiritually made ready for our eternal life with Him.

"Voice of Inspiration" from Andy Castro

Pretzel Love-Psalms 91:14