The Who, When, and Why of Judgment

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When we become followers of our Lord Jesus, by God’s love and mercy, we receive many blessings and benefits. Among them, we are forgiven (Col. 2:13), and made alive with Christ (Eph. 2:4-5). We are loved (I John 4:10), and we are new creations (II Corinthians 5:17). As Christians, we are also entrusted with the secrets of God (I Cor. 4:1). From this entrusting of God’s secrets, we begin to see that God’s blessings come with corresponding responsibilities. Our handling of those responsibilities determines how we ultimately will be judged.

Considering 1st Corinthians 4:1-5, we learn about three aspects concerning judgment. The who, the when, and the why of our judgment are found within verse five. “Do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will 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 from God” (NASB).

Perhaps, we too quickly and defensively run to the words about passing judgment, assuming that the main point of this passage is declaring God is who will judge or that man must not judge. Of course, God is the One who judges, but that is not the primary teaching. Then we see when the judgment occurs; at a time for which we must wait, that time when the Lord comes again. That is true, but neither is it the primary teaching.

While understanding who and when is vital, we must understand why; that is, the basis for which we will be judged. The central teaching of this passage concerns what we do with the True Word of God, “learning not to exceed what is written” (v.7); and the reward for that. The passages which precede and follow 1st Corinthians 4:1-5, address our responsibility to the Word and that our handing of it will be revealed in the Last Day. 1st Corinthians 3: 10-20 addresses the arrogant foolishness of men who deceive men with their craftiness, with the promise that their error will be revealed. Beginning in 1st Corinthians 4:15, Paul exhorts the brethren to imitate him in the manner which he was a tutor of the Word to them, not becoming arrogant.

The why we will be judged favorably or not is based upon 1st Corinthians 4:1-2. Paul, speaking of himself and Timothy says, “Let a man regard (reckon, conclude, or judge; cf. 1st Cor. 13:11; 2nd Cor. 11:5; 12:6) us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” To highlight the implications of this passage, consider this translation; a combination of the ASV and the NIV. “Let a man so account of us, as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust that man must be found faithful” (italics added).

The word trust (or, similarly the word confidence) is used in scripture roughly 200 times. In the Old Testament, trust, trusts, or trusting is predominantly used as a verb. In the New Testament, trust is almost always used as a noun. Trust is spoken of in the context of those who have put their trust into another, either God, or foolishly into self, riches or idols. In 1st Corinthians 4, God has put His trust into His apostles, entrusting His Word to their stewardship.
We can understand this trust in a legal or financial sense. A Trust is legal title to a property being held by one party for the benefit of another. The one who puts his trust into the other does so with the confidence that it will be administered for the profit of the beneficiary. To be certain, the trust of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in Daniel 3, was not passive or without the expectation of benefit. They with purposeful intent invested their confidence into God as their Trustee, whose obligation to their trust was for their benefit by delivering them from the fiery furnace.

The opposite is apparent in Isaiah 30, where Judah is rebuked for having made an alliance with Egypt. Having put their trust in Egypt leads to their fall, for Egypt was not a Trustee who worked for Judah’s benefit. “Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, ‘Since you have rejected this word and have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them; therefore this iniquity will be to you like a breach about to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant, whose collapse is like the smashing of a potter's jar’” (Isaiah 30: 12-14).

Understand that such a fate, by God’s judgment of our stewardship of His Word, will also be ours if we arrogantly exceed what has been written. We will have broken our trusting (verb) in Him, and the trust (noun) which we first invested into His stewardship for our promised reward.
Understand that the true nature of both Paul’s apostleship and of our Christianity is to be faithful to the revealed Word of God, not to exceed in any way what is written. Understand that we are given a trust, entrusted with the management of that trust for the benefit of Christ’s kingdom.

Understand why those who are not proven trustworthy, those who exceed what is written, will be judged harshly when their motives are revealed? It will be because they have not been faithful trustees of the Trust given to them. They were not faithful stewards of the Word entrusted to them. Therefore, the Word, as they misused it, was not profitable for the benefit of God’s plan.

Who will judge? Christ will judge, according to the Word which has been revealed.

When will He judge? He will judge when he comes to reveal the motives and the stewardship of His trustees.

Why will He judge? He will judge to reveal those who have worked for the benefit of His kingdom. May we, indeed, be “regard[ed] as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God,” both for the benefit of His kingdom and the promised reward of His servants when “each man’s praise will come from God.”