Our Thoughts and Motives (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

"But to me it matters very little to be judged [examined] by you or by any human judgment; nor do I even judge myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself; but not even by this am I justified, for the one who judges [examines] me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will also bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the purposes of the hearts; and then each one will receive from God the praise." The context of the judgment seat of Christ here has to do with our thoughts and motives. Paul is speaking in this passage about the motives of the one who serves the Lord. But this is so broad that it includes our motives in every aspect of our lives. This is something that will also be examined.

The Corinthians were examining the apostle Paul and the motives of his ministry. He tells them that he really was not concerned about their evaluation of his work; it was the Lord's evaluation that mattered to him. On the coming day when the Lord reviews things, He will not only evaluate the work we did (1 Cor. 3:12-15), but also the motive behind it (1 Cor. 4:5). A person may ignorantly, in service to the Lord, do something that is not in accordance with the principles of the Word of God, yet be genuine in his motives, desiring to honor Him. At the judgment seat, the Lord may reward your motive, but not your work. He not only knows what we do, but also why we do it. It is said, in 1 Samuel 2:3, "The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." [JFA Corrigida Fiel] He can weigh an action and know whether the motive is pure.

And vice versa, it is possible to do a right thing in a wrong way (or in a wrong spirit), and the Lord will separate what was truly right and what was not. We cannot do this, because we do not have powers of omniscience. In fact, we are warned not to judge the motives of others. The Lord said, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matt. 7:1).

We can be quick to judge the motives of others, but that is never good. The foolishness of making hasty judgments about others is illustrated by the story that the late Bishop Potter of New York used to tell about himself. He was sailing to Europe on one of the transatlantic ships. When he came on board, he found another passenger who would share the cabin with him. After seeing his accommodations, he went to the purser's desk and asked whether he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship's safe. He explained that he did not usually ask for such a favor, but after meeting the man who would share the stateroom with him, and judging him by his appearance, he thought it would be prudent to remove those items from the room. The purser said, "I will be happy to take care of them for you. The other man was here and left his for the same reason!"