What is the Judgment Seat of Christ?

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2 Corinthians 5:6-10 
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him,whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

 Paul teaches the church about how the bodies we have on earth will be replaced with a body in heaven.  He calls our bodies here an earthly tent, and our bodies in heaven a heavenly dwelling.  The tent of the body we live in now is temporary, but our heavenly dwelling will be permanent.  Paul says we are "confident" that one day we will take up this new body when we are with the Lord.  But for now we live by faith. Also that God has given us His Spirit as a downpayment of our future inheritance. 

 Since we know we have an eternal dwelling place by the Spirit's presence, we live by faith not by sight.  Though we cannot see this eternal home, we can live now knowing that we are destined for heaven.  While we are here our goal is to please Christ.  When we are in heaven we will also live a life pleasing to him and we will be physically present with him.  This reminds us that our bodies are a good, though subject to corruption because of the fall.  Unlike the Greek philosophers who thought that our bodies are bad and our spirits are good, Jesus lived in a human body which shows that bodies are inherently evil.  

 Finally, Paul says that one day we will sit before the "judgment seat" of Christ.  This verse is often misunderstood to mean that we will be judged based on the amount of good deeds we have done.  But we know the rest of the bible clearly and consistently teaches we are saved by grace not by works so that no one can boast.  So in what sense will we be judged for our works in the body, or on this earth?  

 Paul explains this in another passage in 1 Corinthians when he says on the judgment day the things we have done for the Lord will withstand the fire of judgment. What we have done for Christ will remain.  But the things we have done in the flesh will be burned up like chaff which has been separated from the wheat.  This is one of the reasons we make it our goal to please Christ, not just for the reward here on earth, but also for the reward we will receive in heaven for the things done solely for him.  

 We live by faith and not by sight by trusting Christ and His plan for our lives and doing the things He has called us to do.  One day our faith will become sight and all the things we have done for him will be made known.  We will never regret the things we have done in faith to please him.   

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