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"The day shall declare it." The day in view is in direct contrast with the present, and
once again we turn to I Cor. 4: for light. The Apostle is speaking of his stewardship,
and says:
"It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (I Cor. 4: 2).
Both the words `required' and `found' carry us on to the bema, the day when the Lord
shall judge our service `what sort it is'.
"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's
judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self" (I Cor. 4: 3).
Here, the English translation veils the reference to `the day'. "Man's judgment" is
literally "man's day" using exactly the same Greek word hemeras as is found in
I Cor. 1: 8; 3: 13 and 5: 5. The day that shall declare the character of our service is not
"man's day" but the day of Christ. The word translated `declare' deloo has already been
used in I Cor. 1: 11; there the divisions among the Corinthians had been `declared' by
the house of Chloe--here the whole of one's service will be declared in the day of Christ.
"It shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
Peter has a word to say about the revealing and trying by fire:
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Pet. 1: 7).
Fire is not used either by Peter or by Paul in these passages as an instrument of
punishment, rather is it for testing and proving the genuine nature of the thing tried.
Dokimos has particular reference to the testing of metals, and is found in II Tim. 2: 15
where it is translated `approved'. The verb dokimazo is found in I Cor. 3: 13 `try' and
in I Cor. 11: 28 `examine'. Writing to the Galatians, the Apostle uses dokimazo when
he says:
"Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone,
and not in another" (Gal. 6: 4).
Two consequences follow this assessment of service in that day:
(1)
"If a man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, HE SHALL RECEIVE A
REWARD.'
(2)
"If any man's work shall be burned, HE SHALL SUFFER LOSS."
Work will either `abide' or `be burned'.
Speaking of service under the figure of fruit, the Saviour had said:
"I have chosen you . . . . . that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain (abide meno)" (John 15: 16).