2 Corinthians 10:18 Commentary and Bible Study

The only approval that matters is the Lord’s approval, for it is by him that we are going to be examined and it is his standard that will be applied to us. We will stand before Christ’s judgment seat on that last day, and then what men have thought of us will count for nothing if the Lord does not approve of us. We know of course that our approval depends on grace alone for our good works could never justify us, and yet every man’s works will be tried, ‘For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil’ (Ecclesiastes 12:14-1:1). It is the height of recklessness to replace God’s standard with our own, and yet that is exactly what the false teachers were doing. They could not help doing this when they gloried in the flesh rather than in the Lord, for God is opposed to our flesh. The flesh seeks its own gratification, but the Lord commands us to mortify the flesh, so they have nothing in common. What the believer seeks now and on the Day of Judgment is the Lord’s approval and that starts with conviction of sin, with repentance, and with faith in Christ’s atoning death resulting in the forgiveness of all our sins. Ultimately we will be commended because of the work of our Surety, our Saviour.