Who Appears at the Great White Throne?

That makes sense.

 

James Newman,
I see that this thread has almost turned into a OSAS versus CS (conditional security) thread. Since you were the OP, is this the direction you want this thread to go? I thought I would ask before I responded to some posts that went in that direction.

 

Regardless of whether or not I Corinthians 9:27 is speaking of salvation, there are plently of other verses that warn against the possibility of a believer falling away from Christ.

 

That passage is speaking of Christian service, not eternal salvation. The entire illustration of one training as an althelete is comparable for one in training as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, that is for service for our King. It has nothing to do with losing one's salvation. If you are not fit to run, you won't run. But you won't be kicked out of the family either.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. It is his love that keeps us. It is his grace that keeps us. And it is He that will keep us from the GWT.

 

verse 25 clearly shows it is an incorruptible crown.

 

There are many crowns that can be obtained in the Word of God.

The Crown of Righteousness
The Crown Incorruptible
The Crown of Rejoicing
The Crown of Hope
The Crown of Glory

 

Some of those crowns are listed by "His Blood" If you don't run you will lose reward at the JSOC. You won't earn the crown. But then what do you mean by "not run?" Once you are saved you are in the race running, whether you like it or not. It is not that you have a choice in the matter. The question will be at the JSOC Is How you ran the race; not if you ran the race. You are already in it. Crawl, walk, jog, or go full speed ahead; that is up to you. How you run it is your decision. And that is what will be asked of you.

 

A race is an analogy. There is only one person to win a race. Are you saying there is only one person ruling with Christ, as there can only be one "winner" in a race?

If someone doesn't win a race, what happens? Are they taken out back and beaten, or do they just not win the prize?

 

Actually there are places. And while yes only one person finishes first each person that finishes the race places. The Bible tells us that there will be some that bear more fruit than others. And the Bible tells us there will be yet others that bear no fruit at all.

 

What about those that never get off the start line? Just because you line up doesn't mean you are going to take off. There are people that drop out of races all the time before the gun ever sounds.

 

So what prize do those who place after the "winner" get? Do they get punished...or do they only not win the prize?

 

They well get what they deserve to get. There will be many positions to fill. I have no idea what specific positions they will have. The Bible says some are put over 10 cities, some over 5 cities, etc. We won't know the specifics until that day.

However what we do know is that we have to show ourselves approved! We have to run the race according to God's guidelines. If we don't then we can not expect to rule and reign with Christ.

I mean even if you look at it from a humanistic standpoint it doesn't make any sense, but less looking at it from a spiritual standpoint. I don't know of any business owner that would put a disobedient, unfaithful person in charge of their affairs. Those people get fired or never hired in the first place.

Yet Christendom thinks that folks can be disobedient, unfaithful, non-overcomers and will still have a position within the perfect kingdom of Christ. That just doesn't make an ounce of sense. If a human business owner wouldn't even put up with that, why would the King of kings and Lord of lords?

 

The person who never gets to the start line is the person who has rejected the gospel and is not saved. Once you are saved you are already at the start line, if not past it.

 

But I didn't say who didn't make it to the start line. I said what about the folks that never get "off" the start line. I would agree if you don't make it to the starting line you have rejected the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God on your behalf a sinner.

 

I am not sure what you mean, unless you are speaking of a person who trusts Christ, like the thief on the cross, in the hour of his death, thus barely getting across the starting line (in a sense.)