During today’s grace-age of “the dispensation of the grace of God” we as grace believers are not under any religious “law” whatsoever (cf. Rom. 6:14). But we do not run amok, for we have an intimate inner relationship and security with the Lord. It remains for us as regenerated believers to simply ‘walk in union with Christ by heeding His written word to us and His “Spirit of life” in our spirit.’ Thus, Paul admonishes us;

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 (KJV)
¹⁸ But if [since] ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18 (KJV)
²⁵ If we live [since we have life] in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25 (KJV)

The Hebrew notion of time and accountability in these Ecclesiastes passages incorporates the concept of opportunity, that is in the right time to act pragmatically. Having such a limited lifespan, there is only so much time before all opportunity is gone. The Hebrew notion of judgment in these same texts presupposes complete freedom in the use of our God-given “portion” in life in view of a related Accountability To The One Who Distributed Our Allotted Portions. There are N.T. verses that vividly confirm this idea in these parables of Jesus’ spoken to and concerning Israel; ‘the ten virgins’ and ‘the talents’ (Matt. 25), the ‘two sons’ (Matt. 21:28–32), and the ‘unjust steward’ (Lk. 16:1–13).

Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, acknowledges any seeming unfairness from a human perspective.

¹⁵ I have seen everything in the days of my vanity [my emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility]: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in [spite of] his evildoing. (Ecclesiastes 7:15 AMP; cf. 8:14–9:3).

So, Solomon offers God’s wisdom to help us look at this life from God’s perspective, which entails the notions of ‘time and judgment.’ With our inevitable disillusionment over the human condition, that is … man’s sin-infected flesh’s, with its depravity, uncertainty, and mortality, it’s wise to remember we as believers have Christ life in us, so close at hand as to guide us and at times restrain us from within in our daily living, in all that we endeavor to do, thus making our day and work worthwhile and profitable in the sight of God.

Knowing we are accountable for our God-given “portion,” we should take joyful advantage of all our gifts, talents, wisdom, and opportunities in this life. This we are to do as God would guide us in the use of them as our “portion” sooner rather than later, before all opportunity in serving Him in our daily living has passed, before the inevitable debilitation of old age shuts out all opportunity.

⁷ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. ⁸ Let thy garments be always white [pure]; and let thy head lack no ointment [as you walk in the spirit]. ⁹ Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity [Heb. hebel, breath of this transitory life], which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity [breath]: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, cf. Eccl. 11:9-12:7).

The thrust of this reflection from Ecclesiastes on growing old is that Life Is Only Fulfilled In Our God-Given Purpose, and our purpose is only fulfilled when we take advantage of our God-given Portion … in union with Christ and God’s eternal purpose.

While this Portion may seem less fair for some than for others, life’s meaning will be consummated at our final Judgment when we receive our reward or inheritance based upon the way we invest our portion, be it good or bad.

¹¹ Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. (Ecclesiastes 7:11)

¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, with⁴ every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

The “Judgment Seat of Christ,” which is only for us genuinely saved grace-believers as members of “His body,” does NOT concern our ‘salvation,’ but rather our ‘rewards.’ Our salvation was settled and secured for us the moment we first believed, when we were saved for eternity.

Nevertheless, Paul tells us our ‘works’ will be judged as to their “SORT”; were those works ‘of us’ in an effort to win God’s favor, or were our works of His guidance or leading, and working in and through us.

The question will be; were we acting as ‘the god of our own lives’ or were we walking by the mind of “spirit of life in Christ Jesus”? Only then is all glory His, not ours.

¹⁰ For We Must All Appear Before The Judgment Seat Of Christ [soon after the Rapture to heaven], [so] that each one May Receive The Things Done In The Body, According To What He Has Done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10).

As believers, our lifetime of works will be judged as to what “SORT” of works they were (cf. v13 below) – were they Of Us, Of Our Self-Loving Self, or Of Him and His will. If our works are to survive ‘the fire of God’s eyes,’ as would gold and silver, then our works were ‘Of Him’; then we will be rewarded to “co-reign with him” eternally in heaven’s glory. (2Tim. 2:12, 1Cor 5:1b).

¹² If we suffer [enduring by His life in us], We Shall Also Reign With Him: if we deny him, he also will deny us [from reigning with Him]: 2 Timothy 2:12 (KJV)
¹ For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our physical body] were dissolved, we have a building of God [a glorified spirit-body], an house not made with hands, Eternal In The Heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (KJV)

If our works were self-initiated and for our own self-aggrandizement (our glorification) then, they are as “hay, wood, and stubble,” which will be burned up by the fire that test them and we will suffer ‘loss of reward’… but yet remain eternally saved.

¹¹ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; ¹³ Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be Revealed By Fire; and The Fire Shall Try [Test] Every Man’s Work Of What SORT It Is. ¹⁴ If any man's work abide [survives] which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss [of the reward]: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (KJV)  

In that day we will see God as exceedingly fair in His rewards, regardless of how unfair or unevenly distributed our ‘portion’ may have seemed to us during this present human life.

During today’s grace-age of “the dispensation of the grace of God” we as grace believers are not under any religious “law” whatsoever (cf. Rom. 6:14). But we do not run amok, for we have an intimate inner relationship and security with the Lord. It remains for us as regenerated believers to simply ‘walk in union with Christ by heeding His written word to us and His “Spirit of life” in our spirit.’ Thus, Paul admonishes us;

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 (KJV)
¹⁸ But if [since] ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18 (KJV)
²⁵ If we live [since we have life] in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25 (KJV)

The Hebrew notion of time and accountability in these Ecclesiastes passages incorporates the concept of opportunity, that is in the right time to act pragmatically. Having such a limited lifespan, there is only so much time before all opportunity is gone. The Hebrew notion of judgment in these same texts presupposes complete freedom in the use of our God-given “portion” in life in view of a related Accountability To The One Who Distributed Our Allotted Portions. There are N.T. verses that vividly confirm this idea in these parables of Jesus’ spoken to and concerning Israel; ‘the ten virgins’ and ‘the talents’ (Matt. 25), the ‘two sons’ (Matt. 21:28–32), and the ‘unjust steward’ (Lk. 16:1–13).

Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, acknowledges any seeming unfairness from a human perspective.

¹⁵ I have seen everything in the days of my vanity [my emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility]: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in [spite of] his evildoing. (Ecclesiastes 7:15 AMP; cf. 8:14–9:3).

So, Solomon offers God’s wisdom to help us look at this life from God’s perspective, which entails the notions of ‘time and judgment.’ With our inevitable disillusionment over the human condition, that is … man’s sin-infected flesh’s, with its depravity, uncertainty, and mortality, it’s wise to remember we as believers have Christ life in us, so close at hand as to guide us and at times restrain us from within in our daily living, in all that we endeavor to do, thus making our day and work worthwhile and profitable in the sight of God.

Knowing we are accountable for our God-given “portion,” we should take joyful advantage of all our gifts, talents, wisdom, and opportunities in this life. This we are to do as God would guide us in the use of them as our “portion” sooner rather than later, before all opportunity in serving Him in our daily living has passed, before the inevitable debilitation of old age shuts out all opportunity.

⁷ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. ⁸ Let thy garments be always white [pure]; and let thy head lack no ointment [as you walk in the spirit]. ⁹ Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity [Heb. hebel, breath of this transitory life], which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity [breath]: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, cf. Eccl. 11:9-12:7).

The thrust of this reflection from Ecclesiastes on growing old is that Life Is Only Fulfilled In Our God-Given Purpose, and our purpose is only fulfilled when we take advantage of our God-given Portion … in union with Christ and God’s eternal purpose.

While this Portion may seem less fair for some than for others, life’s meaning will be consummated at our final Judgment when we receive our reward or inheritance based upon the way we invest our portion, be it good or bad.

¹¹ Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. (Ecclesiastes 7:11)

¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, with⁴ every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

The “Judgment Seat of Christ,” which is only for us genuinely saved grace-believers as members of “His body,” does not concern our ‘salvation,’ but rather our ‘rewards.’ Our salvation was settled the moment we first believed, when we were saved for eternity.

Nevertheless, Paul tells us our ‘works’ will be judged as to their “SORT”; were those works ‘of us’ in an effort to win God’s favor, or were our works of His guidance or leading, and working in and through us.

The question will be; were we acting as ‘the god of our own lives’ or were we walking by the mind of “spirit of life in Christ Jesus”? Only then is all glory His, not ours.

¹⁰ For We Must All Appear Before The Judgment Seat Of Christ [soon after the Rapture to heaven], [so] that each one May Receive The Things Done In The Body, According To What He Has Done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10).

As believers, our lifetime of works will be judged as to what “SORT” of works they were (cf. v13 below) – were they Of Us, Of Our Self-Loving Self, or Of Him and His will. If our works are to survive ‘the fire of God’s eyes,’ as would gold and silver, then our works were ‘Of Him’; then we will be rewarded to “co-reign with him” eternally in heaven’s glory. (2Tim. 2:12, 1Cor 5:1b).

¹² If we suffer [enduring by His life in us], We Shall Also Reign With Him: if we deny him, he also will deny us [from reigning with Him]: 2 Timothy 2:12 (KJV)
¹ For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our physical body] were dissolved, we have a building of God [a glorified spirit-body], an house not made with hands, Eternal In The Heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (KJV)

If our works were self-initiated and for our own self-aggrandizement (our glorification) then, they are as “hay, wood, and stubble,” which will be burned up by the fire that test them and we will suffer ‘loss of reward’… but yet remain eternally saved.

¹¹ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; ¹³ Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be Revealed By Fire; and The Fire Shall Try [Test] Every Man’s Work Of What SORT It Is. ¹⁴ If any man's work abide [survives] which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss [of the reward]: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (KJV)  

In that day we will see God as exceedingly fair in His rewards, regardless of how unfair or unevenly distributed our ‘portion’ may have seemed to us during this present human life.