One of the hardest sentences Paul wrote appears to say a man's bad works can get him destroyed by God. Read whole, it says very nearly the opposite, and the clause most often left off the end is the one that answers it. Here is what defiling means in Paul's own vocabulary, and why the temple was never the thing in danger.

Salvation and reward are not two names for one thing. One is a free gift that cannot be earned or lost; the other is a wage for service that can be gained or forfeited, yet never touches the gift. Rightly divide the two and the trembling conscience and the careless heart are answered at once.

Philippians 2:14-15 rightly divided. The command to do all things without murmurings touches the walk, not the standing. You are a son of God and a light already, by grace. Murmuring cannot dim the light; it only gives the world a complaint and muffles the word of life you hold forth.

Matthew 10:33 and 2 Timothy 2:12 sound like the same threat to a trembling believer, but rightly divided they stand worlds apart. The Lord's warning belongs to Israel under the kingdom program; Paul's word to the Body touches the reward of faithful service, never his salvation, and never the reign that grace has already made his — all of which rest…

For the believer, the judgment seat of Christ is no courtroom of condemnation but the place where a faithful Master rewards His servants. Rightly divided, it weighs our service, never our salvation, and the crown of righteousness it gives is our glorification in Christ, all of grace, to all who love His appearing.

Paul's command to judge nothing before the time does not mean abandoning discernment. It means not judging hidden motives or ultimate faithfulness before the Lord's final evaluation. This article shows the balance Paul maintains between judging visible doctrine and conduct versus premature condemnation of the heart.