The judgment seat of Christ is something exclusively for believers, as Christ's evaluation of our works on earth. Paul's gospel is that the gift of salvation is "not by works" (Ephesians 2:8–9), or nobody could achieve it (Romans 3:23 6:23). Salvation is a gift given to everyone who trusts in Christ.
In no sense is this verse implying that that judgment, or the deeds it examines, are what decide someone's eternal fate. Christ will not declare in that moment whether someone will go to heaven or hell. Paul is clear in his letters that this judgment is not about salvation. Paul insists that all believers in Jesus will appear before the judgment seat of Christ when He returns to earth. One motivation to please God is Paul's knowledge that he will be judged by Christ for his works in this life. His goal in whatever he does, Paul has written, is to please the Lord. That security allows Paul to endure, and to carry the gospel to more and more people. Knowing that day is guaranteed, someday, gives him courage to keep fulfilling the mission God has given to him. His motivation is not suicide, but a desire to be with the Lord in eternity and receive his eternal, resurrected body. Previous verses described Paul's longing to leave behind the suffering of earthly life and his failing, temporary body.
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