The Bema Seat of God The Bema Seat of God Paul used a term in his letter to the Romans that was very familiar to first century Christians. The original Greek word is bema, and it referred to two different kinds of judgment seats. In one type, the bema seat was the official seat of a judge in the Roman court of law. It was before the bema seat that Paul appeared when he was arrested in Corinth. We see the word translated as judgment seat in Acts 18:12: And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat. Jesus appeared before the bema seat of Pilate (John 19:13), and Paul appeared before the bema seat of Festus in Jerusalem (Acts 25:6). Herod was struck down by an angel as he sat on the bema seat (Acts 12:21). But the word was also used in the context of the Grecian games in Athens. In those Olympic like events, the umpire sat on a raised platform in the arena where he oversaw the games. When the contests were over, he would reward the winners from the bema seat. This was the word that Paul used when he spoke of the day when all believers would stand before the Lord to give an account for their lives. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10) But what happens at the judgment seat of Christ? How does this judgment relate to our salvation? Will believers be punished for their sins? Will believers receive rewards based upon their good works? And how could knowing the answer to these questions change how we live our lives today? Before we can answer the question of what happens at the bema seat of Christ, we must take into account all of the biblical material on the issue to make sure we are standing on truth. 1. Believers Will Appear At The Bema Seat Of Christ The New Testament teaches that it will be believers who will stand before Christ to give an accounting for their lives. There is a different judgment for the unredeemed, (see Revelation 20:12 - 15), but this is not the judgment of 2 Corinthians 5:10 or Romans 14:12. In both of those verses the context is very clear that “all believers” shall stand before the Lord and give an accounting. Not just some. Not just the bad ones. No, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Not one believer will be left out. 2. The Bema Seat Judgment Is Not About Sin or Salvation The context of both Romans 14 and 2 Corinthians 5 shows us that believers will not be judged in respect to salvation at the bema seat of Christ. This is a crucial and essential element of the entire gospel. Through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, and through our faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, the sins of a believer have been forgiven, cancelled out, wiped clean, and forgotten. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10.11-17) Through Christ’s work, we are made right with God by grace through faith (Romans 1:16), and Christ took our sins upon Himself so that we may receive the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Believers will enter into heaven because their name is written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 20:15). For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We will stand at the bema seat of Christ to give an accounting of our lives works for Christ, but not to determine whether or not we shall enter into eternal life. That question has already been answered by the redeeming work of the Savior. That is why Paul wrote that some believers will stand before the bema seat of Christ and not fare so well, but they will still be saved. Even if anyone’s works are all burned up, the believer will be saved because salvation is by grace through faith and not by works. Every mans work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is. If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any mans work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3.13-15) 3. The Bema Seat Judgment is About Rewards So what happens at this “accounting”? Believers must all appear so that they can receive what is due for what they have done in the body. At the bema seat, the work of a believer will be tested, and what remains will result in a reward. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10) The context of 1 Corinthians 3 is that Paul was teaching the Christians in Corinth that each of us “works” to build upon the foundation of Christ. Because we are each called and gifted in various ways by the Spirit, our particular work might be different. One might plant, another might water, and still others might harvest the fruit, but all are working. Shifting from an agricultural analogy to a architectural one, he described our work as building upon the foundation of Christ in various ways. But, we are to take care how we work and build upon the foundation of Christ because the day will come when our works will be tested. Those who have built upon the foundation of Christ in good ways will be rewarded, but those who have built upon the foundation of Christ poorly will suffer the loss of those rewards. Jesus Himself spoke of rewards quite often, both in regard to serving Him in good ways, and in not so good ways. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1) He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Matthew 10:41-42) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12) And speaking about Jesus when He returns, the angels will say,And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18) So, it appears that when believers stand at the bema seat of Christ, they will give an account for their lives and be rewarded for their good works that were good enough to remain after they are tested. What then is the “loss” of 1 Corinthians 3:15? Or more important, what is “due” to the believer at the bema seat of Christ for the evil done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10)? Sadly, there are some teachers and preachers who insist that the believer will be punished for the evil done in the body on the day of judgment. This might be in a time of purgatory, as the Catholic Church teaches, or might be a time of weeping and gnashing of teeth during the 1000 year reign of Christ, as one preacher insists. But how can believers be punished for sins forgiven, forgotten, and fully atoned for? According to the Bible, this would be a false teaching, which is why many Bible scholars teach that the “loss” that believers will experience at the bema seat of Christ is the loss of possible rewards, as they watch their unworthy works burn in the fire of judgment. Perhaps this is what John was writing about when he wrote, Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (2 John 8 ) If believers are not careful, they can build upon the foundation of Christ with wood and stubble and risk losing the full reward. And on the day of judgment, they will be ashamed. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28 ) It certainly brings a terrible sense of sadness to imagine that the reality of the bema seat judgment of Christians could result in the loss of rewards and the shame that this would bring. Jesus Himself obviously took stock of this fact as He tried to motivate His disciples to give to the poor or to love their enemies in order to get a full reward in heaven. Likewise, Paul sought to motivate the believers in Rome to not judge their brothers because they would give an account before God. When will the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ Occur? The Judgment of believers will occur immediately following the rapture. The rapture is a future event, an imminent event, when all born again believers will be caught up in the air by Jesus and taken home, by Him, to Heaven. The timing of the Judgment Seat of Christ is given in the following scriptures: In Luke 14:12-14, reward is associated with the resurrection and the rapture is when believers are resurrected. In 2 Timothy 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 4:5, rewards are associated with that day and with the Lords coming. In Revelation 19:8, when the Lord returns with His bride at the end of the tribulation, she is seen already rewarded. So the order of events will be (a) the rapture which includes the glorification of our resurrection bodies, (b) exaltation into the heavens with the Lord, (c) examination before the Bema, and (d) compensation or rewards. For What Will The Believer Be Accountable At The Bema Seat? If we know that we will be rewarded at the bema seat of Christ for our works, or possibly suffer loss for the ways in which our works are judged not worthy of receiving reward, then it might be helpful for us to pay attention to the things specifically mentioned in Scripture for which we will be held accountable. Just like it helps to know what you are going to be tested on at the Chemistry mid-term in college, it might be helpful to know what the Judge will be looking for at the bema seat judgment of Christians. Here are a few of the things that believers will have to account for: (1) How we judged or treated other believers But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10-12) (2) How we exercised a position of authority Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:17) (3) Whether or not we used our earthly riches to lay up treasure in heaven by being generous and ready to share Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:3-4) (4) How we treated our enemies But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35) (5) How well we obeyed the Great Commission And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20) (6) If we endured temptation, suffering, persecution, or even martyrdom for Christs sake Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10) (7) How we Fed or Shepherded the Flock Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (1 Peter 5:2 - 4) (8) If we Looked forward to His Coming Return Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8) Conclusion So the Bible teaches us that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of our lives works. While our eternal destination has been secured by the redeeming work of Christ, the Lord will test the quality of our works and reward those who faithfully served the Lord on earth. What are those rewards? The Bible does not describe the rewards beyond mentioning certain crowns. But the treasures of this world are a pathetic comparison to the treasures of the Kingdom of God. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) Oh how we will yearn then to hear the words of Matthew 25:21, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. May I leave you with a final thought? If the Lord was to return today and to test the quality of your work, what would remain and what would be lost? Does that answer change how you might live today? Posted by Linda Chartier Harris, addressed to her sisters in Christ and I pray that, this writing be a blessing to all In the body of Christ, for God glory in Jesus name amen.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:57:03 +0000
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