6.

What is the Judgment Seat of Christ / Bema Seat of Christ?

Believers Judgment by Christ

Romans 14:10–12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. . . . So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Second Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

In context, it is clear that both passages refer to Christians, not unbelievers. The Judgment Seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ.

The Judgment Seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ's sacrifice on our behalf (1 John 2:2) and our faith in Him (John 3:16). All of our sins are forgiven, and we will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1).

We should not look at the Judgment Seat of Christ as God judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us for our lives. Yes, as the Bible says, we will have to give an account of ourselves. However, that is not going to be the primary focus of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). Some of the things we might be judged on are:

Ø How well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

Ø How victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4)

Ø How well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9)

The Bible speaks of believers receiving crowns for different things based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). The various crowns are described in 2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10.

James 1:12 is a good summary of how we should think about the Judgment Seat of Christ: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

 Perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts by Christians is the Judgment Seat of Christ. The mere mention of this event strikes fear and dread in most Christians. An event thought of as something unpleasant that must happen before the joys of Heaven and being with our Lord and loved ones can be experienced.

A proper biblical understanding of this event will not only remove fear of this event, but will also motivate Christians to serve our Lord in the limited time we have left. Having a proper biblical understanding of the Judgment Seat of Christ will answer your questions about:

1.     When Will It Happen?

2.     Are We Judged For Sin We Have Committed?

3.     What Criteria Will We Be Judged On?

4.     What Are The Rewards/Crowns?

5.     What About Those Who Have Accepted Christ But Have Turned From Him: “Once Saved, Always Saved”?

The Judgment Seat of Christ is reserved for the judgment of Christians only--born again believers in Christ Jesus. If a person is unsaved and dies in sin, he will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment following Christ's millennial reign on earth.

Many times the Judgment Seat of Christ is referred to by biblical scholars as “The Bema Seat.” The reason for this is that the phrase “judgment seat” is taken from one Greek word, “bema” which translated from Greek means "judgment seat."

During the time of Christ, this word could refer to the platform on which a ruler or judge decided if a person was guilty of a crime. But in light of Paul’s many references to athletic competition in the New Testament, he was likely using the term as it applied to Greek sports. If the winner of a particular contest had followed the rules of competition and won, he was honored at the bema. There he was crowned with a laurel wreath.

In the city of Corinth, a stone platform was constructed to support the Bema seat (judgment seat) of the local officials. The seat was used to give out awards to athletes for their competitive performances (usually a crown wreath of leaves), but also to address legal charges brought against individuals. The great Apostle Paul was quite familiar with this seat. This is where he was brought before Gallio, who was the proconsul of Achaia at the Bema seat (Acts 18:12). This seat was also what Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 as the "Judgment Seat of Christ". In this context, Paul explains to us that this is where the Christian will receive an evaluation for works done in the body, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Note: In this second verse, the Greek word that is translated into English as “bad” is probably better understood as “worthless” or “useless to God’s kingdom”. (See 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

When Will It Happen

The Judgment of believers will occur immediately following the Rapture. 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. The Rapture is when the Church is resurrected. The term Church refers to believers.

Luke 14:12-14

“Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

In Revelation 19:8, when the Lord returns with His bride at the end of the Tribulation, she is seen already rewarded. Her reward is described as fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints undoubtedly the result of rewards.

Revelation 19:8

“Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

In 2 Timothy 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 4:5, rewards are associated with "that day" and with the Lord's coming. Again, for the Church this means the Rapture.

2 Timothy 4:8

“ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Corinthians 4:5

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

So the order of events will be:

1. The Rapture which include our glorification/resurrection bodies
2. Exaltation into the Heavens with the Lord
3. Examination before the Bema
4. Compensation or reward
5. We Are Not Judged For Sin

Although it is tremendously serious with eternal ramifications, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a place or time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by a child of God. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given, or lost, depending on how one has conducted his life for the Lord.

It is important to emphasize that the Judgment Seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ's sacrifice on behalf of the blood bought believer (1 John 2:2), and the believer's faith in Him (John 3:16).

All confessed sins are forgiven and believers will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). To say otherwise would deny the completeness of the death of Jesus Christ, and nullify God's promise that "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17).

Instead, the purpose of this bema judgment by Jesus Christ is to reward believers based on how faithfully they served Him (1 Corinthians 9:4-27, 2 Timothy 2:5). Even so, this judgment will also deal with a loss of rewards. Again, Paul tells us, in his letter to the Corinthians, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." The Greek word translated as "bad" in this phrase, is based upon the Greek word Phaulos. According to Strong's dictionary (#5337), the primary definition of Phaulos is "easy, slight, ordinary, mean, and worthless, of no account."

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says that: " If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

Elsewhere, the New Testament confirms that children of God are covered by grace and will not be punished for sins (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). The Judgment Seat of Christ focuses primarily on rewards, not punishment. However, we will feel remorse and regret due to the poor choices we made in life and the rewards we forfeited. The bema seat does not deal with the problem of sin. For Christians, that problem was dealt with at the cross.

We Are Not Judged For Sin

Your sins are forgiven and even God Himself says, "Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more." They are removed as far as what? As far as the East is from the West. How far is that? That's far! The East is from the West; they are buried in the depths of the sea; they are forgotten by God, because of the Blood of Jesus Christ. You say, "Well, wait a minute, doesn't it say that we have to give an account?"  Yes, but listen to 2 Corinthians 5:10, this is very important, "We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ." Now the word here is not "krino" verb or "krima" which means condemnation, or even "katakrima" which is even a stronger word. It is not damnation, condemnation, judgment, or punishment. But, the word is "bema." And it is the "bema" that was speaking of a reward.

So I believe that our reward in the future is going to be a reward related to what we have done and that the waste will be burned away. The useless things burned away, and what is left, will be the gold, silver, and precious stones. The other things are not bad, remember 1 Corinthians 3, "Wood, hay, and stubble?" Wood isn't bad, you build things out of it. Hay isn't bad, horses eat it. Even stubble is used to make bricks. But it just doesn't have any spiritual value, and when fire gets to it, it burns it up.

So there will be a reward for us, but it will be the gold, silver, and precious stone, that is left after the rest is set aside, by which we will be rewarded. And the Apostle Paul looked forward to that, with all of his heart. He said, you remember that as he looked to the future, "There would come a time when God would reveal the hidden things of the heart", 1 Corinthians 4:5. And then he said, "Then shall every man have", what? "Praise from God!"

The only thing that will be at the coming "Bema" will be praise and reward, sin will be already done away with. It is already been exposed, and it has already been covered at the cross of Jesus Christ.

The truth of the matter is that our lives are going to be filled with a lot of things which will bring us no reward. Some things will bring us chastening. Some things are just neutral; they’re not moral--they’re just stuff that gets burned up. It isn’t that we’re going to be judged or punished; it’s just that when it comes to reward time, that’s sorted out. So, I believe that you’re a new creation: your faith will work, your love will labor, your hope will endure, you will be different--you will have different desires, different longings, different goals, and different aspirations.

But, you’ll still have in your life two things: sin and waste--just useless things. And when you come to the Judgment Seat of Christ, does the sin have to be dealt with there? Does it? No, why? Where was the sin dealt with? On the cross. So, we’re not talking about sin; that’s already dealt with. No condemnation, no issue. But, when you get there, you’ve got what’s left of your life; the sin--that’s dealt with. What is left then is the righteous deeds--gold, silver, precious stones--and then the “stuff.” And when it comes time to reward you, the Lord will just consume the stuff, and what remains is the gold, silver, precious stones.

What We Will Be Judged On

Although the Judgment Seat of Christ is focused on rewards rather than punishment, we will regret having spent time on foolish priorities and worthless deeds. Our hearts will break when we realize we’ve squandered our lives after all our Savior did for us. We will lament that we have so little to offer Him in return for His supreme sacrifice at the cross and faithfulness to us throughout our lives.

Dr. H.L. Wilmington has done a good job of gleaning the truth about the things upon which Christians will be examined at the Judgment Seat of Christ. They are as follows:

1.     How we treat other believers: Hebrews 6:10, Matthew 10:41-42

2.     How we exercise our authority over others:Hebrews 13:17, James 3:1

3.     How we employ our God-given abilities:1 Corinthians 12:4, 12:12, 12:2, 2 Timothy 1:6, 1 Peter 4:10

Add to these Scriptures Jesus' teaching of the parables of the ten pounds (Luke 19: 11-26) and the talents (Matthew 25:14-29). Each believer has at least one talent (1 Corinthians 7:12, Ephesians 4:7, 1 Peter 4:10). There are 18 of these gifts (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4). It's up to each believer to find/discern his or her gifts.

1.     How we use our money:2 Corinthians 9:6-7, 1 Timothy 6:17-19

2.     How we spend our time:Psalm 90:12, Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5, 1 Peter 1:17

3.     How much we suffer for Jesus:Matthew 5:11-12, Mark 10:29-30, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 1 Peter 4:12-13

4.     How we run the particular race God has chosen for us:1 Corinthians 9:24, Philippians 2:16, 3:13-14, Hebrews 12:1

5.     How effectively we control the old nature:1 Corinthians 9:25-27, 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 16:3, Philippians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:4

6.     How many souls we witness to and win to Christ:Proverbs 11:30, Daniel 12:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

7.     How we react to temptation:James 1:2-3,Revelation 3:10

8.     How much the doctrine of the Rapture means to us: 2 Timothy 4:8

9.     How faithful we are to the Word of God and the flock of God: Acts 20:26-28, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, 1 Peter 5:2-4

Rewards, the Crowns

The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a crowning day for those Christians who will receive rewards for their works. (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). Unlike the laurel and ivy crowns received from officials at the Bema seat of the Olympics in Corinth, the child of God will receive eternal crowns from the Lord Jesus Himself.

There are five such crowns to be rewarded:

The Incorruptible Crown – The Runner’s Crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Ø The crown for the Christian is the Victor’s Crown for those who keep the flesh under control and bring it into subjection. It is a conquering of the old nature.

Ø To qualify for this crown, we must be faithful in our work (whatever it is) until the end. That is why some refer to this crown as the Worker’s Crown (1 Corinthians 9:25).

The Crown of Rejoicing – The Soul Winner’s Crown(1 Thessalonian 2:19-20)

Ø The first thing that a Christian should pray for and seek to cultivate is the desire, ability and wisdom to win lost souls to Jesus Christ.

Ø Proverbs 11:30 states, “He that wins souls is wise.” He who does not win souls is foolish. Why? He cast aside eternal rewards as though they were bubble gum wrappers.

The Crown of Righteousness – The Watcher’s Crown(1Timothy 4:8)

Ø “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Ø Adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals, drunkards, extortionists, liars, swindlers, and earthly minded are not anxiously awaiting Christ’s return. Neither are carnal believers who neglect the Bible, prayer, God’s house, soul-winning and personal holiness. No, those who look daily and expectantly are not among the earthly minded, who sit in bars, theaters, rock concerts, gambling casinos and other pagan dens. They do not want to be found there when Jesus comes. Their desire, the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), makes them consistently live for His return. They want to be commended but congratulated and crowned in their fight to the finish. They long to hear Jesus say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

The Crown of Life – The Sufferer’s Crown

Ø The Crown of Life is reserved for those who have given all their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Not all of our Lord’s witnesses have been called to suffering and martyrdom. Not all would be willing to pay with their lives to take the message of salvation to the lost. How thoughtful and just our Heavenly Father was when He prepared a martyr’s crown for those who suffer persecution for Christ’s sake! Though some of us will not receive the Crown of Life, we will rejoice with those who refused to count the cost and have died proclaiming the Gospel of Christ (James 1:12).

Ø The reward will also be presented to those who bore illness and infirmity with a smile believing that things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28).

Ø The crown is also given to those who are faithful unto the end. Revelation 2:10 declares, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This is not a reward for salvation, but for service, and is presented to those who remain faithful throughout life, it is the same crown mentioned previously in James 1:12 presented to all who bore trial and testing out of love for the Lord Jesus.

The Crown of Glory – The Shepard’s Crown(1 Peter 5:2-5)

Ø There are many who have been called and ordained by God to preach and teach His Word. These are the “under Shepherds” who care for the flock of God during the absence of the Chief Shepherd. This award is mentioned in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and is undoubtedly reserved for faithful ministers.

One who obeys God will not be sorry. The faithful will be rewarded a hundred fold at the Bema Seat.