The Greek word for “judgment
seat” is bema. The “judgment seat of
Christ” and the
“bema seat of Christ” are one and the same.
Our Lord stood before the
judgment (bema) seat of Herod. Paul stood before the judgment seats of various
cities in the Roman Empire and eventually Rome itself. Peter stood before the
judgment seat of Rome, as did many others.
In the United States of
America, those accused by the law of the land stand before the earthly judge at
the judgment seat to state their case and receive a verdict.
Judgment seats are commonly
used to state ones case and have an opinion declared. Maybe that is why some
Christians fear the judgment (or bema) seat of Christ. From what I gather in
listening to those Christians who fear Christ’ judgment seat, the concern seems
to center on two gut-wrenching worries; (1) “Is Jesus going to declare me unfit
for Heaven and send me to hell?” and (2) “Is Jesus going to expose all my sins
to everyone else, even my sins no one else knows about?
I suppose it is easy to see
why some Christians would have this concern since we are talking about a
“judgment” seat. It is natural to think, “I’m going to be judged, and that is
never a good thing.” We do usually think of being judged on this level as being
in the predicament of an accused in court and facing prison or worse. So the
next step is to think, “If Jesus finds me guilty, then I’m going to hell
(prison) and everyone is going to know what a rotten person I am.
Stop the train right here! Think
about this folks! Think about what you are saying! The judgment seat of Christ
is for Christians (the Church, the bride of Christ, the believers) ONLY. It is
to judge the quality of our works to determine our rewards ONLY.
Can I be sent to hell at the judgment seat of Christ?
The answer to this question
is an emphatic NO! If you are a believer, you are child of Almighty God. You
were saved by grace through faith because you complied with the will of the
Father which is,
“And this is the will of him
who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise
them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the
Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at
the last day.” (John 6:39-40)
“And you also were included
in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy
Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of
those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Jesus will judge the Church
at the judgment seat. No unbeliever will be there. All who are at the judgment
seat of Christ will be with Him in Heaven and always be with Him for eternity.
The judgment seat of Christ
is not to determine who is going to Heaven or hell. Actually, only our works
will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. Our sins are not mentioned, and
that brings us to the next question.
Will all my sins be made known at the judgment seat of
Christ?
The answer to this question
is also an emphatic NO! All of our sins were judged at the cross. Jesus was
judged, at the cross, for every sin we committed during our entire lifetime. Do
you really think that the blood of Jesus was not good enough to do the job?
“When you were dead in your
sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal
indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away,
nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
The Greek word for “all” in
verse 13 is pas. It means; each,
every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything.
“But when this priest had
offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of
God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For
by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
(Hebrews 10:12-14)
The Greek word for “perfect”
in verse 14 is teleioo. It means; to
carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end.
Yes my friends, if you are a
believer in the Lord Jesus, you will be at the judgment seat of Christ. Yes,
you are guaranteed to be with the Lord forever throughout eternity. Hell will
not be an issue. Jesus settled that at the cross on our behalf when we put our
trust in Him.
Also, your sins will never be
mentioned, and I am so grateful that mine will not be mentioned either. That
too, was settled at the cross on our behalf when we put our trust in Him.
So, what is the purpose of
the judgment seat of Christ? At the judgment seat of Christ, He will reward us
for the life we lived for Him from the time we were saved. Now, we are getting
down to the nitty-gritty. How faithful have we been to Him since we were saved?
In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 we
find that the quality of our WORKS will be judged at that time. Not US, but our
WORKS. The quality of our works will be revealed with fire. If our works are as
wood, hay or straw, they will burn up. If they are as gold, silver or costly
stones, they will not, and we will receive a reward.
“Do you not know that in a
race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to
get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that
will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do
not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make
it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
In the following Scripture
passages we are told of crowns we may receive: 2 Timothy 2:5; 4:8; James 1:12;
1 Peter 5:4 and Revelation 2:10
Maybe we should ask ourselves
once more, “How faithfully have I served Christ?” Many Christians are going to
smell like smoke when leaving the judgment seat of Christ because the quality
of their works will be like wood, hay and straw. Their place in Heaven is
assured, but will there be any rewards?
Will the quality of our
works, any of them, be like gold, silver and costly stones? Maybe we need to
work on that. Otherwise, we will have no rewards.
I realize that most all of us,
especially those of us who are older, can look back on our lives and regret the
time we have wasted; the time we have not used wisely for Christ.
When I am at the judgment
seat of Christ I know my salvation is secure, and I cannot thank Him enough
that my sins will never be brought up, but am I going to be ashamed of the life
I have wasted, when I could have been serving Him? I say this on my behalf and
all of you who may have the same concern.
I believe that most
Christians today don’t lose much sleep over the question; how faithfully have I
served Christ? If that is true, it is most unfortunate, because there will be a
lot of “red faces” when we stand before Christ with empty hands. It doesn’t
have to be that way, if we just wake up now and get serious about serving Him.
What constitutes “serving
Christ?” I would say that whatever I do that honors His name, not mine, but His
name, and glorifies Him would be included; such as unashamedly telling others
about Him, studying His Word to know Him, prayer to fellowship with Him, being
a Christian witness to others that honors Him, and obeying Him as per His Word.
That would be a start.
Before we get too depressed,
know this; the judgment seat of Christ will be a time of joy not a time of
despair. It will be a much greater time of joy though if we have a crown that
we can lay at His feet. Let us get serious about serving Him and not be
ashamed.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
