The Judgement
Seat (Bema) of Christ (4/10)
J.Hampton Keathley
The Examiner
or Judge at the Bema: This is none other than the Lord Jesus who
is even now examining our lives and will bring to light the true nature of our
walk and works when we stand before Him at the Bema (Rev. 1-2; 1 Cor. 4:5f; 2
Cor. 5:10; 1 John 2:28). In Romans 14:10 the Apostle called this examining time
the Bema of God while in 2 Corinthians 5:10 he called it the Bema of Christ. The
Point: Jesus who is God is our examiner and rewarder.
The Purpose
and Basis of the Bema: The purpose and the basis is the most
critical issue of all and brings us face to face with the practical aspects of
the Bema. Some crucial questions are: Why are we brought before the Bema? Is it
only for rewards or their loss? Will any punishment be meted out? Will there be
great sorrow? What’s the basis on which the Bema is conducted? Is it sin, good
works, or just what?
The
Problem: Within the church, there exists a good deal of confusion
and disagreement concerning the exact nature of the Bema. The use of the term
“judgment seat” in most translations, ignorance of the historical and cultural
background concerning the Bema, and foggy theology regarding the finished work
of Christ have all contributed to several common misconceptions which, in one
way or another, see God as giving out just retribution to believers for sin, or
at least for our unconfessed sin.
Three Views of
the Bema: For a summary of three major views, let me quote Samuel
L. Hoyt from Bibliotheca Sacra.
Some Bible teachers
view the judgment seat as a place of intense sorrow, a place of terror, and a
place where Christ display all the believer’s sins (or at least those
unconfessed) before the entire resurrected and raptured church. Some go even
further by stating that Christians must experience some sort of suffering for
their sins at the time of this examination.
At the other end of
the spectrum another group, which holds to the same eschatological chronology,
views this event as an awards ceremony. Awards are handed out to every
Christian. The result of this judgment will be that each Christian will be
grateful for the reward which he receives, and he will have little or no shame.
Other Bible teachers
espouse a mediating position. They maintain the seriousness of the examination
and yet emphasize the commendation aspect of the judgment seat. They emphasize
the importance and necessity of faithful living today but reject any thought of
forensic punishment at the Bema. Emphasis is placed on the fact that each
Christian must give an account of his life before the omniscient and holy
Christ. All that was done through the energy of the flesh will be regarded as
worthless for reward, while all that was done in the power of the Holy Spirit
will be graciously rewarded. Those who hold this view believe that the Christian
will stand glorified before Christ without his old sin nature. He will,
likewise, be without guilt because he has been declared righteous. There will be
no need for forensic punishment, for Christ has forever borne all of God’s wrath
toward the believer’s sins.11
This last view I
believe to be the one that is in accord with Scripture. Reasons for this will be
set forth and developed as we study the nature, purpose, and basis for the Bema.
But for now, lest we draw some wrong conclusions, we need to be ever mindful
that God’s Word clearly teaches there are specific and very serious
consequences, both temporal and eternal, for sin or disobedience. Though we will
not be judged in the sense of punished for sin at the Bema since the Lord has
born that for us, we must never take sin lightly because there are many
consequences. [To be concluded]
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[Courtesy: J.Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M.]