The Judgement Seat of Christ

Transcript:
At the end of the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12)
Now we must remember that we are not saved by works - we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. But once we have been saved, we are profoundly responsible for what we have done with the rest of our lives - our good works do count for something at the judgement seat of Christ!

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” (2 Corinthians 5:9,10)

The (Greek) word translated “judgement seat” is “bema”. Depending on the context, this word can also be translated as “tribunal” or “raised place”. In ancient Roman culture the bema seat was an elevated platform from where announcements, declarations, speeches, or judgements were made. The judges of the Greek Olympic Games reviewed the preparation and training of the contestants and rewarded the winners who had kept the rules. Typically the prize was a stephanos, a crown made of woven branches.

Before we consider the magnitude of this judgment, there are two important things to keep in mind. Firstly, the Bible says that only we as believers will stand before the judgement seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) and give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14:12).
Those who are not saved will be raised to a different judgement - the Great White Throne Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15) where they will be judged for their sins against God, (link to Great white throne video)
But we as believers will appear at the judgement seat of Christ where we will be rewarded for the measure of our faithfulness to God during this life.
“Our eternal destination,” according to Bruce Wilkinson, is “the consequence of what we believe on earth. Our eternal compensation is the consequence of how we behave on earth.”

Secondly, we must understand that this judgement for believers is not a judgement regarding salvation, but for service. The Lord Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24) and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). And why did Jesus die? The Bible says, “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
So the purpose for this judgement is to assess how every believer has lived for Christ and determine what rewards are to be received.

Paul used the construction of a building to illustrate what will happen to believers at the judgement seat of Christ. He said, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13)
The Bible says that Jesus “will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due” (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Believers, we will be judged for our intentions - the motivations we had when we carried out our service for Christ whilst here on earth. This judgement is a sobering reminder to every Christian that a day of testing is coming and the day of pretending will be over.
“If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)

Everything that was done in out of pride, selfishness or personal gain will go up in smoke. Everything that was done out of sacrifice, mercy and grace - everything done out of love for God and for others will stand up under the fire.
Some believers will have an abundant entrance (2 Peter 1:11), have confidence at His appearing (1 John 2:28), and receive a full reward (2 John 8); while others shall be ashamed at His appearing (1 John 2:28), and be saved so as by fire (1 Cor 3:15). When we read the parables that Jesus told, it seems to be clear that our role and responsibility during the millennial reign of Christ on earth will also be determined by His assessment on this great day.

When it is your turn to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, will you receive commendation and enjoy reward or will you suffer loss and experience regret?
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