At the same time, it should encourage us with the prospect of receiving His lavish rewards if we serve Him faithfully during our time here on earth. First John 2:28 says, "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." That is a sobering thought-we could be ashamed as we stand before the Lord. The greatest consequence of unfaithfulness here on earth is that it disappoints Christ. Sin and indifference cause us to pass up opportunities for service, which we would otherwise perform and be rewarded for. Sin and indifference result in a loss of power in our lives because sin grieves the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul exhorts us to "be careful how walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of time, because the days are evil" (Eph. That in turn means a loss of rewards, because we will not have used our time to His glory. Sin and indifference in this life rob us of our present desire for serving the Lord. It's a time of reward, not punishment.Īt the same time, while we won't be condemned for our sins, our present lives do affect what will happen at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This overall focus should keep us from worrying over every stupid thing we've ever done, or thoughtless sin we have committed. The term used there refers to a summing up and estimation of the total pattern of a believer's life. We will be recompensed for the deeds we have done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. Thus, the purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to examine a Christian's total life. We know that He won't condemn us for our sins at that point, because Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." God gives rewards to the victors He does not whip the losers. Notice that Paul says each man's praise will come to him from God. That passage reveals Paul's emphasis on the judgment seat of Christ. Then each one's praise will come from God."
First Corinthians 4:5 says the Lord will come and "bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. The purpose of the bema is an exhaustive evaluation of our lives. Only church-age saints will appear at that judgment, as shown in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." The Bible talks about the Judgment Seat of Christ-also referred to as the bema-in three places: Romans 14:10-12 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. 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.What is the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ? 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. 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). Some of the things we might be judged on are how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), how victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4), and how well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9). However, that is not going to be the primary focus of the judgment seat of Christ.Īt the judgment seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27 2 Timothy 2:5). Part of this is surely answering for the sins we committed. Yes, as the Bible says, we will have to give an account of ourselves. We should not look at the judgment seat of Christ as God judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us for our lives. All of our sins are forgiven, and we will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). 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).
The judgment seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ. 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. This suggests that the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ is the public.
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (ESV). The word appear in 2 Corinthians 5:10 could be translated to be made manifest. Romans 14:10–12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
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