The Judgement-seat Of Christ

by J.L. Ferguson, Barrhead | Category: The Finger Of Prophecy | Mar 1970

Judgement-seat is a translation of the Greek word bema. It is to be distinguished from the word throne (Greek thronos), which is used in particular of "the throne of His glory", from which the Son of Man will judge the living nations before establishing His millennial kingdom, and of "the great white throne", from which at the close of the thousand years He will judge the dead, the small and the great.

Bema is derived from another Greek word basis, a pace, hence by implication, a foot. Thus a bema was a step, or in common usage a rostrum, dais or platform reached by steps. It could be used for various purposes, as, for example, the official seat of the magistrate or of the adjudicator's seat at the Grecian games. In the original word itself there is no hint of judgement although its application in usage was obviously varied. Thus, although a judgement-seat might indeed be punitive it was not necessarily so, and as we proceed in our study we shall find in particular that the Judgement-seat of Christ is not presented as a judicial seat for condemnation of wrong but rather as a tribunal for assessment of service.

It will simplify our brief consideration of the subject if we look in particular at various aspects of it.

Who will appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ?

We dealt in a previous article with the Lord's coming to the air to take to Himself the members of the Church which is His Body. It is these who are seen in the various New Testament scriptures as standing before the Judgement-seat of Christ. In this connexion the following extracts from letters to Christians in the early churches of God are relevant:

2 Corinthians 5.10"For we must all be made manifest before the Judgement-seat of Christ.

There,

Romans 14.12"Each one of us shall give account of himself to God",

so that

1 Corinthians 3.13"Each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it... "

and then shall

1 Corinthians 4.5 "Each man have his praise from God".

It is generally accepted that only those who are members of the Church which is His Body will appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ. That others will participate in a pre-millennial resurrection is evident. There will be, for example, the redeemed of Old Testament Israel, and the saved of the tribulation period. That they will be called to one of the several tribunals of Him to whom all judgement has been committed is a requirement of Isaiah 45.23. There may well be a reference to this in Revelation 11.18. Certainly Daniel 12.13 is relevant, and the faithful of Israel, with Daniel the prophet, will stand in their lot " at the end of the days"-raised and rewarded for Messiah's kingdom. But for our present study we shall accept that it is the saints of this present dispensation who are viewed in relation to the Judgement-seat of Christ.

When will the Tribunal take place?

The following scriptures give adequate guidance:

Luke 14.14"For thou shalt be recompensed in the

resurrection of the just".

1 Corinthians 4.5"... until the Lord come ... and then

shall each man have his praise from

God".

2 Timothy 4.8"... the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord the righteous Judge,

shall give to me at that day".

Revelation 22.12"Behold, I come quickly; and My

reward is with Me".

There is no scripturalwarrant for assuming, as some have done, that the believer appears before the Judgement-seat at death and receives, separately, any rewards at the Lord's coming. The tribunal is a single event, having to do with both assessment and reward, and is evidently set in association with, and probably following immediately on, the Lord's coming for the Church.

With this agrees the principle seen in the message of the parable of the pounds. "And it came to pass, when He was come back again, having received the kingdom, that He commanded these servants, unto whom He had given the money, to be called unto Him" (Luke 19.15). Also in harmony with this view is Revelation 19.6-10, where the Bride of the Lamb is seen in the choice array of the fine linen which reflects the saints' righteous acts. What has survived the judgement has become the basis of adornment in reward, and the Bride is in readiness for the marriage of the Lamb. Meantime the great harlot, the counterfeit bride, has been destroyed on earth and the Son of Man is preparing to descend on completion of the tribulation period.

What will be the manner of the judgement?

It is an old and sound teaching that there are three judgements for the New Testament believer. These are:

(a) Our past judgement as sinners. Here we rest on such scriptures as John 3.18, "He that believeth on Him is not judged". On the strength of this we exclaim with Paul, "there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8.1). All our sin, past, present and future was judged in our sinless Substitute at Calvary. One of the glories of the New Covenant is "and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more". Thus the Judgement-seat of Christ is not for judging the guilt of sin.

(b) Our judgement as sons. There is an exhortation quoted in Hebrews 12.5,6 which reasons with us as with sons, saying "My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth". A new man was born at our conversion and that new man never sins (see 1 John 3.9). But the old nature remains and in its sad activity the believer is in a state of recurring sin in the flesh. Against this, the Spirit within him constantly wars. Further, with a view to the formation of Christ in the believer, the Lord has a school of chastening through which He calls His sons. From every point of view, He would have them be "partakers of His holiness".

(c) Our judgement as servants. This, we understand, is the character of the judgement at the Judgement-seat of Christ. A careful study of the various references to the subject will confirm this. Taking first the direct references:

Romans 14.12. "So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God". Account here is the Greek word logos. A spoken account will thus be given by each, as servant to "his own lord" (verse 4).

1 Corinthians 3.13-15. "Each man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work shall abide . . . he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss... " Our works will thus be manifested openly for trial so as to ascertain their sort. The purpose of the judgement is to separate the acceptable from the worthless in our lives.

1 Corinthians 4.5. "Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God". Here the Discerner of all our secret thoughts and actions, the Assessor of all the motives and counsels of our hearts, will give just praise where praise is due.

2 Corinthians 5.10. "For we must all be made manifest before the Judgement-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad". Again it will be a review of our accountability in respect of the day of our opportunity, with rewards in direct proportion and correspondence to acceptable service rendered. According as we have done so shall we receive. The worthwhile in our service will appear eternally in reward form. The worthless will be reflected negatively as loss at the Judgement-seat.

Revelation 22.12. "Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each man according as his work is". Again, work reviewed that reward may be given where due.

There is agreement with this view in several of the parables. For example, in the illustration of the talents in Matthew 25.19, "now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them". It was an accounting in respect of "his lord's money" (verse 18). Again, in Luke 19.15 it was a question of what the recipients of the pounds had "gained by trading".

Clearly the nature of the judgement at the Judgement-seat is presented in Scripture as emphasising an examination and assessment of stewardship (in "the domestic court of the palace" as Moule puts it) with a view to commendation and reward rather than a condemnation of sin. Nevertheless sin may well have adversely affected our service and thus the consequent reward. How thankful we should be that nothing can affect the eternal security of the believer!

It will be intensely personal. We Cannot fail to be impressed with the references to "each one" being made manifest, "each one" giving personal, verbal account to Him by whom "actions are weighed" rather than measured. Thus the gold, silver and precious stone will remain after those eyes which are "a flame of fire" have searched our service record through, while the wood, hay and stubble are consumed. A personal accounting of our works (1 Corinthians 3.12-15), our words (Matthew 12.36), and our thoughts (1 Corinthians 4.5). Nothing will escape those eyes; no dedicated life so full as to be incapable of evaluation, no faithful service so small as to go unappreciated. "The government in Washington has a pair of scales so delicate that you can put a piece of thin paper in the scales and weigh it, and then write with a lead pencil on that same piece of paper and weigh it again, and the scales will reveal not only the weight of the paper but also the weight of the amount of lead that was put on the paper from the pencil". So the Lord Jesus said, "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew 10.42).

No wonder a beloved fellow-worker was wont to say, "I wish it were over". As we leave that Judgement-seat we shall be marked Out by the appreciation of the King, not only for the millennial reign, but for the eternal day of God. They will stand nearest to His throne then who drink deepest of His cup now. Already the time to prepare is short. May the Lord help us to train our sights now on eternal things.

Not outward sphere, but inward heart,

The love wherewith we do our part:

Not how large gifts we hold in trust,

But how far used or left to rust.

Not how much done, but how well done,

Faithful to many souls or one.

Seeking the Master's will to find,

And lean on Him with peace of mind:

Content to fail in human eyes,

His smile the one reward and prize.

In any sphere serve Him alone

Till cross is left for crown and throne.