Judgment seat (968) (bema) (see also Judgment by the Saints) in its most common NT use refers to a raised platform on which an official is seated when rendering judgment on certain legal cases or athletic events.
McComiskey writes that
In secular Gk. bema is used in the sense of step or stride, as in walking (Pindar, Aeschylus). It has also the associative connotation of a pace as a unit of measure. The word is also used as a platform for a public speaker and, in legal contexts, it denotes the place where litigants stood for trial (Demosthenes, Aeschines)." (Brown, Colin, editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology)
Bema is found 12 times in the NT (see below) and in the is translated as: ground, 1; judgment seat, 7; rostrum, 1; tribunal, 3. In the KJV it is translated once as crown.
Related Resource - The Judgment Seat of Christ by S Lewis Johnson
Click for a picture of the remains of the bema at the ruin in Corinth.
Here are the 12 NT uses of bema...
Mt 27:19 And while he (Pilate) was sitting on the judgment seat, (bema = here the official seat of Pilate the judge of Jesus!) his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."
John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat (bema) at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
Acts 7:5 "And He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground (bema); and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his offspring after him. (This is the only NT use of bema in the sense of step as a unit of measure).
Acts 12:21 And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum (or "tribunal") (bema = the structure, resembling a throne, which Herod built in the theater at Caesarea, and from which he used to view the games and make speeches and orations to the people) and began delivering an address to them.
Acts 18:12 But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat (bema),
Acts 18:16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat (bema).
Acts 18:17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat (bema). And Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
Acts 25:6 And after he (Festus, the Roman governor or procurator who succeeded Felix in the province of Judea) had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea; and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal (bema) and ordered Paul to be brought.
Acts 25:10 But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal (bema), where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.
Acts 25:17 "And so after they had assembled here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal (bema), and ordered the man to be brought.
Romans 14:10 (note) But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat (bema) of God.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat (bema) of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (since Corinth had a literal bema where both athletic rewards and legal justice were dispensed [see Ac 18:12ff above], the Corinthians clearly would understand Paul’s reference)
As A W Tozer rightly said
Before the judgement seat of Christ my service will not be judged by how much I have done but by how much of me there is in it. (!)
Spurgeon illustrates this same idea with a story...
You remember the old Romish legend, which contains a great truth. There was a brother who preached very mightily, and who had won many souls to Christ, and it was revealed to him one night in a dream, that in heaven he would have no reward for all he had done. He asked to whom the reward would go, and the angel told him it would go to an old man who used to sit on the pulpit stairs and pray for him. Well, it may be so, but both would most likely share their Master's praise. We shall not be rewarded, however, simply according to our apparent success. — Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon
Occasionally a benevolent action wrought in faith brings with it an instantaneous recompense in kind; therein Providence is seen as smiling upon the deed. The late John Andrew Jones, a poor Baptist minister, whilst walking in Cheapside, was appealed to by some one he knew for help. He had but a shilling in the world, and poised it in his mind, to give or not to give? The greater distress of his acquaintance prevailed, and he gave his all, walking away with a sweet remembrance of the promise, "He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given, will he pay him again." He had not gone a hundred yards further before he met a gentleman who said, "Ah, Mr. Jones, I am glad to see you. I have had this sovereign in my waistcoat pocket this week past for some poor minister, and you may as well have it." Mr. Jones was wont to add, when telling the story, "If I had not stopped to give relief I should have missed the gentleman and the sovereign too." — Spurgeon - Feathers for Arrows
Bema means a step forward made by a foot (the space which the foot covers). In most NT uses it refers to a platform that requires steps to ascend. Depending on the setting, the bema could be a tribunal from which the judge or magistrate would address an assembly from a chair placed on the structure (the bema). Thus the judge would sit elevated above those he was addressing and rendering judgment upon.
It is important not to confuse the Bema “judgment seat” in (Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10) with the Great White Throne from which Christ will judge the wicked unsaved of all ages (Revelation 20:11-15-notes).
TWO JUDGMENTS
COMPARED
2Cor 5:9,10 Rev 20:11,12, 13, 14, 15
Judgment Seat of Christ Great White Throne Judgment
Only believers Only unbelievers
After the Rapture
Before the Millennium After the 1000 year reign of Messiah
Before the New Heaven and Earth
Determines
rewards for service Determines
amount of eternal judgment
The bema then was a raised place or tribune (the platform from which an assembly is addressed) to speak from in a public assembly or court of law.
The bema was also the stand on which the judges stood to observe and evaluate the actions of athletes in the Olympic contests. If any athlete broke a rule, one or more of the judges (referees or umpires) would point to him and cry, “Adokimos!" (96) (that is, “Disqualified!” see discussion of adokimos in 1Cor 9:24, 25, 26, 27-note). And thus he missed the prize (victor’s wreath -- see discussion of stephanos) (4735) regardless of the place he finished in the race or contest (see discussion of the necessity for athletes to compete according to the rules in 2Ti 2:5-note). Likewise, when an event was completed, the contestants stood before the bema to hear the judges’ announcement of the results, and to receive such reward as might properly be theirs. This is a uniquely fitting illustration to make clear to us the fact that service and life are to be evaluated by our Lord, with possible reward (cf Luke 16:2 "And he [a certain rich man who had a steward] called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.').
As noted above, the bema was also used for a tribune, two of which were provided in the law-courts of Greece, one for the accuser and one for the defendant; it was applied to the tribunal of a Roman magistrate or ruler. The judge invariably sat on a special seat or throne. Jerusalem and the smaller cities alike had their thrones for judgment (Judges 4:5-note; 1Ki 7:7; Ps 122:5-note). In Rome, magistrate and jury were seated together on the raised tribunal or bench. The custom extended also to the provinces.
In the NT, kriteria (2922), tribunals, is used of law courts generally 1Co 6:2, 1Co 6:4 - note who will be judge at these courts! Cp Rev 2:26,27-note Rev 3:21-note), while bema is applied to the judgment seat not only of the Emperor (Acts 25:10) but also of the governors:
In applying the term bema, may be thinking simply of the tribunal of the Roman magistrate before which he himself had stood, or he may be thinking of the Greek way of justice.
All Greek citizens were liable to serve as judges, or, as we would say, as jurymen. When an Athenian sat in judgment on a case he was given two bronze discs. Each had a cylindrical axis. One axis was hollow and that disc stood for condemnation; one was solid and that disc stood for acquittal. On the bema there stood two urns. One, of bronze, was called "the decisive urn", for into it the judge dropped the disc which stood for his verdict. The other, of wood, was called "the inoperative urn", for into it the judge dropped the disc which he desired to discard. So at the end the jury dropped into the bronze urn either the disc that stood for acquittal or the one that stood for condemnation. To an onlooker they looked exactly alike and none could tell the verdict the judges gave. Then the discs were counted and the verdict given. Even so some day we shall await the verdict of God (for rewards or lack of rewards but not for sin for there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" see notes on Romans 8:1). When we remember this great truth, life becomes a tremendous and a thrilling thing,
All believers are either making or marring a destiny
Winning or losing a crown
Time becomes the testing ground of eternity
In light of brevity of our life and the length of eternity and the certainty of the bema seat ponder these words by the great missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson (click biography):
A life once spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity...the same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks which we put upon it, it will exhibit forever...each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting destiny....How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness...! It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone, indelibly marked."
This is Coram Deo living before the face of God, Carpe Diem seizing the day, because Tempus Fugit, time flies and so our daily prayer should be "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12 - see Spurgeon's note), doing all things as "for the Lord"
The measure of a life
is determined by the Ruler of the universe
The Judgment seat
is meant for us professing Christians, real and imperfect Christians; and it tells us that there are degrees in that future blessedness proportioned to present faithfulness. Alexander Maclaren, 1826-1910
It is only Christians who are in view at the Bema seat of Christ. All that we have hidden shall be revealed. The bema seat will be an exhaustive evaluation of our lives. 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. Then each one's praise will come from God.
Note that Paul says each man's praise will come to him from God, which indicates each will in fact receive praise. On the other hand, note that at the Bema seat God does not whip those who have been less faithful during their lives for Paul clearly teaches that
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (see note Romans 8:1)
Thus, the purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to examine each believer's entire life on earth, to recompense for the deeds, whether good or bad (2Cor. 5:10). The idea is that there will be a summing up and estimation of the total pattern of a believer's life. The focus will not be on every foolish or sinful thing we have ever done. The Bema is a time of reward, not punishment.
A W Tozer writes that...
Our motives in the Christian life should be both right and genuine. God is the Faithful One. We are to love Him and serve Him because He is God—not because of the gracious things He does for us or for the rewards He promises us!
However, it should be said that God does not expect us to forget or ignore the gracious future promises He has made to us. It is a glorious truth that if we believe God and honor His Word, if we walk by faith in love and obedience, there will be eternal rewards for each of us in that great coming day. The rewards will differ. Wisdom and knowledge and love reside in Him who is our God. He will make the right judgments for His people.
I for one will not be surprised if some of God's faithful people serving Him today should rise as high and shine as brightly as the heroes of faith listed in the book of Hebrews.
I say that in all truthfulness because I do not think that all of the heroes of faith are dead and gone!
Deeds done in the Spirit, in obedience to Christ and with the purpose of bringing honor to the Triune God, are seeds of endless blessedness.
The first gift of life is not by works, but by faith in the work of a sufficient Redeemer; but after the miracle of the new birth has been accomplished, the Christian to a large extent carries his future in his hands. If he denies himself and takes up his cross in meek obedience, his deeds will become seeds of life and everlasting glory.
He may forget his deeds of love or think them small and useless, but God is not unmindful. He never forgets.
The sweet harvest of a life well lived will be there to meet the sower after the toil is ended and the heat of the day is past
Spurgeon wrote that...
The service of God is a remunerative service; He gives wages in the work, and an abundant reward, according to His grace, when the work is done...
Your reward is not what you get at present, but it lies in the glorious future. When the Lord Jesus comes He will reward all His stewards and servants. No truth is more plain in the four Gospels than this fact, that when Jesus returns to this earth He will distribute recompense in proportion to work done...
He will certainly come in His own person to reward His saints; and ere He comes He sees what you are doing. If this does not nerve you to tireless diligence in holy service, what can?...
If the action is not done in the Lord's service, but with a view to our own honour, we cannot expect a reward from above.
Short is life; fleeting is time; quick is death; sure is judgment; long is eternity. Therefore, what thou desirest to do, do it quickly.
Thou wilt deeds of love repay;
Grace shall gen'rous hearts reward
Here on earth, and in the day
When they meet their reigning Lord.
He can labor without present reward who looks for a reward in the world to come...
God is both the rewarder and the reward of his people...He that wills to serve God for nought, will find that he does not serve God for nought. Our motive must be free from selfishness, but in the end the Lord will reward all the faithful.
Mind your work, and God will find your wages. If not today, nor tomorrow, yet very certainly and abundantly, according to his grace, he will reward every good work.
No pain, no palm. We must endure the toil and the suffering, or we may not expect the reward. The winner must first be a runner.
Soldiers of the Lord below,
Strong in faith resist the foe:
Boundless is the pledged reward
Unto them who serve the Lord.
'Tis no palm of fading leaves,
Which the conqueror's hand receives;
Joys are his serene and pure,
Light that ever shall endure.
For the souls that overcome
Waits the beauteous heavenly Home,
Where the blessed evermore
Tread, on high, the starry floor.
Spurgeon gives this illustration...
You remember the old Romish legend, which contains a great truth. There was a brother who preached very mightily, and who had won many souls to Christ, and it was revealed to him one night in a dream, that in heaven he would have no reward for all he had done. He asked to whom the reward would go, and the angel told him it would go to an old man who used to sit on the pulpit stairs and pray for him. Well, it may be so, but both would most likely share their Master's praise. We shall not be rewarded, however, simply according to our apparent success. — Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon
John Flavel
Those who give to God only the shadow of duty can never expect from him a real reward.
William Childs Robinson
The judgement seat of Christ lends a seriousness to all life. (Ed: Beloved is this statement true of you?)
John Blanchard writes that...
The fact that the Christian can face the day of judgement secure in the knowledge that he will not be rejected does not mean that he is to think of it in terms of a glorified prize-giving...We shall stand before the judgement seat of Christ on the basis of our performance, not our profession....We will go past the judgement seat of Christ in single file. -- The Complete Gathered Gold
John MacArthur adds that...
At 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. Here's how:
Sin and indifference in this life rob us of our present desire for serving the Lord. That in turn means a loss of rewards, because we will not have used our time to His glory. That is why Paul exhorts us to "be careful how [we] walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of [our] time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:15, 16-notes; 16).
Sin and indifference result in a loss of power in our lives because sin grieves the Holy Spirit.
Sin and indifference cause us to pass up opportunities for service, which we would otherwise perform and be rewarded for.
The greatest consequence of unfaithfulness here on earth is that it disappoints Christ. 1Jn 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. 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. (from What is the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ?; see also Believer’s Rewards)
Bill Vaughn in his thesis submitted to Master's Seminary reaches the following conclusion...
When Paul’s teaching on the judgment seat of Christ is stripped of the unbiblical teaching of punishment for sin at the judgment seat of Christ, what is left is the biblical picture of a future date before Jesus Christ that all Christians should anticipate. The nature of the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ is not to judge sin. No biblical basis for that position exists. The nature of the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ is to judge each Christian’s service for possible rewards. Jesus has let us see this future event so that we can use it as a motivation to serve Him now, in our bodies, in a manner that will please Him and, ultimately, merit rewards for us. Paul’s greatest ambition was to please his Lord, desiring that, when the deeds done in his body were tested by fire, most of them would remain as gold, silver, or precious stones to be rewarded by Jesus. Given the proper understanding of the judgment seat of Christ, Christians should follow Paul’s example and let the judgment seat of Christ be the reason for their ambition to please the Lord Jesus Christ in all of their service. (The Judgment Seat of Christ - Thesis)
There was a rabbinic saying...
Let not thine imagination assure thee that the grave is an asylum; for perforce thou wast framed, and perforce thou wast born. and perforce thou livest, and perforce thou diest, and perforce thou art about to give account and reckoning before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is he.
As a dedicated Christian worker once said...
The pay may not always be too good but you can't beat His retirement plan.
Canadian Missionary J. Goforth (click brief biography) gives a beautiful illustration of what every believer wants to hear someday
When he was fifteen years of age his father put him in charge of their second farm, which was twenty miles from the home farm. "Work hard," said his father. "At harvest I'll return and inspect." In later years Goforth stirred many an audience as he told of his arduous labors that summer, of his father's return in the fall and of how his heart thrilled when his father, after inspecting the fields of beautiful waving grain, turned to him and smiled. "That smile," he would say, "was all the reward I wanted. I knew my father was pleased. So will it be, dear Christians, if we are faithful to the trust our Heavenly Father has given us. His smile of approval will be our blessed reward."
I like Ray Stedman's prayer here:
Thank you, our Father, for these searching words which make us all feel a bit guilty. We have all been guilty of this, whether strong or weak. We have judged our brother, and condemned him. Forgive us for that, Lord. Help us to see that we have been usurping Your place, Lord Jesus, in doing so. Help us to stop that, and to begin to answer only for ourselves before Your throne, and upholding and praying for our brother or sister if we feel they need it. Grant to us, Lord, that illuminating understanding of truth that sets us free. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.
Who does God's work will get God's pay,
However long may seem the day,
However weary be the way;
Though powers and princes thunder "Nay,"
Who does God's work will get God's pay.
He does not pay as others pay,
In gold or land or raiment gay;
In goods that vanish and decay;
But God in wisdom knows a way,
And that is sure, let come what may,
Who does God's work will get God's pay.
— Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
Wayne Barber explains why Paul brings up the Bema Seat in Romans 14. Why does he seem to interject this topic in a chapter that has to do with discussion of relationships? Wayne's explanation, although a bit lengthy, will help you understand one aspect of the Bema Seat judgment, an aspect that we can put into practice immediately in our Christian walks...before that awesome day when we must stand before Jesus our Righteous Judge and give an accounting!
Ro 14:10 says, "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God."
The present tense is used (you are continually judging). This is spiritual pride. Some of the saints have understood the message of grace and they are hammering the people who don’t understand, making them look stupid, scorning them, shunning them. Paul is saying, "You had better stop doing that." As a matter of fact, the emphasis here is like, "Who are you to judge anybody? There is a Judge and you are going to stand before Him one day, but you are not Him. What do you mean judging?"
The word for "judge" is krino and we have seen it in Ro 14:3, 4, 5 and it means to come to a decision that you execute upon someone based on what you see and what you know and probably in front of their peers. Now, to apply that to Ro 14:10, you have judged that your brother in Christ is wrong and is hung up in legalism. But rather than choosing love him by gently instructing, exhorting and praying for him, you make him look bad in front of his peers. Isn’t it kind of fun to do that sometimes? Have you ever had a bad day and done that? Some of you have had those days in which you just won’t repent and just sort of feel the luxury of ripping your brother and tearing him down and saying things because you have picked up a weakness in that brother and you just enjoy talking about it. By your talking about his weakness, you are making yourself look better. All of us have done that, haven’t we? The Apostle Paul is saying, "Folks, you don’t seem to understand." We are going to be held accountable for the things that we say and the way we treat the weaker brother or in any other relationship of our life. We will stand before a Holy God one day.
"Who are you," he says, "to judge your brother?"
He goes on and asks the second question. He says, "Who are you to regard your brother with contempt?" The word "contempt" means to treat him as if he is nothing, to despise him. Again it’s the same attitude. The principle or the reason he says this is found in the last part of the verse. He says, "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." That is a sobering statement. If we stopped right there, every one of us would just have to start repenting. We are all going to stand. There is going to be a reckoning. There is going to be an accountability that God is going to hold us to one day in the future. And there are many Christians who treat this thing lightly. Their families are split apart. They go through life with bitter relationships. They don’t really care what they say about people. They always are somehow building themselves up without understanding they are going to answer before a Holy God one day for what they have said and how they have treated their brother. We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.
That is in the future tense. There is an event coming. There is an appointment you and I have to keep. We are going to stand before God one day and we are going to give an account of how we live. He says, "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." "Stand before" is the word paristemi. It means to be made to stand before the presence of an authority who has the power to judge.
I think Paul is trying to say, "Folks, do you really believe this?" I personally believe that most people don’t believe this. If they did, they would live differently. They wouldn’t say some of the things they say. They wouldn’t do some of the things they do. We have an appointment. The Judge is coming. He has given us the freedom and He has given us the privilege and He is coming to hold us accountable for what He has given to us. That is what he is saying. We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.
The term "judgment seat of God" is interesting. The Nestle’s text says "God" but the Textus Receptus says "Christ". Now you say, "Well, isn’t Christ God?" Yes, He is and there possibly isn’t any real distinction, but I am going to make one.
In the Textus Receptus it says the Bema Seat or the Judgment Seat of Christ. Now the term "judgment seat" is the term Bema. You have heard of the Bema Seat of Christ. What is the Bema? Well, Bema is the word that refers to a throne that was set up above the people to give the position of authority. It was a throne of judgment. It was on a platform. As a matter of fact, it was used for many things, not just judgment. Sometimes oracles were made there and sometimes debates were held. It was a place with a high rostrum. It was always given that place of distinction.
In
- Bible
- Read the Bible
- Bible Versions
- Verse of the Day
- Reading Plans
- Verses by Topic
- Books of the Bible
- Bible Images
- Study
- Commentaries
- Concordances
- Dictionaries
- Encyclopedias
- Sermons
- Bible Atlas & Maps
- BP Wiki
- Devotionals
- Today's Devotionals
- Light of the World
- All Devotionals
- Inspirational Quotes
- More
- Picture Quotes
- Videos
- Inspirational
- Bible Study
- What The Bible Says
- Bible Q&As
- Daily Bread
- Bible by Genre
- Bible Stories
- Random Bible Verse
- Community
- Store