There was also a bema at Corinth, where unbelieving Jews unsuccessfully accused Paul before the Roman proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12, 16, 17). In the New Testament it was used of the judgment seats of Pilate (Matt. In Greek culture bema referred to the elevated platform on which victorious athletes received their crowns, much like the medal stand in the modern Olympic games. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses it that way in Nehemiah 8:4. Italics in original.) Judgment seat translates bema, which, in its simplest definition, describes a place reached by steps, or a platform. (The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 183. And it is especially in the bearing of much fruit that the Father is glorified (Jn. This fruit is expected by Christ, for it brings glory to the Father and is evidence to the world of the dynamic reality of divine grace. The justification of the sinner, it is true, is by faith in Christ and not by works of his own but the hidden root of faith must bring forth the visible fruit of good works. Philip Hughes comments, It is worth remembering that a passage like this shows that, so far from there being discord, there is an essential agreement between the teaching of Paul and that of James on the subject of faith and works.
But though salvation is not by works, works are the inevitable result of true salvation. Because of His atoning sacrifice on our behalf, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.… Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us” (Rom. As our substitute, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24) “He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb. At the cross “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. Every sin of every believer was judged at the Cross, when God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. The true assessment of the work God has done in and through believers will be disclosed on that day.īelievers will not be judged for sin at the judgment seat of Christ. First Samuel 16:7 declares that “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” “There is no creature hidden from His sight,” the writer of Hebrews adds, “but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. All hypocrisy and pretense will be stripped away all temporal matters with no eternal significance will vanish like wood, hay, and stubble, and only what is to be rewarded as eternally valuable will be left. Each will discover the real verdict on his or her ministry, service, and motives.
When does the judgment seat of christ take place full#
In that day, the full truth about their lives, character, and deeds will be made clear to each believer. Nor do believers’ hearts need to be made manifest to the omniscient God, who already knows every detail of their lives.
Believers will be too preoccupied with the unveiling of their own deeds to pay attention to the revealing of others’. Others hold that the disclosure of which Paul writes will be to other believers, a view also without biblical support. Some have argued that believers’ secret motives and heart attitudes will be made manifest to the holy angels there is, however, no biblical support for such speculation. Hughes writes, “To be made manifest means not just to appear, but to be laid bare, stripped of every outward façade of respectability, and openly revealed in the full and true reality of one’s character” ( The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 180). Phaneroo ( appear) means, “to make manifest,” “to make clear,” “to make visible,” or “to reveal.” Commenting on the meaning of phaneroo, Philip E. That knowledge produced in Paul strong motivation to please God in this life. The strong terms must and all stress the inevitability and comprehensiveness of this event. That will take place in the future when believers must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. (5:10)Driving Paul’s noble ambition was the knowledge that there would be a penetrating uncovering of the depths of his heart by the Lord Himself. The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5.įor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
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