![]() Preachers have a nasty habit of drawing extensive conclusions from one verse of the Bible while neglecting the other verses in the Bible that also speak to the same issue. When the contests were over, he would reward the winners from the bema seat.Īnd this was the word that Paul used when he spoke of the day when all believers would stand before the Lord to give an account for their lives.įor we will all stand before the judgment seat ( bema) of God (Romans 14.12)ġ0For we must all appear before the judgment seat ( bema) of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. ![]() In those Olympic like events, the umpire sat on a raised platform in the arena where he oversaw the games. Herod was struck down by an angel as he sat on the bema seat (see Acts 12.21).īut the word was also used in the context of the Grecian games in Athens. Jesus appeared before the bema seat of Pilate (see John 19.13), and Paul appeared before the bema seat of Festus in Jerusalem (see Acts 25.6). Gallio sat on the bema seat as he passed judgment and issued his ruling on the charges brought against Paul. The word translated “tribunal” by the ESV is the Greek word, bema. It was before the bema seat that Paul appeared when he was arrested in Corinth.īut when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. The bema seat was the official seat of a judge in the Roman court of law. The Greek word is bema, and it referred to the judgment seat in two very different settings. Paul used a term in his letter to the Romans, and elsewhere in his writings, that was very familiar to first century Christians. In fact, the New Testament is replete with this teaching, starting with the words of Jesus Himself.īut what happens at the judgment seat of Christ? How does this judgment relate to our salvation? Will believers be punished for their sins? Will believers receive rewards based upon their good works? And how does knowing the answer to these questions change how we live our lives today? The fact that we will stand before God and give an account was to be motivation towards doing the right thing.īut this idea of believers standing before the judgment seat of Christ and giving an account of their lives is more than just a throwaway line in Paul’s argument for church unity. ![]() Obviously, Paul was using the reality of this truth to motivate them to welcome each other in the Lord and to resist the temptation to judge. And on the day of judgment, we will have to answer to God for judging our brother or sister in Christ and for despising them.ġ0Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God 11for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Not only is it not our job to judge their convictions, for that role is the exclusive right of their Master, but we must also remember that we will stand before the Lord ourselves and give an accounting of ourselves to God. On some issues, Christians will come to different convictions about what it means to honor the Lord in faith, and we are to welcome one another and pursue peace with these fellow believers. Paul made this statement while teaching the believers in Rome not to judge one another on matters of opinion. For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14.10). ![]()
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