What took you so long?"īerkowitz was sentenced to multiple life sentences and sent to prison. As they surrounded his car, his first words were, "You got me. For a year the city lived in fear until finally one day the police caught up with David. His real name was David Berkowitz, and he claimed that a powerful demon who possessed his neighbor's dog was giving him orders to kill women. Years ago a killer stalked the streets of New York who became known as the son of Sam. The blood of Christ washes us from our sins to such a degree that we are placed in a state as though we had never committed sin at all. The forgiveness provided for us through Jesus is thorough, complete, and goes far beyond a mere pardon.
As Corrie Ten Boom used to say, "when we confess our sins, God casts them into the depths of the sea, and puts up a sign: NO FISHING ALLOWED." The Bible declares, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). The question that arises for many is, "Why should there need to be such a judgment seat? Are we not forgiven of our sins? Are we to be punished for them after all?" The answer is that we are indeed forgiven of our sins upon receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior. Christ shall sit as Judge, and we shall stand before Him as the judgee. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul used this concept to describe what would take place in the life of each believer on the Day of Jesus Christ. In Paul's day, kings and city rulers sat on special seats or thrones known as judgment seats to give out rewards for athletes for their superior performances, and also to sit as judge over legal controversies and accusations. In this brief teaching we shall consider the third event of this amazing day – the judgment seat of Christ. Secondly the living believers will be transformed and taken from the earth in an instant, to be with Christ in the heavens.
First, the bodies of those who have died in Christ will be raised and perfected, and will clothe the spirits of the saints. On this amazing Day, unlike any other day in earth's history, three great events will occur. 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.In Paul's epistles, the apostle made reference again and again to the Day of Jesus Christ. 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.
What is the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ?