[Revelation: The Comeback] Our Final Exam Загвар

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

Isn’t it amazing that God decided not to deal with us according to our sins, so as not to punish us? The Bible tells us that as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us; moreover, He decided to cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. These are promises found in the Old Testament, but fulfilled in the New Testament, as Jesus became the Lamb of God who was slain to give us eternal life. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him has eternal life and will not be condemned, crossing from death to life. He has given us perfect assurance of salvation.  

However, the Bible does say that believers will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, who will reward each person according to what he or she has done. This is not a judgment to determine who will enter heaven. If we are true believers, our sins have already been dealt with at the cross. Each believer will also have to go through a final exam to receive a reward according to what he or she has done, whether good or bad. 

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 that we must be careful on how we build, since Christ is the only foundation of our spiritual building or dwelling. We may build with gold, silver, or precious stones; or we may build with wood, dry grass, or leaves. One day, God will put our work to the test of fire to show whether it is good or bad. If the fire does not destroy the work we carried out, we will receive a good reward; if the work is destroyed, we will be saved, but as someone who survived a fire.

The Greeks had large Olympic arenas with an elevated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. The bema, as it was called, was not a judicial court, but a reward seat. The judgment seat of Christ is like the bema. It is not a place to punish believers, but to reward them for their faithful service. Each one of us will give account of what we have done after putting our trust in Christ as our Savior. 

The Christian life is a race. We must therefore run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. Remember, there will be a reward at the end!