_­ The Bema & the Mishpat

Prelim

       Christians who are accustomed to thinking of God primarily as their loving Heavenly Father sometimes forget the consequences of disobeying Him. He certainly does love us and, I believe, He would like for us to have His best always. But choices we make often interfere for one reason or another.

For instance, God established rewards for faithful service that the disobedient cannot receive. Worse yet, disobedience brings condemnation. My Dad used to say “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” Which means, “if you want God’s best you should submit your life to Him.

Text:  2 Cor. 5:9-10:

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Introduction

The word "judgment" can make men tremble. None of us like being put on trial, whether or not we are actually guilty of anything. But all of us face a coming judgment and we should prepare for it carefully. You and I will stand before God for an accounting eventually. If Jesus’ blood does not cover your sin you will not want to face your judgment. Don’t forfeit eternal life and don’t miss rewards for Christian obedience.

News

The bad news is - you are scheduled for judgment.” The good news is – you can choose your fate. Although all men will face the same judge, we won't all appear at the same judgment. Lost sinners and saved sinners will not be judged together.

One reason

      I imagine many of you can quote Hebrews 9:27, which says, ”It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” However, since the definite article does not appear in the original language, the passage should read, in English, “It is reserved to men once to die, after this judgment.” (Interlinear Hebrew Greek English Bible).

Everyone will be judged: lost sinners at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) and forgiven sinners at The Judgment Seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:9-10). The two judgments will occur at different times and in different places. They will be separated by at least a thousand years. And you can choose the one you attend.

God’s love

Although God provided salvation for us we are not forced to accept it. He wants us to have eternal life but His patience is limited. Those who reject His mercy will “suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” (Proverbs 29:1). If you have not received God’s forgiveness listen carefully. Tomorrow may be too late. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2^nd Corinthians 6:2). As Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6).

Jesus, Judge or Savior?

Believe it: a judgment day is coming. Yours will depend on whether you have received God’s offer of salvation through Christ. (See Acts 16:25-34). Accept His mercy and Jesus will be your Savior. Reject it and you will pay a needless price for your sin in - a place of endless torment. Whether you call it Hell, Sheol, Hades, Death, the Grave, the Pit, or something else, don’t go there. It will end up in the “Lake of Fire.” (Rev. 20:14).

The Righteous too

Make no mistake: God will call the righteous to account as He does the unrighteous, even though they will face different judgments. Thank God, the righteousness that counts is fairly easy to come by. It is, in fact, a gift from God to the redeemed.

2^nd Corinthians 5:21 describes it this way: “For He (God) has made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” And, as Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Christians will not be condemned for sins already forgiven; they will be judged on how well they served their Redeemer. Is Jesus Lord in your life? He is only when you do His will His way.

Re-read text

Look at the text again (2 Cor. 5:9-10). It applies to born-again Christians who serve God faithfully. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Bema

Note: The term “judgment seat,” from that passage of Scripture, was expressed in the original language by the Greek word “Bema.” (Strong's 968). And, although those verses do speak of a judgment of sorts, the event will involve forgiven sinners. 

The word “Bema” was used by the Greeks to describe a ceremony held at the conclusion of Olympic games. Ten other Greek words translated to "judgment," in the KJV New Testament, refer to things like accusation, condemnation, damnation, punishment, sentence, vengeance, etc.; “Bema” does not.

A seat

“Bema” is another word for "dais," or "rostrum," or “judgment-seat,” where Olympic Judges viewed both the competition and the competitors. The "seat" provided unobstructed views. The judges could see every contest clearly and know exactly what took place at each one. After the games ended, the contestants appeared before the  "seat" of the person in charge to learn how he rated them. So the “Bema” of 1^st Cor 5:9-10 is a judgment only in the sense that born-again Christians will face Christ and hear His evaluation of them.

Grace and works

We are saved by Grace and kept by grace but we are required to work for the Lord and our works must pass inspection.  Kingdoms built for self don't count; we must work for Him. Errands run to impress people earn no commendations either. Do you expect to receive a prize at the Bema? Who are you serving? Are your works acceptable to God? (1^st. Cor. 3:10-13).

 Mishpat

“Mishpat” is another word translated to judgment. It is a Hebrew word used, among other places, in Psalm 37. In that Psalm, the NKJV renders “Mishpat” as "justice" rather than “judgment,” and, I believe, it refers to the event I just described as the Bema.  “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:3-6).

“Mishpat” comes from the root word “Shaphat.”  Both words can be rendered “judgment” in the actual sense of conviction and punishment. However, both have other meanings that seem more appropriate for Psalm 37. As I’ve said, the NKJV agrees, translating “Mishpat” to “justice” in verse 6. 

Awards

Christian awards at the “Bema,” or the “Mishpat” if you will, express justice based on obedience to the Lord. But they will exceed justice, as we know it, giving the faithful more than they had reason to expect. Look at Psalm 37:2-6 again to see what I mean: “3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.  5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”  The next verse, number 6, refers specifically to the “Mishpat,” It says, “He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.”

Recap

Let me sum up what I consider the main idea here: God rewards His committed followers. But some rewards are reserved for later. Eventually, He will acknowledge the fact of your trust in and obedience to Him, provided your have actually been obedient.” In fact, your faithfulness will be paraded in a heavenly ceremony for all to see; including, perhaps, some who had considered you an abject failure.”

That is what 2 Cor. 5:10 is all about. Born again Christians will not be condemned for sins that are covered by the blood of Christ. Those sins are forgiven and forgotten. We will stand before the Lord at a “Bema” or “Mishpat,” where He will, in a heavenly ceremony, reveal or “bring forth (our) righteousness as the light, And (our) justice as the noonday.”

As I’ve said several times already, non-believers will not appear at the Bema. They will stand before God at what Revelation 20:11 calls the Great White Throne Judgment. But, whatever their unforgiven sins, they will be present at that judgment primarily because they rejected Jesus Christ, thereby spurning His payment for their sin.

Repeat

Let me reiterate: All sin was paid for at the cross but sinners who reject Christ’s payment remain under judgment. Born-again Christians are freed from guilt. We rest in the finished work of Christ. His payment was sufficient for us. Even so, although salvation is free we are called to please our Savior. We have tasks to perform, lessons to learn, problems to solve, and objectives to gain. We are not assigned identical challenges. We are supposed to follow His instructions. The key word here is “obedience.” At the Bema, our lives will be subjected to a final divine appraisal, where God will assess both our actions in serving Him and our motives for doing so.

Thrilling?

This idea can be thrilling when we contemplate awards but threatening when we consider how little we have accomplished for Jesus. As Leonard Ravenhill said,  "For my part, what I have done in the past troubles me no more, for it is repented of and mercifully put under the blood of Christ; but what I have not done troubles me.” (Meat For Men, page 94, Bethany House Publishers).

Ravenhill went on to say, "Having walked the "valley of the shadow of death” on at least two occasions, I think that for me death has lost some of its terror.  But there are two things that I am afraid of.” Those two things were his lack of faith and his fear “that millions who have professed Christ's name will discover in that awful day that it is a serious business to bury talents." (Page 117 of same book).”

Have you used your talents to promote God's kingdom? If not, why not? Work for Him now, before your opportunity expires. (John 9:4). Don't let your friends, neighbors, and family members go to hell by default. Be sure they hear the gospel and can decide for themselves which judgment to attend.

Disappointments?

Although no one will be sentenced to hell at the Bema some Christians may not receive awards they hoped for. Awards will not be handed out as consolation prizes. They will be delivered, at the hand of our just redeemer, only to those who have earned them.

As I once told my first congregation, “some of you who hope to be kings and priests in God’s kingdom may end up being janitors.” While that statement is not exactly scriptural it was a legitimate warning. Work for God. Use your talents to produce fruit for Him, and be consistent in your Christian walk. Inconsistency is an abomination. In fact, some of us should not tell anyone we are Christians until we are ready to behave as if we really are.

Tests

1 Cor. 3 tells us that our works, things supposedly done to build God's kingdom, will be tested to determine their actual worth. Verses 14 and 15 say: “If anyone's work which he has built on <it> endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” In other words, disobedient Christians may make it to heaven ‘only by the skin of their teeth,’ and it may not seem so heavenly for them as it might have been.

Competition

Christians like to compete, and that’s OK. We should not waste time and energy trying to outdo each other. Our competition should be personal, between our old selves and our new natures.  Self always wants to rule and it never ever gives up trying. We must work at bringing it into subjection, sacrificing personal desires in favor of serving God. Even so, sacrificial works may not necessarily earn awards. Being self-serving, doing things our way instead of God’s way, builds with wood, hay, and stubble.

Awards

     The Bible names several crowns we might earn as rewards.  I’ll name them; you can check them out later if you wish. They are an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25); a righteous crown (2 Tim. 4:8); A crown of life (Jas. 1:12 and Rev. 2:10); a crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4); and a crown of rejoicing (1 Th. 2:19). 

Crowns don’t come easy. They require sacrifice, they must be earned, and they will be given to reward faithful service.  The Apostle Paul recognized the possibility of becoming ineligible for awards he earned. He said: “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1^st Cor. 9:27). No doubt Paul earned many crowns he didn’t want to lose.  Perhaps he planned to cast them before the heavenly altar, as will the elders of Revelation 4:9-10?

Other awards?       

   There is a possibility of other heavenly rewards more practical than crowns. Can you imagine what they might be?

Something, I think, that could make paradise more enjoyable for the obedient. Jesus mentioned one possibility in two of His Parables. (Matthew 25 & Luke 25). Do you remember the account where three servants were left to manage their master’s property while he was away? Two of them did well and were rewarded with greater responsibilities. The third man did poorly and, among other things, lost his job.

So what would be better than sitting around in God’s kingdom, with nothing to do but wear a crown of some kind? In my opinion it would involve productive employment that pleased God and brought us personal satisfaction. How about helping to run the place? The faithful stewards did were given cities to manage.

The best part?

Can you imagine the LORD of the Universe giving men special honors when He did the hard work? He died to pay for our sins. He spared us from eternal punishment.  And He is going to give us awards? Yes! If we earn them. He won’t send a Second Lieutenant to perform the ceremony either, as some military men do. Our Commander-in-Chief will do it Himself.

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David E. Beneze, Canon City, CO 81212, 19 March 2007. (See article by Ian Mac Pherson in P. E. for 03/16/1975).