“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).
The Lord Jesus is coming again soon. After He comes, He will judge every Christian to determine the eternal rewards each will receive. Some will have confidence at the Bema. Others will be ashamed before Him.
Don’t you think it would be a good idea for you to tell others about this coming judgment? We rightly tell people about the gift of everlasting life. That is vital. But the born-again person needs to be highly motivated to live for God. One of those motivations is the prospect of our final exam at the Judgment Seat (Greek, Bema) of Christ.
I am assuming that most of you reading this already know about the Bema, that you are highly motivated to live for Christ, and that one of your motivations is the Bema. You long to hear, “Well done, good servant” (Luke 19:17). You long to reign with Christ in the life to come.
I am talking about an often-neglected application of our belief in the Bema. We are not only to be watchful for His soon return and the Bema, but we are also to teach others this vital truth.
If you do not tell your family and friends about our coming exam at the Bema, you are leaving them ill-prepared for what is to come.
The Lord Jesus commanded believers to set our hearts on heavenly treasure (Matt 6:19-21)
He also commanded the Twelve to teach others all that He commanded them (Matt 28:18-20). That includes teaching about the Bema. It is one of the things He taught them most often (Matt 6:1-21; 16:24-28; 24:45-51; 25:14-30; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 19:11-27; John 4:34-38). While we are not apostles, we are to teach our children and everyone with whom we have opportunity the whole counsel of God, especially including what the Lord Jesus commanded.
The Apostle Paul preached to all believers about the Bema (1 Cor 3:5-15; 4:1-5; 9:24-27; 2 Cor 5:9-10; Gal 6:7-9; Phil 3:14; 4:17; 2 Tim 1:12; 4:6-8). So did Peter (1 Pet 5:1-4; 2 Pet 1:5-11), James (Jas 2:13; 3:1; 5:9), and John (1 John 2:28; 4:17-19; 2 John 8).
The Lord and His apostles warned about negative consequences for non-overcoming believers at the Bema (Matt 24:48-51; 25:24-28; Luke 19:20-26; 1 Cor 15:2; Gal 6:8; Col 1:21-23; Jas 2:13; 3:1; 5:9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 2–3).
The Bema can even help unbelievers understand why John 3:16 is fair. While everlasting life is secure once anyone believes in the Lord Jesus for it, fullness of life now and in the life to come is not guaranteed (cf. John 10:10b). Believers reap what they sow (Gal 6:7-9). Everyone does.
Pastor Bob Bryant gave a talk in which he said then when he evangelizes people, he tells them about the Bema because he finds it helps them understand how God can freely give everlasting life with no strings attached, yet at the same time hold believers accountable––both in this life and after this life––for their actions subsequent to believing in Jesus for everlasting life.
This is not to suggest that an unbeliever must understand the Bema in order to believe the simple message of John 3:16. But it can help them understand why God is just when He gives everlasting life as a gift with no strings attached.
If we fail to emphasize the Bema, our ministry becomes unbalanced. I realize most of you are not making your living as a pastor, missionary, or parachurch worker. But all believers are ministers of Christ. We will all give an account of what we did with the time, talent, and treasure He entrusted to us (Luke 19:16-26).
We need to explain Bema passages to our family and friends so that they are well prepared for our coming judgment.
It is important to know that we will be judged after this life is over and that success or failure is possible in the Christian life. It is vital to know that we can earn the Lord’s praise and approval and that we can have confidence before Him. Or, we can be ashamed before Him because we did not walk in fellowship with Him.
Teach your children and friends the difference between eternal security, which is secure, and eternal rewards, which are not. If we fall away, we will not hear: “Well done, good servant.” If we fall away, we will forfeit the right to rule with Christ in the life to come.
The Lord Jesus will return to rapture us to Himself. When He does, He will judge us at the Bema.
To whom much is given, of him much is required. The Lord expects you to tell your family and friends about the Bema. Do not leave them ill-prepared for the most important exam in life.
When we focus on the Bema, we keep grace in focus.
