The Bema seat is not a threat hanging over the believer, nor a day of dread. It is the unveiling of a mystery God kept hidden from ages and generations—a mystery He reserved for the apostle Paul alone to reveal. This is not a continuation of the old covenant, nor an extension of Israel’s promises. It is the inauguration of a new creation: the body of Christ, a people called out and constituted by the indwelling life of Christ Himself.
The Unveiling of the Mystery
God’s eternal purpose for the church was concealed until Paul. The prophets did not see it. The angels themselves longed to look into it (1 Peter 1:12). Only when God disclosed it to Paul did the world learn of a new dispensation—the economy of grace—centered not on law, but on Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). This is not a mere doctrinal nuance; it is the foundation of your identity and assurance.
By this mystery, God has baptized us into Christ, making us joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). We are not striving for an earthly inheritance, nor are we laboring under the shadow of Sinai. We are seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6), sharing His position, His life, and His destiny. This is not a future hope only, but a present reality for every member of His body.
- The Body of Christ: A new creation, hidden from the foundation of the world, now revealed.
- Joint Heirs: We possess a heavenly inheritance, secured by Christ’s finished work.
- Heavenly Position: Our place is with Christ, above every earthly claim or accusation.
The True Building Work
This new people are not called to reconstruct the old temple or revive the law. Paul is explicit: we are God’s building, His habitation, His temple (1 Corinthians 3:9,16). The work set before us is not the dead works of religious effort, but the ministry of the Spirit—imparting Christ to others, building up the faith and maturity of the body, and contributing to the growth of God’s spiritual house.
“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building… Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:9,16)
This is the context for the Bema seat. The building materials—gold, silver, precious stones—are not the product of human zeal, but the outworking of Christ’s life in us. The ministry of the Spirit is the means; the edification of the body is the result.
The Bema Seat: Not Condemnation, But Reward
Paul’s revelation of the Bema seat is not a threat of condemnation. It is a celebration of Christ’s work in His people. The judgment is not for sin—sin was judged once and for all at the Cross. Instead, the Bema seat is the public acknowledgment and rewarding of what Christ accomplished through us as we participated in the building up of His body.
- Gold, Silver, Precious Stones: These represent the enduring work of the Spirit—Christ’s own life manifested in and through us. This work abides and is rewarded.
- Wood, Hay, Stubble: These are the works of the flesh, the residue of self-effort. They are consumed, but the believer himself is saved.
“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)
The Bema seat is, by God’s design, a positive outcome. It is the day when the ministry of the Spirit is vindicated, when every act of faith—however small—is recognized as the fruit of Christ’s own life.
What Is Lost If This Is Denied?
If you collapse the Bema seat into a threat of condemnation, or reduce the body of Christ to a mere extension of Israel under law, you forfeit the very foundation of your assurance. You trade the finished work of Christ for endless self-examination and the fear of loss. Worse, you undermine the unique inheritance of the church: sonship, joint-heirship, and the ministry of the Spirit. The distinction between law and grace, between shadow and substance, is not a secondary matter—it is salvific. To blur this line is to imperil justification itself.
The Dispensation of Grace
Paul’s gospel is not a footnote to the old covenant; it is the charter of a new era. The dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2-6) is founded on the finished work of Christ and the indwelling Spirit. The Bema seat, as Paul reveals it, is the capstone of this mystery—a day of reward, not retribution; a celebration of Christ’s triumph in His people, not a reckoning for their failures.
This is the hope set before us: Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Bema seat is not a day to dread, but the day our heavenly inheritance is openly displayed, and the work of Christ in His body is eternally celebrated. To stand before Him in that day is not to fear loss, but to rejoice in what He has accomplished—through you, for His glory, and for the praise of His grace.
