The Bema Seat of Christ Delusion (The Lie That Christians Can’t Go to Hell Due to Their Works)

There is a delusion among many that Christians will not be judged for their works like others will in relation to salvation. The implication in this falsehood is that Christians couldn’t be sent to hell based upon their works even though others will. However, there is not a double standard with the Lord.

We read in Revelation 20:11-15: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Many claim that the judgment just read about is not the “bema” (bay-ma) seat of Christ. They claim that the bema is only for Christians; and that only rewards which accompany salvation are at stake there. They have no good basis for this, yet that hasn’t stopped this claim from being considered “sound doctrine” by multitudes (many would mock the idea that they could even be wrong about this). Many who claim to be experts about the bema judgment don’t even know that the word bema is actually used several times in the Greek text of the New Testament to describe the judgment seat of Roman rulers (see Matthew 27:19, Acts 18:12, and Acts 25:6 for examples). Since Christ is a judge who sits on His throne, there is no good reason to distinguish between the bema judgment and the great white throne judgment.

Even granting that those who die in the Lord in this age will be judged before a millennial reign of Christ while those who die in sin will be judged afterwards as Revelation 20:4-6 indicates, there is still no good reason to believe (while there is a ton of evidence against) the claim that a pre-millennial judgment of the righteous and a post-millennial judgment of the wicked will be based on different criteria.

To put it another way: Those who claim that a sexually immoral professing Christian will merely lose his rewards in eternity and have regret over this at the bema seat of Christ, rather than being sent to hell there for dying unrepentant of sexual immorality, are deceived and speaking deceitfully. Revelation 21:8 and many other places in the Bible state directly (and many stated Biblical principles obviously imply) that those who die unrepentant over sexual immorality will go to hell.

As James chapter 2 demonstrates, faith in Christ cannot save a sinner- unless that faith causes them to utterly renounce and forsake their sins and serve Him faithfully. Those who think they are trusting Christ to save them in any other context are counting the blood He shed an unholy thing and showing contempt for His true grace (see Hebrews 10:28-29,Titus 2:11-14, etc).

Look at the two places where the word “bema” is used in the Greek text of the New Testament in reference to the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:9-12: “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

This is not a command to tolerate sinners in the church (1 Corinthians chapter 5 directly teaches the opposite). This is also not a command to not tell Christians who are doing evil that they are on track to go to hell (Paul and the other Apostles gave such warnings repeatedly- including in the Book of Romans itself in Romans 6:16, 6:21, 8:13, etc). In its context, Romans chapter 14 is a warning not to judge a brother in Christ in a matter that isn’t a blatant matter of right and wrong according to the Bible’s whole counsel. Romans 14:9-12 is dealing with not harshly judging one who is in every discernible way under Jesus’ Lordship and isn’t rather living in sin.

2 Corinthians 5:8-11: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

Paul and Timothy were confident that they were ready to go and be with the Lord at death, and that they would be raised to a favorable Judgment Day, because they were suffering to be in line with the Word of God. Yet since it requires continued labor in order to continue in a living faith in Christ which prepares a person to meet Him favorably, they had to continue to labor in order to be accepted by Him. Note also that they connected the bema seat of Christ with “the terror of the Lord.” They were concerned about a lot more than loss of rewards for themselves at the judgment seat of Christ and for the Christians they were ministering to.

When the Apostle Paul was accused of the Jews of being a criminal and for profaning the Temple at Jerusalem, note his answer before the Roman Governor Felix in regard to the logic of keeping his conscience clean before God and men.

Acts 24:12-16: “And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”

Even after a genuine conversion and new birth in Christ, Paul feared being a castaway who would be rejected in the end for not disciplining himself to be faithful as a Christian.

1 Corinthians 9:27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest (and lest is a reference to being in fear) that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

“Castaway” in 1 Corinthians 9:27 is adokimos in the Greek text (adokimos means not approved; unfitting- the obvious implication is rejection).

Is there any hint in either of the places which directly speak of the bema seat of Christ which indicates that Christians are not in jeopardy of hell due to their works? The Apostles actually stressed over and over again that all who do not follow the narrow way to life in Christ with clean hands and a pure heart to the end, in relating to Him by faith as the Great King (authority figure) and High Priest that He is, will not be saved.

Jesus in His incarnation said the following to His disciples in Matthew 24:9-13: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (anomia- lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Those deemed righteous on Judgment Day will be saved by the grace of God because they turned to Him through Jesus Christ with a living faith which involved repentance and obedience- and also because they continued in such a faith. It is in this path that there is mercy by the atoning blood of Christ through His High Priesthood. That is the logical implication of receiving Jesus for all that He is- Lord and Savior; Prophet, Priest, and King.

It is seen in Luke 10:25-37 that Jesus portrayed the good Samaritan as a righteous man because he used God’s law as a guide to faith and loved his neighbor as himself by his actions- actions which were the product of him honestly and impartially following the principles of God’s law. Each person needs to do likewise (see Micah 6:8 and Luke 10:37). Neither the story of the Good Samaritan nor anything else in the Bible teaches that we can earn our salvation. In order to earn salvation we would need a perfect record before God or be able to atone for our own sins. The Bible teaches about the need for a blood atonement and Jesus offering Himself on the cross as the Perfect Lamb of God to provide the atonement we need (and we need to receive Him completely in order to have His blood applied to us for our justification). The story of the Good Samaritan, and the Bible as a whole, teach that we need to use God’s law as a guide to a living faith which makes pleasing Him and loving our neighbor in line with His instructions our supreme aim which overrules every other endeavor. Hoping in the blood of Christ without a faith which genuinely strives to come into agreement with His authority and walk in His ways is vain. No one can be a true believer in Him who is not His disciple that properly regards His supreme authority unless hatred of iniquity (that is, hatred of transgression of God’s law) characterizes them. This essential quality of a living faith in Christ is demonstrated by works.

In the sense that works demonstrate faith or unbelief in Christ, works will justify those who are saved on Judgment Day- while they will also condemn those who are not.

James 2:14-20: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

This is speaking of works demonstrating that one embraces Jesus Christ and the package of Biblical Christian doctrine with their whole being. Not works which one throws together in a self-made package and thinks God should accept it (like Cain).

James 2:21-24: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Abraham demonstrated his faith by his works; and Abraham’s faith was tested. Having faith previously didn’t guarantee he’d pass the test of offering up Isaac. He had to endure in faith. In order to do so, he had to do something very difficult. Abraham faced many, many tests of faith- offering up Isaac is just one the most notable ones.

Acceptable faith which passes trials necessarily involves works which correspond to the actions which must be taken to overcome in the trial according to the Lord’s estimation.

The concept of justification by faith alone clearly contradicts the Bible and falsely implies that you don’t have to actually live like a Christian in order to be under the grace of Christ. James understood this implication when he wrote the Book of James and said what he said therein to demonstrate that the concept of justification by faith alone is a lie. This deceitful concept is inseparable from the related deceitful concept that a Christian need not fear being sentenced to hell at the judgment seat of Christ.