[Note: Our guest contributor, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, presented a powerful sermon at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in late 2025. The following article is based on his sermon and is used by permission.]
In Part 1, we began to address what it will be like for a Christian to stand before our righteous Judge at the Bema Seat Judgment. Now we will look at four characteristics of that judgment seat.
Four Characteristics of the Bema Seat
Every Christian can take comfort in four characteristics of the judgment seat of Jesus Christ when He will evaluate our lives in light of Eternity.
First – We are going to be judged fairly.
We know this will be true because Jesus Christ—the Anointed One who loves us and died for us—now sits as judge. He is going to be eminently fair. Not one single fact will be overlooked; everything will be taken into account, and nothing will be hidden.
Our rewards will be dependent not on what we did after our first birth, but what we did for Christ after our second birth. Just consider the Apostle Paul. He sought to kill Christians before his conversion. So, like him, no matter what your past was before your conversion, you are going to be judged by what you did and how you lived after your conversion. And Jesus, our Savior and our Brother, wants us to do well at the judgment seat, so we can depend on His fairness.
Second – We are going to be judged individually.
That is precisely what the text says. “Each one [will] be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done” (2 Corinthians 5:10). In Romans 14, Paul warns us not to judge one another, for “each one of us will give an account for himself to God” (Romans 14:12). There will be no one to stand beside us and make an excuse for us.
Right about now, some people might think, “Oh, I sure hope my friends aren’t going to see this. I hope that it’s going to be totally private.” I would simply say this: First, we’ll all be in the same boat. But secondly, I really believe that when we stand before Jesus, we will not care if the whole universe (including our spouse, our family, our friends, or people before whom we made ourselves look much better than we really are) is watching. The only thing that we will care about is Jesus’ judgment and whether we will hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Third – We’re going to be judged thoroughly, whether good or evil.
The evil deeds are covered by the blood of Christ and will be burned away as wood, hay, and stubble. The question will be whether there will be any gold, silver, or precious stones left over. Again, that’s why Scripture reveals that “each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). Some people will find that all of their supposed works are burned up, but that they are saved “yet so as through fire” (v. 15).
Fourth – The Bible describes some of the things that will survive the fire: treasures that will prove to be like gold, silver, and precious stones. For example:
1. Joyful acceptance of injustice. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Your reward will be great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
2. Financial generosity. Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust do corrupt, thieves break through and steal, the stock market falls precipitously, unexpectedly, but rather lay up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt, thieves do not break through and steal (Matthew 6:19, paraphrased).
3. One of the greatest lies that has been perpetuated is that “you can’t take it with you.” Of course, you can take wealth with you, but you have to transmute (turning one substance into another) it into a different substance so that it will meet you in heaven. To paraphrase Jesus, “Use your wealth wisely so that when you get to heaven, there will be people there to greet you in everlasting habitations” (Luke 16:9).
4. Love the unlovable. “Love your enemies. Do good to them. Do good to them and you will be rewarded” (Matthew 5:44-46, paraphrased).
You will be rewarded because your Heavenly Father also loves the unlovable and is kind to the just and the unjust. He sends rain to all of them. So if you want to be greatly rewarded, find somebody who’s unlovable and love them.
5. Eagerly anticipate the Lord’s return. Paul told Timothy that he had fought hard and kept the faith, but was nearing the end of his ministry and life’s journey. But he said, “There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8, CSB).
So, do you love Jesus so much that you really long for His appearing? Or do you think the appearance of Jesus is going to interfere with your life?
Clearly, Scripture tells of many rewards that await followers of Christ—but only for the gold, silver, and precious stones that remain when the wood, hay, and stubble are burned away. Only that which is pleasing to God and done for the right motives will be rewarded.
How Then Should We Live?
With that in mind, here are three takeaways for those who want to be found good and pleasing at the Bema Seat Judgment.
Number one, every day is a plus or a minus. It is either a loss or a gain. It is either wood, hay, stubble, or precious gold. Probably a mixture.
George Whitefield was a great Colonial preacher here in America. He dictated that these words be emblazoned on his tombstone: “Here lies G.W. What sort of man he was the great day will discover.” Each of us will discover that the sort of man or woman we really are will be revealed at the great Bema Seat Judgment.
Number Two, what is it that we can gain? We can gain ruling with Christ.
This aspiration makes me hold my breath. Jesus said, “he who overcomes, to him shall I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I overcame and sat on My Father’s throne” (Revelation 3:21).
Theologically, I don’t necessarily believe that every Christian is an overcomer, though there are those who disagree and we can’t go into that discussion. I’ve never yet met a Christian who didn’t want to be an overcomer. But I’ve met a lot of Christians who didn’t really want to overcome anything.
Number three, tragically, not every believer will hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
An Indian legend tells of a wealthy raja who was riding along in his chariot when he encountered a beggar holding a small bowl of rice. The beggar was surprised when the raja stopped and said, “Give me some of your rice.” The beggar was angry, because his provisions were meager and the raja was wealthy. So, he gave the raja a single grain of rice.
Again, the raja said, “Beggar, give me more of your rice.” Very angry, the beggar once more gave him a single grain. A third time, the raja asked for more rice, and the beggar gave him one more grain and then walked away, absolutely furious.
Later on, the beggar looked into his bowl of rice and he saw something glitter. It was a grain of gold the size of a grain of rice. He found only two more. And he began to cry, saying, “Oh, if only I had given him my whole bowl of rice.
Likewise, I believe there are going to be tears in Heaven when people realize, “Why did I keep parts of myself to myself? Lord, why didn’t I just give the You all of myself and say the only thing that really matters is to honor You and give You glory”.
In the end, I don’t care what the cost is. Because Jesus is so generous, for every grain of our meager rice, He will give us a grain of gold.
Resource
Pastor Lutzer’s insightful book, Your Eternal Reward, offers a thoughtful exploration of what Scripture teaches about the judgment and rewards awaiting every Christian.
