1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 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. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
The great preacher George Whitefield desired that his epitaph would read, “Here lies George Whitefield, what sort of man he was, the great day will discover.” The Judgment, or Bema, Seat of Christ is a future judgment for believers where their works will be tested. The test for our works will be “fire,” which will come from the radiant eyes of Jesus who has “eyes like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14). This judgment is not to determine the salvation of a Christian, nor does it result in the condemnation of anyone because Jesus has already paid the price for any sins of the believer (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This judgment will be about testing the true quality of all that we do for Christ from the time that we were saved by His grace until we go to be with Him in heaven. Here, the works fall into one of two categories. The first category that is mentioned is made up of gold, silver, and precious stones. The second is made up of wood, hay, and stubble. The purpose of mentioning these materials is what happens to them when they are tested with fire. Gold, silver, and precious stones remain through fire, and, in some cases, are even purified by fire. Wood, hay, and stubble are dissolved by fire.
The purpose of the analogy is to demonstrate that some of the works that we have participated in as believers will be revealed to be not what they may have appeared to be in this life. Also, some works may be demonstrated to be of far greater quality than anyone realized. All of our works, whether “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10), will be revealed on that day. Some of the greatest works have been tainted by sinful motives. Some of the works that received the least notice or seemed to accomplish very little, will shine forth as the brightest and purest because they were done in humble, obedient faith in Christ.
How will our works be judged? Ultimately, faith, faithfulness, truth, and motive will be the driving criteria of our judgment, not success, results, or human approval. Christ will look beneath the surface to see what truly drove us to do what we did in this life. It will be the quality of our works and not the quantity. Faith means that we did what we did by trusting in Christ and seeking to obey Him. Without faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6) and not doing something in faith results in doing something sinful (Romans 14:23). When we trust in our own abilities or wisdom, we miss the mark because without Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5). Faithfulness addresses our persistence at what we are called to do. God will judge whether or not we did what we did wholeheartedly, half-heartedly, consistently, inconsistently, etc. Truth will be used to test whether or not what we did lines up with God’s Word. We can do many things that appear great in the eyes of people, but if they are contrary to the Word of God, they will not be something that Jesus will reward one day. Motives address why we do what we do. If we do right things, but do them for self-gratification instead of the glory of God, they will not be rewarded.
What things will we give an account for at the Bema Seat Judgment? We will give an account for everything that God has called us to in Scripture as a believer. We will give an account for: our words (Matthew 12:36; James 3:1-2); our motives (Matthew 6:1-5, 16-18); our faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:1-5); enduring trials and temptation (James 1: 12); investing in others (1 Thessalonians 2:19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-8); watching for Christ’s return (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Luke 12:35-38); parenting (Ephesians 6:4; Psalm 127); doctrine (2 John 8); and many other things that God’s Word tells us about. We will give an account for every talent, gift, day, hour, moment, and breath that we were blessed with as to whether or not we used them for His glory.
The goal of every Christian should be to stand at the Bema Seat one day and hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). While there will be many rewards handed out for faithful service, many crowns given, authority granted, etc., being a pleasing servant of our Lord who died for us will be the greatest of all. We will join the 24 elders in Revelation 4:10 who continually cast their crowns (rewards) at His feet because we will recognize that “of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever” (Romans 11:36).
What will that day be like for you? Billy Graham, a faithful servant of Jesus, was once asked in a television interview with Diane Sawyer how he would like people to remember him. He responded with sadness and said, “I would like to hear the Lord say to me, ‘Well done good and faithful servant,’ but I don’t think He will.” We cannot allow fear to cripple us, but instead we should be motivated to love Christ and serve Him all the more. The Apostle Paul concluded, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).