Jesus calls ALL to be saved, not just some.
At The Rapture Of The Church
At some time in the future, the Lord will come back for those who have believed upon Him. He will change their bodies from corruptible to incorruptible.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself, with a shout, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise FIRST . THEN, we who are alive and remain, will be caught up in the clouds together [u]with them to meet the Lord in the air[/u]; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
After this event, those believers will go to heaven, and stand before the Bema Seat of Christ. Judgment always comes after resurrection, but believers shall NOT be judged the same as unbelievers.
Not Judged For Sin
This is not a judgment to determine who will enter heaven. The sins of believers will not be an issue at the judgment seat of Christ - they have ALREADY been forgiven. The Bible says.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:10-12).
Our sins have been removed. Micah wrote.
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Destiny Of Christians, Has Been Settled
With the death of Christ on the cross, the destiny of the Christian has been once-and-for-all settled. There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who have believed in Christ. Paul wrote.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Have Eternal Life
Those who have trusted Christ, now possess eternal life.
I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).
Curse Removed
The curse against believers has been removed.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).
Price Paid
Jesus has paid the price for our sins.
He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Sin Offering
He presented Himself as a sin offering on our behalf.
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The believers judgment, with respect to sin, is long past.
Rewards
Therefore, the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ, is not designed to punish believers, but rather to reward them for their faithful service. All of us will give an account of what we have done after trusting Christ as Savior. Therefore, the judgment seat of Christ is a judgment of believers works after salvation.
The Bema Seat
The judgment seat for believers, is known as the "Bema."
Tribunal For Rewards
The bema is a tribunal for rewards. In the large Olympic arenas, there was an elevated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. After the contests were over, the successful competitors would assemble before the bema to receive their rewards or crowns. The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned; it was a reward seat. Likewise, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a judicial bench. The Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is Jesus Christ. After the race is over for each believer, He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one and giving the proper reward to each.
Some Suffer Loss
Not everyone will receive the same reward. At the judgment seat of Christ, there will be those who suffer loss of rewards ONLY. This special type judgment has nothing to do whatsoever with salvation.
If anyone's WORK is burned, they will suffer loss; BUT THEY THEMSELVES WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire (the purification of the Holy Spirit fire) (1 Corinthians 3:15).
At some time in the future, the Lord will come back for those who have believed upon Him. He will change their bodies from corruptible to incorruptible.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself, with a shout, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise FIRST . THEN, we who are alive and remain, will be caught up in the clouds together [u]with them to meet the Lord in the air[/u]; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
After this event, those believers will go to heaven, and stand before the Bema Seat of Christ. Judgment always comes after resurrection, but believers shall NOT be judged the same as unbelievers.
Not Judged For Sin
This is not a judgment to determine who will enter heaven. The sins of believers will not be an issue at the judgment seat of Christ - they have ALREADY been forgiven. The Bible says.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:10-12).
Our sins have been removed. Micah wrote.
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Destiny Of Christians, Has Been Settled
With the death of Christ on the cross, the destiny of the Christian has been once-and-for-all settled. There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who have believed in Christ. Paul wrote.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Have Eternal Life
Those who have trusted Christ, now possess eternal life.
I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).
Curse Removed
The curse against believers has been removed.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).
Price Paid
Jesus has paid the price for our sins.
He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Sin Offering
He presented Himself as a sin offering on our behalf.
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The believers judgment, with respect to sin, is long past.
Rewards
Therefore, the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ, is not designed to punish believers, but rather to reward them for their faithful service. All of us will give an account of what we have done after trusting Christ as Savior. Therefore, the judgment seat of Christ is a judgment of believers works after salvation.
The Bema Seat
The judgment seat for believers, is known as the "Bema."
Tribunal For Rewards
The bema is a tribunal for rewards. In the large Olympic arenas, there was an elevated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. After the contests were over, the successful competitors would assemble before the bema to receive their rewards or crowns. The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned; it was a reward seat. Likewise, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a judicial bench. The Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is Jesus Christ. After the race is over for each believer, He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one and giving the proper reward to each.
Some Suffer Loss
Not everyone will receive the same reward. At the judgment seat of Christ, there will be those who suffer loss of rewards ONLY. This special type judgment has nothing to do whatsoever with salvation.
If anyone's WORK is burned, they will suffer loss; BUT THEY THEMSELVES WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire (the purification of the Holy Spirit fire) (1 Corinthians 3:15).
