Unraveling The Bema Seat Versus The Great White Throne Of Judgment

When speaking to Gentiles, the Apostle Paul used the analogy of athletes running to win a race, such as in the Greek athletic contests where a laurel wreath was placed on the head of the winner as a symbol of victory as they stood before a bema seat (1 Corinthians 9:24). Paul disciplined his "body" to "keep it under control, lest after preaching to others" he "should be disqualified" (v 27). The English word "disqualified is from the Greek word 'adokimos,' which means reprobate, rejected by implication, worthless (literally or morally) (1 Corinthians 9:1-27 KJV, see also Hebrews 6:8; 2 Corinthians 13:5-7, 2 Timothy 3:8; Romans 1:28).

Paul was personally concerned about putting an "obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ" by any self-boasting of his accomplishments and made himself a "servant to all" so that he "might win more" to Christ through preaching the Gospel (vs. 12,16). He considered his personal "reward" of the 'race' he was running was to present the "gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of "his "right in the gospel" (v 18).

When a Born-Again Christian is rewarded according to their work, they will receive the exact same reward as every other Christian because their position is in Christ, and every work they do is without fault because the Holy Spirit produces it. Because of what Jesus did, they are seen as blameless before God. Their hope and confidence are that at the judgment seat (Bema), there will be "no condemnation" for any 'bad' work done because of their 'good' work of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 8:1; Revelation 14:4).

The judgment of every human being is sealed at the point of physical death.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

All people, both the "good" and the "bad," "great" or "small," will stand before the judgment seat of Christ at the same time (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11). Jesus will "bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great" (Psalm 115:13 ESV; also Revelation 13:16, 19:5,18, 20:11-15, 19:18). He will "separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left" (those who rejected Him) "will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46 ESV). The names of those who survive the judgment are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and those not found in the book will be cast into the lake of fire (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:14, 21:27).

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death and not the loss of rewards or diverse payments (Romans 6:23). Jesus paid for all punishment for the Born-Again Christian on the Cross, where His shed blood secured their full reward.