THE BEMA SEAT: A CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S WORK IN BELIEVERS (Part 3) – A Mystery for the Body of Christ

The revelation of the Bema seat judgment was part of a greater mystery that God kept hidden until He revealed it to the apostle Paul. This mystery encompassed a previously unknown group of people called the body of Christ, who would participate in a unique work of building up God’s habitation. Unlike anything spoken of under the law or in the synoptic gospels, this mystery was “kept secret since the world began” (

Romans 16:25

).
The body of Christ, as revealed to Paul, is a new creation that was hidden in God’s heart from the foundation of the world. These believers are “baptized into Christ” and made “joint heirs with Christ” (

Romans 8:17

), partaking of a heavenly inheritance that goes beyond the earthly promises given to Israel. They are “seated… in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (

Ephesians 2:6

), a position never before revealed in Scripture.
This new group of people participates in the building up of the body of Christ, which Paul describes as “the temple of God” and “God’s building” (

1 Corinthians 3:9,16

). This building work is fundamentally different from anything described under the law or in the teachings of Jesus recorded in the synoptic gospels. It is a spiritual work, centered on the mystery of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (

Colossians 1:27

).
The Bema seat judgment, as revealed to Paul, is specifically for this body of Christ. Unlike other judgments mentioned in Scripture, this judgment is not about sin or condemnation. Rather, it is a judgment of rewards based on the quality of each believer’s building work. Paul uses the metaphor of building materials – “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble” (

1 Corinthians 3:12

) – to describe the nature of this work. This concept of building God’s habitation through the ministry of the gospel is entirely new and distinct from the temple worship or sacrificial system of the Old Testament.
The nature of this building work is intrinsically tied to the New Testament ministry, which Paul calls “the ministry of the spirit” (

2 Corinthians 3:8

). This ministry is based on the revelation of the mystery of Christ, which was “hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (

Colossians 1:26

). The work involves imparting Christ to others, building up believers in their faith, and contributing to the growth and maturity of the body of Christ as a whole.
This mystery, including the Bema seat judgment, sets Paul’s gospel apart from all previous teachings. He refers to it as “my gospel” (

Romans 16:25

), emphasizing its uniqueness and distinction from what was revealed before. The prophets and even the angels were unaware of this mystery, as Peter notes that they “desired to look into” these things (

1 Peter 1:12

).
The revelation of the Bema seat judgment and the associated building work of the body of Christ represents a dramatic shift in God’s dealings with humanity. It introduces a new dispensation, what Paul calls “the dispensation of the grace of God..” to reveal the mystery of Christ (

Ephesians 3:2-6

), which operates on principles distinct from the law. This new economy is based on the finished work of Christ and the indwelling life of the Spirit, concepts that were at best shadowy types under the old covenant.

Verses Referenced:

• Romans 16:25 – “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
• Romans 8:17 – “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
• Ephesians 2:6 – “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
• 1 Corinthians 3:9,16 – “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building… Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
• 1 Corinthians 3:12 – “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;”
• Colossians 1:27 – “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:8 – “How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather in glory?”
• Colossians 1:26 – “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”
• 1 Peter 1:12 – “Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
• Ephesians 3:2-6 – “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”