Outer Darkness?

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by Drake

Thanks StG,

The judgement seat of Christ is not to display and assess sins.... they are under the blood and as the first of four blessings of the new covenant God does not remember them anymore (Hebrews 8:12) .

Rather, the BEMA is to receive reward or punishment for works, deeds, and behavior after becoming a christian. For instance, lack of forgiveness, exacting payment from others and throwing others into prison though your payment was forgiven by the Lord, burying your talent and being an unprofitable servant.. etc. etc. All those are matters of determining an entrance into the manifestation of the kingdom... not salvation. That is what most christian theology misses... the kingdom and its manifestation and the requirements to enter... it is not a matter of fear.. it is a matter of attainment of the standards He has set to rule with Him. We have a clue to this when the thief on the cross repented and asked the Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom. The Lord accurately and wisely said that on that very same day the repentant thief would be with him in Paradise (the pleasant part of Hades where Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham)... but He did not confirm the thief would join Him in His kingdom. The calls to the overcomers in Revelation 2 & 3 are also instructive in this matter. Not all will overcome but to those that do He will reward... including to shepherd the nations. (Revelation 2:26-27)

So, no, Brother Lee did not teach the BEMA was to rehash sins that the Lord has long forgotten and issue a reward or punishment based on those. If He were to do that He would be unrighteous.... and we know that He can never be unrighteous else the universe as we know it would collapse and we wouldn't be there chatting about it.

Drake

Okay, sounds right. But I do think these days the reality of the Bema is coming out more and more in Christian writings (although I don't hear it spoken much). As said, the two books I mentioned were both published in the last few years. Others are also starting to share more about Bema accountability including Chuck Missler. It's about time and we all need it!

In our business, we get paid to help others be accountable to their own goals. While reaching the goal itself is certainly an incentive, of course not attaining it is a loss. Benefits to be enjoyed; losses to be avoided. Kind of like double motivation, eh?

I was talking to a brother about this yesterday and it occurred to me that in Matthew 25 we are shown two positive instances of faithful servants, and just one instance of what happened with the unfaithful servant. I don't think that was written happenstance (of course not!) - God wants us to be doubly encouraged as He is the God of all encouragement! But He also want's us to be fully aware of the consequences of not gaining the prize.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!

Okay, sounds right. But I do think these days the reality of the Bema is coming out more and more in Christian writings (although I don't hear it spoken much). As said, the two books I mentioned were both published in the last few years. Others are also starting to share more about Bema accountability including Chuck Missler. It's about time and we all need it!

In our business, we get paid to help others be accountable to their own goals. While reaching the goal itself is certainly an incentive, of course not attaining it is a loss. Benefits to be enjoyed; losses to be avoided. Kind of like double motivation, eh?

I was talking to a brother about this yesterday and it occurred to me that in Matthew 25 we are shown two positive instances of faithful servants, and just one instance of what happened with the unfaithful servant. I don't think that was written happenstance (of course not!) - God wants us to be doubly encouraged as He is the God of all encouragement! But He also want's us to be fully aware of the consequences of not gaining the prize.

Spot on.

The parable of the virgins in Matthew 25 is another good illustration of this.... all were virgins... some made it into the wedding feast... and some didn't.

Drake