Bema: Where You Face the Judge

Word of the Week

August 22, 2026

 

Bēma: Where You Face the Judge

 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB

 

When you run a half marathon, your legs ache as you near the 13 mile mark.  You see the finish line – just a little farther!  You lengthen your stride, using all the reserves of energy left to finish strong.

Finally, you’re done!  And a few feet ahead, someone is waiting to slip the ribbon with your medal over your head.  You take some time to catch your breath, then you wander over toward the platform where the judges hand out trophies to the fastest runners.

Few of us can win marathons, but according to the Bible, God has invited each of His children to a spiritual award ceremony to climax our race through life.

The site of that encounter is described by a Greek word that refers to a familiar scene in Greek or Roman culture.

The word is bēma [BAY-mah] occurring 12 times in the New Testament.  It originally meant “a step” as a unit of measurement.  In the Greek Old Testament, God told the Israelites that they could not have even a bēma of Edom’s territory (Deuteronomy 21:5).  And the New Testament declares that Abraham did not own even a bēma of the land that God promised to him (Acts 7:5)

The most common meaning of the word, however, refers to a raised platform – one that you would mount by climbing steps.    In classical Athens, it was the speaker’s rostrum where orators would address the city assembly.  Greek law courts would often be equipped with two platforms, one for each opposing attorney to give their speeches for or against the plaintiff.

In the Bible, Ezra and his associates used a wooden bēma as they read the Law to the large crowd who had gathered in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8:4).  Ezra stood to speak, but the bēma could also feature a seat for the speaker.  Herod Agrippa mounted the steps and “took his seat on the rostrum [bēma] to deliver an oration (Acts 12:21).

The bēma was particularly connected with courtroom scenes.  Roman authorities often sat on a raised platform to hear judicial cases and announce their verdicts.

• Pilate sat on a judgment seat when he was deciding what to do with Jesus (Matthew 27:19; John 19:13).
• Gallio, the governor in Corinth, sat on the judgment seat when a crowd of local Jews brought accusations against Paul (Acts 18:12, 16, 17).
• The Roman governor Festus took his seat on the tribunal [bēma] for the hearings that resulted in Paul’s appeal to Caesar and his transfer to Rome (Acts 25:6, 10, 17).

All of this background helps us understand Paul’s teaching about a bēma that transcends all others.

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

In both of these passages, Paul is dealing with our tendency to set ourselves up as judges of other people’s behavior.  In Romans, he talks to people who condemn other believers because of what they eat or how they worship.  In Corinthians, he tackles the critics who applaud one leader and condemn another.

Paul’s point?  You are not the judge.  God is!

Without going into great detail, he reminds us that we are responsible to our Lord.  God is the one who evaluates our actions.  Jesus is the one who says, “Well done.”

These verses do not describe a decision between heaven and hell.  That appears in Revelation 20.  No, this is a scene where the Lord sits to evaluate our service and recognize our faithfulness.

I have an appointment with God where I will find out what I’ve done that has eternal value.  That fact should motivate me, but it should not terrify me.  The final verse of Ecclesiastes underscores the reality that “God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

We tend to think only of our failings, shrinking from exposure of all our worst moments. But we must not overlook the other side of the equation.  This day reveals all that is good.  He will notice every act of loving service that went unnoticed at the time.  It is the time when He will show you the hidden consequences of all your small act of faithfulness.

When you cross the finish line, you have an appointment at the judge’s stand, a place where you receive your rewards.

 

 

Study Hint:

We have used some Old Testament references in this article, even though the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, not Greek.  In each case, we are referring to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.  It was produced in the period between the Old and New Testaments, and it offers useful examples of the same Greek that we find in the New Testament.

An interesting footnote:  A Roman bēma seat has survived and visitors to Corinth can see it today.  For more information, click HERE.

I have used the illustration of the awards for an athletic event.  I did not find clear evidence that this was the primary setting for this word.  It appears more consistently in a courtroom setting.  However, its more general use led me to include the illustration of a race.

Coming Up

We read about anointing several times in the Scriptures, and we sometimes talk about an anointing of the Holy Spirit.  However, I noticed recently that there are two different Greek words for anointing.  Next week we will observe how both are used in different ways

©Ezra Project 2026