The second use of it (the most common use of it), is a platform where the judge sat to evaluate the athletic contests, like the Olympic Games. In the public games, the contestants would compete for the prize under the scrutiny of judges, and they would make sure that every rule of the contest was obeyed. It was an elevated platform, the ‘bema seat’, and they would observe: how each runner ran his race; did they obey the rules? Did they stick within the rules; or are they going to be disqualified? As you can imagine, if you're in Olympic Games, then someone is evaluating your performance; and if you break the rules, then you're disqualified - even if you ran what appeared to be a good race. So choosing that kind of image, we're all called to run a race. We're all in a spiritual race of sorts. We're all in a spiritual fight; a spiritual journey; and at the end of the journey, then we are evaluated on how we've run our race, how we've fought our fight, what we've done on our journey.
Paul wrote about that. In the public competitions, what would happen is, the victor who had won (or participated), and if he'd obeyed the rules and won, was led to the bema platform, and a laurel wreath was put upon his head, as a sign of victory. The Bible is using this imagery, of people who have been in a contest, a competition - they've been surrounded by people watching them, and now they are they going to be acknowledged with a reward. There are two scriptures written by Paul about this…
2 Timothy 2:4 – “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of life, that he may please him who has listed him as a soldier”.
2 Timothy 2:5 – “Likewise, if anyone competes in athletics, he's not crowned unless he competes according to the rules”.
Paul is talking about our journey as being a ‘warfare’, where we can't get entangled with things that everyone else gets their life entangled with. We must be focussed on pleasing the Lord, that we may please him, who has enlisted him as a soldier. You and I are in a warfare - we're part of the army of God; we've been enlisted by Jesus Christ, when we got born again; and our goal is to please Him, and the only kind of warfare that pleases, is the one where we engage, and are victorious. Anyone who competes in athletics, is not crowned, unless he competes according to the rules. Paul makes it very clear - our life is like a fight; and our life is like a race. At the end of his life, he was able to say:
2 Timothy 4:7 - “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, I have fought the good fight, and now is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, not only for me but also for all who love His appearing”.
He's using the image of a fight, a spiritual battle, a spiritual warfare, a long warfare - more like a military campaign over the course of our life, and there's a reward to be received for successfully completing the campaign. He uses the illustration of a race we run - we must stick to the rules, and run the race properly, and there's a prize to be won. In 1 Corinthians 9 he talks about it again in terms of the race…
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – “Don't you know that those who run in a race, everyone runs, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it, obtain the prize. Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown. We do it for an imperishable crown. So I run, not with uncertainty. I fight, not as one who beats the air. I discipline my body and bring to subjection, lest when I preach to others I myself should be disqualified”.
Notice there, he raises that, even as an apostle, even as someone who laboured, and worked, and served the Lord, he's saying that I still need to keep my life managed. I need to discipline my body, so it doesn't run my life. He said: I need to keep my life in order; and if I don't, I could be disqualified! The word ‘disqualified’ literally means: to be not approved of; to have failed, or not passed the test.
The Bema Seat, or the Judgement Seat, then refers to every believer appearing before Christ, to have his life and works evaluated; to determine: do you qualify for eternal rewards? It is the place of evaluation, where you receive reward (or you receive loss) - and this is one of the most important teachings, that we need to have as a foundation for our life: understanding the reality of Eternal Rewards, Eternal Intimacy, Eternal Authority, and ruling with Christ, and expanding His kingdom, Eternal Glory. These are laid out in many places in the scripture, and the Judgement Seat, or the Bema Seat of Christ, is the place where we will meet with Him. Our life, our works are all evaluated; and we either receive reward, or we suffer the loss of reward, which we saw in 1 Corinthians 9.