Bill Fiess sent me a poem called “The Judgment Seat of Christ” by Martha Snell Nicholson (1888-1957). You can find it online here .
I am thrilled that there is such a poem.
Nicholson gets much right. She recognizes that every believer will be judged for the works we’ve done and our motives. She knows this judgment is not to determine the eternal destiny of believers. She says this is not something to dread or a matter of eternal life or the second death. She calls it “the all-revealing day,” rightly suggesting that our works and motives, good and bad, will be considered.
Unfortunately, she repeats a few common misconceptions about the Judgment Seat of Christ (i.e., the Bema). Before I get to the misconceptions, let me restate how refreshing it is that she gets so much right. So many believers have never even heard about the Bema. Many think that there is no accountability after this life is over.
I should also point out that some of the misconceptions mentioned by Nicholson have been held by leading Dispensational scholars like Drs. Walvoord, Ryrie, and Pentecost.
Misconception #1: If you have pride in your work, it will burn up as wood, hay, and stubble. The fifth stanza says:
Those works in which my soul took pride
May there be judged as hay
And burned as chaff and stubble on
That all-revealing day.
There is nothing wrong with taking pride in your work. The pride the Bible denounces is self-seeking and self-glorying. We should be proud if we are used by God to teach His Word, lead someone to faith in Christ, raise our children, be a good spouse, support our local church, etc. But we don’t pray, give, or fast to be seen by men (Matt 6:1-18). If we do, there will be no eternal reward for those things.
“There is a difference between the kind of pride that God hates (Proverbs 8:13) and the kind of pride we can feel about a job well done (Galatians 6:4) or the kind of pride we express over the accomplishment of loved ones (2 Corinthians 7:4). The kind of pride that stems from self-righteousness or conceit is sin, however, and God hates it because it is a hindrance to seeking Him” (see here ).
Misconception #2: We will give our rewards back to Christ . I remember a video by DTS in which Drs. Walvoord, Ryrie, and Pentecost cited Rev 4:10 to say that we will give back any rewards we receive. Nicholson’s eighth stanza says:
How would I feel if I should have
No crown of gold to give,
To lay before the feet of Him
Who died that I might live?
Revelation 4:10 is a scene that occurs repeatedly in heaven as angels cast crowns before Jesus, put them back on, and then cast them before Him again. See Rev 4:9 and this article by me.
Misconception #3: We will be rewarded only if we have no desire to be rewarded. Nicholson said that she hopes there may be “some little deed…free from self or hope of gain…” The Lord Jesus commanded us to set our hearts on heavenly treasure (Matt 6:19-21). The apostle Paul commanded us to run the Christian race and fight the Christian fight to win an imperishable crown (1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Tim 4:6-8). In the seven letters to the seven churches, the Lord commands them to strive to win various eternal rewards. We should have hope of gain. That is not selfish, because it is not at the expense of others. The more we help others, the more we will be rewarded.
My thanks to Martha Snell Nicholson for her wonderful poem.
Keep grace in focus.
Bob Wilkin (ThM, PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is the Founder and Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society and co-host of Grace in Focus Radio. He lives in Highland Village, TX with his wife, Sharon. His latest books are Faith Alone in One Hundred Verses and Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance.
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