However, I would not recommend this book for new or untaught believers. It is profitable reading for well-grounded Christians. I came away with a desire to be more caring, generous, and sensitive. In spite of these reservations, I like this book. Yet the Scriptures link spiritual growth to feeding on and heeding the Word (1 Cor 2:14вЂ“3:3 Heb 5:12-14). Many of the most highly rewarded saints seem to have little knowledge of the Word of God. There is an anti-intellectual feel throughout the narrative. This is better, and hopefully the authorвЂ™s true position. Yet a few sentences later the angel says, вЂњ Believing Israelites who lived before our LordвЂ™s death and resurrection will be raised to live again to join in the kingdomвЂќ (p. Stevenson also introduces some confusion about how Old Testament people were saved when, after realizing that only New Testament believers are present at the bema in his dream, he asks a leading angel, вЂњWhatвЂ¦of all the millions who were surely faithful in Old Testament times?вЂќ (p. In addition, it makes missions and evangelism of questionable value since we may make people accountable to believe in Christ who otherwise could have been saved in some other way. If that is what he means, that is a major departure from the biblical position (compare Acts 4:12 and 16:30-31). He seems to be suggesting that people can get into the kingdom without believing in Christ. Still I remain in the dark on this issueвЂќ (p. More than ever before, I know GodвЂ™s love, mercy, and justice, and I am sure whatever God does will be consistent and in harmony with those attributes. The author expresses uncertainty about the fate of those вЂњwhose only exposure to Christianity was of a degraded, twisted, or hypocritical type. That said, I did, however, have some reservations. The Judgment Seat of Christ is so important, not because its just taught in the Bible, because it affects. Though Stevenson does not clearly present what we must do to be saved in this book, he does make it clear that salvation is a gift and that works cannot save us. This is not a secondary issue, as some scholars say. Janitors might be leading rulers in the coming kingdom. There is also a touching call to see people from a different perspective. Throughout the narrative Stevenson powerfully promotes the need for humility in light of our coming judgment. The narrative flows well, especially after Dan wakes up from his dream. This book is well written and enjoyable to read. DanвЂ™s decision that pleasing the Lord mattered more than earthly success built on dishonesty and sham ultimately leads him to give up a lucrative job. And he repeatedly prays, asking God to show him what to do and say. He faces hard choices at work the very day after the dream. It presents a much-neglected truth: that the Lord Jesus will judge believers for how they lived.Дan Mathewson, the leading figure in this novel, becomes a man of prayer after dreaming about the Judgment Seat of Christ. There is much I like about this book besides its cover. The cover of this book is a beautiful painting of one believer in the midst of a multitude appearing before the Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory. Gainesville, TX: Fair Haven Publications, 2000.

The Bema: A Story about the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The judgment seat of christ bible story