Note 19 at 2 Cor. 5:10: In the light of Paul wanting to please the Lord (v. 9), he now turns his attention to a judgment seat before which all believers will stand. The Greek noun for "judgment seat" is "bema," and is used frequently in the New Testament for a "platform. . .on which was placed a seat for an official. The BEMA was the platform from which orations were made (Acts 12:21) as well as the place where civil officials held session to hear certain legal cases and render judgment in such cases" (DNTT, Vol. 2). This Greek word is used a total of 12 times in the New Testament (Mt. 27:19; Jn. 19:13; Acts 7:5; 12:21; 18:12, 16-17; 25:6, 10, 17; Rom. 14:10 and 2 Cor. 5:10).

Although Paul is clear that this is a judgment of our works done in the body, it is also true that Jesus bore in His own body all judgment due our sins. Reward and loss are what Paul is speaking of in this passage (see 1 Cor. 3:11-15), not justification, which is God's gift through Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; see notes 5-6 at 1 Cor. 3:14-15, p. 873).