Why should believers work instead of coasting after salvation?
Believers should work after salvation because salvation is already settled, but the bema seat judgment will determine reward. They are not to sit idle; they are to get busy and labor, first to bring glory to God's name and also for their own personal benefit of reward.
Les explains that this judgment is only for believers, not the unsaved, and it is not about salvation being put in the balances. At the bema seat, the Greek term behind "judgment seat," Christ will reward believers according to what they have done in the body, whether good or bad. The bema seat was a raised podium for judges, and in the Olympic Games it was set at the finish line to determine who was first, second, and third. It has nothing to do with eternal destiny; that is settled the moment one believes. But believers are not to sit down in an easy chair and let life go by. They are to get busy and work, first to bring glory to God's name and also for their own personal benefit of reward.