|
Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they
exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of
the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great
is your reward in heaven" (Lk. 6:22-23).
"The whole subject of rewards for the
believer in heaven is one that seems to be thought of only seldom by
the ordinary Christian, or even by the average student of the
Scriptures. It is at once both a joyous and a solemn theme, and
should serve as a potent incentive for holiness of life." So
wrote Wilbur M. Smith many years ago, and circumstances have changed
little since then with regard to this topic.
There are spiritual teachers who regard the
whole concept of rewards for service as a very second-rate
motivation. They liken it to offering candy to a child if he will be
good. But Jesus in no way offered support to this viewpoint. In fact,
He taught the reverse. The apostle Paul also taught about rewards in
several of his letters.
No meritorious acts of ours can win salvation,
for that is a result of God's incredible and unmerited love. But the
very fact that Jesus spoke of rewards for service on a number of
occasions would indicate that He considered their granting an
important article of faith. But in no way did He suggest or imply
that service was a method of accumulating merit and thus receiving
salvation. Eternal life is a gift, not a reward.
The language in which the biblical concept of
rewards is expressed is very symbolic and metaphorical and has to be
interpreted accordingly. Of course, faithful service will bring
rewards in this life as well as in the life to come. Both are
mentioned in the following verse: "'I tell you the truth,' Jesus
said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or
parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to
receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come,
eternal life'" (Lk. 18:29-30).
The New Testament opens with the Lord's
promise of reward in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are you when
people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven" (Mt. 5:11-12). This reward is for the person
who endures slander and persecution for the sake of the Lord.
The New Testament closes with the Lord's
assurance, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and
I will give to everyone according to what he has done" (Rev.
22:12).
Since Jesus said that the reward for affliction
suffered for His sake is great and is a cause for rejoicing, we
should take His words seriously and not dismiss them carelessly as
some do.
Paul is equally definite on this point:
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the
body, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). From this passage we
learn that our past deeds will confront us at the judgment seat, but
it is equally clear that there the salvation of the believer is not
at issue. That important matter was settled forever at the cross,
when our substitute graciously bore the judgment that was justly due
to us for our sins. As a result of that blessed event, Paul assured
believers, "Through Him [Christ] everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law
of Moses" (Acts 13:39). The blessed consequence is,
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
So the believer doesn't need to fear that he
will lose eternal life at the judgment seat. But it might be
objected, "Didn't Paul have a fear of being a castaway?"
When Paul wrote of that possibility, it was not because he was in
fear of losing his salvation. The word castaway,as it is rendered in
the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 9:27, is better rendered
"disqualified." Paul was speaking in the context of
competing in the Isthmian games. The fear he entertained was that,
after having exhorted others how to run so as to win the coveted
prize, he himself might be disqualified for the victor's crown. After
all, eternal life is not a reward but a gift.
All true believers who stand before the
judgment seat will qualify for heaven, but not all will receive the
same reward. Someone once said, "Rewards will be calculated more
on the basis of fidelity and suffering rather than on successful
ventures." We are strongly exhorted, however, to "watch out
that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be
rewarded fully" (2 Jn. 8).
In the parables of the minas (Lk. 19:11-27)
and the talents (Mt. 25:14-30), Jesus taught that each believer has
differing abilities and capacities. That is something over which we
have no control and for which we are not responsible. The parable of
the minas teaches that where there is equal ability but unequal
faithfulness, there will be a smaller reward. On the other hand, the
parable of the talents tells us that where there is unequal ability
but equal faithfulness, the rewards will be the same. Christ's
judgment and the reward bestowed will be according to the use we made
of the opportunities given to us.
These parables, and indeed the whole subject
of rewards for service, underline the importance of how we act here
and now. It is now that we are determining our future status and
reward in heaven. Charles Wesley wrote the following:
In hope of that immortal crown,
I now the cross sustain
And gladly wander up and down,
And smile at toil and pain;
I suffer out my threescore years,
Till my Deliverer come,
And wipe away His servant's tears,
And take His exile home.
Curtis
|
