Rewards

Let’s look at a few of many scriptures that speak of rewards:

“God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done’” (Rom. 2:6; Psa. 62:12; Prov. 24:12).
“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).
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Heb. 10:35-36).
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
“Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds (Rev. 2:23b).
“’Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them’” (Rev. 14:13b).
“The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Rev. 20:12b).
“My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12b).

As we can see from these scriptures and as Randy Alcorn writes, “Works do not affect our redemption. Works do affect our reward. Just as there are eternal consequences to our faith, so there are eternal consequences to our works.” He defines our “reward-earning works” as those works that “are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:29).” Next, he adds this interesting insight that “Eternal rewards are guaranteed; temporal rewards are not. . . . Scripture does not guarantee I will always receive rewards on earth.” But “in the end, our righteous God promises to make all things right” (Randy Alcorn, In the Light of Eternity (Colorado Springs, CO.: Waterbrook Press, 1999), 117-118).

Alcorn also warns his readers and confesses that “when it comes to my bad works and my failure to do good works, it gets tricky. . . . Once lost or squandered, opportunity doesn’t reappear. . . . many times as I’ve failed him . . . . The question is, will you seek to do more rewardable works for him now, while you still can? Anticipating this future joy should fuel our present ministry efforts. . . . God is watching. He’s keeping track. In heaven he’ll reward us for our acts of faithfulness to him. . . .” (Ibid., 118-120, 122).

Likewise, Tony Evans makes some poignant points:

God paid a high price for you and me. We cost Him the life of His Son. Not only that, but He has entrusted us with the stewardship of His kingdom. He has given us the privilege of ruling with Him in His kingdom. Are we going to turn around and give God sloppy work, our left-over time, talents, and treasure? . . . the fundamental question that Christ will ask every believer at His judgment seat is this: ‘Did you finish? Did you complete the task of living for Me that I gave you when I saved you? Were you faithful to Me? (Tony Evans, What a Way to Live! (Nashville, TN.: Word Publishing, 1997), 169, 182.)

How each of us fares on that day of judgment when this evaluation is made will determine how we spend eternity.

Sources:

1 Hell Yes / Hell No by John Noe

2 In Light of Eternity by Randy Alcorn

3 What a Way to Live! by Tony Evans