Doctrine of Rewards

Tod Kennedy, June 9, 2005

1.     Earned rewards are distinct from God’s free gift of eternal salvation (Ephesians 2.8-9). God rewards believers for service to him (Romans 14.10-12; 1 Corinthians 3.8-15; 2 Corinthians 5.9-10; 2 John 8; Revelation 2:10; Luke 19:11-27).

2.     The desire to please God is the right motivation for service that results in reward by God (Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:9; Ephesians 5:10; 6:6; Colossians 1:10; 3:20).

3.     The Bible teaches that every believer shall stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where each shall be evaluated for his service  and rewarded by Christ (2 Corinthians 5.10; Romans 14.10-12; 1 Corinthians 3.12-15). The Judgment Seat of Christ will apparently be in heaven after the removal of the church and before Christ returns to rule and reign on earth (2 Corinthians 5.8 and 10).

4.     The Judgment Seat of Christ is not the same as the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20.11-15.  The Great White Throne Judgment is the judgment of unbelievers; that judgment will demonstrate each unbeliever’s disqualification from eternal life with God.

5.     The evaluation process is described in 1 Corinthians 3.12-15 and 2 Corinthians 5.10. Divine good is a descriptive term for service that God (divine) produces in a believer and then rewards. Human good is service that the believer by his human nature produces apart from the Holy Spirit, fellowship, and the God’s word.

6.     The believer’s attitude about service and rewards sometimes falters. Second Thessalonians 3.13 and Galatians 6.9 motivate us to continued godly service. We never finish Christian service in the sense that it is over and done with. We serve like the farmer milks his cows: “The hardest thing about milking cows, “observed the farmer, “is that they never stay milked.”

7.     Believers in Christ may work hard in Christian service but receive little reward because: 1. they build or work on the wrong foundation, not on Jesus Christ and his word (1 Corinthians 3.10-15); 2. they do not abide in fellowship with Christ (John 15.4-5); 3. they have worked in the flesh (Romans 8.5-8); 4. they do not walk—learn and apply—in the word of God (2 John 4-8); 5. they do not live in God’s love (2 John 4-8; 1 Corinthians 13.1-3); and 6. they have  accepted and lived on false doctrine (2 John 7-8).

8.     What are the rewards?  Specific rewards are not mentioned in the Bible, except for the different crowns and the ruling privileges with Christ (Romans 8.17; the overcomers of Revelation 2-3).