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Degrees
of Reward. Scripture never tells us what the rewards are
or how they are different. The prophet Daniel seems not only to tell
us that God gives different rewards to different Christians but to
say, that the rewards may be visually different.
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And
many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake,
these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting
contempt. And those who have insight will shine brightly like
the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead
the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
(NASB) Daniel 12:2-3 |
Are
the rewards how we will look in heaven - our appearance?
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Watch
yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished,
but that you may receive a full reward. (NASB) 2 John 8 |
The
concept of rewards is difficult for all of us to understand. God tells
us in Revelation that there will be no sadness in heaven (Rev. 22:3).
So how can one person receive many rewards and another receive few
and there not be sadness in heaven? The answer is, "This cannot
happen since there will be no sin in heaven." This means we do
not really understand the concept of rewards.
Conclusion:Rewards
are mentioned in scripture to motivate us to serve Him. Yet when we
arrive in heaven, there will be no pride, honor, or self-glory for
things we have done. There will be no competition. What we do know
is that before we were forgiven we could only do bad works (Rom. 3:12).
But after we believed in Jesus things changed and we could do good
works (Eph. 2:10). God calls us to be a living sacrifice. To die to
ourselves in serving Him.
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I
urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me
I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself
than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment,
as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. (NASB) Rom.
12;1-3 |
He
also asks us to not think highly of ourselves. Our rewards are not
for self-glory, but appear to require self-sacrifice. So what is the
purpose and benefit of the rewards? We do not really know, but we
will find out when we receive them in heaven. |
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