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I. The difference between reward and salvation.
II. Five aspects of the reward:
А. Obtaining a crown.
B. Being enthroned.
C. Obtaining authority.
D. Reigning.
E. Being a priest.
III. The requirements for obtaining the reward.
IV. The time of the reward.
V. The place for obtaining the reward.
VI. Patterns of pursuing the reward:
А. Moses.
B. Paul.
VII. A comparison between salvation and the reward.
The Bible shows that before God there is the matter not only of salvation but also of reward. This reward serves as a warning, encouraging us to go forward and drawing us to pursue the Lord. Thus, every believer should pay attention to the matter of reward. Therefore, we will examine this topic in more detail.
The reward that the Bible speaks of is different from salvation.
1. “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward” (1 Cor. 3:14).
This verse speaks of receiving a reward. If our work upon Christ as the foundation remains, we will receive a reward. This shows that receiving a reward is not the same as being saved. Salvation is by faith; it is not according to works (Eph. 2:8-9). However, this verse speaks of a reward that is based upon our work.
2. “If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:15).
If our work before the Lord is consumed, that is, if it does not remain, we will suffer loss. To suffer loss here is not in relation to eternal perdition, and it does not mean that we are not saved. Rather, it means that we will not obtain the reward, but instead we will be disciplined. This is indicated by the phrase he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire in the second half of this verse. Passing through fire indicates discipline; moreover, this discipline causes one to suffer loss. If our works and acts are not according to God’s will, we will be disciplined in the future even though we are saved. Therefore, according to the Bible, there is a possibility that we will suffer loss in the future, because the preceding verse shows that the matter of reward is different from the matter of salvation.
In 1 Corinthians 3 we can clearly see that there is a matter of reward and loss apart from salvation and perdition. We must not think that we have nothing to fear since we will never perish. Although perdition is reserved for unbelievers, it is still possible for believers to suffer loss. Consequently, we should not think that everything is all right as long as we are saved. Although we have escaped perdition, we will not necessarily escape the suffering of loss. Likewise, although we have obtained salvation, we will not necessarily obtain the reward. Just as suffering loss and perishing are different, obtaining the reward and being saved are different. In the future some believers will not only be saved but also rewarded; however, some believers will suffer loss despite being saved. This should be a warning to us.
According to the Bible, there are at least five different aspects related to the reward. The first aspect involves obtaining a crown. The New Testament speaks of the believers being rewarded with five different kinds of crowns in the future.
1. “The crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8).
As a reward the Lord will give a crown to those who faithfully follow Him and love His appearing. This crown is called the crown of righteousness because it is according to the Lord who judges righteously and who will give it to His faithful followers according to His righteousness. Therefore, this crown is given to people in order to manifest God’s righteousness, unlike salvation, which is given to people in order to manifest God’s grace. God’s salvation manifests God’s grace because everyone who believes receives it. In contrast, only faithful followers will obtain the crown of righteousness since it manifests God’s righteousness. Those who love the Lord today and pay a great price and suffer for Him, which includes His will and His way, will be rewarded with the crown of righteousness by the Lord according to His righteousness. In the future this crown will be a constant announcement of God’s righteousness in the universe.
2. “The crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
As a reward the Lord will give the crown of life to the believers who do not care for their own lives and who are faithful unto death by being martyred. For the sake of the Lord and His testimony, they do not love themselves to the extent that they willingly give up their lives. Consequently, the Lord will reward them with the crown of life, causing them to eternally express His powerful resurrection life, which cannot be held down by death and which testifies that they have overcome death.
3. “The unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4).
As a reward the Lord will give an unfading crown of glory to those who are willing to shepherd His flock. Since they are one with the Lord’s heart in caring for the flock of God, the Lord will reward them with an unfading crown of glory. Glory is the expression of God; God expressed is glory. By caring for the flock of God, they express both God Himself and His heart; therefore, the Lord will give them an unfading crown of glory so that they can eternally express God’s glory, that is, express God Himself.
4. “They may receive a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible” (1 Cor. 9:25).
As a reward the Lord will give an incorruptible crown to those who put away the pleasures of the world and run in His course. For the sake of running the Lord’s course, some will put away all the corruptible, temporary things of the world, which are passing away. Consequently, He will give them an incorruptible crown so that they can announce to the universe in eternity that they chose an everlasting and glorious blessing today.
5. “Joy or crown”; “Joy and crown” (1 Thes. 2:19; Phil. 4:1).
As a reward the Lord will give a crown of joy to those who have cared for the spiritual condition of others. Today there are some who care for the spirit and condition of others on behalf of the Lord. Consequently, those whom they have cared for will become their joy and crown as a reward. Believers have two kinds of joy: the joy of their own salvation and the joy of leading others to salvation. Some receive only the first kind of joy but never obtain the second. They are saved themselves, but they do not bring others to salvation. They care about their own spirituality but do not care for the condition of others. They are solitary and lonely Christians, because they have no spiritual children. Thus, they do not have the second kind of joy. Some believers, however, bring others to salvation. They constantly care for and are concerned for others, and their spiritual children become their joy. These spiritual children not only are their joy today, but they also will be their joy and crown in the future, testifying to the universe of their labor on others for the Lord’s sake.
The second aspect of the reward is to be enthroned. The Lord Himself promised this in the Bible.
1. “Sit on twelve thrones” (Matt. 19:28).
The Lord promised that He would reward the twelve disciples, who left everything in order to follow Him. Since they left everything for the Lord, the Lord will reward them with thrones to sit on when He rules from His glorious throne, and they will share in His authority. This reveals a principle that if we leave everything to follow the Lord today, we will be rewarded with a throne by the Lord in the future.
2. “To sit with Me on My throne” (Rev. 3:21).
All the overcoming believers will receive the reward of sitting with the Lord on His throne. This is a great honor bestowed by the Lord Himself!
The third aspect of the reward is to obtain authority. This also is a promise from the Lord Himself.
1. “To him I will give authority over the nations; and he will shepherd them with an iron rod” (Rev. 2:26-27).
This reward will be given to believers who overcome by obeying the Lord’s commandments to the uttermost. During this time of desolation in the church and opposition from the world, some believers will steadfastly obey the Lord’s commandments and become overcomers. When the Lord comes to rule the world, He will give them authority over the nations, and they will rule and exercise authority with Him.
2. “Have authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).
In the future the Lord will reward those who work faithfully for Him today. He will give them authority over ten cities.
According to the Bible, the fourth aspect of the reward is to reign.
1. “We will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12).
If we suffer hardships for the Lord and endure them today, we will reign with Him. This is a reward that the Lord will give us.
2. “Reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).
All those who have faithfully witnessed for the Lord throughout the ages, even to the extent of being martyred for Him, will reign with Him for a thousand years and rule the nations during the millennial kingdom. This is a reward that the Lord will give in the future.
The reigning aspect of the reward shows that the preceding aspects of obtaining the crown, of being enthroned, and of obtaining authority are all related to reigning, because a king must have a crown, a throne, and authority. The Lord rewards overcomers with a crown, a throne, and authority to reward them with reigning.
The fifth aspect of the reward is to be a priest. This also is revealed in the Bible.
1. “Priests of God and of Christ” (Rev. 20:6).
Those who faithfully witness for the Lord today, even to the extent of giving up their lives for Him, not only will reign with the Lord but also will be priests of God and of Christ. In the millennial kingdom the Lord will give them double honor and qualify them to be both a king and a priest. To be a king is to represent God to man and to bring God’s authority to man; to be a priest is to represent man to God and to bring man’s service to God. To be a king is to participate in God’s ruling, carrying out God’s administration; to be a priest is to participate in God’s life, obtaining God Himself and enjoying the greatest blessing in the universe — God Himself. The Lord will give these two honorable blessings to the overcoming believers in the future.
1. “Righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8).
Although the Lord saves us according to grace, He will reward us according to righteousness. We can freely obtain God’s salvation by grace, but we must pay a high price to obtain God’s reward according to righteousness. God’s grace does not require us to do anything, and it is freely given; however, God’s reward requires us to expend our strength and to pay a price in order to receive it.
2. “According to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8).
The Lord will reward us according to our own labor and His righteousness. After our salvation, if our labor before the Lord is of gold, silver, and precious stones, the Lord will reward us. However, if our labor is of wood, grass, or stubble, the Lord will not only refuse to reward us but will also cause us to suffer loss.
3. “To each one as his work is” (Rev. 22:12).
In the future the Lord will reward us according to the true condition of our work. Although we do not need works to be saved, we need works for the reward. However, whether or not we obtain the Lord’s reward depends upon the Lord’s assessment and pleasure with our works. The extent of our reward will be determined by the extent of the Lord’s pleasure with our works.
4. “Love your enemies, and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35).
The Lord will reward us even for works such as loving our enemy, doing good, and lending without expecting anything in return.
5. “Work from the soul as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23).
The Lord will reward us for working faithfully even for those who are our masters according to the flesh.
6. “Gives to one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink” (Matt. 10:42).
We will receive a reward for the seemingly insignificant deed of giving a believer a cup of cold water.
7. “Give alms...in secret”; “Enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray” (Matt. 6:3-4, 6).
We will be rewarded for our righteous acts, including giving alms, offering money, and praying, as long as they are done secretly before God and not in an open way to obtain praise from men.
8. “Preach the gospel...of my own will” (1 Cor. 9:16-17).
If we preach the gospel for the Lord out of our own will, we will receive a reward.
9. “Run in this way” (1 Cor. 9:24).
In a track meet, those who run the race run in order to obtain the prize. After we are saved, we also must run in the Lord’s way in order to be rewarded by the Lord. Running in this way is a requirement for obtaining the reward.
10. “Do not cast away therefore your boldness, which has great reward” (Heb. 10:35).
We will obtain the reward if we have boldness in following the Lord in His way.
11. “Unless he contends lawfully”; “Everyone who contends exercises self-control” (2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 9:25).
If we want to obtain the Lord’s reward, we must act according to the Lord’s regulations, have self-control, and be restricted in everything. This is an indispensable requirement for us to obtain the reward.
12. “When they reproach and persecute you, and while speaking lies, say every evil thing against you because of Me...your reward is great in the heavens” (Matt. 5:11-12).
If we are reproached, persecuted, and evilly spoken of for the Lord’s sake, we will be rewarded, and the reward will be great.
13. “Faithful unto death” (Rev. 2:10).
If we are faithful to the Lord unto death and do not care for our life, we will obtain a reward from the Lord.
14. “Overcomes” (Rev. 3:21).
Overcoming spontaneously causes us to obtain the reward, so it is a requirement for being rewarded.
15. “Those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).
Diligent students are happy on the day of a big test because if they do well on the test, they will receive a reward. In contrast, lazy students are afraid of a test. In the same way, those who love the Lord and have given up everything for Him love His appearing because they will receive a reward from Him; those who do not love the Lord but love the world and sin will be afraid of the Lord’s coming. Thus, loving the Lord’s appearing is a proof that we love the Lord and live for Him today; therefore, this is a requirement for obtaining the reward.
1. “That day” (2 Tim. 4:8).
That day refers to the day of the Lord’s return. Thus, the reward spoken of in this verse will be given at the time of the Lord’s return.
2. “Until the Lord comes”; “The Son of Man is to come...and then He will repay each man according to his doings” (1 Cor. 4:5; Matt. 16:27).
When the Lord comes, we will receive a recompense from the Lord that is either a reward or a punishment.
3. “The resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14).
The resurrection of the righteous mentioned in this verse refers to the resurrection of the believers. This will occur at the time of the Lord’s return (1 Thes. 4:16). The reward for what we do for the Lord today will occur at that time.
4. “In the restoration” (Matt. 19:28).
The restoration of all things spoken of in this verse occurs in the millennial kingdom following the Lord’s return (Acts 3:20-21). If we leave everything to follow the Lord today, we will be rewarded by Him at the time of the restoration.
1. “Before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10).
The judgment seat of Christ spoken of in this verse and the throne of judgment spoken of in Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:11-15 are not the same. His throne of judgment is to determine whether the worldly people will perish, both the living and the dead. The judgment seat of Christ, however, is not related to His determination of whether the worldly people will perish; rather, it is related to His determination of whether the believers should receive a reward or punishment. Those of us who are believers will never appear before the throne of judgment to determine whether or not we will perish, because Christ has already received that judgment in our place on the cross. We must, however, appear before the judgment seat of Christ to determine whether we will receive a reward or punishment. The judgment seat of Christ will be established at His return to judge the works of the believers. Thus, in the future believers will be judged according to their works after salvation to determine whether they should be rewarded or punished. The judgment seat of Christ is the place where our reward will be obtained. (We will speak in more detail about the judgment seat of Christ in chapter 57.)
2. “Before the judgment seat of God” (Rom. 14:10).
The judgment seat of God is the judgment seat of Christ because God has given all judgment to Christ (John 5:22). In the future believers will stand before the judgment seat of God, for which Christ bears the responsibility, and we will be rewarded by Him.
1. “Choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin, considering the reproach of the Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked away to the reward” (Heb. 11:25-26).
The Bible not only teaches us concerning the matter of receiving the reward but also shows us patterns of pursuing the reward. In the Old Testament the clearest pattern is Moses. Moses could have been the crown prince of Egypt and could have enjoyed more riches than anyone else. However, because he hoped to obtain the reward from God, he chose rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to have the temporary enjoyment of Egypt. Thus, he cast aside the riches and enjoyment of the royal palace. In his eyes the reproach of the Christ was greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. We should imitate him and cast aside the riches and pleasures of the world to live for Christ and the people of God in order to pursue the coming reward.
1. “I therefore run in this way, not as though without a clear aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave” (1 Cor. 9:26-27).
In the New Testament Paul is another very clear pattern of pursuing the prize. Paul tells us that he ran in this way, not as though without a clear aim, and that he boxed in this way, not as though beating the air. He buffeted his body and made it his slave. He did this because he was pursuing the reward. He was afraid that he might speak of the reward to others (not merely the gospel of salvation) yet be rejected and unable to obtain it himself.
2. “Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize” (Phil. 3:13-14).
In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul shows that he diligently ran in the Lord’s way in order to obtain the Lord’s reward. He ran until he was old, and when he wrote Philippians from prison, he still did not dare say that he had laid hold of it. In the first chapter of Philippians he wrote of the matter of salvation, and he was full of assurance (v. 19), but when he got to the third chapter and wrote of the reward, he dared not say with assurance that he had obtained it. Although he was very mature in the Lord, he continued to pay attention to this one thing: forgetting the things which were behind and stretching forward to the things which were before, pursuing toward the goal for the prize. He did not worry whether his past was bad or good, whether it was fleshly or spiritual; regardless of what was in the past, he did not pay attention to it. He focused only on stretching forward toward the goal for the prize. No one who runs in a race looks backward continually to see how well he has run. If one wants to run well, he must forget the things which are behind and stretch forward to the things which are before. Paul ran in this way. If we would obtain the reward, we must imitate him by running in this manner.
3. “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
Paul ran until the time that he wrote 2 Timothy, that is, until he came to the end of the race. It was only when he was about to be martyred for the Lord that he dared to say that he had obtained the reward. Because he fought the Lord’s fight, finished the Lord’s course, and kept the faith, he knew with assurance that the Lord would reward him with the crown of righteousness, a righteous reward. He ran and pursued after this for many years, and in the end he knew that he had obtained the reward. He knew that the Lord had a crown of righteousness for him, a righteous reward that would be kept for him until the Lord could give it to him on the day of His return.
Brothers and sisters, we absolutely must not be deceived and think that it is enough to be saved. Our salvation is as secure as Paul’s, but after his salvation he endeavored to run the race and pursue the reward. We should take him as our pattern, and we should endeavor to pursue the reward following our salvation.
Salvation is one hundred percent according to God’s grace, whereas obtaining the reward is based fully on His righteousness. Salvation is obtained because of our faith, and the reward is obtained based on our works. God is both gracious and righteous. His grace requires faith; His righteousness requires works. His grace through our faith gives us salvation; His righteousness based on our works gives us the reward. According to His grace, He would never save anyone because of their good works; according to His righteousness, He would never reward anyone who does not have proper works. His salvation is an expression of His grace; His reward is a declaration of His righteousness.
Salvation is obtained in this age by sinners; the reward will be obtained in the future by believers. If a sinner wants salvation, he can receive it now through faith, but if a believer wants the reward, he must wait for the determination at the coming of the Lord in the future.
Moreover, salvation is common to all believers, but the reward is only for overcomers. Thank God that every believer has already obtained salvation. Whether or not we receive the reward, however, will be determined by whether or not we overcome. Although God saves us when we believe, we must overcome in order for Him to give us the reward. Although God’s salvation is for every believer, His reward is only for the overcomers. Therefore, if we merely believe, we can only obtain God’s salvation. If we want to gain His reward, we must pursue to be an overcomer. May God give us grace!
