In the fourth warning in the book of Hebrews (Heb. 10:19-39), two important things are mentioned — the worse punishment (v. 29) and the great reward (v. 35). These two phrases are both heavy and meaningful; they are the keys to this fourth warning. The writer of this epistle was not concerned with our salvation, for according to what he has written, it is eternally secure. The writer has made it quite clear that Christ has offered Himself to put away sin once for all (Heb. 7:27; 9:26, 28) and that He has obtained for us an eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9). Having entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, He has found for us an eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). The writer knew that our salvation was fully, thoroughly, and completely secure and that we have been saved forever. However, he was very concerned whether his readers would receive a great reward or suffer punishment.
Throughout the centuries, most Christians have not seen the punishment as well as the reward. Many books deal with the matter of reward, saying that if we follow the Lord faithfully and do His will, we shall receive a crown as a reward. However, it is difficult to find a book which speaks about the other side — punishment. Most Christian writers do not want to touch this subject, because it will cause them difficulty. Nevertheless, “worse punishment” is mentioned in 10:29, and we cannot ignore it. We shall either suffer a worse punishment or receive a great reward.
Our God is fair, righteous, and wise. He knows how to handle everything and how to deal with His children. As our wise Father, He has a just way of dealing with us, His children: He will reward the faithful and obedient ones and punish the unfaithful and disobedient ones. According to most of the teachings, it seems that God only rewards the faithful ones but does not punish the unfaithful. This is not logical. Our Father is much wiser than this. To say that He will reward the faithful ones and discipline the unfaithful ones is logical. Our God is logical and purposeful, never doing anything without a meaning. The clear word in His oracle says definitely that if we are faithful, He will reward us, but if we are not, He will punish us.
We need not be concerned about our salvation. We may be assured that it is eternally secured according to His holy word. The question, however, is this: how shall we follow the Lord after we have been saved? Will we conduct ourselves according to the law of life? Will we come forward to the Holy of Holies, or shrink back to the Holy Place and even to the outer court? This is up to us. If we come forward, we shall receive a reward. But if we shrink back, we shall suffer punishment because we break God’s administration and disobey His will. We all must come forward to the second covenant and dive into the new covenant economy of God, forgetting our sins and devoting our full attention to the law of life that will make us His reproduction. If we care for this, He surely will reward us. But if we do not care for it, shrinking back instead, He will punish us according to His warning. It is a serious matter to break God’s administration. If we do this, breaking the law of life, we shall suffer a worse punishment than those who broke the law of letters. We need to be deeply impressed with this matter of the “worse punishment” and the “great reward.” Perhaps we even need to underline these words in our Bibles as a reminder of their significance. These words represent our future destiny. Which shall it be — a worse punishment or a great reward?
The Apostle Paul was not assured that he had the reward until he reached the end of his life. When he wrote the book of 1 Corinthians, he was very much concerned that he might be a castaway in the heavenly race (Heb. 9:24-27). Even when he wrote the book of Philippians, he was still pressing on toward the mark for the prize (Phil. 3:14). Only in 2 Timothy 4:7 and 8, written shortly before his martyrdom, did he have the assurance that the crown of righteousness was awaiting him. Do not be assured that you have already attained the reward. You have not yet finished your race.
We all must be clear about four words: salvation, perdition, reward, and punishment. The reward is not salvation; it is something in addition to it. Salvation is by grace through faith, whereas the reward is according to the life and work we have after being saved. As the reward is different from salvation, so is punishment different from perdition. As we have pointed out, perdition is for the unsaved while punishment is for believers. Thus, punishment here is something altogether different from perdition. We have been saved forever and we can never perish. The unbelievers face two choices — salvation or perdition. We, the saved ones, also must consider two possibilities — receiving a reward or suffering some punishment. All the saints in the Lord’s recovery must be clear about this, for it is a matter of God’s economy, God’s way of dealing with His children.
Eternal salvation, as Ephesians 2:8 clearly reveals, is by grace through faith, having nothing to do with our works. Whatever we have done, whatever we are doing, and whatever we shall do cannot affect our salvation. It is absolutely a matter of God’s grace through our faith in the Lord Jesus.
Salvation is not of our works (Eph. 2:9; Rom. 11:6). It does not depend on what we do, on what we are, nor on the way we behave ourselves. As it is by grace through our faith, it is no longer of our works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace.
The saved one shall never perish. Do not pay any attention to the teaching which says that we can be saved and lost again and again. John 10:28 and 29 are a strong word of assurance that the saved one shall never perish. The Lord Jesus said, “I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father Who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (Recovery Version). The life we have received is the eternal life which nothing can terminate. And we have two hands holding us, the Lord’s hand of power and the Father’s hand of love, out of which nothing can snatch us. Our salvation is eternally secured by the eternal life and by the two divine hands.
First Corinthians 3:15 reveals that a saved one may not receive a reward but “suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire” (Gk.). We need to pay close attention to this verse and its context. Verse 8 says, “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” This verse indicates that here it is not a matter of salvation but of reward. In verse 12 we see two categories of materials with which we may build: gold, silver, and precious stones — the produce of the law of life; wood, hay, and stubble — the produce of the flesh. Verses 13 and 14 continue, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” Once again, it is not a matter of salvation but of reward. If a man’s work is burned, he shall suffer loss, but he shall not suffer perdition. “He himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” Paul was very careful in writing this verse. He said that we may suffer loss but still be saved. Lest we think that since we shall still be saved there can be no problem, Paul said that we “shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” There is no need for me to interpret this verse. Simply take it as it is. It certainly is not a good thing to be saved “as through fire.” I do not know what kind of fire that will be, but I do not want to pass through it.
What we have been saying here is the pure word of God. It is not, as some have falsely said, the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. That is devilish. What we are doing here is simply quoting the pure word of God. We should not pick and choose verses out of the Bible according to our taste. Everyone loves John 3:16 and many have it written on a scroll hanging on a wall in their home. But I have never seen a scroll with 1 Corinthians 3:15 on it. Chapter three of 1 Corinthians is on the building of the church. Today God has only one concern — the building of the church. If we are right with God in this matter, we shall receive a reward. If not, we shall suffer loss but be saved “yet so as through fire.”
Hebrews 10:35 uses the word “reward,” and 10:27 speaks of “fiery zeal.” Moreover, 12:29 says, “Our God is also a consuming fire.” This consuming fire deals not with the faithful ones, but with the unfaithful, and it is not for reward but for punishment. As we have seen, such punishment has nothing to do with eternal perdition. We must always discern between punishment and perdition, just as we discern between reward and salvation.
The reward mentioned in verse 35 is the kingdom reward because it will be given to us for our enjoyment in the coming kingdom, not in this age. Today in the church life the kingdom is an exercise. If we are faithful in the kingdom exercise today, we shall be rewarded with the kingdom as an enjoyment in the coming age. Then it will be the kingdom reward.
Eternal salvation is by grace, but the kingdom reward is by righteousness. In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul says that a crown of righteousness, the symbol of this reward, not a crown of grace, was laid up for him. So in verse 18 of the same chapter, he has the assurance that the Lord will save him into His heavenly kingdom. This was due to his faithfulness in following and serving the Lord. The Lord, the “righteous judge,” will give him this reward of the kingdom according to His righteousness, not according to His grace.
The kingdom reward will be according to our work. In Matthew 16:27 the Lord Jesus said that at His coming back He will reward us according to our works. In Revelation 22:12 He says, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” As we have already seen, 1 Corinthians 3:8 says that we shall be rewarded according to our labor. Eternal salvation has nothing to do with our works, but the kingdom reward will be altogether according to our works which we have by the Lord’s life after being saved.
This reward will be decided by the judgment seat of Christ. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The judgment seat of Christ will be set up at His coming back. At the judgment seat the Lord Jesus will judge all His believers. None of the unsaved will be judged at that time, for all of them will be judged at the white throne a thousand years later (Rev. 20:11-15). There, at the judgment seat of Christ, the decision will be made regarding what reward we shall receive — the enjoyment in the kingdom or some punishment.
This reward will be given to us at the Lord’s coming back. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 Paul says, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” At His coming back, the Lord will judge everything and will reward every one of His believers. We must take heed to the warning in this verse. At His coming back, the Lord “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” Today we can hide the things of darkness and the counsels of our hearts. But all this will be brought to light and made manifest at the Lord’s coming back. Then every one of us shall receive a reward accordingly.
The kingdom reward will be enjoyed in the coming kingdom. Both Matthew 25:21 and 23 say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” According to the context of Matthew, to enter into the Lord’s joy is to enter into the coming kingdom. The faithful servants will participate in the Lord’s joy in the kingdom as a positive reward.
The kingdom reward is to participate in the coming Sabbath rest. As we have seen in previous messages, this coming Sabbath rest will be Christ’s joy and reign in the millennium (Heb. 4:9; Rev. 20:4, 6). There, in the thousand-year kingdom, we shall share Christ’s joy and participate in His reign as kings.
Paul strived for this reward. In 1 Cor. 9:24-27, he tells us that he was running the race for the reward. Then in Phil. 3:13-14, he was still running the race. Only at the time immediately before his martyrdom did he know for certain that the reward was awaiting him and that the crown of righteousness had been prepared for him and for all who love the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
Because Moses was willing to suffer the reproach of Christ, he will receive the reward of the kingdom (Heb. 11:26). He was not allowed to enter into the rest of the good land because of his failure at Meribah (Num. 20:12-13; Deut. 3:26-27; 32:50-52). But he will be with Christ in the kingdom (Matt. 16:28; 17:1-3). By referring to this, the writer surely intended to encourage his readers, who were suffering persecution for Christ’s sake, to follow Moses by esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the things they lost and by looking away to the reward.
The kingdom reward is in addition to the eternal salvation which is mentioned in Heb. 5:9. Based upon Christ’s eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12), eternal salvation has been given to us freely and eternally according to God’s eternal selection of us. That is eternally secured. However, after receiving this eternal salvation, how we would behave ourselves is a problem. Hence, according to God’s wisdom, in addition to this eternal salvation, a reward is promised as an incentive to us that we may be faithful in our living by the Lord and in our working for Him.
Eternal salvation is by faith, having nothing to do with our work (Eph. 2:8-9), whereas the kingdom reward is for our work after we are saved (1 Cor. 3:8, 14). We may not receive the kingdom reward even though we are saved, because we are void of the work which the Lord would approve (1 Cor. 3:15). The Hebrew believers were here charged not to miss the kingdom reward — the coming Sabbath rest, the enjoyment of Christ and the reign with Christ in the coming age.
The kingdom reward is of the promise mentioned in 10:36, which is different from the promise in 9:15. The promise in 10:36 is the promise of the Sabbath rest mentioned in 4:9, in which we shall participate in the reign of Christ in the coming kingdom. That will be the great reward mentioned in verse 35 for the gaining of the soul mentioned in verse 39. This is conditioned on our endurance and doing the will of God. The promise in 9:15 is the promise of eternal inheritance based upon Christ’s eternal redemption, not on our work. The eternal inheritance in the promise in 9:15 is by the eternal redemption of Christ, whereas the great reward (v. 35) in the promise in 10:36 is for our reward in doing the will of God.
The will of God mentioned in 10:36 was for the Hebrew believers to take the new covenant way (vv. 19-23) and remain with the church (v. 25), not shrinking back to Judaism (vv. 38-39) but suffering persecution (vv. 32-34). For this they will receive the promise of a great reward at the Lord’s coming back. The promise of eternal inheritance is included in God’s eternal salvation. The promise found in 10:36 is the reward for the overcomers, while the eternal inheritance is for all the believers who have received eternal salvation.
Verse 34 speaks of “a better possession, and an abiding one.” This better and abiding possession is “the eternal inheritance” and the “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). Under the old covenant, the Jewish people inherited earthly things as their possession; but under the new covenant, the believers inherit the heavenly riches as their possession. This better and abiding possession was a great incentive to the Hebrew believers to suffer the loss of earthly things.
Verse 39 speaks of shrinking back to ruin. For the Hebrew believers to shrink back to Judaism would have been to shrink back to ruin, which is not eternal perdition, but punishment by the living God. The ruin mentioned here will be the punishment, as mentioned in verses 27 through 31, to those who would forsake the new covenant and return to Judaism, thus trampling under foot the Son of God, regarding Christ’s precious blood common as animal blood, and insulting the Spirit of grace. As the kingdom reward is a positive reward, so the punishment must be a negative one.
Verse 39 speaks of “the gaining of the soul.” The Greek word translated “gaining” may also be rendered “saving,” “preserving,” “possessing.” Very few Christians understand the meaning of this phrase. Some refer it to the salvation from hell. That is not accurate. The gaining of the soul is different from the salvation of our spirit. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, speaking of a sinful brother who was to be put out of the church, Paul said to “deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Even such a fallen, sinful brother would have his spirit saved, because the salvation of the spirit is eternal. However, the gaining of the soul is conditional. There is no need for us to be sinful in order to lose our soul. Even if we shrink back from God’s economy, we shall lose it. Most Christians have only one thought — going to heaven or going to hell, being saved or perishing. But neither the Bible nor our wise Father is that simple. Our Father has many ways of dealing with us. As we shall see, this gaining of the soul is somewhat related to the kingdom reward.
The gaining of the soul is for our whole being to enjoy the coming Sabbath rest, that is, to share in Christ’s joy and glory in the coming kingdom (4:9). Our being is of three parts — spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23), and our soul is different from our spirit. At the time when we believed in the Lord Jesus and were saved, our spirit was regenerated with the Spirit of God (John 3:6). But we must wait until the Lord Jesus comes back for our body to be redeemed, saved, and transfigured (Rom. 8:23-25; Phil. 3:21). As to the saving or gaining of our soul, it depends upon how we deal with it in following the Lord after we are saved and regenerated. If we lose it now for the Lord’s sake, we shall save it (Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25, Gk.; 1 Pet. 1:9), and it shall be saved, or gained, at the Lord’s coming back (Heb. 10:37). This will be the reward (10:35) of the kingdom to the overcoming followers of the Lord (Matt. 16:22-28).
To gain our soul in the coming age will be a great reward (v. 35) to our suffering for following Christ in this age. If we care for the enjoyment of our soul, the psychological pleasures, and do not follow Christ faithfully today, we shall suffer the Lord’s discipline in our soul in the coming age. If we are willing to lose the enjoyment of our soul for the Lord’s sake today, we shall have the full enjoyment of the Lord for our whole being, especially for our soul, in the coming age. That will be a reward to our suffering today.
The gaining of the soul is conditioned on our losing of it for the Lord’s sake. In the Gospels the Lord tells us many times that if in this age we lose our soul for His sake and the gospel’s, at His coming back in the next age we shall gain it (Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33). Although these verses are very familiar to so many of the saints, not many know what they really mean. As human beings, we have a spirit, but we are a soul. A human being is a soul. To lose our soul in this age means to suffer for the Lord’s sake and for the sake of the gospel. When we suffer, our whole being suffers. This means that we lose our soul. Those who are rich and comfortable today, enjoying their physical life, are having enjoyment for their soul. Not many Christians are willing to pay the price to follow the Lord strictly, because they do not want to suffer in their soul; they want to enjoy their life today, desiring luxurious cars, large houses, and many worldly things. They are unwilling to lose their soul.
Losing our soul in this age is to suffer for the Lord’s sake in a human way. If we follow the Lord today, we shall certainly suffer for His sake. Because you are a faithful and straight follower of Jesus Christ, your teachers may not give you the higher grade, and you may not receive a promotion on your job. Many such things are related to losing our soul. Our destiny in this age is to lose our soul and all human enjoyment. This loss of our soul today is the condition of our gaining it in the next age. To gain our soul in the next age is to enter into the Lord’s joy and reigning. According to the parable in Matthew 25, the Lord said to the faithful servants, “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” To enter into the Lord’s joy is to enter into His reign in the coming kingdom. This age is for us to suffer; the next age is for our enjoyment.
In these last two messages we have seen clearly the matters of dispensational punishment, the kingdom reward, and the gaining of the soul. The punishment which the defeated Christians will suffer is simply the losing of the soul. If in this age you gain your soul, being unwilling to pay the price to follow the Lord, you will lose your soul at the Lord’s coming back. That will be a real punishment. While the overcomers enter into the Lord’s joy and reign, you will be put aside. To lose our soul in the coming age does not mean that we ourselves shall be lost. It means to be excluded from the enjoyment and reign of Christ when He rules over the nations in the millennial kingdom. Those who gain their soul in this age and lose it in the next will not be co-kings of Christ in the coming age of the kingdom. If we lose our soul in this age for the Lord’s sake, we shall gain it in the next and enter into the Lord’s joy and reign, having the full enjoyment of human life as we rule with Him over the nations. This is a great reward.
I would like now to give a further word concerning this matter of the reward. The Bible is very consistent about this. Receiving the reward is not simply doing good works, glorifying God, and receiving a prize at the Lord’s coming back. In a sense, this is our natural concept of the reward. We need now to look at this matter in another way.
The gaining of the soul equals perfection, and perfection equals glorification. To be glorified, to be perfected, and to gain our soul in the next age all refer to one thing — the reward. What then is the reward? It is the goal of God’s salvation. God’s salvation has a goal. This goal is not that we go to heaven. The goal of God’s salvation is to make us the same as His Firstborn Son. Romans 8:29 says that we have been, “predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He should be the firstborn among many brothers” (Recovery Version). Here we see God’s goal — that His many sons, who are Christ’s many brothers, might be conformed to the image of His Firstborn Son. God is working today to bring the many sons into glory, that is, to bring all the saved ones into the glorification of the Firstborn Son of God. God has not saved us with the goal that we might go to heaven, but that we might be transformed and conformed to the image of His Son so that God might have for eternity a corporate expression of Himself. This is the goal of God’s salvation.
In His foresight God saw that many of His selected ones would not cooperate with Him, not give Him the opportunity to work out the goal of His salvation. Thus, in His wisdom, He decided to make the goal of His salvation a reward to the selected and saved ones. If there were no weakness, lack, or failure on the part of the saved ones, God would have no need of making the goal of His salvation a reward, for whoever was saved would come into that goal. But only those who cooperate with Him will reach the goal, and that goal will become a reward to them.
Consider the example of the children of Israel. God’s intention in calling, saving and bringing them out of Egypt was to make them a kingdom of priests (Exo. 19:4-6). Every Israelite was to be a priest. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they fell short of God’s goal through worshipping the golden calf. Immediately, the goal of the priesthood became a reward for one tribe, the tribe of Levi, which stood with God. Although the other eleven tribes did not perish, they did not reach the goal of God’s salvation. The priesthood, which was the goal for every tribe, became the reward for just one tribe.
The principle is the same with us today. God’s goal is to make us all the same as His Firstborn Son. If we cooperate with God, He will work within us day by day, and every day we shall enjoy Christ to the uttermost. This is the highest enjoyment. If we have this enjoyment of Christ today, when He comes to reign, we shall enter into His reign as His co-kings and partners. This is God’s goal. But many of God’s selected ones do not cooperate with Him to such an extent today. They are missing the full enjoyment of Christ which they can have now. Although they have been saved, they have no enjoyment of Christ, living each day in the same way as those who do not have Christ. Although they belong to Christ, having Him as their life and Savior, they do not give Him the opportunity to live within them. As a result, they are missing the enjoyment of Christ today and will certainly miss the enjoyment of reigning with Him in the millennial kingdom. Due to their negligence today, they will miss the goal of God’s salvation in the coming age.
Those selected ones of God who refuse to cooperate with Him will not only miss the highest enjoyment of Christ today and the reigning with Christ in the coming age, but, because they break God’s will and do not follow His economy, they will also be disciplined by Him. That discipline, that punishment, should be a warning to them to seek after God’s goal. Do not say to yourself, “If I am sloppy and do not reach God’s goal, I am ready to suffer His discipline. After that discipline is over, everything will be all right.” This is not true. After you have undergone God’s punishment, you will still need to reach His goal. Sooner or later, all God’s selected ones must reach His goal. Suppose I have two children in school. One of them receives excellent grades and graduates; the other fails and does not graduate. Because of this, he is disciplined and put into a dark room for a day. Do you think that after he has suffered for awhile he has no need to study? No, he must still make up his lessons. The purpose of the discipline is to compel him to study. After being punished, he must still read, study, and finish all his lessons; otherwise, he would never graduate from school. The school is patient. If he does not pass in the next semester, he will have to do it in another one. The parents’ intention is that all their children do their schoolwork and receive a reward at the end of the semester, enjoying a good time with them as satisfaction for their soul. But the disobedient children will lose this reward, be disciplined, and later be required to finish their lessons. The parents will never let them go until they have completed their schoolwork and graduated. The principal of the heavenly school is very patient. He will wait until every student in His school graduates and is built into the New Jerusalem. Every believer must reach the New Jerusalem, God’s ultimate goal.
Now we should be clear concerning the matters of reward and punishment. God’s salvation has a goal, and we all must reach it. Most Christians do not see what is God’s goal in His salvation. But by His mercy, the vision and revelation of the goal of God’s salvation have been made very clear. We all must reach this highest attainment, the goal that is God’s reward for His faithful ones. If we are not faithful to God, we shall miss His goal in the coming age and will suffer some punishment to discipline us that we may reach it. To those who will reach the goal in this way it will not be a reward. How we must thank the Lord for His wisdom in making the goal of His salvation a reward. This is a great incentive for us in following the Lord. May we all follow Him to such a degree that we are ushered into God’s goal and that His goal will be our reward.
