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Messages for Calebs IV
The
Determination of Heavenly Rewards according to the Bible
Scripture
teaches that disciples of Jesus Christ may receive heavenly rewards
in addition to salvation. Unlike salvation, rewards are determined
by the quality and quantity of our works. According to Scripture,
God gives rewards not simply because we are willing or because we
are "doing our best." We should also be able to accomplish the work He has prepared for us to do. For this, wisdom is required.
Ephesians
2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works,
so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do.
Three servants of varying ability
In Matthew 25 three servants were given talents each according to
his ability. The Lord is aware that we are not equal in terms of the
various abilities with which we have been created. This is taken into
account when He gives rewards to His people.
Matthew
25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going
on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property
to them. 15 To one
he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another
one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
...19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned
and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five
talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you
entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge
of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he
said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained
two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge
of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The first
two servants were faithful, each able to double what their master
had entrusted to them. Although the first
earned five more talents
and the second earned only two more, it seemed that the master was
equally pleased with both. He commended both in exactly the same way,
and presumably gave them equal rewards: “in charge of many things.” They
had done "equal" work relative to their abilities. The Lord
takes into account our relative abilities when giving rewards.
It’s not enough just to be willing
It's important
also to note that these two faithful servants actually made profit
for their master. They did not simply "do their best" but
actually succeeded in making money for their master. "Faithful" does
not just mean having good intentions and trying, but actually bearing
fruit. If the two servants had not made money for their master, he
would not have called them “faithful.” For rewards, works
actually matter. It's the same in the business world. Regardless of
one's good intentions and efforts, if one does not earn a profit, the
business will fail. Employees are generally rewarded with bonuses on
the basis of actual performance, not on simply good intentions or good
efforts but without making money for the business.
The “wicked, lazy” servant
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he
said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have
not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So
I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is
what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you
knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not
scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit
with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it
back with interest.
…30
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The third
servant, paralyzed by fear of failure, dared not to invest the talent
and failed to make a profit. The master
was very displeased
and condemned him harshly, calling him wicked and lazy. Then the worthless
servant was thrown outside to the darkness where he would weep and
gnash his teeth. What does this actually entail? Whatever it means,
it is not good. This may be how the Lord, who suffered immeasurably
on the cross to save us from sin, will treat lazy and wicked servants
on the Day of Judgment. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Does quantity matter?
Now in Luke 19 with the parable of the minas, ten servants of apparently
equal ability were each given one mina. Nothing is mentioned about
varying abilities.
Luke 19:12 “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to
have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten
of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he
said, ‘until I come back.’
…
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent
for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out
what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned
ten more.’ 17 ”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his
master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very
small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned
five more.’ 19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge
of five cities.’
We see that actual performance varied from servant to servant. The
first earned ten minas for the master, the second earned five minas.
And their rewards were proportional to their respective performances.
The first was put in charge of ten cities while the second in charge
of five cities. (The third servant kept his talent laid away in a piece
of cloth, and paid dearly for his fear-driven disobedience.) It would
appear that the quantity of our works for the Lord can enter into the
determination of our reward.
From this parable we see that eternal rewards may involve authority
to rule with Christ in His coming Kingdom.
Does quality count?
The quality of our work also counts in the calculation of our reward:
I Corinthians
3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert
builder, and someone else is building
on it. But each
one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation
other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man
builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood,
hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the
Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the
fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he
has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned
up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one
escaping through the flames.
If we are concerned about our eternal reward, we should serve the
Lord wholeheartedly and fruitfully. We must also exercise wisdom in
what we do for Him. We do not want to spend our time and energy on
empty religious works that will not be credited. We must be sure that
our labor produces fruit that lasts, especially for the fulfillment
of the last command Jesus gave before He ascended to heaven.
“All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
More
for Messages for Calebs
" God
is Love"
(or
How to have confidence on Judgment Day)
Obedience
is not a dirty word
To
the Church in America: what should we now do?
Other
articles | Featured
essays
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