Rewards, or the Place of Christian Works
From "Salvation"
True Christian living and service flow out of the new
creation which is the result of the saving work of God and are divinely
recognized by the promise of rewards. The Bible revelation concerning rewards
not only presents a great incentive to holy and faithful living, but is a
necessary counterpart of the doctrines of free grace. The divine plan of
salvation under free grace is to save men "without money and without price."
This means that no exchange is made. Man receives all that he has as a gift and
only as a gift. It also means that there are no after payments to be made "on
the installment plan", as though some attempted correctness of life and conduct
could qualify the transaction of grace. What is done for man is done
graciously. God will not suffer His gift to be confused with useless attempts
to pay, or return, anything to Him in exchange. It is equally evident that it
is not His purpose that Christian service shall be rendered as an attempt to
return something for what He has done, notwithstanding the fact that such
motives in service are sometimes urged by the misinformed.
God is said
to be actuated by at least three motives in saving men: First, they are said to
be "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that they should walk in them." This, it is evident, is the least of all. It
is, however, the only motive that is sometimes presented. "We are saved to
serve" is a common phrase which if taken alone would represent the Father as
seeking our service only and as debased to the level of the most sordid
commercialist. It is true rather that we are saved in order that we may serve.
There can be no true service apart from salvation. Service then becomes a
divinely provided privilege. Second, we are saved that "we might not perish,
but have everlasting life." This would seem of greatest importance, for it
represents our unmeasured and eternal blessing in Him. But there is a third
divine motive infinitely beyond these which, we may believe, is the highest
motive of saving grace: namely, we are saved "that in the ages to come he might
shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus." The result of that kindness toward us will be seen to be the final form
in which we appear in the glory when we are "conformed to the image of his
Son." Every being in the universe will know what we were and will behold the
spectacle of what we are in that final and eternal glory. This transformation
will have measured the grace of God for us, and on that scale which will be
wholly satisfying to Himself. He will have made a demonstration of His grace
before all created beings which will be to His own exceeding joy.
It
may be concluded, then, that God is moved to act in our behalf from the sole
motive of love toward us and not for gains of any kind whatsoever. It is all to
unfold His grace alone. Thus the new-born child in the Father's house begins
his career with no hopeless debt. He has simply to enter into that which is his
by all right and title in the amazing grace of God. When the Christian enters
into service the greatest care must be exercised that the very motives for
service do not in some way violate these most precious relations of divine
favour. It will not do to attempt to repay Him by service for what He has done.
A gift is not appreciated as such by the recipient when there is the slightest
intention even to pay for it. Yet the stupid human heart is so often proposing
to repay God for His mercy. Such words are put into the lips of Christ in the
hymn, "I gave my life for thee, what hast thou given for me?" The question
"what hast thou given for me?" may well be asked of us all; but never as though
it was a "dun" for a long unpaid debt to Him.
The only true motive for
Christian life and service is the very one motive which has actuated God in His
service for us. It is just LOVE. Salvation was to reveal and satisfy His love
for us. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he
laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). It then follows that "we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren"; but never to pay Him for laying down His life
for us. It is rather that we act on the same principle of love. We can make no
claim on Him whatsoever. At best, from our own standpoint, we are "unprofitable
servants." He will reward every faithful service; but He will not demand the
service. His recognition of Christian service will be but another manifestation
of His marvellous grace. No child of God is "earning his way." Such a thought
might satisfy a sordid commercial instinct of an untaught heart, but the
thought is foreign to a normal relation of the child to his Father. "He hath
given us all things richly to enjoy." The Father's supply of our temporal needs
may come through the very channel in which our service is rendered, but it must
not be deemed a payment for that service or all truth is subverted. His care
for us is in pure love which can be claimed by the most helpless invalid as
much as by the most active person. He does not promise to care for us if we
"deliver the tale of bricks." Such doctrine belongs to the Egyptian taskmasters
of old. God is just as much committed to care for us, by His loving promises,
after our vitality is exhausted as when we are in the prime of life and
strength. "They that serve in the gospel shall live by the gospel" is a divine
exhortation to those who have the privilege of love gifts to the gospel
ministry. It is not addressed to the minister. "Give and it shall be given to
you" is an assurance that you cannot approach the Father with an expression of
your love to Him that He will not meet you with a vastly greater response of
His overflowing grace. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" is not an
injunction to seek an increase in salary, even as a secondary consideration. It
is forgetting all else but Him, and the divine response is to the end that "All
these (temporal) things shall be added unto you."
Every service for
God, then, should be, like His, a service expressing love, and all occupation
in life should be deemed by the Christian as a service for God (I Cor. 10:31;
Eph. 6:6-8; Col. 3:22-24). God does not need our paltry gifts: He wants us. He
is not looking for free labour from us: He is looking for evidence of our love
for Him. Service for a salary is a poor return: service for His own sake is
most precious in His eyes. There is no commercialism in the household of God,
for there the standard of value is only love. "He brought me to the banqueting
house, and his banner over me was love." "She hath loved much" was a priceless
verdict of Christ. For such service of love there will be a divine recognition
in the coming glory. This will be shown by the bestowal of rewards.
It
should also be stated that Christian service is not any good act we may choose
to perform. The child of God has been "created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." This means that
there is a design and field of service divinely planned for each one, and "good
works" in the Bible sense can only be the finding and doing of that which He
has ordained. The works are "good" in that they are "that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God" for each believer. These can only be entered into by
His divine direction, which will be realized by all who wholly yield to Him.
Service must be "where he will."
God has promised by many Scriptures
to recognize all service that is rendered as a love expression to Him and all
that is within the gracious plan of life He has made for every child of His.
There will be rewards, crowns and prizes. No one can define them. They most
evidently speak of His loving appreciation of our little suffering and
faithfulness for Him. They will be inexpressibly sweet, and they will abide for
all eternity. Salvation is not a reward for the believer's service. Salvation
is God's work for us. Rewards are always connected with the believer's works
and merit. The rewards are to be bestowed at "the judgment-seat of Christ" (2
Cor. 5:10). This is when the saints are gathered to meet their Lord in the air
(1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12; Mt. 16:27; Lk. 14:14). It will be a moment
of discovery as to who hath loved much and who was much occupied with Him. It
is most comforting to read of that very time of judgment, "and then shall every
man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5).
Of the many passages in the
Bible on rewards, two may be considered here. The first, 1 Cor. 9:18-27, is the
divinely recorded illustration of true service as seen in the life of the
Apostle Paul. This passage opens with the question: "What is my reward then?"
This is followed by a description of the tireless service and faithfulness of
the Apostle. At the twenty-fifth verse he presents an illustration based on the
Grecian games. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." The most violent effort of
the runner in the race is, in the illustration, the standard of effort for the
servant of God, "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in
all things." There is the greatest care of the body that it may be found at its
highest state of efficiency in agility, strength and endurance. "Now they (the
athletes) do it (sacrifice their desires and every indulgence and carefully
train) to obtain a corruptible crown." What was more transitory than the wreath
of leaves that was placed on the victor's brow? "But we (sacrifice our desires
and indulgences and train ourselves for) an incorruptible crown." If only such
were true! Few have so lived before God as did the Apostle Paul. How shame must
cover us when we think of the ceaseless effort of the worldly athlete to gain a
fading crown that soon will be forever forgotten, while God is offering to us
an incorruptible crown the effulgence of which will be increasing in brightness
when all the contests of earth are forgotten in the ages of the ages! This
passage closes with a personal testimony from the Apostle. "I therefore so run,
not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep
under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (disapproved). There is no
reference to salvation in this passage. It begins with the words: "What is my
reward then?" and is of rewards throughout. The fear that is expressed at the
end is of being disapproved of the Lord. It is not fear of being found unsaved.
This would be opposed to the unvarying and always consistent teaching of the
Apostle concerning the grounds of salvation. He testifies that there is a
half-hearted preaching which would disappoint His Lord. He is striving that he
may be approved as a faithful servant in that ministry to which he was called.
The second Scripture to be mentioned on rewards is 1 Cor. 3:9-15. This
presents the fact of rewards as certainly promised by God. "For we are
labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man
take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." This is not the building of character,
which undertaking is unknown in the Scriptures. It is rather the building of
service unto a reward. Christ is the foundation and to be on Him is to be
saved. It is possible to build on Him of very different spiritual substances,
but all built on the same foundation, Christ. Such are the possibilities in
service for all who are saved in Christ. "Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work
(not his salvation) 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 there upon
(Christ), he shall receive a reward. If any man's work (built on Christ the
Foundation) shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be
saved; yet so as by fire."
Fire is the symbol of the judgment by which
the superstructure of Christian works is to be tested. Jesus made use of
another symbol of judgment, the floods of water, that shall test the
foundation. Woe to those who are found building on the sand! Not only will
their superstructure of self-righteousness collapse, but their foundation, the
fallen nature, will be swept by the waters of judgment into everlasting
darkness. Although secure against the floods, established on the Rock Christ
Jesus, great sorrow and shame will come upon those saved ones who have had all
the days of grace and the enabling power of God and a field so white for
harvest and in the end present a completed service of "wood, hay, stubble"
only.
Thus it may be concluded that we are saved in the boundless
grace of God and His attitude toward us is ever and always one of love. We are
the objects of His bounty and care. Being saved, we are privileged to enter
some service of His eternal design. This is not a field in which to compensate
Him for His love. It is our divinely given opportunity to express our love to
Him to the praise of the Glory of His grace. He recognizes such ministries of
love by that which He has been pleased to call "rewards." What more could He do
than He has done? How more faithfully could He appeal for our heart's devotion
to Him?
From Salvation by Lewis Sperry Chafer.