Rewarded in Heaven

Recompense According to Deeds—Are You Ready?¹
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2007

In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, he describes a potentially uncomfortable review that every believer will face.

2 Cor 5:10 ...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The apostle is not addressing a person's entry to heaven but his status in heaven, whether ruling a city or pushing a broom. So, are you ready for your review?

God is not indifferent to people's behavior. While He may not respond positively or negatively in this life, He will certainly respond in the next life, and in a manner that is entirely appropriate.²


I. There will be qualitative differences in peoples' after-death experiences.

The righteous and the unrighteous will not have the same experience at their conclusion of this life.³ Those, though, differences will be limited.

Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Matt 25:46 The[ wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

There will be only two groups in the end, each with a different fate.

A. Unending life for the righteous

B. Unending punishment for the wicked

This is not an obvious contrast—life versus punishment. Life versus death or reward versus punishment would offer a better balanced set of opposites, but the Bible regards life as more than simple existence. Jesus said...

John 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

In the eternal sense, life includes everything positive, from experiencing the wonder of God's glorious presence to enjoying the generosity of His infinite blessing.... The alternative to life, death, excludes everything positive. It is devoid of all but suffering.⁴

Query: Is there a problem here?

Some people cannot accept that a loving God would consign anyone, no matter how evil that person was in life, to unending torment in death. To resolve this perceived conflict, they propose one of...

• Two alternative views that focus on a prominent divine attribute.

• Annihilationism

• In God's mercy, the wicked will be terminated after death.⁵ At some point, they will cease to exist, making their suffering temporary.

• Universalism

• In God's mercy, the wicked will (repent and) be saved after death.⁶ At some point, they will change their mind, and God will change their location from hell to heaven.

However appealing either notion may be...

• These alternative views conflict with the biblical teaching about the fate of those who reject God in life.

• To the annihilationist, John says the wicked will continue to exist after death, suffering forever.

Rev 20:10b They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

• To the universalist, the author of Hebrews says there is no salvation after death, only condemnation.

Heb 9:27 ...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

• To both the annihilationist and the universalist, the scriptures say the duration of the after-death experience will be the same for both groups — and there are only two groups in the end—the righteous and the unrighteous: The postmortem experience for all people will be "everlasting" (Dan 12:2) and "eternal" (Matt 25:46).

• To abbreviate that period for one party would also abbreviate it for the other, making eternal life considerably less than eternal.

• These alternative views ignore the preeminent divine attribute, the one that subsumes all others, including mercy. That attribute is...

• Holiness. It is what the seraphim call out in the heavenly court.

Isa 6:3b "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty...

Rev 4:8b Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty...."

When we contrast the sinfulness of man (see n. 6) with the holiness of God, with whom "the wicked cannot dwell" (Ps 5:4b), man's judgment, no matter the severity and longevity, is entirely appropriate.

For all people, their final disposition is one of two states, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, heaven or hell; there is no neutral ground (no Limbo or Purgatory) and, as Paul states, no one is exempt.

Rom 2:6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." [Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

This focus on what a person has done does not detract from what God has done. It simply views man's future from the angle of his own responsibility. Without divine intervention, man's sin will consign him to spend eternity apart from God, and in a most unpleasant state. By grace, God offers man the opportunity to change his fate, but man must respond through faith. To alter his eternal destiny, man must accept God's forgiveness for sin. Absent that pardon, man's direction and destination remain unchanged.

In addition to these broad qualitative differences...

II. There will be quantitative differences in peoples' after-death experiences.

...degrees of reward for the righteous and of retribution for the wicked.⁷ Paul describes a broad range of...

A. Varying reward for the righteous

...in the next life, from little payment to great payment, depending on their faithfulness in this life.

1 Cor 3:8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.... 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.

Similarly, Jesus notes the...

B. Varying retribution for the wicked

...in the next life, from moderate penalty to severe penalty, depending on their excess in this life.⁸

Luke 12:47 That servant who knows his master's will and...does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48a But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.

In both cases, for the righteous and for the wicked, their respective destinations and their general dispositions remain the same—either good or bad—but the extent of their reward or retribution in those states will differ.

Query: What does God's reward require?

How can a person increase what he will receive? ...In the course of his instruction, Jesus mentions specific attitudes and activities that will result in reward.⁹

• Serenity

Matt 5:11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12a Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven....

• Piety

Matt 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.... 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.... 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Hospitality

Matt 10:41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

• Mercy

Malt 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple. I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

This is only a partial list,¹⁰ but it gives some idea about how what you do now can reap dividends later.

Query: What does God's reward entail?

How might you benefit from increased devotion to God's agenda? Again, there are few specifics, but Jesus says it will include...¹¹

• Notoriety

Matt 5:19b ...whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

• Longevity

Matt 19:29 And everyone who has left...for my sake...will inherit eternal life.

• Authority

Matt 25:21c I will put you in charge of many things.

• Legacy

Matt 25:34c ...take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

This, too, is only a partial list, but it gives some idea about the kinds of benefits later that you can look forward to now.

Jesus depicts the quantitative differences for the righteous in his parable, The Ventured Capital.¹² A nobleman gives each of his servants money to invest as they see fit. After a while, he asks them for an accounting of their investment.

Luke 19:15b 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.' 20 "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' 22 "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' 24 "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 25 "Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' 26 "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

Like the servants in this story, God has given you resources to invest, and even a modest effort on your part will yield some return. If you apply yourself, though, you can maximize your investment, and God will reward your efforts accordingly. He will give more to those who do more.¹³

So, how are you preparing for your future recompense? You have taken the first step by determining the quality of your after-death experience, ensuring your eternal life. Have you stopped there? Are you settling for that, or are you striving for more? Are you taking the second step by determining the quantity of your after-death experience, ensuring the greatest reward? God has prepared both for you but has left their pursuit to you. Redemption is free; reward is earned.

What to remember: In the end, people's condition in the spiritual realm will correspond to their conduct in the physical realm. God will repay them according to what they have done.¹⁴ Their recompense will be according to their deeds.... Are you ready?

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.