Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant

Heaven will be wonderful place, far beyond our earthly ability to conceive it. We will be in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. The Bible clearly talks of some rewards, but it also talks of an equality in how God sees us and responds to us. God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34). We are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28) Jesus purchased people for every tribe and people and language and nation with his blood. (Rev.5:9).

It also is clear that what we do in this world is dependent on Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is Christ’s righteousness that takes us to heaven, not ours. We receive His righteousness when we become Christians. The Bible teaches us that when we believe, our sins are forgiven on the basis of Jesus’s death. He died for our sins. It also teaches us that we receive in the place of our sins credit for his righteous life. (See, Paul’s explanation in Romans 3 and 4.) We are credited with his righteousness. So, his record of works becomes our record of works. Our focus must be on serving Jesus and loving others, not on what rewards we might earn. Christianity is not capitalism, and it is not a meritocracy. The only one who truly has merit is Jesus Christ.

Our emphasis is supposed to be on God and Him alone, not on ourselves. I am to glorify Him – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31)

Some believe there are compartments, or divisions, of heaven wherein one is "more blessed" than someone in a different compartment. I have a hard time aligning this belief system with what I see from God in the whole Bible.

I do not see a separate room or place for the church with the more certain doctrine, etc. And if you think you are a better Christian than someone else because our sovereign God gave you a certain spiritual gift, then you are in the ditch, and a prideful ditch at that. Gifts are for helping the Body, not dividing it.

May we all be found faithful. There are those that give their life in living, as well as give your life in dying, faithfully following Christ to the best of their ability, a sacrifice of self that Paul called a “living sacrifice" It would seem that we may have different duties in heaven, all up to God's choosing, and we may have tangible rewards, but they may also be of a spiritual nature. But not great divisions on a merit system of post-salvation works righteousness. There is a strongly held point of view in moderate and evangelical Christian circles, with ample scriptural backing, that Jesus was way too inclusive, his message too overwhelming in love, for there to be divisions in Heaven.

Certainly, the Bible does speak of certain rewards and crowns. The Bible speaks of crowns given out. But they, in turn, will be tossed at the feet of Jesus in an offering of praise and thanksgiving. And yet we will also have a great similarity of reward, for even the last person saved will be in a place far more awesome than we can imagine.

In seminary I learned that .theologically speaking, in the Hebrew Bible crowns are often found to be symbols of righteousness, which is a gift of God's grace. In 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, Rev. 2:10; 3:11; and 4:10 we find references to Christians being given crowns in glory ... crows of glory, righteousness, or gold. My professor understood all references as being to the same thing -- a symbol of the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we receive by grace and which we then cast down before the throne of God. In other words, the crowns we receive we receive for the purpose of returning them to God as an act of praise.

One thing is sure, pride and envy will not exist in heaven. All love will be perfected in heaven and thus it will be as the Apostle wrote: "If one member is honored, all members rejoice with it" (I Corinthians 12:26). Men will bless God for the radiance of His glory shining through other men, and envy and pride and other sins will have no part in His kingdom.

Everything we do is made possible with God. We have done nothing worthy of any merit without God’s help. We have done nothing worthy of the glorious reward that God has in store for us, even in just being allowed into heaven! We have done what was our duty to do. We have done what God 'Himself' has moved us to do.

This is the humility so present in the Apostles which so many Christians of our day seem to lack. Humility and the certain 'God Given' nobility to receive what the scriptures say about the true condition and nature of man. We are sinners saved by His grace. When we take this humble attitude, then are we in fellowship with God, and are assured that we are on the right track. Spiritual pride is the sin that God Lucifer thrown out of heaven.

The Lord God alone should have all the credit, praise, and Glory in heaven for the increase. It would seem to me that everlasting Life is as great a reward as one can ever receive. Certainly, we will see things more clearly there (1 Cor. 13).

Still, some great theologians have seen differences in rewards or assignments:

Augustine, the Early Church theologian said, ‘we believe that there is one life to all the saints, but the rewards are diverse according to labours’.

Ambrose, the great preacher of the Early Church, reflecting on Luke 6:21 said, ‘As the increase of virtues, so also is the increase of reward’.

John Calvin the 16th Century Reformer said, ‘We should regard as above all controversy the teaching of Scripture that, just as God, variously distributing his gifts to the saints in this world, beams upon them unequally, so there will not be an equal measure of glory in heaven, where God shall crown his own gifts’.

Calvin also said, ‘for anyone who closely studies the scriptures, they promise not only eternal life but a special reward for each’. Calvin seemed sure that although everyone who puts their trust in the saving work of Christ will be in heaven, nevertheless our life here on earth does contribute to our experience of glory in heaven. We will all be in God's great place, but with different duties, etc. Certainly, this is a subject that needs further study.

But let us pray that we will stand before our Lord and be rewarded on the basis of Christ's faithful works, that we may also hear our Lord say, "Well done, 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." (Matthew 25:23) In this hope we can praise the Lord and be thankful!