“The statutes of the LORD are right…in keeping of them there is great reward” (Ps 19:8, 11). “Verily there is a reward for the righteous” (Ps 58:11). “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Rom 4:4). “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour… If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward” (1Cor 3:8,14). “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Col 3:24). “The labourer is worthy of his reward” (1Tim 5:18). “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward” (Heb 10:35). “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt…he [Moses] had respect unto the recompence of the reward” (Heb 11:26). “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (2Jn 1:8). “Thou [Lord God Almighty] shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great” (Rev 11:18). “And, behold, I [Jesus] come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Rev 22:12).

While eternal life is free and easy to obtain, eternal reward is incredibly costly and hard to obtain. Yet Scripture discusses obtaining it more than it discusses obtaining eternal life. Clearly God desires that we have it. So let’s take a good look at what the eternal reward is, its expense, and just how we can obtain it.

What Reward?

“The labourer is worthy of his hire [pay]” (Luke 10:7). “The labourer is worthy of his reward” (1Tim 5:18). The Greek word translated “hire” and “reward” respectively in these texts is misthos. It is usually translated “reward” in the NT and is the word found in Rev 22:12 where Jesus says, “I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Knowing this helps us identify what Bible promises point to rewards. If the condition for receiving the promise is some good work then the entity promised is a reward, not a gift. Here is an example of a gift, not a reward: “God imputeth righteousness without works…iniquities are forgiven…sins are covered” (Rom 4:6-7). Paul presents this as the opposite of “the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (vs 4). Of course, we know eternal life to be a gift, not a reward: “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:23). A great example of reward is found in the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30). Two of the three servants given talents worked to turn a profit on what they were entrusted, and their reward was “I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt 25:22). The servant that made no profit was not made a ruler at all (vs 26-28).  In the similar Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27) Jesus makes the reward quantitatively relative to the amount of profit obtained: the servant who profited 10x received rulership over ten cities (vs 16-17), and the servant who profited 5x received rulership over five cities (vs 18-19). “According as his work shall be” (Rev 22:12). Notice that even the servants who made no profit were servants, not the nobleman’s “citizens” who “hated him” (Lk 19:14). It is very possible to be a saved Christian (a servant) and yet fail to “occupy” well (Lk 19:13) and thus fail to receive an eternal reward.

What eternal rewards are we to be aspiring for? Let’s look at four the Bible highlights.

The crown. “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Cor 9:25). The crown is received on condition of having good self-control. “There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord…shall give me…and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Tim 4:8). The crown is received on condition of loving Jesus’ appearing. “Feed the flock of God…being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1Pet 5:2-4). The crown is received on condition of taking good care of the flock of God. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev 2:10). The crown is received on condition of faithfulness unto death. “Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev 3:11). The crown is received on condition of not letting go. Cleary, the heavenly crown is a reward, not a gift.

The crown represents rulership. Co-rulership with Christ is a reward, not a gift. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us [co-rulership]” (2Tim 2:12). We may be “joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him” (Rom 8:17). Comparing these verses we see that reigning with Christ is equivalent to being a joint-heir with Christ. This is because inheritance means ownership and one has control over, rulership over, what he owns. It is the overcomer that Jesus will “grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev 3:21). “He that overcometh shall inherit all things” (Rev 21:7). Again, comparing these verses we see that siting with Christ on his throne (to rule over all things) is an interchangeable concept with inheriting all things. Notice in Matt 25:34-40 that only those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, took in the stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick and those in prison…cared for the “least of these my brethren”…are invited to “inherit the kingdom prepared.” “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1Cor 6:9, Gal 5:16, 19-21). Those who finish their mortal lives practically disconnected from Christ (be they unsaved or saved) will never own and rule the kingdom of God with Christ. If they are saved, they will eventually enter the kingdom of God, but will never own and rule it with Christ. Jesus’ life of suffering, serving, dying to self and overcoming evil must be our life now if we want Jesus’ future inheritance – a glorious reign over the earth for 1000 years – to be ours as well at that time. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Lk 9:23). Paul said, “I die daily” (1Cor 15:31).

Even the resurrection and/or translation at the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church is a reward, not a gift. It is commonly thought that all saved Christians are resurrected and/or raptured at this event, but the Bible never says this. In fact, 1Thess 4:13-17 says that it is a select type of Christian who is resurrected at the Rapture – those that “sleep in Jesus”/are “dead in Christ” (vs 14, 16). It shouldn’t be hard to imagine that the “dead in Christ” were specifically those Christians who finished their course suffering and dying with Christ daily. But we need not rely on any such interpretive speculation: the Bible confirms… Rom 8:1 is the Bible’s definition of the term “in Christ”, and the verse defines people in Christ to be those “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Not all born-again believers do so; therefore, not all become the “dead in Christ.” The apostle Paul was in Christ to the day he died a faithful martyr’s death. So he is just the kind of person to get Raptured in the 1Thess 4:13-17 event. People who live essentially like he did in our day are naturally the only Christians included in the “WE which are alive and remain” to “be caught up together with” Paul (the dead in Christ) “in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” Rev 14:13 confirms this understanding of just who the dead in Christ are: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord…that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” The dead in Christ are not just any saved people, they are specifically those with good labours, good works to be rewarded, people with a faith that works. All this is why one of the Bible’s most iconic Rapture texts, Rev 3:10, says, “Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [the Tribulation].” Notice the text does not say, “Because you have believed on Jesus as your personal Savior, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation.” Getting raptured just before the Tribulation is conditioned on faithful perseverance, obedient endurance, not merely on new birth. It is a reward, not a gift. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection…they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev 20:6). On the other hand, the final resurrection at the end of the thousand years raises the “unblessed and unholy” of the ages, including all saved people who did not finish their mortal lives faithful to God – saved-yet-carnal believers who missed a thousand years of reward. Then “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). The saved are all found written in the book of life (having “passed from death unto life,” Jn 5:24, the moment they believed). They enter into the Eternal State (having “not come into condemnation,” Jn 5:24) commencing the enjoyment of their eternal lives.

While intimacy with God is a gift, greater intimacy with God is a reward. God drew close to us when he gave his only begotten Son to become the Son of man (Emmanuel, God with us, Matt 1:23). When we accept Jesus as our Savior, receiving His “free gift” of eternal life, we obtain a certain level of intimacy with Him, being then “reconciled to God” (Rom 5:9-10). Yet Heb 11:6 says God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Some of the twelve disciples were very close to Jesus and others were not as close. Apparently, some sought closeness with him more diligently.

What Does the Reward Cost and How Can We Obtain It?

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matt 13:44-46.

I believe Jesus is that Treasure, that Pearl of Great price. Though Jesus is freely given to the world, the privilege of being caught up to Him in the Rapture, crowned by Him, seated with Him in His throne, the privilege of reigning with Him for a thousand years over his earthly inheritance, the privilege of far greater intimacy with Him for eternity due to the experience…this is all a reward, not a gift. It is something to be gained at a cost to ourselves, and according to the above parables, that cost is “all that we have.”

The rich young ruler asked Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life” (Lk 18:18). Jesus knew the man wanted the maximum inheritance possible. Jesus saw he was asking about how to earn it. So Jesus knew his question was really about the eternal reward. So Jesus told him what that would cost him: “sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (vs 22). The young ruler wouldn’t pay the price and won’t obtain the reward (vs 23-24). On the other hand, the healed demoniac in the country of the Gadarenes “besought him [Jesus] that he might be with him” (Lk 8:38). This man wanted to give up all and follow Jesus. But “Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee” (vs 39). The man obeyed and “it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him” (vs 40). The healed man had become a successful evangelist for Christ. So the price of eternal reward that we observe in Scripture is actually not all about the literal sale of everything we have. It is all about obeying the personal directives Jesus gives us with a heart of faith and complete surrender. If we finish our mortal lives doing this, we will be found worthy of the eternal reward.

Jesus depicted receiving salvation as being “born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:8), and in Eph 1:13-14 we read how when someone believes in Jesus they are sealed with the Holy Spirit given as a down payment of that person’s inheritance until all is received at “the redemption of the purchased possession.” This means saved people all have a measure of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Yet Paul commands “saints” (Eph 5:3), saved people, to “be filled with the Spirit” (vs 18). So there must be a fullness of the Spirit that is above and beyond the measure of the Spirit received upon conversion...a fulness we are commanded to obtain. Acts 8:5-17 provides a story which makes this abundantly clear. Notice that the Holy Spirit is always a free gift, not a reward...to be received, not earned (Acts 2:38; 8:15; 10:45). Yet how does it look to be filled with the Spirit? Well, the biblical sign of this fulness is speaking in tongues (Acts 2:3-4; 10:44-47) and the lifestyle involves being emptied of the opposite, the flesh (Rom 8:9). Fulness of the Spirit looks both supernatural and selfless (represented as selling all that one has in some parables). “The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom 8:4). Spirit-inspired righteousness characterizing daily life...walking in and by the supernatural...is what earns the eternal reward.

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins we note that both the foolish and the wise virgins originally had oil (Holy Spirit, e.g. 1Sam 16:13) as indicated by the foolish saying “our lamps are gone out” (Matt 25:8). The difference between the wise and the foolish was that “the wise took [extra] oil in their vessels with their lamps” (vs 4) so their lambs would not go out. While all ten were virgins looking forward to the coming of the bridegroom and the marriage, while all fell asleep and awoke at the midnight cry, the wise had more oil than the foolish. The wise had enough oil to enter the marriage celebration and the unwise did not. “Wherefore be ye not unwise…but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18-19). You will not be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb otherwise.

The Choice is Yours…Daily

Do you want the eternal reward? Do you want far more than the basic, standard-issue eternal life? Do you want all that God wants for you? Do you want all the time and experience with Jesus that it is humanly possible to have? Then simply surrender all to Him today, watch and listen for his personal directives to you, and obey Him by faith in his Spirit’s power to enable actual righteousness. Live this way today, because tomorrow is not promised you. Jesus said, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble," (Matt 6:34) so just focus on making the “sacrifice” today. After all, it is the “daily sacrifice” that will be “taken away” in the Rapture (Dan 12:11).