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Rewards in Heaven
Can
You Lose Your Rewards in Heaven?
.
Steppes
of Faith
“For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he
has done while in the body, whether good or evil.” - 2 Corinthians
5:10
Ask anyone of a certain age and that person will tell
you getting old really stinks. It’s true on so many levels.
Take my mom for example. She’s facing some health issues
because of her age, and it’s taken away her ability to do many things she used
to do very easily.
I’m sure you can imagine her frustration. One problem
these issues have caused is her inability to spread the Gospel.
It’s hard to shout the Good News when it’s hard to get
out of bed some days.
She and I were talking not long ago about her situation,
and Mom brought up some good questions: If she’s largely homebound, will she
lose her heavenly rewards?
Will God make a kind of withdraw from her heavenly
savings account? Is she still eligible for any crowns? Does it even matter?
These are good questions for all of us to ask ourselves
even if we’re not homebound.
But let’s back up. What exactly are the
crowns and rewards the Bible talks about? How do we earn them, and what can we
do to keep them?
Running
the Race
The apostle Paul talked about crowns and rewards
extensively in the New Testament, and Jesus mentioned it several times as well.
The most notable verse is 1 Corinthians 9:24–25: “Do you not know that those who
run in a race all run, but receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined]
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown.”
Paul wrote this verse in reference to the Olympic and
Isthmian games that were common for the time.
The games always included a running race.
The first man to cross the finish line would head to a
table called a bema where the authority of the area would
place a garland or wreath of leaves on the winner’s head like a crown as a
reward.
Like a runner in a race, Christians are also running a
race, and the prize is heaven. The choices we make now determine which prizes
we receive when we get there.
Of course, we don’t make good choices just so we get a
prize. That’s selfish and not godly in any way. It won’t earn you a thing,
least of all any crowns.
No, we behave righteously and obey God’s commands in
response to our love for Him and in service to Him.
The Five
Crowns
The Bible tells us of five specific crowns we can
receive in heaven. You’ll notice they tend to overlap.
The Crown of Glory - given to those who long for
Jesus’ reappearance. His glory refers to His nature, the praise and honor He
deserves, and the blessing of finally being in His presence.
“And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” - 1 Peter 5:4
The Crown of Righteousness - given to us through Jesus’
righteousness only. He shares it with only those who faithfully serve Him and
others, and who long to see Him.
“Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on
that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His
appearing.” -
2 Timothy 4:8
The Crown of Rejoicing - given to those who long to be in
Jesus’ presence and are always thankful for His blessings. This crown likely
includes God’s promise of no tears, sorrow, death, crying, or pain in heaven (Revelation 21:4).
“For what is our hope, or joy, or
crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ
at His coming?” -
1 Thessalonians
2:19
The Imperishable Crown - a special crown given to those
who endured through every circumstance and remained faithful to the Lord.
Because the Lord is everlasting, so is the crown we receive if we finish our
race well.
“Do you not know that those who run in
a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined]
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable
crown” -
1 Corinthians
9:24–25
The Crown of Life - for all believers who withstood
suffering and bravely defended the faith. It does not refer to the gift of
eternal life which comes through Jesus Christ alone.
“Do not fear any of those things which
you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into
prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” - Revelation 2:10
General
Rewards
Beside crowns, we will receive other rewards when we
stand before the Lord one day. The Bible presents these as promises from God
for those who endure to the end.
Overcoming. God has special blessings for those who endure
special tests and trials. That person will be allowed to eat from the tree of
life, not suffer the second death, and given secret manna and a white stone
with your new heavenly name written on it (Revelation 2:7; 2:11, 17, 26).
Heavenly Treasure. In Matthew 6:20, Jesus encourages us to lay up our
treasures in heaven “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves
do not break in and steal.”
Peter reiterates Jesus’ words in 1 Peter 1:4: “…that is, into an
inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for
you….”
Acknowledgments. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, Jesus
tells of the master who richly rewards his faithful servant with those words we
all long to hear when we see Him:
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will
make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
This promise is also given in Luke 19:17.
“So then, do not judge anything before
the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things
of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive
recognition from God.” -
1 Corinthians
4:5
Authority. The books of Matthew, Luke, and Revelation all
talk about faithful believers receiving the gift of authority over nations and
cities and to judge the twelve tribes of Israel on our own thrones (Matthew 19:28; 24:45–47; 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17–19; 22:29–30; Revelation 2:26).
How Do We
Earn Crowns and Rewards?
Earning rewards can be relatively simple if we are
serious about our faith. But be careful — we don’t run our race to earn them
for selfish reasons but rather because of our humble service to the Lord. So,
how do we do that?
· Confess
and repent of your sins regularly
· Read
the Bible every day so you fully know its truth
· Resist
culture telling you that Jesus isn’t enough
· Practice
the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5: 22)
· Stay
in daily communication with the Lord, i.e. pray
· Control
your actions and words so they always reflect God’s glory
· Share
the Good News of Jesus whenever possible
· Use
your time, talent, and treasure in service to the Lord
· Anticipate
Jesus’ return and be ready for it
Can We
Lose Our Crowns and Rewards?
Let’s finally answer the question I started with — can
we lose our rewards? The unfortunate answer is yes.
But, let’s cover something super important first. I need
to make this crystal clear: Losing your rewards does not mean you will lose
your salvation.
Did you catch that? YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR
SALVATION.
To say we lose our salvation would be denying the completed
work Christ did on the cross. His grace is sufficient for you and it’s never
taken away if you have accepted Him into your life.
So, if you have accepted Jesus, the Bible says you’re
going to heaven. Period.
But… you can still lose your rewards.
The book of Revelation illustrates how one day we will
stand at God’s bema where He will give us the rewards we are
due.
Some of them we will keep, but others will be taken away
according to our actions and choices here on earth.
Paul makes the analogy of someone losing their heavenly
rewards as someone surviving a fire. Yes, you made it, you’re alive, but you
lost everything except for the singed shirt on your back.
“If anyone’s work which he has built
on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will
suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” - 1 Corinthians
3:14–15
The fire test also applies to your
rewards. If you obeyed His commands for His glory’s sake, your rewards will
burn like “gold, silver, and precious stones” (1 Corinthians 3:12).
If you didn’t, then your rewards will burn like wood or
hay.
Turning your back on the Lord, not sharing your faith,
not behaving in a godly manner and reflecting Christ, not fully running your
race or finishing well, acting selfishly… all these will cause you to lose your
rewards very quickly.
Loss and
Shame
To make matters worse, Paul implies a kind of shame once
you “suffer loss,” but not shame as humans tend to think of it.
I read an article explaining this shame by equating it
with taking a school exam. You took the exam, the teacher graded it, and you
got a D.
After your initial shock, you look over the test and
your eyes suddenly open. You see what you did wrong and why you got the grade
you deserved.
It’s not exactly a feeling of shame but more like a
realization. It’s the same in heaven. You forfeit your rewards when you make
poor choices.
Thankfully, the shame quickly fades due to God’s promise
in Revelation 21:4 that there is no sorrow in heaven.
There’s only fullness of joy in His presence, both for you
and for Him.
Sidenote:
Casting Our Crowns
Just a quick note here about what the Bible means by
casting our crowns in Revelation 4:10–11.
Whatever crowns you earned, each one belongs solely to
Jesus. He alone is worthy and deserving since it is only through Him we do
anything.
It is only by His grace and will we receive anything at
all. Casting our crowns, giving them back to Jesus, is a beautiful form of
worship.
Hold onto
Your Rewards
How do we hold onto our rewards until we get to heaven?
What can we do? Jesus gives us the clear answer in Revelation 3:11:
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold
fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”
We are to “hold fast” and abide in Jesus. Abiding
is the key to the whole issue. If you’re abiding, you’re obeying.
“Now he who keeps His commandments
abides in Him and He in him. And by this, we know that He abides in us, by the
Spirit whom He has given us.” - 1 John 3:24
“And now, little children, abide in
Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him
at His coming.” -
1 John 2:28
Are you abiding in God? Are you reading the Word and
praying regularly? Are you daily surrendering to Him?
Are you leaning on His power and infinite resources to help
you overcome sin and temptation?
Are you allowing Him to work through you and in you?
Are you sharing His blessings with others?
Abide in the Lord. Hold fast to Him. Keep fighting the
good fight and finish your race well.
Remember that walking in faith isn’t a sprint, it’s a
marathon.
So, hang in there until you cross the
finish line and the Lord says to you, “Well done, good and faithful
servant.”
Walking together with you as
we build our faith in Holy God together.
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