Degrees of Punishment and Reward

There is a question that lingers in the back of most Christians’ minds when they think about judgment. Those who know their Bible well know with certainty that anyone who has put their faith in Christ can count on His atoning work on the cross to pay the penalty for their sin – all of them past, present, and future. After all, all our sins were future at the cross, so it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine all of them forgiven. It shouldn’t be.

But the question still nags: am I going to have to give an account – pay in some way – for my shortcomings? The answer is yes and no. As I wrote in “Living in the Light of Eternity” and many other places, our entrance into Heaven is guaranteed by Christ’s sacrifice; nothing more needs to be done. However, if we are truly on the Heaven-bound train, our behavior does matter. Listen to Jesus’ words on the subject: “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."

Some scholars deny that Jesus is talking about the judgment of believers here, but the context seems to be about believers – those who knew the “master’s” will versus those who didn’t. They were all “slaves” of the master; the only difference is some knew his will and some did not. This fits with the idea Jesus expressed when He said, “But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment! For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned.” The “worthless” words Jesus referred to are words that serve no heavenly purpose. These are not necessarily evil in themselves; they just do nothing to advance the cause of Christ.

Paul said something similar to the Romans: “each of us will give an account concerning himself.” The context in Romans was about judging others. This echoes Jesus’ criticism about ignoring the log in your own eye while judging another for the speck in his eye. That remark by Jesus was made during the Sermon on the Mount which is presumably about how to live as kingdom citizens – as God’s people. He prefaced that statement by saying, “by what measure you measure out, it will be measured out to you.” Even kingdom citizens will face a type of judgment.

Paul warned the Corinthians that their fleshly behavior – non-spiritual behavior – would have consequences on the day of judgment. He likened unspiritual works to wood, hay, and stubble which would be burned up at the judgment, whereas works motivated by the Spirit would be like gold, silver and precious stones surviving the fires of judgment to be presented to the Lord. He does confirm that the unspiritual works don’t exclude believers from an eternity with God, but He suggests that those guilty of the same will enter Heaven smelling like their coattails were burned.

I am inching out on a limb here, but I think there may be a hint of the idea of a final judgment of believers in the book of Revelation. John records that everyone who makes it to the new Jerusalem will have their tears wiped away because mourning, wailing, and pain will have passed away. Those who believe the arrival in the New Jerusalem is a metaphor for Heaven might ask why there would be tears to be wiped away. I have heard it suggested that the tears are a result of believers’ discovery of all that they might have done for the Master but didn’t. Some have also said they are tears of joy – joy that comes from finally understanding what grace really means: I made it in spite of all I have done or didn’t do.

That is speculation, but the idea that Jesus’ call involves a measure of obedience is not. “If you love me,” He said, “Keep my commandments.” Or again, from the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’ And then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

For those who never place their faith in Jesus, the consequence of their final judgment will be worse than the worst you can imagine. Degrees of worst-ness are irrelevant. For believers, the blessedness of spending eternity in God’s presence cannot be imagined. As Paul said, “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’”

Even if there are degrees of reward comparable to the degrees of punishment as Scripture seems to imply, I am with David when he said, “a day in thy courts is better than a thousand [elsewhere].” The bottom line is that I am not working for a reward; I am working to please my Lord. Because I love Him above all else, I obey His commands. If there is a reward for doing that, I think I will be among the crowd pictured in Revelation and throw them at my Savior’s feet to honor Him who saved me. It never was about me anyway.

Related Posts: Necessary Obedience; Blessings of Obedience; Do What You Can Do