I have been troubled in recent weeks wanting to understand the meaning behind Revelation 22:12—a believer’s Christmas. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” We do not await a rotund fellow in a red suit with a bag of toys; we await our Lord’s coming with “rewards.”
”What troubled me was the meaning of this word, “reward.” Whatever a “reward” is—and I do not depend on an English dictionary for its meaning—it is in someway related to or dependent on how we lived as believers: “according as his works shall be.” Some translations correctly read “as his works are” because the end of this life closes this chapter on the believer’s works. In some way what we do now matters to God!
Is Paul speaking of the same event in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15? “… fire [the judgment of God] shall try [test] every man’s work of what sort it is [what it’s made of]. If any man’s work abide which he hath built [a life and ministry] thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned [up], he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved.”
The question of a believer’s status or relationship with God has been settle: “There is no condemnation .. in Christ” [Romans 8:1]. But it seems God wants to offer each one of us a “reward” based on the result of this test. “He knows who has been good or bad; so, be good, for goodness sake.” [an English Christmas song.]
It is here where the theories abound as to what our Lord meant, which, frankly, troubles me. We are determined to know what is in Jesus’ bag of blessings He is bringing with Him when He returns!
Some preachers, understandably, find it useful to suggest different “rewards” as incentives to motivate believers into action—witnessing, faithful fellowship, giving, and the like. It was as if God painted Himself into a corner when He told us nothing He gives is earned—everything is free grace! [Romans 8:32]. Well, then, what are these rewards all about?!
We know, for sure, that what we do in His will [Romans 12:2] and for His glory [1 Corinthians 10:31] has lasting value with God. This includes the water-boy also, and not only those who were on the field or in the game, so-to-speak [Matthew 10:42]. Are these not the “treasures in Heaven” Jesus spoke of? [Matthew 6:20]. By Paul’s accounting, these include “souls,” those persons whose own spiritual development, we contributed to. Paul spoke of the believers in Thessaloniki and Philippi as his “crown and joy before the Lord” [1 Thessalonians 2:19–20; Philippians 4:1].
A billionaire makes it into heaven but his multi-million dollar mansion on earth will have no relevance there. It won’t even be remembered! But their mission’s work will be! And if that “reward” is simply their joy of embracing those lost souls who came to Christ through their work, what more reward could equal that!
Perhaps—and this is just a thought—the “hay, wood, and stubble”of this life is not worth remembering or retaining in God’s heaven, whereas, the “gold, silver, and precious stones” might speak of our ministries which are very much worth recalling, especially if the evidence is there in the person of those we influenced for Christ.
“Reward” is the Greek term for wage—not because we earn anything [Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:7,8] but because in some sense, I believe, God wants to honor faithfulness after the use of the word “reward” in the Old Testament [Isaiah 40:10; 62:11].
“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7
[footnote: Romans 6:23 uses a different word for “wages” which is not relevant here.]
It is clear that Jesus stayed in parable form with this motif of investing our lives as talents or being faithful stewards of His property in His absence—all using some financial or economic scenario [as Paul said “I speak as a man” Romans 3:5] because, as I have come to think, “rewards” has a richer, more glorious, significance or meaning than we are capable of even imagining.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
“…as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared [and is bringing with Him] for them that love him. … Yea, [these are, indeed] the deep things of God. – Corinthians 2:9-10
If this is not enough said, consider what God told Abraham in Genesis 15:1, “I am your great reward.”
