Lessons #91 and 92
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Building in Corinth (1 Cor 3:10-15)
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Recall that the overall message of this passage is that If you want your activities as a Christian to be rewarded in the eternal state by God then they must be Christ-centered. We stated previously that this message, requires considering four major assertions of responsibilities of the believer as given in this passage. Our focus in the last two studies has been on the fourth major assertion of responsibility which is that you should understand there are two major reasons for caution to be careful regarding your activities as they relate to the advancement of the church of Christ or His cause. We have considered the first two reasons of this fourth major assertion of responsibility. The first is that no one can found another church that deserves the name “church of Christ” in the same location that a community of believers exists by preaching a different Christ, Apostle Paul preached. The second is that every of your activity will be evaluated for reward or loss. We indicated there are four truthful principles the apostle communicated regarding this second reason. A first truthful principle derived from 1 Corinthians 3:12 is that any activity that will be rewarded in the eternal state must be based on the word of God correctly taught and applied. A second truthful principle that every believer should recognize as it relates to his/her activities in the advancement of the church of Christ or in the cause of Christ is that all your activities will be divinely evaluated as we considered in 1 Corinthians 3:13. So we continue with the third principle.
A third truthful principle that every believer should recognize as it relates to his/her activities in the advancement of the church of Christ or in the cause of Christ is that only activities that the Lord judges acceptable will be reward. This implies that only the activities that the Lord approves of, after applying divine standard, will be rewarded. Thus, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul stipulates the condition for being rewarded in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 3:14 If what he has built survives.
The apostle is concerned with the result of divine scrutiny of each believer’s activity in our clause. It may not be easily recognized that it is the result of the evaluation of the activity of each believer that is in view because the translators of the NIV translated the Greek clause in such a way that unless one is a careful reader, an individual may not understand that this is case. We say this because they focused on the building analogy that they did not translate the Greek literally although they are correct because of their use of the word “what.” The clause If what he has built survives is literally If the work of anyone remains which he built. The literal translation reveals that the translators of the NIV did not translate the Greek word (ergon) that has several meanings such as “deed, action” or “product, undertaking, work.” We indicated that because of the building metaphor the apostle used in the passage we are considering that in 1 Corinthians 3:13, the sense of our Greek word in our context is “work” or “product”, that is, that accomplished through effort or activity of a person. Hence, what the apostle is concerned is the final product that is the result of a believer’s activity. It is not what we intend to do that is subjected to divine scrutiny per se, but what we indeed carried out in the name of Jesus Christ or the intention with which we carried out things He wants done. It is probably to convey this sense that the translators of the NIV instead of translating the Greek word that means “work” used the word “what” to convey the sense of product or accomplished work. The point is that it is the result of divine scrutiny of our activities as believers that the apostle is concerned in the conditional clause If what he has built survives or literally If the work of anyone remains which he built.
The word “built” of the NIV is a reminder of the fact that the concern of the future divine scrutiny is what is accomplished while in this body. We are at this point involved in several activities as believers but in the day of judgment our activities would be considered as completed whatever they happen to be. It is a reminder that once we die, there is nothing else we can do to improve the outcome. This truth is implied in what the Holy Spirit recorded through Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:10:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
This instruction in Ecclesiastes tells us that we should do our best in a manner that the Lord approves since death brings to a close any further opportunity of receiving reward from God. Apostle Paul also stated the same truth that it is the finished work of our earthly activity that is to be evaluated when he wrote concerning future judgment of believers by the Lord Jesus in 2 Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
The point we are stressing about the fact that the final outcome of what we have done in this life is what will be evaluated is underscored in the sentence of 2 Corinthians 5:10 the things done while in the body. So, we should be aware that it is what we do today or while still on this planet that would be subjected to divine scrutiny at a future time. At any rate, it is the result of the evaluation of our activities on this planet that is the concern of the conditional clause If what he has built survives.
The fact that it is the result of the divine scrutiny that is the concern of the apostle is given in the word “survives” of the NIV. The word “survives” is translated from a Greek word (menō) that may mean “to live” as it is used to describe the man who had demons in him that Jesus healed who did not dwell in a house but in tombs, as stated in Luke 8:27:
When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
The word may mean “to wait, wait for” as it is used in Acts 20:5:
These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
The word may mean “to stay, remain” as the word is used in the instruction of Paul to the centurion in the ship, taking him to Rome that was in danger of shipwreck, to ensure that the sailors remained in the ship to avoid loss of life, as narrated in Acts 27:31:
Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
The word may mean “to continue” as Apostle Paul used it to encourage Timothy to remain faithful in what he learned from him in 2 Timothy 3:14:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
The Greek word may mean “to last, endure” as the participle of the Greek word is used to describe the word of God in 1 Peter 1:23:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 3:14, the word means “to endure” or “to survive.” Of course, the apostle was still using his building metaphor in which a building is subjected to fire and only the building made of noncombustible materials would survive. However, the point he intended to convey is that of survival of the activity of the believer when it is subjected to divine scrutiny.
The meaning “to endure” or “to survive” implies that only those activities that endure divine scrutiny would be acceptable to the Lord and so would be rewarded. In effect, any activity that can be classified as good work will be rewarded so long as it survives divine scrutiny. We know that any good work will be reward because God is pleased with good works, as stated, for example, in Hebrews 13:16:
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
It is because good works will be rewarded that believers are encouraged to do them, as we read, for example, in Galatians 6:9–10:
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Because every good work will be rewarded, it should follow that every activity we do and regard as good work will be subject to divine scrutiny to ensure that it is acceptable to the Lord in that it meets divine standard. Consequently, we should be concerned with meeting divine standard so that our activity would be rewarded.
How can we be sure that we meet divine standard on the day of judgment, that is, that our activities would survive divine scrutiny? There is, of course, no single passage of the Scripture that provides the answer to this question but by examining the Scripture we recognize that there are two major factors involved in ensuring that our good work or activity will survive divine scrutiny. These factors are the motives behind a specific good work or activity and the means by which it is carried out. We mentioned the two major factors to provide you with a simple answer to the question, but we need to expound on each of these two factors, beginning with motives.
The use of the word “motives” should be understood as the underlying reasons for a course of action. The importance of motives in any activity that is considered good work is underscored by the teaching of the Lord Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. He addressed the importance of motive in the matter of giving in Matthew 6:1–4:
1“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
In this example, our Lord indicated that our motive in giving should not be for recognition by others, hence the secrecy He advocated. What if someone reveal to others that you gave to them, someone may ask? Such revelation does not affect your reward because you are not the one who did so. Anyway, the Lord Jesus also indicated that there is no future reward to anyone who has the wrong motive in any activity that is considered spiritual as He stated with those religious leaders who make a show of fasting, as we read in Matthew 6:16:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Consequently, our motives are very important if any activity we carry out will survive divine scrutiny. They are to be pure in the sense that they are not driven by any sinful desires or thoughts. To ensure that our motives are pure when we carry out any activity, we should be governed with the mindset that whatever it is that we do, we are doing it for Christ and not a human being. In effect, if we consider any good work as done for Christ then our motives would be pure. It is important that we should have the mindset that whatever we do is for Christ as He conveyed in the matter of helping the needy and hungry, narrated in Matthew 25:35–40:
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Thus, if we have the mindset that whatever we do is for Jesus Christ then it will be difficult to have the wrong motive. This mindset is that revealed by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul when he conveyed that we should do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus or because of Him, according to Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Our motive will also be pure if we do anything with the mindset that we want to reflect the character of God, as implied in 1 Corinthians 10:31:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
The concept of doing everything for the glory of God is in accordance with the teaching of our Lord that believers should live their lives so that others will glorify or praise God because of them in Matthew 5:16:
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The word “praise” is translated “glorify” in some English versions. The point is that we should always be mindful of our motive in anything we do; for only if our motive is pure in the sense that it is intended to glorify God and not the believer that a given activity will survive divine scrutiny. This brings me to the consideration of the means of carrying out activities that will survive divine scrutiny.
In our use of the word “means” in our consideration of factors that determine if a given activity will survive divine scrutiny, we are concerned with how a given activity is carried out. Any given activity could be carried out either through human power or through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Anything that is done under man’s power will never withstand divine scrutiny. The Lord Jesus conveyed how useless our human power is when it comes to anything that is spiritual, as recorded in John 6:63:
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
The word “flesh” here is better understood as “human power” as reflected in the TEV that rendered the sentence the flesh counts for nothing as human power is of no use at all. Anyone that carries out any activity by human power is an individual that is controlled by the human nature. But the Scripture is clear that when a person is controlled by the sinful nature the individual could not possibly please God, as stated in Romans 8:8:
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
This being the case, the contrast is that only one controlled by the Holy Spirit would please God. Consequently, it is important that a believer should be controlled by the Holy Spirit to ensure that a given activity would survive divine scrutiny. It is because of the importance of being controlled by the Holy Spirit if we expect the activities we carry out to survive divine scrutiny that we are commanded to be filled of the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18:
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
This requirement of being under the control of the Holy Spirit is also presented by Apostle Paul in terms of living one’s lifestyle by the Holy Spirit, as stated in Galatians 5:16:
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
This instruction in Galatians 5:16 touches not only the importance of the power of the Holy Spirit in any activity that will withstand divine scrutiny, but it also touches on the matter of motive. You see, if you never satisfy the desires of the sinful nature then your motive will be pure.
There is no question that the control of the Holy Spirit is paramount in carrying out activities that would survive divine scrutiny but we should recognize that that in of itself would not guarantee that our activity would be rewarded. This is because being filled of the Spirit does not mean that we automatically will know the right activity to carry out. Therefore, the filling of the Spirit must go hand in hand with knowledge of God’s word. The word of God enables the believer to serve the Lord in an acceptable manner as implied by the gift of communication to select individuals, as stated in Ephesians 4:11–12:
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
It is certainly because any activity that will survive divine scrutiny in the time of future judgment must be based on God’s word that believers are expected to have truth saturate their souls, as stated in Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
To say that believers should let the word of Christ dwell in them is to say that the word of God must permanently reside in the soul of the believer in such a way that it is a force that drives the individual’s activity. It is not merely that you have a knowledge of the word of God in your soul but that it moves you to act in a way that will bring glory to God. For after all, the word of God is given to shape us spiritually to carry out our activities in keeping with the word of God, as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16–17:
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The word of God that teaches, corrects, rebukes, and trains in righteousness, that is, what God requires, equips the believer to know how to do good work. Subsequently, if you want your activities or good works to survive divine scrutiny not only must you be filled of the Spirit, but you should have your soul saturated with the word of God so that in everything you do, you strive to line it up according to the word of God.
In any case, any activity of the believer that survives divine scrutiny will be rewarded as in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 3:14 he will receive his reward. The sentence is intended to convey that something wonderful awaits a believer whose activity or work stands after divine scrutiny.
The word “receive” is translated from a Greek word (lambanō) that may mean to get hold of something by laying hands on or grasping something, directly or indirectly, hence means “to take, take hold of, grasp, take in hand,” as it is used to describe sin’s hold on Apostle Paul in Romans 7:8:
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
Here the Greek word is translated “seizing.” The word may mean to take into one’s possession and so means “to take, acquire.” It is in this sense our word is used to indicate that whatever we possess is from God, as stated in John 3:27:
To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
Although the word “receive” is used in the NIV but the sense in this passage is that of acquiring or having something. This is probably the reason the TEV translated the sentence A man can receive only what is given him from heaven as No one can have anything unless God gives it to him. The word may mean to receive in the sense of “to come to believe, to accept as true” as it is used in John 12:48:
There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.
The word may mean “to put on” as it pertains to clothes as Jesus did after washing His disciples’ feet, as recorded in John 13:12:
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
The word may mean “to receive” in the sense of getting something or coming into the possession of something as it is used regarding the receiving of the Spirit in Galatians 3:14:
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The word may mean “to obtain, receive, make one’s own”, as in Philippians 3:12:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
The word may mean “to select, choose” as it is used for selection of high priests, as stated in Hebrews 5:1:
Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
The word may mean “to take away, remove” as it is used in Revelation 3:11:
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
It is in the sense of to receive or to get something that the Greek word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 3:14. A believer whose good work or activity survives divine scrutiny will get something that we are not yet able to understand. However, to give us an idea of what we should be expecting, the thing to be received is described as reward as in the sentence that we are considering he will receive his reward.
The word “reward” is translated from a Greek word (misthos) that may mean “wages,” that is, “pay for work done” as it is used in the charge against the wealthy for their failure to compensate properly those who work for them in James 5:4:
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
It is in this sense of “wages” that the word is used in the charge against Balaam for being attracted to wealth and so he turned from the truth, as in 2 Peter 2:15:
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
The word may refer to payment for something, not necessarily work, as it is used for the payment Judas Iscariot received for his betrayal of Jesus Christ in Acts 1:18:
(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
Although the translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV and many of our English versions rendered our Greek word “reward” in this passage in Acts 1:18 but it is better to translate it to reflect payment for betrayal instead of taking the word to mean “reward.” This is because “reward” will have the implication of something one receives due to commendable act, but betrayal is not a commendable act. Consequently, it is better to translate the Greek word not with the word “reward” but a word that may reflect payment for something done other than work. In fact, the 2011 edition of the NIV used precisely the word “payment” in translating our Greek word here in Acts 1:18. The Greek word may mean “recompense” in the sense of recognition, mostly by God for the moral quality of an action. Thus, it may mean “reward” in the sense of affirmation of praiseworthy conduct as it is used in Jesus’ warning about how we should give in the passage we cited previously in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The word may mean either “punishment” or “reward” as the case may be, as in the declaration of the Lord in Revelation 22:12:
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 3:14, it is used in the sense of “reward” for activities of believers regarding the advancement of the church or the cause of Christ.
We are certain that the Greek word used in our passage although it may mean “wages” has the sense of “reward” not only because of the context but because of at least four reasons. First, “wages” imply an obligation on the part of the payer, as Apostle Paul conveyed in Romans 4:4:
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
Second, the meaning “wages” for our Greek word is used seven times in the NIV to translated it, and in all cases, humans are the subject or the payers but in our passage of 1 Corinthian 3:14 God is the One who is the subject of the word. Third, reward is associated with God in the Scripture. Prophet Isaiah spoke of the reward associated with the coming of the Lord in Isaiah 40:10:
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
Although the word “reward” is not directly used by Daniel, but it is implied as the special thing God will give to the faithful in Israel who have shared with their fellow Israelites their wisdom God gave them so that many are saved, as Daniel recorded Daniel 12:3:
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
The verbal phrase will shine like the brightness of the heavens speaks to something special that involves participating in God’s light. This is certainly a reference to reward. Of course, in the NT, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul revealed the same truth in that God promised reward for faithful service in in Colossians 3:23–24:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
The phrase inheritance from the Lord as a reward refers to eternal blessings faithful believers will receive. Fourth, the character of God precludes the meaning “wages” in the context of 1 Corinthians 3:14.
It is important that as we consider the subject of reward we should not lose sight of the character of God. We should remember that everything we receive from God is because of His graciousness towards us. This truth is evident in the fact that our salvation that implies receiving of eternal life is a matter of His grace and not something we earned, as the Holy Spirit conveyed to us through the pen of Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8–10:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Thus, even when we receive reward in heaven for faithful service, that will also reveal His grace since there is nothing that we accomplish that is not by His grace. Apostle Paul recognized this truth when he indicated that he worked harder than others but that such is because of God’s grace, as he stated in 1 Corinthians 15:10:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
If Apostle Paul’s work is to be rewarded then since it is by the grace of God that he worked harder, it follows that even the rewards believers will receive in eternal state are manifestation of God’s grace. The fact is that God’s grace is an important aspect of God’s character regarding rewards. Another aspect of God’s character that we should ponder in considering the subject of reward is His justice. Many Christians are not concerned with justice as they are concerned about other things in this life or in their nations. But justice is paramount with God. You see, justice is part of His rule, as we read in Psalm 89:14:
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Since those who rule are extending God’s rule on earth, justice and righteousness must be paramount in their thinking. No wonder we read in Proverbs 29:4:
By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.
The concept of God’s justice regarding reward is important because of how some believers may feel when they look at their fellow believers who, in their estimation, seem to be doing well materially while they are not spiritually. They see God still showing grace to such undevoted believers and they wonder about it. Well, God shows His grace to all believers because of who He is and because Christ died for each believer. However, we should not forget that God’s justice demands He makes distinction between believers who are faithful and those who are not. The concept of God making distinction among believers was conveyed to Israel using promises of blessing and curses. On the one hand, the Lord promise blessing to those in the covenant relationship with Him that obey His word, as we read in Deuteronomy 28:1–2:
1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
On the other hand, God promised curses on those who disobey His word, according to Deuteronomy 28:15:
However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
These two opposites outcomes, coming from God, speak to His justice. Thus, in the OT Scripture there is the continued promises of reward for faithfulness to the Lord. The psalmist recognized this truth when he indicated that there is reward for obeying God’s word in Psalm 19:9–11:
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
In Proverbs, we have the concept of reward promised in a way that reflects God’s justice in Proverbs 14:14:
The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.
Prophet Jeremiah records God’s declaration of reward in such a way that reflects His justice, as we read in Jeremiah 17:10:
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
Apostle Paul also implies God’s justice regarding reward in Romans 2:6–11:
6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
The apostle is clear that God will reward each person according to the person’s activity. Furthermore, he conveyed that God shows no favoritism, which is an important aspect of being just. A person who practices justice does not maintain double standards. In effect, a just person applies the same standard for everyone. Take for example, a just boss would not have changing standards as to how he/she treats those under the person. Such a person will not demand a certain performance from one person and a different from another because of, say, friendship between the boss and the one that receives different performance standard. True justice means that everyone is treated based on the same standard. God’s justice means that He would evaluate each believer alike without showing preference to anyone. We are saying then that it is true that in His grace He saved us, but we should know that His justice demands that He would reward those who are faithful to Him while on this planet. The point is that we should be cognizant of God’s justice as we consider this subject of reward that the Lord will give for faithful service. There is more to this subject of reward in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward but time does not permit further consideration. Therefore, if you are interested in learning more about this subject of reward in the passage we are considering, I invite you to come back next week.
11/09/18