The Timing and Nature of the Christian's Reward, Part 2

Well, with that, we do want to turn to our study this morning, and we are continuing in the series on the theology of reward, an often neglected topic, and we neglect it for various reasons.

We stay away from it.

As I've said before, sometimes We stay away from it because of the Roman Catholic emphasis on merit as the basis for salvation, and the Scripture clearly denounces that, regards that as a heresy of the gospel.

We sometimes avoid this doctrine also because of What we see in the charismatic movement and its excesses, where the emphasis is placed on material wealth and so on and so forth, and so we stay away from this doctrine as well.

And sometimes it's because of a mistaken understanding of God and the Christian life, and that as believers, even those who have been saved and who are walking by faith, we still are unable to please God in any way, so why would there be reward? All of those are misunderstandings, and it requires us to go back to the Scriptures and see what Scripture has to say.

And one of the important texts that I want to begin with this morning is Hebrews 6. verses 9 to 10.

Now if you look at Hebrews chapter 6, we're all familiar with the opening verses in this chapter where the writer of Hebrews gives one of the warning passages of those who had been so exposed to the gospel, so exposed to the blessings of the church and so on, and yet had refused to truly believe in that gospel.

And then beginning in verse 9, the writer addresses his audience and says, "...but beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name." in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

Now, when the writer of Hebrews emphasizes the justice of God and that he does not forget the work and the love, this is not with reference to salvation.

The letter of Hebrews makes it very clear that there is nothing that we could do to atone for our own sins.

It took the spotless sacrifice of Jesus Christ and that he is the one who is able to save us forever.

And the transition then that happens from verses 1 to 8 into this text is instead to emphasize the fact that God is one who will not forget the love and the work that is done as those who have been saved.

And that's what our focus is in this series.

And last Sunday, we looked at the topic of the timing of these rewards.

We did a survey of Scripture to pull together what Scripture says about the timing of the rewards that will come as a result of our love and our work that is done in the name of Christ for the saints.