RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-09-08	Does Each Sin Cost Me An Eternal Reward?
		Are we caught in a race to outrun our sins by our good deeds to preserve a level of rewards in heaven? The Bible certainly talks about rewards for believers in the form of crowns. We certainly want the most joy in heaven. But in this life we may sense that we are constantly sinning. Every time you sin do you sense your eternal rewards are in jeopardy. It is right to want the most joy possible in heaven if the aim is to be satisfied with God. And we have to admit we do sin everyday. None of us love God perfectly or the way we should. The NT concept of rewards must be distinguished from salvation by merit. Salvation is a gift, not a reward. The life of faith and obedience is a result of salvation, not a means to salvation. Human logic sees rewards as good deeds numbering above the bad deeds. This is a ledger approach. So if you do five good deeds, and four bad deeds, you would get a reward for one good deed. So if you do five good deeds, and five bad deeds, you would be back to a balance of zero. This is not God's approach. Rewards are not parceled out this way. Mat 10:41  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Mat 10:42  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." There is no hint that later in the day after you give the cup of cold water to a disciple, then you speak evil toward someone, that you will lose the first reward. It says you will by no means lose your reward. If you are an unbeliever, then even your good deeds are not good deeds because they do not come from faith (Ro.14:23). If you are a believer the good deed that you do in the morning, is not cancelled out by your failure later in the afternoon. 1Co 3:12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 1Co 3:13  each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 1Co 3:14  If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 1Co 3:15  If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Fire here is not an accountant keeping track on a ledger. Fire is not counting up the number of good deeds and bad deeds. Fire does not work that way. Fire does not count numerically, it simply consumes. So the wood, hay, and straw burn up as useless deeds. They have no eternal value. By implication, it does not consume good or righteous works. They survive the fire no matter how many useless deeds are burned up. Useless deeds which are works of no eternal value, are not the same as evil activities. Eph 6:8  knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. The Bible's picture of the judgment of Christians is that every good done will be rewarded. Heb 13:21  make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Good works in the life of a Christian are rewarded because of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Eph 2:9  not of works, lest anyone should boast. No one will be able to boast when the rewards are passed out. Eph 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Even the good works have been prepared by God beforehand. The point of the text is to put God as the source of our good deeds. So when we are rewarded for good works, it is the workmanship of God that is celebrated. That workmanship does not cease to be properly rewarded even though there are other remaining sins in our lives (Lk.14:13-14).  Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. So each sin in this life does not cost you eternal rewards in heaven. But as believers we should NOT continue in sin (Ro.6:1-2). Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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