The first time we encounter the word "reward" in the Bible is in Genesis 15:1, where the Lord declares to Abram that "I am thy … exceeding great reward." What did Abram do to earn a reward? He had obeyed the Lord and left his ancestral homes and moved to Canaan, and he had built an altar to the Lord. However, he also abandoned the promised land, moved to Egypt, and lied to Pharaoh. So, he does not deserve a reward. Instead, it is given to him by God's grace.
But if our reward is all of grace, why does God even use the word "reward?"
The last usage of the word in Revelation gives us an answer: "I come quickly; and my reward is with me…." Rewards are the result of our works as stewards of the property God gives us to manage. And the reward is dispensed on the day of judgment. There are two judgments believers face: of faith and faithfulness.
As the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, the judgment of faith is a day of open acquittal and acknowledgment that Christ the Judge has saved us. The judgment of faithfulness reveals the quality of our works. Jesus explains the judgment we will face in the parable of the sheep and the goats.
And what is the reward? It is being a son of God, enjoying God himself. But the Bible suggests that there is more. Scripture tells us that we will reign with him, implying a reward of rulership. And that rulership has degrees of responsibility, as several parables told by Jesus indicate.
Considering all this, we should be to serve the Lord in this life so that we may hear the ultimate reward when God the judge declares, "well done, thou good and faithful servant."
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
