THE REWARD OF THE INHERITANCE
Perhaps
it is a commonplace to say that salvation is by grace. Eternal life is a
gift, the gift of God. "By
grace are ye saved through faith", not by any works of
righteousness which you can do. "He
that believeth and is baptised, shall be saved." God so loved
the world that He gave His Son, and to those who receive this precious Saviour
the right is accorded to become sons of God. We gladly worship and adore
the Author of this great and eternal salvation from the penalty
and the power of sin.
In
his Epistle to the Colossians, Paul writes,
"Since you know that you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as a reward" (3: 24), and placing our emphasis upon the word
"reward", we proceed to ask what Paul
means by this. Is it possible that this man, the foremost exponent of the
freeness of God's salvation, who was himself an outstanding example of the
operation of sovereign grace, is here suggesting that eternal salvation comes
to a man as a reward for his service rendered? No, by
no means. He knew full well and unalterably that he had begun in
grace, and there can be no falling away from that glorious position.
Grace must lay the foundation, and one day crown all with the top-stone.
He would be turning back again to weak and beggarly elements if he weakened in
any way, and yet he speaks of "an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward."
Did
he mean that after all, even with all that he has said and has done, there is
some sense in which eternal life can be merited and salvation earned?
Again we emphatically repeat - no, not at all. He does indeed write of
the inheritance as being a reward for service rendered, but it is perfectly
plain that he was addressing those who already possessed eternal life,
and he regards them as being already risen with Christ (verse 1).
The
reward of the inheritance
therefore is not a permit to enter into Heaven at last; it is not a bestowal of
the right and authority to become a citizen of the New Jerusalem. These
are already indisputably assured to all
who accept Christ, and place their confidence alone upon the finished work of
the Lord Jesus upon
Elsewhere
in His Epistles Paul deals with this truth in a somewhat different fashion. To the Corinthians he writes that there are
some "whose work shall be shown for what it is. If
what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he
will suffer loss" (1 Cor. 3: 14, 15). It is not the believer's standing,
which is at risk, but that which he has
built upon the foundation.
Looking
again at Paul's words we find that they constitute clear instructions on the
matter of this [future] inheritance, as and how its value may be
enhanced to the believer. Because the inheritance
into which he will one day enter and enjoy, is a reward, therefore let him
strive diligently to make it ever an increasing magnificent place and
condition. What a powerful incentive this should be to all who are
already saved by grace through faith in Christ, and who presently enjoy His
salvation! What a joy it will be to have something to lay
at His feet in that transcendent hour! How poor will those be who have
earned little for this glorious day! Of course, even to get into the
These
being the facts then, Christian friend, why do you bend all your energies to
get to yourself rewards here and now and give such scant attention to the
future inheritance? Can it be that you are really more concerned about
what men think about you in this present evil day, and more interested in your
appearance before them, than you are about how you will look before the Lord at
His Judgment Seat? How strange is the earnest devotion which so many
Christians give to the pursuit of the material things of today, in comparison
to the slight attention given to securing for themselves
a suitable reward hereafter! An unsaved man foolishly rejects
the offer of mercy and that to his everlasting loss; and meanwhile his saved neighbour unwisely neglects the
REWARD in Glory which might be his and gives his best efforts to get hold of
what he can enjoy but for a brief time.
How
then can a Christian lay up treasure and receive this inheritance? Paul
gives the Holy Spirit's formula in verse 23.
His instructions are plain and complete: "Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men." Here is the secret
made plain. You are eternally saved - praise God for that. Now as to reward - live only for Jesus.
See Him as your Master, the One for whom you are working. Hence do
everything, the big things and the small matters, as unto Him and not as to
men. From morning till night walk
as if His eyes were upon you. Let nothing enter into your life which you
know He would not altogether approve. Thus you will be serving the Lord
Christ who loves you dearly, and who laid down his life to redeem you. And
serving Him, assuredly He will pay you and pay you well. The thought
of the reward of the inheritance should constrain you and be an impetus
for the best work you can do. In a word, consecrate your all to Him,
yield yourself to God, live only for Him, serve Christ
and not men.
This
is the high ideal. It is our reasonable service. Give it
unrestrainedly, and the day is coming when you will rejoice that you did not
hold back. Refuse the appeal, do not respond and you will be saved, and
have nothing to show for your life. Why seek an easeful estate now and
miss this rich inheritance which might be yours by serving the Lord on the
mission field or in some ministry of love which would cost you something for
His sake? Why spend so much of your powers for present passing things
which breed vanity and emptiness, when the highest service beckons you, and
meanwhile will fit you for an infinitely larger enjoyment of God in the age to come. Serve the
Lord and you will never regret it. How sweet it will be to be greeted by
our blessed Lord, with the words "Come, you who
are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance the Kingdom prepared
for you since the creation of the world". There is no anticipation so
glorious as this.
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FOOTNOTE
No
believer will be brought before the judgment before Christ, to determine
whether or not he is justified by faith: all believers have already received that, by the grace of God. Therefore, he is no longer an enemy, but a
servant. He most certainly is eternally saved. But our Lord and His
Apostles teach that all servants will give an account to Him regarding their
behaviour since they first believed, and will be rewarded or punished,
according as their deeds deserve, (Romans chapters
2; 14:10-13; 2 Corinthians 5: 10 - to take no more passages). This
is the doctrine of several of our Lord's parables; such as the Unmerciful
Servant, the Steward, the Talents, and the Pounds. What means that -
"Its like a man going away: He leaves his house in charge of his
servants, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep
watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the
house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock
crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you,
I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 14:
34-37). And is it not true to say that the majority of Christ's
servants are asleep? dreaming that the world is
getting better, and is about to be converted by the preaching of the Gospel of
God's grace? Will they 'receive an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward'?