There are primarily two schools of thought that have emerged over the years about what the reward of Heaven will be. Some believe that there will be different gifts and varying degrees of happiness in Heaven based upon a merit type of system done on earth and how well a person works at their Christian life in holiness and obedience to God's commands.
Others believe that the only valid reward a Christian receives at the moment they release all claims to their life and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior is eternal salvation because nothing else matters.
Although there are no Scriptures that explicitly declare these beliefs, there is the insistence that the Scriptures' imply' them. The Bible tells us that those Christians who build the foundation of their life - or their ministry - upon their good works just as the church at Corinth was doing, "will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). The works that are not done to God's glory are "rubbish" and will be destroyed;
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 NKJV)
Christians must be 'careful' how they build upon the only foundation of the Church, which is Jesus Himself. Those who are active in ministry must recognize that it is a holy endeavor and not to be taken lightly. Just as Christians are to have an attitude of fear and trembling when considering that it is the holy God alone who is working out their salvation within them (Philippians 2:12-13), so it is with ministry and service within the Church.
When a Christian comes to the place of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that their salvation is based upon what Jesus has done and not what they do - or don't do - for Him, they will never worry about being faithful and building their life, or ministry, upon their self-made foundation.
Some would contend that the touted merit system of heavenly hierarchies is antithetical to Christianity. They would assert that the underlying principle of Jesus' words that the "last shall be first and the first last" turns this belief upside down as the top 'performers' actually become the bottom 'performers' and those at the bottom go to the top (Matthew 20:16, 19:30, 23:12; Luke 14:11).
The Great Reward
Every Christian receives a reward for the work of Jesus because He alone is the One who did the work and sent the Holy Spirit to ensure they would bring forth fruit by His faith (Matthew 5:12; Ephesians 2:8-10). There are two words translated "reward" in the New Testament. They are 'apodidomi,' which means to give away, give over, give back, (Matthew 6:4, 16:27; Romans 2:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 2 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 22:12), and 'misthos,' which means to hire and pay for services and is the most widely used word for "reward" (Matthew 5:12,46; 6:1; 10:41; Mark 9:41; 1 Corinthians 3:8,14).
The Parable of the Talents is the second of three parables on various aspects of salvation and, in context, is about salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus, and not by works (See Matthew 25:14-30; Ephesians 2:8-10). Salvation brings a person into a right relationship with God (Ephesians 2:13-16).
No matter how hard the 3rd servant (Gk ‘doulos’ = a bond slave) worked or how successful they were, the rewards belonged to their master. They could only secure their “just” reward if they were the king. The same is true for with God: it ALL belongs to Him.
The evidence that someone is Born-Again is they naturally produce good fruit because they are a “good tree”… “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that” they “should walk in them” (Matthew 6:43-45; Ephesians 2:10 ESV see also Psalm 24:1).
The Born-Again Christian is God’s workmanship alone. They are not saved by works but are saved by grace through faith in Jesus to do good works. Jesus will say to those who are not good trees, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23 ESV).
The Parable of the Talents shows that a right relationship with God (a.k.a., righteousness) allows a person’s faith to be transformed into good works. No matter how hard the servant worked or how successful they were, the rewards ultimately belonged to their master.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and those who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1 ESV)
A wrong relationship with God is defined by self-preservation rather than self-sacrifice; distrust rather than dependence; self-focus rather than God-focus, and so it produces no good works that attest salvation has taken place.
The Christian has already been judged for their works and has been justified by the shed blood of Jesus. Jesus made the Christian perfect in every good work, and they will have a full 'reward' - which is their inheritance of everlasting life that He alone secured for them.
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12:3 KJV)
No matter how hard, or good, or long a Christian works at being a fully devoted follower of Jesus, they all receive the exact same "reward" for what they have done. As shown in the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, the payment or reward for works performed on the Earth is not based upon the value of their service, but upon the purpose of God's work of grace (Matthew 20:1-16). God has blessed every Christian with the full reward of "all spiritual blessings," and their name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life! (Revelation 3:5)
It is only by grace that the Christian is fully accepted in Jesus (Colossians 3:24; 2 Timothy 1:9). The "works" of the Christian are finished, and they now "rest" in Jesus (Matthew 11:28). They are not working for anything because they have been given everything in Him. The Christian is "complete," and they receive a full and complete reward because their works are of the Holy Spirit, and they are judged as being in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10).
The Christian receives a righteous man's reward because only those in Christ are righteous (Matthew 10:41). The rewards don't vary because all Christians are positionally perfect and without fault before God. Because the guilt of sin is removed, the works are then perfect. The definition of "grace" is essentially "unmerited favor of God." A "merited" favor would be the results of good works - not grace - because it would be a debt that God owes for work done (Romans 11:6).
The great reward of Heaven is that every Christian will be crowned with everlasting glory by the Grace of God through the blood of the Lamb. The "inheritance" (singular) of each is the same inheritance of all Christians – to see Jesus as He is and to spend eternity with love Himself! (Ephesians 1:18; Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4)
Everyone will be equal in Heaven because there is no spiritual hierarchy. The Bible does not state that Christians will be distinguished from one another for all eternity based on their works on the Earth. Because Jesus is the perfect One, and the Christian is found in Him, there can be no degrees of reward or perfection in Heaven. The only purpose for every Christian having to stand before God's throne is to declare them acquitted of all sin and to give them His approval and 'praise' for the decision they made to follow Jesus (Romans 2:7; Revelation 22:14; Matthew 12:37; 1 Corinthians 4:5).
Crowns of Glory
The Bible speaks of different "crowns" for Christians. Some believe that they are literal and diverse rewards for what they did in Christian service or sacrifice. Others believe that the "crowns" are simply figurative metaphors for eternal life and word pictures that symbolize the different aspects of the Christian's reign as a joint heir with Jesus - just as there are different aspects of God seen in Scripture (Genesis 26:24; Exodus 34:23; 2 Ch 34:3; Ezra 6:10; Romans 15:13, 16:20; 1 Peter 1:7; 4:13-14; 5:10).
The Crown of Incorruption signifies Christians will reign forever in immortality and receive a non-corruptible body (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
The Crown of Righteousness signifies that they will reign in righteousness, having no-fault before God (2 Timothy 4:8).
The Crown of Life signifies their reign in Christ Jesus, who is the Tree of Life by the Waters of Life, in which they shall never see death (James 1:12).
The Crown of Rejoicing is to signify their reign is full of joy and without sorrow or pain (1 Thessalonians 2:19).
The Crown of Glory signifies that Christians will reign in Glory with Jesus (1 Peter 5:4).
The Crown of Gold signifies that they will reign holy, set apart, being "precious" like gold, and are of great value to God (Revelation 4:4).
The Twenty-Four Elders in the book of Revelation are seen casting their symbol of triumph - their prize (award) for running the race - before Jesus - which denotes that their reign is subservient to His reign and rule (Revelation 4:4). They understand that it is Jesus alone who deserves honor because He is the King of these kings. They worship at His feet and give all glory to Him.
This is the symbolism of the different aspects of the "crowns" in Scripture. No work of humankind merits a 'royal' crown. Only God alone deserves the glory. Because of what Jesus has already done for them, Christians will be awarded their 'crown' of eternal life for the discipline and self-sacrifice that is necessary to finish the "race" and "fight" the good fight (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
The Gift of Grace
God's grace offends the fallen nature of mankind because it is a gift from Him that cannot be worked or bargained for. The evidence that the Holy Spirit has truly taken up residence and begun to work within a person is the faith and good works of the Christian - which is ultimately the result of the faith and work of Jesus. Trusting-faith leads to visible transformations in lifestyle and growth in holiness over time (Matthew 7:15-27; Galatians 5:6, 19-24; James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:4-10).
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." (Matthew 7:16-18 KJV)
If a person claims to be a Christian and does not do the "will of God," then their faith has no foundation. Trusting-faith moves the Christian to do good works. Faith without works is dead, and yet no one is saved by their work because it is the gift of God (James 2:17, 18). The working of faith is trust. Good works are an evidence of genuine professed faith, but not a proof of it. The work of Jesus alone saves the Christian, not the other way around. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to finish the work within the Christian (Philippians 1:6).
No matter what one believes about 'good works' or receiving 'rewards' in Heaven, it is God's loving grace that should be the only motivating factor for every Christian to walk in holiness and obedience to His commands, not a desire for extra rewards, or a position of authority in the Kingdom of Heaven. The humility of love must be the only motivation for pleasing God.
The Highest Calling
The Kingdom of Heaven was "at hand" in the person of Jesus, and already present in His ministry because He is the full embodiment of the kingdom (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 12:28; Mark 1:15).
Heaven is a place of unimaginable joy that will last forever for those who made the choice to become a Christian. They will live in eternal and intimate fellowship with Jesus because He is the eternal One.
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT)
In Heaven, Christians will finally fulfill their highest calling to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength because that is how Jesus feels about them (Mark 12:30)!
Heaven is where Christians hope to dwell eternally, but it is more than just a destination for those who are numbered amongst the faithful. Jesus is the ultimate gift or prize or reward of eternal life! He is the crown, the glory, the joy, and the hope of every Christian. He is the beautiful One! Heaven would not be Heaven if Jesus was not there. There could be no better place to go because the kingdom of Heaven is JESUS!
Bart Millard wrote a song titled "I Can Only Imagine" that best describes my feelings about what it will be like to be in Heaven.
I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me
I can only imagine
Surrounded by You glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine when that day comes
When I find myself standing in the Son
I can only imagine when all I would do is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
It doesn't take a lifetime of service or sacrifice to enter in. It only takes one step through the doorway of the heart (Revelation 3:20)! Any person can go to Heaven when they enter into Jesus through trusting-faith. The simple truth is that the Born-Again Christian does not have to wait until death to experience Heaven and finally meet Jesus. He is already living in them because "Christ dwells in the heart by faith" (Ephesians 3:17 NIV). Walking in trusting-faith here on Earth is the beginning of eternal life because the Christian will experience in advance a taste of the glory of Heaven.
