The Standard Evangelical Teaching on Rewards
Evangelical consensus holds that there will be varying levels of rewards in heaven based on the believer's faithfulness in this life. This teaching is based on several biblical passages, primarily those that speak of "crowns" or "rewards" for believers.
Crown of Life: James 1:12, Revelation 2:10
Crown of Righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:8
Crown of Glory: 1 Peter 5:4
Incorruptible Crown: 1 Corinthians 9:25
Crown of Rejoicing: 1 Thessalonians 2:19
Pastor David Jeremiah summarizes this teaching when he says, “The five heavenly crowns described in the Bible will be awarded to faithful believers. If we live wholeheartedly for Christ, we will receive a crown to cast at the feet of Jesus in heaven.”
The Thin Biblical Support For the Standard Teaching
Although the standard teaching on rewards is widely accepted, a closer examination of the biblical support reveals less clear testimony. Nevertheless, this teaching is often taken as gospel truth, without further examination or discussion. The lack of clear biblical support should encourage us to approach the topic with greater theological humility and a willingness to reexamine our assumptions in light of the whole counsel of God.
Here are some quick examples of the threadbare nature of the “Biblical support”:
James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10 sound suspiciously like the “crown of life” is eternal life itself, so much so that GotQuestions says that this crown is “for all believers.” However, the pathway to gaining this crown is clearly works-based. Both passages, however, should be read in light of the promises and covenants to Israel, in which works toward eternal life would be appropriate teaching (see Lev. 18:5, for example).
2 Timothy 4:8 - The phrases "that day" and "love his appearing" indicate that this is referring to the Judgment Day and the Second Coming, which are not part of the experience for the believer in the Age of Grace, who is raptured before either.
1 Peter 5:4 - Also speaking of the Second Coming, and thus to Israel. That which belongs to Israel should not be claimed by the Body of Christ without explicit testimony.
1 Corinthians 9:25 - There is certainly works involved in this “incorruptible crown.” But is this enough to claim that some believers get the crown and others don’t? If so, what is this crown anyway, and what work is required to get it?
1 Thessalonians 2:19 - The “crown” is not something given in eternity. The Thessalonians were Paul’s “crown of rejoicing.” To put this in the category of eternal rewards is to go beyond what the text teaches.
The Big Theological Problem With The Standard Teaching
One of the major issues with standard teaching is that it often requires individuals to complete certain tasks in order to fully experience the joys of heaven. This creates a caste system in heaven, where those who have done more tasks are seen as higher in rank. While Christian teaching rightly emphasizes that "the ground at the foot of the cross is level ground", meaning that all individuals are equal in the eyes of God and are saved by grace alone, at the same time they contradict their own teaching with the works-based rewards system that elevates one person over another.
Moreover, it is important to note that the Bible teaches that believers are not only saved by grace, but also remain saved by grace (Eph. 2:8-9). In fact, believers are considered complete in Christ (Col. 2:10) solely by the grace of God. However, this raises the question: how can someone be "complete" and yet still fall short of God's best? What if the person is saved but did not earn any rewards? These questions and more remain unanswered by typical teaching.
A Rightly-Divided Approach To Eternal Rewards
The goal of one who strives to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15) is to separate passages which do not directly apply to the body of Christ from those that do. Doing so creates a consistent message of grace, never confusing the grace message with works.
In this case, doing so would enable the student of the word to recognizing “crowns” as rewards for works as being incompatible to being complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). Therefore, he or she would look at the context of the passages and see that they are indeed in reference to works and consistent with the requirements on Israel.
Perhaps evangelicals are afraid of such an approach because they believe it would cause some kind of lawlessness among believers. However, I think just the opposite has been proven to be true among “right dividers,” as they are typically more devoted to the study of the Word and to a lifestyle that glorifies God than the rewards or law-abiding crowd. It seems that grace is the best motivator, and those who understand salvation by grace are motivated beyond compare to serve the Lord with gladness.
In the end, we are either saved and completed by grace, or works are required to some degree. By separating the rewards for Israel from the completeness in Christ
