Your passport to heaven is through the grace of Jesus Christ and not of yourself (Eph 2v8). Such is already good enough. But God wants to give you additional rewards for the works that you have done in His Name. We can find those rewards from the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelations. Here are the details.Attending the funeral of a fellow believer is not a difficult thing. It is sad because of the departure. But it is not hopeless, desperate, nor extreme sadness and pains because we know of two good things. Firstly, he/she has gone to a better place. Secondly. we shall meet again someday in the better place. Then there is one more thing, he/she will receive additional rewards from God. Here are some of the details.....
Entrance to Heaven is By Grace:
- For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9
But God promised more .... Mark 9:41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
By rewards comes from how much we have done according to the purpose thta God has created us for:
- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10
- 1Co 3:11-15 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
The Seven Eternal Rewards:
The Details of the Rewards:
Of course, we work not for the rewards but we work because of the love of God that is shed abroad in our heart. (Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.)
But God is a fair God and remembers our work in and for Him and He rewards us generously.
All the grace of God to you as you work out His life in you. We shall meet again in Heaven some day.
Lim Liat (c) 17 Oct 2015
See Also:
Excellent chart on the rewards of Revelation. Have you ever considered that John's use of "overcomer" in 1 John is different than in Revelation? All Christians are overcomers through faith, but there is an overcomer who is rewarded for faithful obedience. This seems to reflect the rewards of Rev. better. Some seem to pertain to initial salvation, but they have a meaning beyond that.
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