God's Plan with MenMartin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Religion
God's Plan with Men
Martin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Salvation
With many, salvation and rewards mean the same thing, but the Saviour
made a clear distinction. "I give unto them eternal life, and they
shall never perish."--John 10:28 ("He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life."--John 6:47);--"Lay up for yourselves treasures in
Heaven."--Matt. 6:20. Our salvation is a gift and depends upon the
Saviour; our treasures in Heaven must be laid up by ourselves. Paul
makes the distinction equally clear. "By grace have ye been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not
of works, lest any man should boast."--Eph. 2:8, 9 (R. V.).--"Each man
shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."--1 Cor. 3:8.
But by rewards for service God's word does not mean God's blessings on
the faithful Christians in this life. It means rewards beyond this
life. Jesus said, "When thou makest a dinner or a supper call not thy
friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors,
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when
thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind;
and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee, for thou
shalt be recompensed _at the resurrection of the just_."--Luke
14:12-14.
If "each man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor"
(1 Cor. 3:8), there will, then, be different rewards or degrees in
Heaven; for doubtless no two redeemed people ever served God in
exactly the same degree of faithfulness. Paul makes this distinction
clear, as well as the difference between salvation and rewards. He
uses the illustration of building houses out of different material. He
has been speaking of preachers and their work, and then seems to turn
and apply his teaching to every one, for he says, "Let every man take
heed how he buildeth thereupon."--1 Cor. 3:10. Whether he is speaking
only of preachers and their work, or applies it to every man; whether
he is speaking of building in the lives of others by what we teach or
do, or whether he makes a turn and applies it to every man and his
building in his own life, he draws the clear distinction between the
foundation on which the building rests and the building built
thereupon, between salvation alone through Christ, and rewards for
service: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ. Now, if any man build upon this foundation gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be
made manifest; for the day shall declare it; because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer
loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire."--1 Cor.
3:11-15. Why is he saved? Because he has been redeemed from the curse
of the law, Christ having been made a curse for him (Gal. 3:13);
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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