God's Plan with MenMartin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Religion
God's Plan with Men
Martin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Salvation
There is one passage of Scripture that some have thought contradicts
the teaching of different rewards in Heaven: "The kingdom of Heaven is
like unto a man, an householder, who went out early in the morning to
hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the
laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he
went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the
market place, and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard and
whatsoever is right I will give you, and they went their way. Again he
went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing
idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They
say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye
also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye
receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto
his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning
from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about
the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first
came, they supposed that they should have received more, and they
likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it,
they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last
have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who
have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them
and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst not thou agree with me for
a penny? Take that thine is and go thy way; _I will give unto this
last even as unto thee_."--Matt. 20:1-14. From this the conclusion is
drawn that there are no different rewards in Heaven; that all are
rewarded alike. But not only does God's word elsewhere teach different
rewards in Heaven, but the Saviour made His teaching on this point
very plain. In the parable of the pounds, the servant who with one
pound gained ten pounds is rewarded with authority over ten cities.
But the one who with one pound gained only five pounds is rewarded
with only five cities (Luke 19:16-19). This shows clearly a difference
in rewards. If, now, this passage in Matthew teaches no difference in
rewards, then we have a positive contradiction. But consider the two
parables: the parable of the pounds is where men have the same
opportunity, each one a pound; then they are rewarded according to
what they accomplish. The parable of the vineyard is where the
laborers work different lengths of time; in the morning, boys and
girls, six, eight, ten, twelve years of age, becoming Christians and
going into the vineyard; the third hour, young people, fifteen,
eighteen, twenty years of age, becoming Christians and going into the
vineyard; the sixth hour, young men and young women, twenty-five,
thirty, thirty-five years of age, becoming Christians and going into
the vineyard; the ninth hour, men and women past middle life, forty,
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