Do Christians Get Rewards in Heaven?

Written by Ben Hightower

Listen to this message as a podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0qV8qnoPsuIKM5HfoxOFWg?si=usBd2ozoRCW7OJk2dgRBHA

Yes. Heaven is a gift you receive by trusting Jesus, but the Bible says God also gives rewards in the next life for how you live now.

This message is part of Side Quests, a series where we step away from our usual verse-by-verse teaching and follow one big question across the whole Bible. Here, the question is what happens at the final judgment. There are two parts. First, whether your name is in the book of life, which depends on trusting Jesus and nothing else. Second, for those who trust Him, what you did with your life, which God tests with fire. I can't give you a chart of what each choice earns, but I can show you what Scripture says about what we're working for.

What Are We Working For?

When we were starting a church in Columbia, Missouri, a financial planner in the same shopping center, who wasn't a Christian, asked me how you get someone from zero interest in church to serving God every week. I asked him how he gets people to save for retirement. Both ask people to sacrifice today for a future they have to trust.

Believers make that choice constantly: do what's right today even though it's harder, or do what's easy. A retirement calculator can show you roughly what you'll end up with. Serving God is different, because we're working for a future we know very little about.

Most of us think the reward is Heaven and the punishment is Hell. But we aren't working for Heaven, because we receive that as a gift. So, what are we working for? If the only option is a worship service in the clouds forever, people choose it only because it isn't Hell, and nobody is excited or pushing toward it. But, if we can answer the question of what we're working for, maybe we'll have more incentive to work.

What Happens at the Final Judgment?

Revelation 20 gives us the clearest picture of the final judgment, so that's where we'll start.

The Great White Throne

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Revelation 20:11-12

The dead are gathered before the throne, and at least two kinds of books are opened. One is the book of life, where the name of everyone who has put their faith in Jesus is written. The other records everything everybody has done. The dead are judged first by what they did.

Judged by what we've done, every one of us is guilty. It doesn't matter how much you gave, how often you went to church, or how many good things you did. Everybody wants to hear that as long as they do more good than bad, they're solid. That's not how it works. The question is whether you lived in rebellion against God, and the answer is yes. God set everything up with Himself reigning as King and gave us the choice to be loyal to Him or not. We chose not to, and we keep choosing it every time we know what Scripture says is right and do something else. How many times do you have to rebel against the rightful God of the universe to be guilty? One. Since we do it over and over, judgment is easy. As I said a couple of weeks ago in Should Christians Be Afraid of Satan and Demons?, Satan's role is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), making sure none of it gets forgotten, so that we're found guilty.

The Book of Life

And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:13-15

Then the other book is opened. Anyone who recognized they're a sinner, couldn't make things right with God on their own, and trusted in Jesus as the only one who can take care of that penalty has their name in it. He brings them back into relationship with the Father. They are still guilty. Jesus doesn't call them innocent, and He doesn't say let's be kind or merciful. He says they're guilty, but He has already taken their punishment. They go free because it is finished, not because they're less guilty, better, or lived better lives than anyone else.

Hades and the Lake of Fire

People tend to blend Hades, Hell, and the lake of fire into one idea, but Scripture describes two places. Jesus shows this in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), and Revelation gives more detail. Hades is a temporary place of punishment where people who don't know Jesus go before judgment. Once judgment has happened, they go into the lake of fire, which is the final Hell.

This is not purgatory. The Catholic idea is that you're punished until your sins are paid for or enough priests have been paid off, and then you move on to Heaven. The people in Hades aren't working off their time. Their destination is permanent Hell.

So, that is the judgment of the lost. They rise, stand before God, and their actions are examined. They're found guilty, God checks whether Jesus has paid their punishment, and since He hasn't, they receive it themselves.

The Judgment of Believers

For those whose names are written in the book of life, there is more to it. The passage that shows us is in 1 Corinthians 3.

What Happens to Our Work

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—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. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Paul isn't mainly teaching about judgment here. He's talking about pastors. Some people had a favorite pastor, others had a different favorite, and they were fighting over whose was best. Paul's point is that it's about Jesus, and we're all working toward the same goal. But along the way, he reveals something about the judgment of the saved that we don't get anywhere else.

"The Day" points to something specific, the day believers are judged. It shares some things with Revelation 20, but Paul adds another step. Jesus has laid the foundation, and we build on what He has done. God will examine what we've built with our lives, and He will test it with fire. This is not Hell. We don't go through the fire; the works of our lives do. What lasts is rewarded, and what doesn't last isn't.

If everything we built burns up, we lose all of it and get no credit for the work. But we ourselves are still saved. This isn't a loss of salvation. It's an examination of our actions.

So, judgment has two stages. If you're covered by the work of Jesus, you move to the second stage, where God looks at what you did with your life. He evaluates it on a standard I can't spell out exactly, and you receive rewards for what lasts. What doesn't last isn't punished. It's just gone.

What Makes It Through the Fire?

What separates gold, silver, and precious stones from wood, hay, and straw? Paul doesn't say, and neither does Revelation 20. So, I'm collecting what the rest of Scripture says gets judged harshly and what gets rewarded. This is a pattern, not a formula.

On the burned side: careless words, since Jesus says we'll be judged for every idle word (Matthew 12:36). Harsh things spoken against God. Anger and insults toward a brother. Knowing God's will and not doing it. Showing no mercy. Not serving. Practicing righteousness to be seen by others.

Some of these are sins, and the effort put into sin is burned away, not punished. Other things aren't sins at all. They're just for you, 100% selfish. That doesn't make them evil, but you get no reward for them. The reward was living your life for yourself.

On the rewarded side: good stewardship, labor for God, working as if for God, giving in secret, praying in secret, fasting in secret (Matthew 6:1-18), godly motives, serving those who can't repay you, serving believers, being persecuted, remaining steadfast under trial, seeking God, and loving His appearing. These are daily obedience done for the glory of God.

Even mundane things can be rewarded when you live to honor Him: going to work, how you drive through traffic, how you talk to people, how you help people. Anything you do because God told you to will make it through the fire, and so will anything you do to honor Him, from how you raise your kids to how you serve in your church. It's the same choice as saving for retirement instead of spending it all now: living today as if it will be rewarded tomorrow.

Isn't It Selfish to Want a Reward?

This is one of my soapboxes. When the New Testament says that if you do something, you'll receive a reward, people skip the reward part. They say it's selfish to want one, or that it only means salvation. But Scripture is clear that God gives rewards, and that they're given in the next life.

You should honor and glorify God because of the sacrifice of Jesus, even if you got nothing out of it. You should serve selflessly, share the gospel with your neighbors, and work as if you're working for the Lord because that is your reasonable sacrifice, as Paul says in Romans 12:1. But God knows we don't work that way. So, throughout the New Testament, He tells us about rewards, not just the reward of salvation but rewards in what is coming.

What Are the Rewards?

The Bible gives three basic categories. These are oblique references, not deep dives, so there could be more.

Crowns

We tend to picture a gold crown with jewels, but that isn't what Scripture means. In Roman athletic games, the winner received a crown of laurels, a trophy that said you did a good job. Sometimes it was a national honor. While Rome was still a republic, the Senate gave Julius Caesar an oak crown for a heroic act, and it came with special privileges. The crown symbolized his reward.

Scripture tells us about three crowns. The crown of righteousness, which Paul describes to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:8), goes to those who are excited about the return of Jesus. The crown of life goes to those who stay faithful in suffering, like losing a job, getting sick, or watching a marriage fall apart (James 1:12). The crown of glory is a little vague in 1 Peter 5:4, but it seems to go to pastors and church leaders who lead well. I would bet all the money I have that there are more crowns than these three.

I've also heard it taught that you receive crowns only to throw them at the feet of Jesus. In Revelation 4:10, the elders do take off their crowns and put them at His feet. But Scripture doesn't say they don't get them back, or that we repeat the process. Some people use that idea to dismiss the crowns, asking why work for one you'll throw down. You should work for Jesus because of what He has done. But God said there will be rewards based on how you lived for Him.

Authority in the New Creation

If you get your theology from cartoons, you picture dying, floating up to Heaven, and playing harps on a cloud. That isn't what Scripture describes. The end of Revelation calls back to the beginning of the Bible, where God makes a new heaven and a new earth. That doesn't mean a floaty place in the sky. It means a new creation, with the earth remade without sin or the destruction described in the book of Revelation, and God Himself living on the earth with us. It's a return to what the Garden of Eden was meant to be.

God Dwelling With Us

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

This is my speculation based on the literary setup: life continues as it was intended. We live, work, and function on the earth without the curse of sin. No cancer, no death, no crime, no crops that won't grow, and no long stretches without rain. If you read it that way, much of what Jesus and Paul said makes more sense.

In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, Paul tells the Corinthians to settle their disputes within the church instead of going to court in front of unbelievers, and he reminds them that one day we will judge angels. In the Old Testament, a judge decided right and wrong and was also a political and military leader who ruled an area. So, Paul's idea is that we will have authority over the new creation and over angels. What will that look like? I have no idea. I know Paul said it, so it's true.

Jesus told the twelve disciples they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), meaning they would lead them in the new creation. I don't know how that will work either. But I know Jesus said life will continue and they would receive authority to rule and be part of the government because of how they served.

Material Rewards

Some people read the Bible's promises of reward as being blessed in this life or as salvation, but I don't think so. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a story where doing well with a little gets you more. If you want God to bless you with more, do a good job with what you have now. He may or may not reward you with more in this life, but the principle stands, and if it isn't guaranteed here, it will come there.

In Matthew 19:27-29, the disciples ask what they will receive for giving up their families, homes, and careers. Jesus says no one who leaves those behind will go without being blessed, and that they will receive a hundred times what they gave up. I've looked at the disciples' stories, and they did not receive a hundred times what they left behind in this life, unless Jesus only meant salvation, which doesn't make much sense in that context. So, at some point they will, and so will anyone else who does this.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says not to store up treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves steal, but to store up treasure in Heaven. That isn't just a way of saying do good things for God. He is saying to save up because there is a day you will be rewarded, and you decide whether to have the stuff now or save it for the future. Your heart follows your treasure.

Fair at Last

In the world we live in, things aren't fair. You work hard and get passed over. You spend your life serving, and someone else gets the reward. We assume the people who rise to the top probably can't be trusted. But the picture of judgment is that things will finally be fair. Those who honored and served God throughout their lives will be rewarded, and those who didn't won't.

I would love to give you a chart showing what you'll receive for doing certain things, or how the governing structure will work and where you'll be placed. I can't, and I think that's because God wanted us to work in trust that He would be fair. So, He asks us to make a living sacrifice of ourselves as our reasonable service, and to trust that He will reward us when the time comes.

Will You Make It to the Second Part of Judgment?

We will all be found guilty. Then the book of life is opened, and the question is whether your name is in it. Whether your name is there doesn't depend on whether you honor God with your life. It doesn't depend on church attendance, giving, voting, or doing more good than bad. It depends entirely on this: did you recognize that you were in rebellion against God, accept the offer of forgiveness and reconciliation from Jesus, and get saved by Him?

You can be saved and receive a ton of rewards because you spent your life honoring God. You can also be saved and come through judgment with nothing except your salvation. But if your name isn't written in the Lamb's book of life, you don't go past step one. You'll be found guilty, there will be no reason to examine anything else for reward, and you'll go through your punishment. Jesus has taken that for you and is offering it to you. Will you accept it? If not, none of the rest of this matters.

How Much of Your Life Will Be Burned Up?

Think about this week. How much of it won't make it through the fire because it was sinful, selfish, or only about giving in to temptation or having a bad day? How much of today so far? Even a good thing like going to church, is it for God, or just what you're supposed to do?

If I can do more to get more, I want to. If all it takes for more of my life to make it through the fire is turning my focus from myself to honoring Him, that's what I want to do, both to honor God and because He has offered an incentive.

How Can You Start Building Things That Last?

How can you start honoring God in the mundane things as well as the big things: in how you go about your day, go to work, serve in your church, and interact with your family?

We spend so much of our lives building sandcastles. You put real work into one, with special tools, shells, and sticks, and then a wave comes and nothing is left. How much of your life is spent just trying to get through the day, the week, or find some relief? All that effort, stress, and worry goes into something you know won't last. How frustrating will it be to stand at judgment, watch my life go through the fire, and find out how much of the pain was pointless because I had my eyes on the wrong thing?

What do you need to change this week to build things that last? What has God been telling you to do that you've been ignoring?

One Last Thing

There is a lot of fear and misunderstanding around judgment, including things the Bible never says, and we have to connect the dots on some of it. But what's clear is that there are two bases of judgment. The first is guilt or innocence. The second, for those who make it through the first, is how you lived your life.

If you haven't taken care of the first, you can do that right now by trusting Jesus to take your punishment. The second happens in your life, in the way you live and honor God and the way you don't. So, this week, ask yourself about whatever you're doing right now: is it going to last through the fire? If not, how can I use it for the honor and glory of God?

If you have questions about any of this, or you're ready to take that first step and want to talk with someone, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us through our Contact Us page.

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