A little later, Jesus explained that there will be distinctions in heaven based on the believer’s obedience or disobedience to His will, saying, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19). A reward (Grk μισθός misthos) denotes “a recompense based upon what a person has earned and thus deserves.” Though salvation is free and simple, eternal rewards are earned. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:11-12). When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount to His disciples (Matt 5:1-2), He said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. But, to be clear, not all rewards are the same, as they are given in proportion to the life of obedience. As an added benefit, God promises future rewards to the Christian who walks in His will.
It’s a “Thank You” response to His grace and goodness. Our loyal obedience to God is in appreciation for all He has done for us. As Christians, we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10), for He instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:12), and to be a people “zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14). Once saved, the Lord calls us to “be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4), and to engage in “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10).
Good works should follow salvation, but they are never the condition of it (Rom 4:1-5 Eph 2:8-9 Tit 3:5). The gospel is the good news “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus’ atoning death on the cross propitiated the Father’s demands toward our sin (Rom 3:25 1 John 2:2), and we come with the empty hands of faith, trusting in Christ alone to save us (John 3:16 20:31 Acts 4:12). Salvation is the work the Lord Jesus Christ.
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