5 Bible Verses About Rewards in Heaven (Does God reward good deeds?)
There are several Bible verses about rewards in heaven. But before you read 5 of them, here are a few important points to keep in mind.
Point #1: Our place in heaven is a gift from God
First, we must always remember that we are saved by faith, not by our works / deeds.
God blesses all true believers in Christ with salvation. Not because of anything we ‘earned’, but as His gift of reconciliation through our faith in Jesus alone.
In short, our place in heaven is by God’s grace which cannot be ‘earned’ by our good works / deeds.
Sidenote: The Bible clarifies that having true faith in God naturally compels us to do good works for God’s glory, out of our love for Him. Thus, our works are not the precondition for our salvation. Yet, they are an evidential byproduct of our genuine faith in the Lord (James 2:14-26; 2 Peter 1:10).
Point #2: There are further rewards for us in heaven
Further to this, the Bible also tells us about rewards we will receive in heaven, based on our works here on earth (see the verses further below for more).
Thus, in short:
- Our faith in Christ is what saves us, not our works. All who believe receive salvation;
- But the good works we do choose to carry out, when rooted in our sincere love for God, does lead to His further rewards in heaven.
We do not know for sure what these rewards are. The Bible does not go into specifics. However, scholars have explored different theological ideas (e.g. see here and here).
Ultimately, God’s rewards for us will depend on our faithfulness and our obedience to His call for us via logos or rhema.
But, to be clear, our rewards in heaven should not be the main motive of our faith-inspired works.
Instead, they are joyful outcomes of our sincere worship and good deeds on earth. We should seek to be God’s “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” more than anything else. Any rewards in heaven are simply a consequence of this priority.
In short, God graces us with rewards for our actioned love for Him and His people – not from being fuelled by them.
Sidenote: We might naturally ask, “Will some of us get fewer rewards in heaven than others?”. John Piper offers an honest response to this question below that will encourage all!
5 Bible verses about our rewards in heaven
Keeping the above points in mind, here are 5 Bible verses about our rewards in heaven!
1. Matthew 5:11-12 (popular among Bible verses on rewards in heaven)
Today, followers of Christ are often met with increasing hostility, mockery, and false allegations from non-believers. To varying degrees, persecution still happens, as Jesus foretold.
How will you testify to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Will you hide your faith – or will you live it out boldly, even if it means being persecuted by others? (see Matthew 5:15-16)
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:11-12: those willing to endure suffering for his name’s sake will be rewarded accordingly by God in heaven.
2. Matthew 16:27
When Jesus returns, He will come in great glory, just as His Father has planned. We sometimes call this the “Day of the Lord”.
At that time, the Son of God will repay each person according to what they have done.
The question we all have to grapple with is this. Do we live our lives simply for our own pleasure and glory? Or are we, as followers of Christ, called to God’s greater purpose to share His light with others? (Matthew 5:14-16)
Those who yearn for and respond to the latter will be rewarded in heaven. Not just in terms of good deeds, but also by the God-centred motives ahd character that underlie them.
3. 1 Corinthians 3:13-14
God has a unique plan for each believer. Some of us do ministry or missionary work. Others are vocational teachers, artists, engineers, caretakers, and so on.
In each of these spheres, Christ is to be our foundation – our guiding light in all that we do.
Is how we think, speak, and act aligned to what Jesus asks us to be? Are we doing things mainly for our selfish benefit or to God’s glory? Do we show love for others as we share His Truth with them?
In the end, God will judge all the work that Christians do on earth. If what we have built is shown to be good, we will receive a reward in heaven (see also Romans 2:6).
4. Matthew 6:4
Jesus tells us that doing good things for His right reasons is what truly matters to God.
For example, if we give to others with the secret intention to be praised or seen, we are actually doing so for our own benefit, not God’s.
By contrast, we are rewarded by God when we do good deeds out of our sincere love for Him and our neighbors. In this regard, our driving hope isn’t to draw focus on ourselves but to His glory (see also Matthew 6:2).
5. Colossians 3:23-24
We should show due respect to our earthly leaders, bosses, etc. since that is what God asks us to do (Romans 13:1). However, we must never forget: He is ultimately our King of Kings.
Our desire to walk with God inspires us to do good things. Similarly, the work we do for Him ought to stem from our genuine heart to serve our Creator.
Christians who willingly labor in God’s name and according to His will shall receive His wonderful rewards in heaven, whatever they may be.
Thank you for reading these 5 Bible verses about rewards in heaven!
We don’t yet know for sure what heaven is like. However, these verses give us a glimpse of the wonderful rewards that await us after this life.
By God’s Word, our hard work and faithfulness will be rewarded with eternal bliss in His presence.
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