40. Reward
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Jesus gives an unconditional promise that every person will be rewarded according to his works on the Judgment Day. Rewards according to works means both quality and quantity of rewards according to the worth of each work and the number of works done. Jesus says that the Final Judgment will be based on works and rewards given accordingly. God is keeping a complete record of every thought, word, and deed. This record will be disclosed for all to see on That Day, all at once.
The goats, on the left, the unbelievers, will not have any good deeds to be seen and so will receive no rewards; they will only have evil deeds and sins that will be disclosed for all to see and will receive the just penalties for them. “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin,” (Romans 14:23) and therefore, no good works. The sheep, on the right, the believers, will receive many rewards for the records show many good works they have done, each with a great reward. These are all rewards of grace because God did the works in the believers without their conscious awareness (“When did we see thee…?”). These works were done out of faith by Jesus in us. We do not get the credit for the works, but we receive the reward for them. That’s grace. The record of his life shows all these good works, but shows not one sin, since they have all been erased, taken away, by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The place in the judgment and the eternal fate of every person in the judgment is determined by only one thing: faith in Christ. The evidence of the inward faith is the outward works done by Christ in us. So the promise is that He will reward everyone according to his works. Rewards are coming! And I didn’t earn them!