Shortly before his martyrdom, Paul indicated that he firmly believed that the Lord would bring him into the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, he said to his spiritual son Timothy, “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will save me into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18). The heavenly kingdom is “the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43), “the kingdom of My Father” (26:29), “the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph. 5:5), and “the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11), which will be a reward to the overcoming saints. It equals the crown of righteousness in 2 Timothy 4:8 and is an incentive to the believers to run the heavenly race. Paul had the assurance to triumphantly declare that he would be saved into this heavenly kingdom.
God’s salvation and the kingdom are mutually related. Salvation is a matter of enjoyment and supply. We live the kingdom life by God’s salvation with its enjoyment and supply; however, the kingdom life in this age also involves exercise and discipline. Nevertheless, we live the kingdom life by God’s salvation with its enjoyment and supply. In His salvation, God gives us enjoyment, but in the kingdom, He disciplines us. In the kingdom, we apply what God gives us in His salvation so that we may be exercised according to the nature of the kingdom and the development of the divine life. Today the kingdom is an exercise and a discipline to us, but the coming kingdom will be a reward to the faithful believers who walk on the Lord’s way. To those who deviate from and leave the central line of God’s New Testament economy, it will be a punishment. As a future reward, the kingdom is an incentive, encouraging us to be faithful to take the way of the Lord. As a punishment, the kingdom is a warning, cautioning us not to be disobedient to the vision we have seen.
When the Lord Jesus comes back, the indifferent and unfaithful believers will not receive the same reward as those who are faithful. If the Lord were to give the same reward to both the faithful and the unfaithful, He would be unrighteous. Paul realized that the Lord is the righteous Judge; hence, he said, “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). The crown, a symbol of glory, is given as a prize, in addition to the Lord’s salvation, to the triumphant runner of the race (1 Cor. 9:25). In contrast to salvation, which is of grace and by faith (Eph. 2:5, 8-9), this prize is of righteousness through works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). The believers will be recompensed with such a reward, not according to the grace of the Lord but according to His righteousness. Hence, it is the crown of righteousness. The Recompenser is the Lord as the righteous Judge, not as the merciful God or the gracious Redeemer. Salvation was prepared according to the Lord’s love and grace, whereas the reward is prepared according to His justice and righteousness. For this reason, the Lord cannot give, in His righteousness, the same kind of reward to both the faithful and the unfaithful.
Once we are saved, we are eternally saved. Our salvation cannot be lost. However, when the Lord comes back, whether or not we will receive a reward is still a question. Paul says, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:14-15). The reward is based on the believer’s work after he is saved, whereas salvation is based on faith in the Lord and His redemptive work. The loss in verse 15 is the loss of reward, not the loss of salvation. The salvation that we have received in Christ is not by our works (Titus 3:5) and is eternal, unchangeable in nature (Heb. 5:9; John 10:28-29). Hence, those believers whose Christian works are not approved by the judging Lord and who suffer the loss of reward will still be saved. God’s salvation as a free gift to all believers is for eternity, whereas the Lord’s reward to those believers whose Christian works are approved by Him is for the kingdom age. This reward is an incentive for their Christian work.
Those believers whose Christian works are not approved by the Lord at His coming back will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:15). Through fire surely indicates punishment. This word should be a solemn warning to us today concerning our Christian works. We have already received the Lord’s unique, eternal, common faith (Titus 1:4), but we still need to be faithful in taking the Lord’s way so that we may receive a reward, that is, to enter into His joy and to be co-kings with Him in the coming kingdom to rule over the nations.
As those who are under the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, we need to live in the reality of kingdom of the heavens. We need to live the kingdom life in the church life and to develop ourselves in the divine life until we reach maturity. Then we will richly enter into the coming kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The faithful and mature ones will receive a reward from the Lord, but the unfaithful will receive dispensational punishment. The incentive of the reward and the warning concerning punishment should encourage us to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today, faithfully taking the way of the Lord and diligently growing unto maturity in the divine life.
As the believers in Christ, we are presently living the kingdom life in the church life because the church is the kingdom of God in the present age. In Romans 14:17 we see that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. When the authority of the kingdom of God is operating within us, righteousness, peace, and joy will characterize our daily living. When we live the kingdom life in the church life, we are righteous toward ourselves, peaceful toward others, and joyful before God in the Holy Spirit. We not only live such a kingdom life but also work for the kingdom of God, practically building up the church and thereby partaking of the kingdom. We have already been regenerated into the kingdom; hence, we should remain in it, partaking of it by accepting the heavenly ruling of the divine nature.
Furthermore, in Revelation 1:9 John spoke concerning the kingdom, saying that he is our brother, a fellow partaker in the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance in Jesus. This indicates that for tribulation and the kingdom, endurance is needed. For us to endure tribulation for the kingdom, we need the endurance in Jesus. When we experience tribulation, we must endeavor to enter into the realm of the full enjoyment of the resurrected and ascended Christ as the kingdom of God. The world opposes and rejects the Lord Jesus, yet He does not resist or fight back. He simply endures. As we have fellowship with Him and abide in Him, we partake of His endurance to endure persecution and opposition. This is strong proof that we are waiting for the Lord’s coming back.
If we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and partake of the kingdom, we will inherit the kingdom of God. To inherit the kingdom of God is not the same as entering the kingdom; it is to receive the kingdom as a reward for our enjoyment. This should be an incentive for us to live an overcoming life, a life that is sinless and righteous. The believers have been regenerated into the kingdom of God and are living in the kingdom of God in the church life. However, not all believers will participate in the millennium; only the overcomers will. The faithful and mature ones will receive a reward from the Lord, but the unfaithful will receive dispensational punishment. The incentive of the reward and the warning concerning punishment should encourage us to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today, faithfully taking the way of the Lord and diligently growing unto maturity in the divine life.