The believers will be examined by the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 Paul says, “He who examines me is the Lord. So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God.” Before the day of the Lord (5:5), what is hidden in the believers’ heart is not known. But one day the things in their heart will be made manifest so that praise may be given to each one from God. If the believers’ heart is right, good, pure, and for God, then at the judgment seat of Christ they will be rewarded with praise from God.
In Revelation 22:12 the Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one as his work is.” The Greek word translated reward means “wages.” At the Lord’s coming, this reward will be rendered to each one of the believers at the judgment seat of Christ after their rapture. This is what the Lord referred to in Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each man according to his doings.”
When the believers are judged by the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, some will receive a reward. Many verses in the New Testament prophesy concerning this.
First Corinthians 3:8b says, “Each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” Then in verse 14 Paul continues, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward.” According to the context, the work that remains must be that of gold, silver, and precious stones. Gold, silver, and precious stones signify the various experiences of Christ in the virtues and attributes of the Triune God. Gold may signify the divine nature of the Father with all its attributes, silver may signify the redeeming Christ with all the virtues and attributes of His person and work, and precious stones may signify the transforming work of the Spirit with all its attributes. All these precious materials are the products of our participation in and enjoyment of Christ in our spirit through the Holy Spirit. Only these are good for God’s building. Such a building work will be approved by the Lord, and the believers will be rewarded by the coming and the judging Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 9:17, concerning preaching the gospel, Paul says, “If I do this of my own will, I have a reward.” The book of 1 Corinthians was written by the apostle not to help lost sinners to be saved but to help saved believers to grow (3:6-7), to build with precious materials (vv. 10, 12-14), to care for the Lord’s members (8:9-13), and to run the race (9:24). Hence, a reward is mentioned repeatedly as an incentive to the believers for their progress (3:14; 9:18, 24-25).
In Matthew 16:24-27 the Lord prophesies that if the believers lose their soul-life, take up their cross, and follow Him, they will receive a reward from Him. He will repay “each man according to his doings,” that is, according to whether or not they lose their soul-life’s enjoyment in this age. The Lord’s reward will be entering into the manifestation of the kingdom. The manifestation of the kingdom in the millennium will be a reward to the followers who remain under the killing of the cross. All the believers who follow Christ in this way will be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom. If we bear the cross to follow the Lord by losing the enjoyment of our soul in this age, He will reward us with the enjoyment of the soul in the kingdom.
In Philippians 3:14 Paul declares, “I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.” The goal is for us to gain, whereas the prize is for us to enjoy. The prize here will be the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the victorious runners of the New Testament race.
Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not cast away therefore your boldness, which has great reward.” The reward is something in addition to eternal salvation. It will be given to the believers at the Lord’s coming, according to their works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 1 Cor. 4:5), and will be enjoyed in the coming kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23). The will of God for the Hebrew believers was that they take the new covenant way (Heb. 10:19-23) and remain with the church (v. 25), not shrinking back to Judaism (vv. 38-39) but suffering persecution from Judaism (vv. 32-34). If they did not cast away their boldness, they would receive the promise of a great reward (v. 35) at the Lord’s coming back (v. 37). The great reward is the coming Sabbath rest (4:9), the enjoyment of Christ and the reign with Christ in the coming kingdom.