There is much talk today
about degrees of reward in heaven. Even men who claim to believe the doctrines
of grace seem determined to give something to human works. But, the gospel of
the grace of God allows no place for human merit. God is no man's debtor. That
which he gives to men and does for men, both in this life and in the life to
come, is the reward of pure grace, not of debt.
In order for something to claim
merit before God, it must be perfect. God's infinite holiness, righteousness,
and justice will accept nothing less than perfection.
Where is the man who has ever done anything that is
perfect in the sight of God? Where is the man who has been perfectly faithful
in any area of life before God? Who among us would be so brazenly
self-righteous as to desire God to judge and reward him upon the grounds of his
own works? Our tears, our faith, and the very best of our good works are so
full of sin that, were they not washed in the blood of Christ, they would
demand our eternal damnation!
Our only acceptance before God is Christ. He
perfectly fulfilled every requirement of God's law as our Representative, and
satisfied every demand of Divine Justice as our Substitute. Now, being clothed
in his righteousness and washed in his blood, everything that God can and will
give to men is ours, because we are in Christ. "He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?" In Christ, "All things are yours." When the
Lord Jesus Christ presents us faultless and without blame before God, we shall
be perfect having no spot of sin or blemish of infirmity; and no good thing
shall be withheld from us.
I read of no secondary joys in heaven. None of God's
elect shall be placed in the back settlements of
God in Christ. There is as much foundation in Holy
Scripture for such a doctrine as there is for the papal doctrine of purgatory,
and no more. The dying thief had no good works, no life of faithfulness, and no
mighty deeds of self-denial by which to claim anything from God. Yet, he
entered heaven, was accepted and rewarded by God, in exactly the same way as
the apostle Paul, through the merits of Christ, our Substitute; and his reward
was just as full. Both the thief and the apostle have all they wanted and all
that God can give - They had all of Christ! Who wants more than that? Who can
settle for less? Christ is our Reward; and God does not give him by degrees!