Featured Heavenly Incentives with Earthly Images

Heavenly Incentives with Earthly Images

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I remembered reading "In Harm's Way", the story of the sinking of the Battle Cruiser Indianapolis in the last two weeks of World War Two, and the subsequent ordeal of drifting for four or five days in the ocean, mostly raftless, in some cases even without life-vests. By the time they were rescued only one-fourth of the crew was alive. Over 900 had died, either in the initial torpedo attack or due to the later ordeal of shark attacks, exposure, dehydration, succumbing to wounds, and other tragedies.

When help finally came, many, amazingly, could not be coaxed onto the rescue crafts! They thought they were the enemy, that it was some kind of trick. So the rescuers had to do some quick thinking. They said that the sailors were being invited to an "ice cream party". They need to get in line for this. In other cases they used other incentives.

This reminded me of the incentives that God uses when He speaks to us of heaven, He refers to a Supper, a Wedding, to receiving Crowns and Rewards. It seems to me that these are all incentives to those whom he has called, to associate earthly desires - the better kinds - with an essentially unspeakable heavenly reward.

It is unspeakable because we have no frame of earthly reference. Perception and understanding, after all, are built largely from experience and observation. (Yes it is true that, as Christians, we have the mind of the Christ, the Spirit of Christ enlightening for us all the riches we have in the Savior. "We have the mind of Christ.")

However, getting back to those earthly images: There are many who focus too specifically on those images used (crowns, supper and so on) and don't see the underlying truth. For instance there are some who speak of one type of crown versus the another, not seeing that all of these crowns (sic) are all just referring to our being glorified in Heaven. This mistake comes from overvaluing the "Golden Rule" of hermeneutics, imposing a literal grid over certain truths that are better taken spiritually.

God uses these incentives because many are way too comfortable with the familiar sin-infested waters of this present age and don't realize the pressing need to change our thinking and all of our energies to our Heavenward calling. There are other ways that God changes our desires, of course, but this method used here seems to be one of them.

 

A Second Look at all of those Bible Crown Rewards

Many of the passages and themes of the Bible are more familiar than understood. A case in point is the issue of the crowns we are said to receive based on the outcome of various levels of obedience. Who has not heard a sermon - probably more than once - of how we, though we receive these crowns, will throw them back at the Savior's feet?

What is wrong with this picture? Several things. For one, it ignores Biblical usage of terms. Let's take a look at some actual "crown" verses.

1. Crown of rejoicing (1st Thess. 2:19)
2. Crown of righteousness (2nd Tim. 4:8)
3. Crown of life (James 1:12)
4. Crown of glory (1st Peter 5:4)

These are actually different names for the same reward - etrnal life - just described different ways.

Or are we to assume that there will be some gloomy, inglorious Christians who have crowns 2 and 3, but lack 1 and 4?

To speak of a Crown of [fill in the blank] is just a way for the bible to describe our reward under different aspects. This is a common mode of expression in the Bible.

Consider "spirit". How many Spirits of God does the Christian have helping him? By this same thinking we would have to have several:

Spirit of truth
spirit of holiness
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
Spirit of adoption
Spirit of the living God
spirit of faith
Spirit of promise
Spirit of grace
etc.....

But there really is only one Holy Spirit.

So the crowns are the very same thing.

Here are the crown verses.

1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not
even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and
not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him.

1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away.

 

Are we to assume that those laborers of one hour cheated the all-day laborers? Was God unjust with giving out the identical pay?

What is it we are wanting from God? Is eternal life eternally with God, the blessedness of forgiveness and all things ineffable - what can top that? Do we want to mess that up by presenting to God a tally of what we should get? (I know what I should get!)

Or do we, no matter how carefully we obey - or think we obey - merely come up to the level of "unprofitable servants"?

If we start thinking of rewards as wages (which is really what you are doing, John, sorry to say) we need to remember that there are two sides to that coin.

 

Amen. I would much rather just follow what the Word says here.

 

"11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” - Rev. 22:11-13

What is being given out here. What is the reward [singular]? The verse before and after give us very helpful context.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with your first statements. I need to think more on your question, and look it up in context. This requires more time than I have now. For now, I tend to agree with John's comment.

 

I don't believe in works anything.

"Basic exegesis"? No, it is an imposed system on a contrary text.

You still haven't answered about the all-day workers. According to your system, it seems, your hard-working life-long missionary should get more than that one denarius.

 

The reward is based on faith. That is why I quoted the previous verse. Those are the two classes of people, the righteous and the unrighteous - which, when you look closer, is merely faith and unbelief being manifested.

The reward which is with Christ is with those two classes in mind. The one gets the reward of eternal life, the other the reward (wages, actually) of sin.

 

And I quoted that last verse for a reason, seeing that it is part of the thought. The first and the last has a special significance with those first-century Jews. The very same phrase comes up in this same context of talents and rewards in the Gospels.

There is a reason for this.