God Rewards Labor, Not Motives

2nd Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

I was reading Pastor Brad Strand's The Strand Study Bible today (which I love and appreciate), but I sometimes disagree with things that he teaches. No preacher is correct on everything, including me. You reader must decided for yourself what the truth is through the lens of the Scriptures (1st John 4:1; John 5:39; Acts 17:10-11).

I read Pastor Strand's commentary for 2nd Corinthians 5:14a today. 2nd Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ constraineth us;” He says that it's not enough to merely serve Christ, he said you must have the proper motives or you won't receive a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I humbly disagree with him. Kindly said, there's nothing about having proper motives in 2nd Corinthians 5:14.

As a side note, I see another teaching by Pastor Strand that I disagree with in his commentary for this verse. He says that we don't serve Christ because we love Him, but because Christ loves us. Brother Strand is basing his doctrine on one Bible verse, not considering the whole of Scripture. Based upon 2nd Corinthians 5:14b alone, “For the love of Christ constraineth us;,” it does seem like we serve Christ because He loves us. However, what about John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” So we see here that if we love Jesus we will obey His commandments, which includes serving Him faithfully. The truth is that we serve Christ both because He loves us and because we also love Him. They key is that Jesus loved us first. 1st John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Now let's get back to our original subject of motives. I agree with Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001), who taught that there's nothing in the Bible about having proper motives to receive a reward from Christ. 1st Corinthians 3:8 says, “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” As we just read for ourselves, the inspired Word of God promises a reward to every man according to “his own labour.” Nothing is mentioned about having the proper motives to qualify one's labor for Christ.

Jesus promised in Mark 9:41, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Again, we don't see any stipulations about having proper motives. If you give a cup of water to someone who is serving Jesus, you will be rewarded because they belong to Christ. God is very ethical, He rewards everyone who does anything to help the cause of Christ. That greatly encourages me to work longer, freely and harder. It bothers me that nearly every layman believer I know who is serving Christ begs for PayPal donations. Albeit, if they are accurately sharing the Gospel they will still be rewarded by Christ in eternity.

Brother Strand, in his commentary for 2nd Corinthians 5:14, cites Matthew 20:1-16 as evidence that we must have the proper motives to receive a reward. This passage is the parable of the household who hired many labourers to work in his vineyard, some for 12 hours, others for nine, six or just one hour. The hired men who worked all day were angry at the householder, for paying the latecomers the same wage that they had received.

I am now going to share with you Dr. John R. Rice's (1895-1980) commentary for Matthew 20:1-16, which is a brilliant exegesis presented in layman's terms. I dread the average Bible commentary, such as, The Pulpit Commentary, which is so boggled down with theological jargon that it is virtually useless to aid the common man to better understand the Scripture.

Dr. Rice states concerning The Parable Of The Workers in Matthew 20:1-16:

Several lessons are intended here by the Saviour. May the Holy Spirit help us to learn these lessens. Some of them are these:

1. The rewards for serving Christ will be decided by Him and not by human wisdom. "Many that are first" in men's sight will not be first in God's sight. It is not wise for us to compare ministers or Christians, Apollos, Peter, Paul, etc., judging this one to be greatest and this one least, since none of us knows the heart or the outcome and relative value of their labors. First Corinthians 4:1-7 gives clear teaching. There we are told that faithfulness is the great virtue rewarded (I Cor, 4:2), that the Lord Himself is the One who judges (I Cor, 4:4), that we are not to judge until the Lord comes, bringing to light the hidden things, the counsels of the hearts (I Cor, 4:5), that, therefore, one should not be puffed up against another (I Cor, 4:6), that whatever good things we have we get from others and are given by God , so we should not boast (I Cor. 4:7).
   
   Men often give us credit we do not deserve. In John 4 is recounted the marvellous revival in Sychar when the woman at the well and many others were saved. Yet the disciples were warned by the Saviour that the fields so "white to harvest" had been cultivated by others, and He said, "And herein is that saying true. One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours" (John 4:37, 38). In many a great revival one man or two gets most of the credit when his ministry was primarily reaping where others had sown, and entering into the labour of others. Thus only God is able to evaluate the rewards due each workman.
2. In point of time, the last often come first. We are promised to reap "in due season . . . if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). But the exact time of our reaping is not told. Often bread cast on the water will return "after many days" (Eccles. 11:1). Sometimes it returns at once. The eleventh hour labourers were paid first.
3. Salvation and rewards are both of grace. It is clear in this case that the labourers who only worked one hour, others who only worked only a quarter of a day, others a half day, and others three-quarters of the day, did not earn a full days' wages. Their reward then, was of grace. But from Luke 17:7-10, another parable of the servants which Jesus gave about the same time as this parable, it is clear that we never deserve all the rewards that Christ gives. We are commanded after we "shall have done all those things which are commanded" us, to say "We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10). In the instruction of the twelve apostles about rewards in Matthew 19:28, 29, Jesus did not see fit to make a marked distinction between the blessings faithful workers will receive in the regenerated kingdom when He reigns on His throne, and everlasting life (Matt. 19:29). We know from many, many plain statements that salvation, everlasting life, is given freely, immediately, and eternally to those who simply believe (John 3:15, 16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; I John 5:11-15), that everlasting life is wholly of grace. Likewise if a man gives one dollar and gets back one hundred dollars, or loses one friend and gains one hundred more, as is promised here, that is also grace.
   
   To be sure, salvation and rewards are two entirely separate things. Salvation comes from believing, and rewards come from service, but both properly represent the mercy of God, not really our deserts. No wonder that we are told even if our bodies are literally every day living sacrifices, with no will and way of our own, yet it is only our "reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1, 2). It is true that "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities (Ps. 103:10). Most of the workman did not really deserve their wages, and none of us deserves all the good things God will give us. However, we must not forget that rewards will be proportionate to our labor and sacrifice as is clearly taught in Matthew 16:27, I Corinthians 3:12-15, and Revelation 22:12. Christ will not only pay every Christian for his labor, but will overpay him.
4. As a fourth lesson, let us beware of jealousy of Christian workers. There is a semblance of justice of the cry of these "which have borne the burden and heat of the day" (vs 12) and feel they should receive more than others who have done less. Workers who have kept the Sunday School or choir or other religious work going for years are often jealous of newcomers who get more attention, inject new life into the work and are given leadership. Older preachers are often jealous of successful young pastors or evangelists who have not spent the labor or study or sacrifice their elders have. But all such jealousy is a sin. We have no right to be thinking about our deservings. All of us have already received of the Lord manyfold more than we have ever deserved. If our hearts were really concerned about the carrying on of the work of Christ and His honor, then we should rejoice gladly when new workers come, even if at the eleventh hour of the day. "In honour preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10) is God's plan about Christian work, Here is a severe testing point. Here we need to manifest Christian grace. Here personal ambition and selfishness show themselves in most of us.
   
   We think the immediate application of the parable was to the apostles. They must understand that many others workers would come after them who would have right to high places in the kingdom of Christ. Paul was not even converted then, yet he came to be behind those apostles in no gift, and was more abundant in labor than them all (I Cor. 15:9, 10; II Cor. 11:5, 23-28). God has a great place in the kingdom for Moody. The apostles must not think that because they would sit on the twelve thrones in Israel, others coming later might not have and deserve as great honor from God when rewards are given.
   
   Another application given to these apostles now would involve Gentiles. Jewish Christians, even as apostles, were very slow to accept Gentile Christians on the same basis as Jewish Christians (Acts 10; 11:1-3). Jewish converts later would jealously watch young Gentile Christians, feeling that they were newcomers, so did not have the proper background of the law which Israel had. Even Jewish Christian leaders would have a tendency later to insist on the Gentiles being circumcized and really becoming Jews before they would be Christians (Acts 15:1, 2). The book of Galatians was written to answer these Judaizers. Jesus was here warning His disciples and succeeding generations not to be jealous of those who came later in the vineyard to labor. We need it now. There is a widespread distrust of Christians who profess to have been saved in old age, and many believe deathbed repentance impossible despite the case of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). Let us rejoice in God's mercy to others instead of having wickedness in our hearts to envy others their blessings.
   
   On this point remember the sin of Jonah, angry because God forgave the Ninevites (Jonah chap. 4). Some Israelites were jealous when seventy elders were filled with the Spirit and prophesied (Num. 11:16-29). Even John forbade others to cast our devils, though they were doing it in the name of Jesus and should have been praised (Mark 9:38-40; Luke 9:49, 50). This was the sin, too, of the elder brother who was not willing that the prodigal son should be forgiven, feasted and restored by the father (Luke 15: 25-32).God forbid that our eye should be evil because God is good and deals in abundant mercy with others (as. 15).
   
   Compare verse 16 with Matthew 22:14. Many are invited to be saved, but only those who wholeheartedly turn to Christ in faith are chosen as children of God, chosen to be saved (Mark 13:20; Rom, 16:13; II Thess. 2:13).
   
   In this parable if the vineyard, Jesus deals a blow at socialism, Here is vindicated private ownership of property, ownership of means of production, the hiring and firing of laborers. Jesus has the owner say with divine approval, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" So for a Karl Marx, Stalin, a Hughey Long, or a Roosevelt, or a social labor leader to advocate "redistribution of the wealth," whether by communist revolution or by New Deal law, taking away from an individual his right to own, to control, to give his children by inheritance, his property, is to violate a moral standard of God, and violate a precious human right.
   
   SOURCE: Matthew, Dr. John R. Rice, pp. 304-307; Sword of the Lord Publishers

Boy, that is great Bible truth! I would just like to clarify something that Dr. Rice said, to make sure there is no confusion. When he mentioned that saints are "chosen" to salvation, carefully notice that he started by saying that God only chooses those who have of their own free will wholeheartedly put their trust in Jesus Christ. In other words, we don't believe because God chose us, God chose us because we believed. The "elect" are only chosen because they have already of their own free will chosen to believe on Jesus for their salvation. No one is ever chosen against their own free will to go to Heaven, nor does God ever decide not to choose someone so that they are incapable of coming to Christ by faith to be saved. The gift of everlasting life is freely offered by God to all humanity without prejudice.

I wanted to share this wonderful exegesis by Dr. Rice from Matthew 20:1-16, because it is so full of meat to sink your teeth into doctrinally. To me the key take away is that BOTH salvation and rewards are obtained by God's mercy and grace, not by our deservings. Yes, God will reward those of His saints who work night and day to reach others for Christ with the Gospel pf peace, but we are simply doing what we're supposed to do, which is our "reasonable service" (Romans 12: 1 2).

In all rights, God could have insisted that we serve Him diligently without any promise or expectation of rewards. I mean, after all He did sacrifice His only begotten Son to redeem us. 1st Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” That "price" was the precious blood of Jesus (1st Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5). It is only reasonable that since Jesus sacrificed His life by dying on the cross to pay our dent of sin, that we would return the favor by living our life as a sacrifice to serve Him. Albeit, God does NOT mandate this exchange, because that would eliminate grace. Salvation cannot be free if there are any stipulations or obligations attached to it; if there are any "strings attached" so to speak. But there are none! It is only "reasonable" that we should serve God with our life, but if we selfishly choose not to, we still have 100% assurance of eternal life, which was obtained by grace alone without works (Romans 4:6).

The Lord graciously chose to reward us for our labors, even though He doesn't have to. I find nothing in the inspired Holy Bible which teaches that believers who have wrong motives won't receive their hard-earned rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Lord is not unjust not to reward those who have laborers in His vineyard to win souls. Whether you voluntarily drive a church bus, mow the church lawn, clean the ministry restrooms, repair church vehicles, prepare meals in the kitchen, help missionaries, or whatever, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10).

So, if the only reason you serve in a church soulwinning ministry is because you like one of the ladies there, you won't lose your reward, if you are a child of God. Now I need to warn you, if you are an unbeliever (i.e., you have never been born-again by faith in Jesus Christ), then you have no expectation of anything from God except eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. This is what I humbly believe the Bible means in Ezekiel 33:13, “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.” The key phrase is "if he trust to his own righteousness." Self-righteousness is a guaranteed road to Hell. You need God's righteousness, which is imputed (credited) to the believer by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5-6; 10:3-4; Philippians 3:9).

Also, I believe that people who get paid to work as pastors, church secretaries, maintenance men, already have some of their rewards. I have worked night and day for over 50,000 hours over the past 22 years since 2002, without being compensated a single penny for my labors. So, I humbly believe that God is going to reward me greater than a pastor who got paid $80,000 or more per year for his time spent 40 hours a week "serving God" at his job.

Then again, in the Parable of the Workers that we just studied, everyone didn't receive the same reward. Some of the workers who did far less work were paid the same as those who had worked all day long, in the scorching heat of the day nonetheless. So, whatever rewards God gives me in Heaven, I trust that my dear Savior is fair, ethical and knows what is best. So, I won't complain whatever happens, I'll just be eternally grateful to be saved and in Heaven by God's grace, and to receive rewards by His grace too. In all my diligent ministry labors, I am just doing what I am supposed to do as a redeemed sinner, which is my "reasonable service" for my Great King, God, Lord and Savior, Jesus!!!

For the redeemed child of God who is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life, as I am, God promises to reward all of our labors. You may disagree with me, and that is fine, but please make sure that you have solid Scripture to support your claim that God won't reward wrong motives, because I cannot find that stuff in the inspired King James Bible.

Thank you for reading my blog.