{"id":11459,"date":"2026-06-22T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=11459"},"modified":"2026-06-22T12:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:20:54","slug":"what-about-rewards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=11459","title":{"rendered":"What about rewards?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Select here for a pdf version.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gospel text we have from Matthew is about discipleship and rewards. It says: \u201cWhoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will not lose his reward.\u201d That\u2019s in Matthew 10:42.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people assume this verse is a \u201ctake care of the poor\u201d verse. But it\u2019s really not. Rather, it\u2019s a \u201ctake care of the Christian\u201d verse. The \u201clittle ones\u201d are the Christian disciples and Christian preachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This verse tells us the meaning of the famous parable in Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats and the last judgment. When it says, whoever gives to \u201cthe least of these,\u201d it means Christian preachers. \u201cThe least of these\u201d are those who are spreading the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is evident from other places in Matthew and parallel places in Mark and Luke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Matthew 18:6 \u201cthe little ones\u201d means not small children but disciples of Jesus, whom he calls children. It\u2019s not about being young and immature; rather, it\u2019s about Christians as children of their heavenly Father and how he cares for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes on to talk about the seriousness of sin and how it\u2019s better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea than to cause a follower of Christ, one of the little ones, to stumble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Matthew text talks about rewards. It says those who give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones will not have his reward taken from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s this about rewards and judgment based on works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an important question for us Lutherans because we are those known for preaching that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone, not works. Faith has results, to be sure, which are works, but such works don\u2019t merit salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world of laws, rewards and punishments are not only expected but necessary. This is common sense. He who is faithful in a few things should be made ruler over many things. It\u2019s like the parable of the slave in Matthew 25. Strictly speaking, slaves are never paid, for they are themselves the property of their master. Although they cannot be paid, they can be rewarded, and when they, are, it is to be entrusted with more responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, it seems reasonable that there should be degrees of reward and punishment in heaven and hell corresponding to what a person has done on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is the Bible simply common sense? Or common sense spiritualized? Or does it have a unique message to offer, a message not based on common sense or even on claims made by any other religion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the text from Romans for today, Paul writes: \u201cFor the wages of sin is death, and the wages of good works is eternal life.\u201d Wait, what? No. That\u2019s not what Paul writes. Rather he says: \u201cFor the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe free gift of God.\u201d The Christian\u2019s \u201creward\u201d takes on a very different meaning from the usual sense of a reward as being paid for your work and service, as a kind of entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul describes how this works in Philippians: \u201cWork out your own salvation in fear and trembling, for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure: (Phil. 2:12-13). In other words, he\u2019s doing it, both the will and the work. And because God does everything, we do everything. And we shall receive everything. \u201cHe who did not spare his own Son, will he not give us all good things with him?\u201d (Romans 8:32). Nothing is lacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian discipleship is not a process of striving, development, and growth. For there is no point where one has advanced beyond being wholly dependent on Christ or being beyond the possibility of falling. There is no point where sin is no longer an enemy. Every day we return to our baptism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul writes in Philippians 3:4-6 that if anyone has reason to be confident, he does. After all, he had followed the law 100%. Then comes the big word, \u201cbut.\u201d He goes on to say (paraphrase): \u201cI counted it all as junk. I give it all up for the sake that I may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but a righteousness from God based on Christ and the power of his resurrection that I may be found in him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s totally different and that\u2019s what the message of the gospel is: And the same is said in the following verses, where Paul writes: \u201cI press on to make it my own because Christ has made me his own\u201d (Philippians 4:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is another way of saying: \u201cFor the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord\u201d (Romans 6:23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put it another way, again in Paul, this time in Galatians 5:1, he says: \u201cFor freedom Christ has made us free. Don\u2019t fall back into the yoke of slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yoke of slavery is the sin of despair on one side and the sin of presumption on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does that work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, after reminding readers that Christ is the end of the law (Romans 10:4) and that Christ himself says: \u201cApart from me you can do nothing,\u201d (John 15:5), it concludes: \u201cBy this rule, as we have said earlier, all passages can be interpreted. . . the fruits please God because of faith and the mediator Christ but in themselves are not worthy of grace and eternal life\u201d (Apology 4:372).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All works are just works, always limited, sinful, even our best ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What then about rewards? Speculation about conditions in heaven are not part of the gospel. We want to know more in order to seek some advantage for ourselves so that rewards become merits and gifts become entitlements. But that\u2019s God\u2019s business, not ours. Nor do we need to know such things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, even thinking about rewards is a sign of sinful self-regard. How can I turn this to my advantage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing can be allowed to detract from our sole comfort in Christ alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As our Lutheran tradition says: \u201cAny interpretation of the Scriptures which weakens or even removes this comfort and hope is contrary to the Holy Spirit\u2019s will and intent\u201d (FC SD 11:92).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about rewards? That question is really asking: Who is God? Is God like a certified public accountant?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or is God like a loving father who surprises his adopted children with gifts that are beyond all calculation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The God of the Bible is this loving father. Of course he gives us rewards, but in a very different sense, for his rewards do not depend on what one has done. They are God\u2019s incommensurable gift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Paul writes in Romans 6:23: \u201cFor the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d Amen.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42<\/p>\n

A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n

The gospel text we have from Matthew is about discipleship and rewards. It says: \u201cWhoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will not lose his reward.\u201d That\u2019s in Matthew 10:42.<\/p>\n

Many people assume this verse is a \u201ctake care of the poor\u201d verse. But it\u2019s really not. Rather, it\u2019s a \u201ctake care of the Christian\u201d verse. The \u201clittle ones\u201d are the Christian disciples and Christian preachers.<\/p>\n

This verse tells us the meaning of the famous parable in Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats and the last judgment. When it says, whoever gives to \u201cthe least of these,\u201d it means Christian preachers. \u201cThe least of these\u201d are those who are spreading the gospel.<\/p>\n

Select here<\/a> to read more or here <\/a>for a pdf version.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11459"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11463,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459\/revisions\/11463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}