Now in Part 2, we’ll look at the next 5 key differences between salvation and discipleship, all having to do with rewards.

Part 2: Rewards of Salvation Versus Discipleship

#6 – What You Receive?
#7 – What are the Rewards Based On?
#8 – Successful Result?
#9 – Failed Result?
#10 – Where Judged?

Then, to look ahead, following Part 2, the series will continue:

Part 3: Role of Repentance in Salvation Versus Discipleship

Part 4: Sureness of Salvation Versus Discipleship

Part 5: Timeline View of Salvation Versus Discipleship

So let’s dive into Part 2: REWARDS:

Seeking Rewards is Biblical

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a REWARDER of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

” For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall REWARD every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27

First, seeking rewards is biblical. Hebrews 11:6 says that not only are we to have faith and believe in God, but God tells us that He wants us to approach Him believing that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And in Matthew 16:27, Jesus promised that, when He returns, He will reward each of us according to our works. 

But what is it that we receive for salvation versus discipleship and what are the differences? To answer that, let’s start with:

#5 – What You Receive?

Salvation:  Eternal Life

What you receive at the moment of salvation is eternal life. 

“That whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus) should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

Notice also that eternal life is spoken of in the past tense. “He that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life.” Eternal life is not something we get when we die. God is not waiting until the end of our lives to make some final decision as to whether we will receive this. Instead, God’s Word says that eternal life starts the moment we believe in Jesus. It is, at that moment, something we already possess.

“And I (Jesus) give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”  John 10:28

This verse shows that our eternal life is eternally secure and can never be lost. Some who believe that you can lose your salvation respond to this verse by saying that, while no man can pluck someone out of Jesus’ hand, a person can take himself out of Jesus’ hand by renouncing their faith. But this verse specifically contradicts that in two ways: (1) Jesus said “they shall never perish” – no conditions are attached to that, and (2) He said “neither shall ANY man pluck them out of My hand” – “ANY man” would include EVERY man, including the saved person. In part 4 of this series, we’ll look at the security of salvation, showing multiple evidences from God’s Word which prove that our salvation is eternally secure and can never be lost. 

“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” 1 John 2:25

Our salvation is secure because it rests on the PROMISE of God. We can rest in the confidence that God is faithful to deliver what He promised and that when we place our faith in Jesus we have, at that moment, eternal life.

Discipleship: Eternal Rewards

While with salvation we receive eternal life, with discipleship we receive eternal rewards.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

The Bible encourages us to remain faithful no matter the cost, for if we do, we are promised that our reward will be great in heaven. In fact, just as in this world we earn money and save it in a bank, storing it up for our use later, we are instructed to earn heavenly rewards in this life, storing them up for when we finally get to heaven. 

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” Matthew 6:20

We earn rewards by obeying God and walking faithfully in His Spirit. We can expect to receive those rewards when Christ returns.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27

So with salvation we receive eternal life, but with discipleship we receive eternal rewards.

#7 – What You Receive Is Based On?

Salvation:  Your Faith In Jesus Alone, NOT Your Works

For salvation, the eternal life we receive is based entirely on our faith in Jesus. Salvation is not based in any way on anything we do to earn it. Our good works have absolutely no role in salvation.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Notice that salvation is called “the gift of God.” If we have to do good deeds to earn it or to keep it, then it would no longer be a gift. Instead, it says “by grace you are saved through faith.” “Grace” means “unmerited favor.” We didn’t do anything good to merit the gift of salvation. We simply receive this gift of eternal life the moment we trust in Jesus. Salvation is based on the promise of God and His grace, not our own good works, lest any of us should boast.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

All that is required to receive this gift of eternal life is to believe in Jesus. 

“And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”  John 6:40

Again, Jesus tells us in this verse that our salvation is eternally secure. Jesus Himself promises to raise up to everlasting life EVERY person who believes. 

“And He (Jesus) said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” Luke 7:50

Salvation is based entirely on faith alone.

Discipleship: Your Works, NOT Your Faith Alone

The eternal rewards of Discipleship, however, are based on your works, not your faith alone. Salvation and discipleship are opposite sides of the same coin. We first receive salvation by faith alone in Jesus and then, from that moment forward, God rewards us for our good works as we obey Him and walk in His Spirit.

At salvation, the Holy Spirit indwells a person and begins the process of sanctification, which means making that person holy so that they become like Jesus. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that gives us the ability to do what we could not do before we were saved: obey God and live a life pleasing to Him. So with every saved believer, we should see a changed life from who that person was before salvation to the new person God has created after being saved, becoming more and more like Jesus, producing good works. 

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:17-18

As we become disciples of Christ, our faith should produce good works, showing us that the Holy Spirit is active within us and that our faith is real, bearing fruit unto God.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

I mentioned this in Part 1, but it bears repeating here. Some people mistakenly take these two verses about works and take them out of context and apply them to salvation, saying that a person must do good works to get saved or to stay saved. This is unbiblical and shows why we need a clear, separate understanding of salvation versus discipleship. In no way does the Bible ever say that salvation is affected by our works. Those verses only apply to discipleship. Look at this last verse: we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” You can’t do good works apart from being in Christ Jesus and you don’t have Christ Jesus until AFTER you are saved. Our good works have to do with our discipleship that occurs AFTER salvation and have NOTHING to do with salvation itself, which is a “FREE GIFT.” If good works had any affect on salvation, then salvation would no longer be a free gift.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  2 Corinthians 5:10

“If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  1 Corinthians 3:13-15

Notice that our heavenly rewards will be based on the quality of our good works. It is Jesus Who will judge our works and decide which works were worthy of reward. This examination is likened to a fire, where we place our works into the furnace of Christ’s examination to see if they survive. Ephesians 2:10 above says that “good” works are those that God “hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We complete these good works by walking daily in His Spirit, abiding in Christ, and obeying God, allowing God to lead us unto those very works. Such works will survive the fire of Christ’s examination and, for those, we will receive a reward.

But for any works we do that God did not ordain, such as works we do in our own flesh, without His abiding Spirit, those will be burned up. For those, we will suffer the loss of rewards. There are rewards that God would have given us that we’ll never receive because we chose to serve God in the flesh instead of walking in His Spirit. An example might be something that even sounds good, like a church program or some activity that people do simply because they belong to the church, not because they are being led by God to do a good work. We should be careful to lay every activity we do before God in prayer to make sure it is something God “hath ordained” for us to walk in. Otherwise, the work may simply be burned up.

One thing that will not be burned up is our salvation. Notice that this verse says of the person that appears before Christ with absolutely no good works: “he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved.” This conclusively shows that even if a saved person chooses to live a life NOT glorifying Christ, doing no good works whatsoever, that person will still be saved. They will lose the rewards they could have had in heaven, but they will not lose their salvation. That’s because salvation is a “FREE GIFT” based on the promise of God, not based on our good works. 

Do you see the importance of understanding salvation versus discipleship? You can get really messed up in your understanding of the Gospel if you mix these two together and take them out of context. When that happens, what you end up with is a works-based Gospel, saying that believing in Jesus is not enough, that you have to do good works to stay saved. That’s unbiblical. That’s taking a verse about discipleship and applying it out of context to salvation, which is repeatedly referred to as a free gift.

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12

At the coming of Jesus, we will be rewarded based on the quality of our good works.

#8 – Successful Result?

Salvation: You Are Saved By Christ, Becoming A Child Of God

For salvation, a successful result is that you are saved by Christ and you become a child of God. 

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
John 1:12

Salvation is more that just eternal life. We are adopted into God’s family. That adoption happens the moment we place our faith in Jesus.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

Notice that being saved, becoming a child of God, is only for those who place their faith in Jesus. For everyone else, their sin remains for God to judge and God’s wrath remains on them. How important it is to believe in Jesus.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26

It is by faith in Christ that we become children of God. This means not everyone is a child of God. A Universalist, someone who believes that everyone will be saved and that all are children of God, should have trouble with this verse. It clearly says that it is by faith in Christ that we are children of God. And John 1:12 above says we “became” the sons of God, meaning we were not the sons of God before we have faith. 

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”  Galatians 4:7

At the moment of salvation, God adopts us into His family with all the rights and privileges of a true son or daughter, an heir.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:” 1 John 3:1

Who are we that we should receive such a gift. Yet God pours out His love without limit on those who believe in His Son Jesus.

Discipleship: You Become Like Christ – Knowing, Obeying and Loving God

Whereas with salvation you are saved by Christ, with discipleship you become like Christ, knowing, obeying and loving God. This should be seen in our daily lives.

“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.“ 1 John 2:6

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Obeying God is critical for being a good disciple, but it has NOTHING to do with salvation, which is a “FREE GIFT,” based solely on God’s promise. Obeying or not obeying will affect our rewards and what we experience in this life. But it will not affect our salvation. So is obedience important? Absolutely. God wants all of His children to be obedient. Our rewards, our circumstances in life and the level of blessings we receive will be affected by our obedience. But our obedience does not affect our salvation and we do not obey God as a requirement to keep our salvation. That would put us back under the Law, which Christ died to free us from. Instead, we obey God as a result of being inwardly transformed by His Holy Spirit into the very image of Christ.  

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  2 Corinthians 3:18

The mark of a true disciple of Christ is not obedience, but being inwardly transformed into being like Christ. That will naturally result in obedience, but obedience is never the objective. The objective is to put an end to self and become like Jesus. Paul sums it up like this:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

#9 – Failed Result?

Salvation: Condemned To Eternal Hell – The Second Death

For someone to fail at salvation means that they have rejected Christ. The result is that they will be condemned to eternal Hell, a lake of fire referred to as the “second death.”

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18

Eternal condemnation is not based on sinful acts we have done, but on our rejection of God’s Son, Jesus. 

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

God is love but He is also holy and, therefore, will judge sin. God has to judge sin if He is to remain righteous. If He were to ignore sin, then He would be guilty of allowing lawlessness. He would not be a good judge. But God is holy. Therefore, those “that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth” on them. “Abide” means “to dwell,” “to stay,” “to remain.” Once this judgment occurs, there is no longer any hope for that person. God’s wrath will remain on them. They will never see life.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Matthew 10:28

The Bible teaches that there is only one fear we should have: the fear of God Himself. It is a healthy fear, for this verse speaks of everlasting destruction of both soul and body in hell. 

“…the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…”  Luke 16:22-23

Notice that “torments” is plural. Jesus said that there are multiple torments in hell. The rich man in hell went on to beg for just a drop of water and said, “for I am tormented in this flame.” Luke 16:24

People don’t like to think of God as being a God of wrath, but the Bible clearly says that He is. This is because His nature is not just one of love but of holiness and righteousness, hating wickedness (Psalm 45:7). But because God loves us, He warns us that His judgment is coming. In 2 Peter 3:9, it says God does not desire that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. This doesn’t mean that everyone WILL come to repentance. It just expresses the desire of God’s heart. And so He delays this judgement, giving each of us time to turn to Him. But one day, that time will run out. And all those who have rejected Jesus will stand condemned.

The Bible describes hell as:

Hell: “outer darkness,” “furnace of fire,” “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13

There is no evidence from Scripture that anyone sent to hell ever repents or escapes that judgment. There will be sorrow (“weeping”), but not true repentance. Instead, there will only be rage toward God (“gnashing of teeth”). 

“This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:14-15

As horrible as this is, the good news is that no one has to go there if they will turn to God and believe in Jesus. No matter what sins you’ve committed in this life, God’s forgiveness is available if you just turn to Him and place your faith in Jesus. In this life, God gives us lots of second chances. He is gracious and slow to anger. But once you are in hell, there are no second chances. So if you are not 100% sure of your salvation at this moment, please turn to God right now while you can and believe in Jesus.

Discipleship: Disciplined By God, Earthly Consequences of Sin, Demonic Oppression, Possible Early Death, Some Eternal Rewards Lost — But Still Saved

A failure in discipleship, on the other hand, does not result in eternal condemnation or the loss of salvation, only the loss of heavenly rewards and it also can negatively affect us in this life. Failing at discipleship means we are not walking in God’s Spirit daily, but instead living in the flesh, living for this world, possibly even indulging in sin as saved believers. When this happens, God first begins to chasten us.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth..” Hebrews 12:6

Notice this verse still refers to those being chastened as “sons.” Even when we do things where God has to discipline us, we never lose our place in His family.  God disciplines His children as their loving parent.

This chastening or discipline can take several forms such as the following. And in this list, keep in mind that I’m only talking about chastening for saved Christians. I’m not talking about the unsaved. God may decide to work in similar ways for the unsaved, but right I’m only looking at what it means to fail as a saved disciple of Christ. So for Christians, God’s chastening can take several forms:

• Consequences of our sins
  • When we are saved, God removes the eternal consequence of sin, which is His judgment resulting in eternal death in hell. But He does not remove earthly consequences of sin. So when saved believers sin, often times God will chasten us by allowing us us to experience the earthly consequences of our sins. For example, if you covet something and decide to steal it, you may very well get caught and sent to prison to experience the consequence of your sin. 
• Unanswered prayer
• Blessings withheld
  • Our sins can hinder the flow hinder the flow of God blessing us and answering our prayers
• Bad circumstances
  • Such as the loss of a job or a car accident
• Health problems
  • The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:30 that some of the believers were sick and some had even died because they were partaking of the Lord’s table in an unworthy manner.
• Loss of peace
• Depression, fear or worry
• Financial problems
• Fractured relationships
• Loss of assurance
  • This is a big one. If a saved believer continues in sin, often times that person will begin to doubt their salvation, causing fear that you are not really saved. And Satan is all too ready to join in that accusation, telling you lies that God will never forgive you. Which brings us to:
• Demonic oppression
  • The Bible tells us plainly that there are demonic spirits, bent for our destruction. While saved people can never be possessed by a demonic spirit when we sin, because the Holy Spirit indwells us, we can still open up doors for demonic spirits to oppress us and establish strongholds in our lives. I believe the number one tool Satan uses to enslave saved believers today is pornography. When a saved person views porn, he or she is literally rebelling against God’s authority in their lives, giving the demonic world the legal right to come into that person’s life and cause chaos. That should terrify us.
• Early death
  • Finally, if all else fails and a saved believer continues in sin, God can kill that saved person, putting them to death early, before they are irretrievably lost. 1 John 5:16 says,

    “There is a sin unto death:”  1 John 5:16

    The Bible does not state a specific sin that leads to death. It will be different for each person. It is simply the point at which God says, “Enough!” and ends that person’s life. In Acts 5, Ananias and his wife Sapphira died after lying to the church. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul said that some of the believers had died because they sinned by partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. 

• Loss of eternal rewards
  • What we do in this life matters. If we live well, serving God, there will be eternal rewards given to us. But if we don’t, then rewards will be lost.

So these are some of the many ways God can chasten saved believers who are not obeying God or walking in His Spirit.

It’s important to note that not all bad things that happen to us are the result of God’s discipline. We live in a fallen world where many bad things can happen that have absolutely nothing to do with God disciplining us. But when bad things do happen, we should lay those things before God in prayer and examine ourselves before God, humbly submitting ourselves to Him and asking Him to show us if those bad things are a result of our own actions for which He is disciplining us. If God does not bring anything to mind that you need to repent of, then move forward, asking Him to help.

But if God does bring something to mind, then His word gives us two assurances:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Like a good parent, God is ready, willing and able to forgive His children. And He has also enabled us to resist spiritual oppression and remove it as we submit once again to God’s authority in our lives.

But when we fail in our discipleship, it is critical to understand that these chastenings have only to do with discipleship, not salvation. Our salvation is NEVER in jeopardy. Even a believer who exhibits no good works whatsoever will still be saved:

“…if any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.“ 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

An extreme example of this occurred in the Corinthian church, where a saved believer was unrepentant about his continued sexually immorality. 

“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife…For I…have judged already…concerning him that hath so done this deed,.. To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved …” 1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Notice that Paul said that he had already delivered this unrepentant believer “unto Satan for the destruction of his flesh.” God’s protection was to be removed, allowing Satan to kill the man. And yet, even though this unrepentant believer was being put to death for sexual immorality, Paul said that his spirit would still be saved. His salvation would not be lost. When a disobedient believer experiences “a sin that leads to death,” he dies prematurely but never loses his salvation. 

So our failure at being a good disciple of Jesus can result in God’s chastening, but that will NEVER include the loss of salvation. When a child disobeys a parent, the parent disciplines the child but never expels the child from the family. So it is with God. And God put this story of this unrepentant believer in the Bible so that we could know that even if we commit the worst sins, our salvation is secure. That’s because salvation is not based on our behavior but on the promise of God.

More will be said about this in the next part of this series dealing with repentance.  But for now, know that when a saved believer fails at walking in obedience and discipleship, that will result in God’s chastening but will not impact salvation.

#10 – Where Judged?

Salvation: The Great White Throne Judgment – For Those Who ARE NOT Saved

The Book of Revelation describes the final judgment of God for all those who reject Christ. It is called, “the Great White Throne Judgment” and it occurs after Christ returns and after He reigns on the earth for a thousand years. 

Speaking only of those who rejected Christ:

“And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-12, 15

Saved believers who trust in Jesus do not need to fear this judgment:

Jesus: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life… Revelation 3:5

Jesus Himself said that He will not blot out our names from the Book of Life. Now, those who say that you can lose you salvation often point to this verse, saying that it shows that only those who “OVERCOME” will be saved, which they say refers to people who live in obedience to Christ. They are mistaken in this, trying to add obedience, which is a work of discipleship, to salvation. What they fail to realize is that the Apostle John has already defined what it means to “overcome:”

“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5

An overcomer is someone who believes in Jesus. This has NOTHING to do with our walk of obedience. Jesus promises that, for all those who simply believe in Him, He will NEVER blot out their names from the Book of Life. Those who believe in Jesus will never lose their salvation.

Discipleship: The Judgement Seat of Christ (Bema Seat) – For Those Who ARE Saved

So while the unsaved will be judged at “the Great White Throne” judgment, those who are saved will be judged at “the Judgment Seat of Christ.” This is a different judgment, one that occurs immediately when Christ returns, rather than the Great White Throne judgment, which occurs after the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth.  

Speaking only to saved believers in Christ:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  2 Corinthians 5:10

In the Greek, the word for this judgment seat of Christ is “bema.” It means “a raised platform.” The “bema” in that day was a raised platform that the winners of sporting events, such as the early Olympics, would stand on to receive their rewards. The Judgment Seat of Christ (or Bema Seat) is not a place where Christ judges sin in a believer’s life. For a believer in Christ, sin has already been judged at the cross. Instead, the Bema Seat is where Christ will review our works on earth and give us rewards for faithful service. 

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  1 Corinthians 3:13-15

The Apostle Paul looked forward to this day with anticipation:

“…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.” 2 Timothy 4:8

Unlike the Great White Throne Judgment, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not something we should fear. It will be a victory celebration, where we will celebrate our victory in Christ and receive rewards that will never fade away.

“And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1 Peter 5:4

So that concludes Part 2 of this series, dealing with the differences in rewards between salvation and discipleship.