Just a short quick reflection:
The concept of "reward" is a funny
thing. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. If God
elected and predestined us, and everything we have and do come from God
himself (He even predestines us to do the good work that we do), then
why would there be a reward? What do I have that I did not receive?
And if I receive it, how can I boast in it? 1 Corinthians 4:7.
Paul gives a dual view:
sometimes he talks about running to claim the prize that God calls him
(Phil 3:14), having run the good race (2 Tim 4:7), getting a reward for
building (1 Cor 3:8, 14)....
While
other times he talks about how his work and preaching is laid on him
and he has to do it (1 Cor 9:17), so to get reward, he has to go beyond
that and do it without cost to the people he's ministering too. Then
there's Jesus' words in Luke 17:7-10, whereby we should just say that
we've merely done our duty, and do not deserve any recognition.
The Bible is full of seemingly
paradoxes. I wanna write a book on them! Will/choice vs
Election/predestination. Trinity. Jesus' work on the Cross.
Eschatology ("already" vs "not yet")... the list goes on and on. And
heresy are those who tend to lean too much on one or the other. Instead
we need to always uphold and balance out the truths that the Scripture
presents. Not trying to harmonize them and come up with an answer which
ticks both boxes (which would be nice, but never works - for we usually
end up compromising BOTH views). Instead upholding BOTH sides as full
truths.
How can they both full truths?
Only God knows.
