There are at least 19 verses in the New Testament that mention born-again believers receiving rewards in heaven for their faithful deeds on the earth. Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (NASB).
The Bible does not specify every single reward but mentions various crowns, a prophet’s reward, and a righteous man’s reward. It also speaks of leadership roles over cities, angels, and “things,” based on passages like Matthew 19:27-29 and 25:20-23. However, all these blessings are in addition to believers spending eternity with Jesus in the New Heaven and Earth, which is the greatest reward of all.
Jesus will disperse rewards to believers during the judgment seat of Christ. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (NKJV). This judgment occurs at God’s appointed time when Christians will give an account to Jesus for the things He entrusted to them on the earth.
However, believers will not be judged for their sins because those were washed away by Jesus’ blood when they were redeemed. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:7-8, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (NASB). He also stated in Colossians 2:13-14, “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (NASB).
During the judgment seat of Christ, Jesus will test the quality of each believer’s works and deeds with fire. This fire will reveal which are like gold, silver, and precious stones and which are like wood, hay, and straw. Believers will be rewarded for the works that survive God’s test but suffer a loss of reward for those that disintegrate (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Regardless, a believer’s salvation is never in jeopardy of revocation because that gift was imparted to them by God when they trusted Jesus for their forgiveness and redemption (see 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and 5:5).
I hope this information is encouraging and gives you a better understanding of this exciting and futuristic event.
