On rewards and faithfulness

Have you received any awards or medals? There’s something deeply affirming about those, isn’t there? On the other hand, I once heard someone comment how ironic it is that actors who receive Oscars at the Academy Awards are rewarded and admired for portraying a character they are not in real life.

Contrast that notion with these images from the 2010 Winter Olympics:

This is Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette receiving her bronze medal. Just two days before the beginning of competition, her mother, Thérèse Rochette, died suddenly of a heart attack at Vancouver General Hospital just hours after arriving to watch her compete. Despite tremendous grief, Rochette chose to continue the competition in her mother’s honour.

While her skating performance won her the bronze, her inspiring courage and determination in the face of such circumstances won her far more than a mere medal. Unlike an actor’s award, Rochette won respect and admiration for the character she displayed in real life. In that medal ceremony, it was as though she was wearing her mom’s pride around her neck - and the pride of a nation too.

The return of Christ and the notion of all appearing before his judgment seat is a critical New Testament teaching. It reminds believers that Jesus Christ has “rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment” (1 Thess. 1:10 NLT) and to expect rewards from him for faithful service. This appears to be in Paul’s mind when he referred to the Thessalonian church as his hope and joy and crown of boasting (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

The expression “crown of boasting” probably stems the athletic contests in which the victor received a wreath. The closest equivalent image for us today would be like an Olympic medal ceremony. Paul frequently uses the metaphor of athletics to portray the Christian life in general and his ministry in particular. 

Gerig (1997) points out that “rewards will not be given necessarily for successful service as the world so often evaluates it. Paul notes that “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). Note that he does not say “successful” as one might consider success here on earth. What is rewarded is not primarily the visible accomplishments of the individual, but the faithful labour expended (1 Cor. 15:58).”

From 1Co 4:5 we know that Christ will illuminate what has been hidden by darkness and expose our secret aims and motives. You see, unlike the Oscars, these rewards are handed out for your actual character.

References:

W. L. Gerig (1997). “Reward” in W. A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Grand Rapids: MI, Baker Book House.