What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven? The truth is that the Bible mentions rewards in Heaven many times (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 9:18). With this in mind, one might ask, “won’t being in heaven with God be enough? But why are rewards necessary?” In Christ, we are certain that the experience we’ll have of God, His glory, and the joys of Heaven will be so wonderful that mere human words cannot describe. This makes it extremely hard to understand why extra rewards will be necessary. In addition, we know that our faith rest in Christ’s righteousness and not our own (Romans 3:21–26), making it to seem strange that our works would merit reward. However, God will give rewards in Heaven at the bema, or the Judgement seat of Christ.
The Bible tells us that God will give us rewards based on our faithfulness in service to Him (2 Corinthians 5:10). These rewards will portray the reality of our sonship (Galatians 4:7) as well as God’s justice (Hebrews 6:10). What you should note here is the fact that God will give rewards in Heaven so as to fulfill the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7–9). Also, these rewards will make good on His promise that our labor in His service is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Another strong reason why we’ll receive rewards in Heaven is that Jesus Christ shares His reward with us. Apostle Paul says in Galatians 2:20 – “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
What does the Scripture say about Rewards
The Scripture says much about rewards in Heaven that await all those who are in Christ. Behold, our lives are “hidden” with Christ who is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (Colossians 3:1–4). Hence, we can say with all confidence that we die with Him and we live with Him and we share in His joy (Romans 6:8; Matthew 25:21). The Scripture tells us that we will dwell with Him in heaven for all times (John 14:1–3). It is important to understand here that our lives are inextricably linked to Christ’s. He shares the reward He receives with all of us who are in Him as we can read from Romans 8:17 – “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
However, it is also worth pointing to the fact that our rewards in Heaven depend on the goodness and power of God. The Scripture tells us that through Christ’s Resurrection, we gain an inheritance in Heaven. When found faithful on Earth upon having our faith in Christ tested through challenges, persecutions, hatred, and injustice for His sake, we are destined for praise, glory, and honor when He is revealed. All the things that we do in this life are only permanent (that is, taken with us into Heaven) if they are build on the solid foundation of God’s Kingdom, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11–15).
Facts about rewards in Heaven
It is important to understand once and for all that the rewards we gain in Heaven are not like the rewards we earn here on Earth. We are more likely to think in terms of material wealth – mansions, jewelry, and many more. However, these things are only representations of the true rewards that we’ll gain in Heaven. Let’s take the case of a child who wins a spelling bee competition. He/she treasures the trophy received not for the sake of the trophy itself but for what that trophy means. Likewise, any rewards or honor that we’ll receive in Heaven will be highly precious to us because they carry the weight and meaning of our relationship with God through Christ. These rewards and honors will always remind us of what God did through us here on Earth for the advancement of His Kingdom.
The rewards that we’ll receive in Heaven are such that they’ll glorify God and provide us with peace, joy, happiness, all good feelings, and the satisfaction for having accomplished His will for our lives on Earth. Note that these rewards will be eternally satisfying as we can read from Psalm 16:11 – “You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure for ever.” To join those who will benefit from these blessings, we must answer the call of Christ to Believe, Sincerely Repent and start obeying His Teachings. Eternal Life is found in none but Christ. Anyone who is not in Him is heading for Eternal Destruction in the Fire of Hell.
What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.”
Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
Matthew 5:12 – “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Luke 12:33-34 – “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Matthew 25:21 – “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
Matthew 6:4 – “So that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
1 Corinthians 3:8 – “He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
1 Thessalonians 2:19 – “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?”
Matthew 6:6 – “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
2 Timothy 4:8 – “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 – But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Matthew 25:14-30 – “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. …”
Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-14 – “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.”
1 Peter 5:4 – “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
1 Corinthians 3:13-15 – “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
Matthew 6:20 – “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 25:46 – “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
John 14:2 – “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”
Matthew 5:17-19 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
Revelation 3:11 – “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
Luke 6:23 – “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 Peter 1:4 – “To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”
Luke 18:22 – When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Revelation 2:7 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Rewards In Heaven
2 John 1:8 – “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”
Isaiah 40:10 – “Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”
Matthew 6:18 – “That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Daniel 12:3 – “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
1 Corinthians 9:25 – “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, …”
Revelation 20:6 – “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”
Philippians 3:14 – “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Revelation 2:17 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”
Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
Philippians 3:20 – “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”
Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 – “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17 – “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
Revelation 4:10 – “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”
Genesis 15:1 – “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
Revelation 3:21 – “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
1 Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“
Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Hebrews 11:26 – “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
Matthew 6:2 – “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Psalm 18:20 – “The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.”
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 – “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”
Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
2 Timothy 2:11-12 – “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;“
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”
Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
Matthew 25:23 – “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Revelation 3:5 – “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”
Matthew 19:21 – Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Hebrews 11:16 – “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
Matthew 19:29 – “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”
Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
Colossians 3:24 – “Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Matthew 10:41-42 – “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Revelation 4:4 – “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.”
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 – “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. …”
Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
1 Corinthians 3:14 – “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.”
Revelation 3:12 – “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”
Revelation 4:10-11 – “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.””
Matthew 6:16-18 – “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Luke 12:33 – “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.”
2 Corinthians 12:2 – “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.“
Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
1 Corinthians 3:15 – “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 – “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
Revelation 22:1-21 – “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. …”
Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
Revelation 4:2 – “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Luke 6:22-23 – “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
Matthew 6:19 – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Matthew 19:28 – Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Matthew 5:19 – “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
Hebrews 10:34 – “For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.”
Revelation 20:12-13 – “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.”
Romans 11:6 – “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
Luke 15:7 – “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Revelation 2:11 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”
Revelation 2:26 – “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,”
1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Rewards In Heaven?
Ephesians 6:8 – “Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
1 Timothy 6:18-19 – “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.“
Proverbs 11:18 – “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.”
Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
