Motivated by Rewards? (LD 24; 2 Timothy 4:6-8)
One of our big challenges in our Christian life is knowing that we are saved by grace, but we are also called to honor Christ. On the one hand, if salvation is entirely by grace and not by works, then we can be against the law or antinomian. We can be dismissive of any call to live before the face of God. On the other hand, there is a temptation to be a legalist or a pharisee to make sure we really obey. If we remove any threat or just assume God’s grace, then we will be complacent and lazy Christians. We need the threat of hell to conform. However, both approaches misunderstand the nature of grace. When we are ingrafted into Christ, we have true life that radically alters us. We seek to obey the Lord in a true job because we see how unworthy we really are. So, we need to find our life in Christ to please our Lord. If we want to test the boundaries of grace, then we are failing to understand the gospel. If we live in continual fear of judgment, then we miss the gospel.
We see this when we hear the Apostle Paul’s farewell to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, where Paul reflects on his life at the time of his departure. Paul does not boast about his own merit but celebrates that he has kept the faith by God's grace. So often we use his athletic metaphors – fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and receiving a crown – as proof that Paul earned his salvation. Rather, Paul recognizes that his perseverance in the faith is a work of God’s grace in his life. The “crown of righteousness” Paul anticipates is not a reward for his performance but a gift from Christ, given to all who long for his appearing.
We also need to consider the language in Scripture that teaches about rewards. Verses like Matthew 16:27 and 2 Timothy 4:8 speak of rewards for faithful service, yet the catechism clarifies that these rewards are given to us by grace, not merit. Even our best works are stained with sin and cannot earn God’s favor. However, God, in his grace, still acknowledges and uses the good works of his people for his glory. The reward is not a payment for merit but a crowing of Christ’s sanctifying power in and through his people. This is why we pursue Christ, by his grace, and we live for Christ because we are grafted into Christ as Christ promises in John 15. ( I believe I said John 14 in the morning, but it should be John 15.)
Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to rest in the finished work of Christ while also striving to live obediently out of gratitude. The race metaphor is not about personal achievement but about striving in Christ until the end. Believers are not motivated by the threat of punishment or by the hope of earning a reward, but by the grace that empowers us to live a Godly life. Like Paul, we should seek to glorify God in our lives, knowing that any good we do is ultimately the fruit of God’s work in us. We are called to rely on the Spirit, humble ourselves before our redeemer, and live out the fruits of gratitude as the redeemed and slaves of Christ.