Full Reward

Full Reward
Words of Faith 6-20-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 John 1
[8] Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for but that you may be rewarded fully.

Watch out for imposters, the many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, who have gone out into the world. The danger of deceivers who lurk among believers is not the potential loss of salvation, but there is a danger of loss.
What might we lose if we are not careful? The simple answer is that John is speaking of some sort of reward. But we want to be careful here. This is not about salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). It is not a reward. But the consequence that comes from compromise is significant. We might be tempted to dismiss this lightly as if our reward were some sort of a "store credit" we could spend in a heaven where we don't need money. We might say: "As long as I am saved, that is all that matters." But John was more concerned than this.
John made it clear that there is something more that we should concern ourselves with. There is more at stake in eternity than our salvation. A "full reward" suggests that there is significant part of our eternal experience of God that is potentially lost if we somehow dilute the basic message of the Gospel or fail to persevere in faithfulness.
We must remember that Jesus taught that there is a "reward in heaven" that is different from salvation (Matthew 5:12). The Apostle Paul referred to a reward that is related to one's labor-- "The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor" (1 Cor. 3:8). The book of Revelation regarding the end time refers to the "rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great" (Revelation 11:18, 22:12). Bottom line: We do not want to miss, lose, or compromise any of this reward that comes from faithfulness and perseverance.
John indicated his concern because he shares in that same reward. The English Standard Version renders this verse in accordance with a number of manuscripts-- "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what WE have worked for, but may win a full reward." John regarded himself as a co-laborer with believers, and their loss would be shared by him if they did not effectively resist false doctrine. The Apostle Paul expressed similar feelings in writing to the Galatians-- "I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you... my dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you"(4:11; 19).
The antichrists-- purveyors of false doctrine-- were a threat to the work of the Lord in which John and these believers were mutually engaged. It was not a matter of losing all reward, but there was significant loss at stake in these matters of truth. We don't know what that loss might look like, but these Apostles were concerned enough that they warned strongly against diluting the Gospel and lifted high the matter of persevering in faithfulness.
So keep careful watch. It is not for us to root up the weeds that have been planted amid the wheat by the Enemy. But it is our job to protect the integrity of the teaching in our corner of God's Kingdom work.

Father God, give me careful discernment. Keep me from being seduced by messages that sound good or massage my sensibility. Keep me focused upon the truth of Your Gospel. Give me grace to persevere in faithfulness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.