And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be – Revelation 22:12.

Christ’s rewards are meant to provide a powerful incentive for an obedient life. The judgment seat of Christ can be a time of great regret or an occasion of supreme joy. After Christ comes again, He will reward His own. We can count on this because Jesus is in control of all history and eternity.

Wanting to be with Jesus produces the ambition to please Him. We strive to please the Lord not only because we know we will be with Him but also because He will evaluate our work, whether it’s good or bad, and will reward us accordingly (For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad – 2nd Corinthians 5:10). Many think they can work themselves into heaven by the works they do or by giving large donations to different organizations, churches, companies and foreign countries, but this is not the type of work Jesus will be judging.

This judgment is not of the nonbeliever but of the believer. Although it’s true for Christians that there is no condemnation, it is not correct to assume that God will not hold him responsible for their deeds, whether they are good or bad.

As Christians, it’s our responsibility to win as many people as possible for the kingdom of God. We believe the Word of God, and it describes when Jesus returns, He will be returning with wrath to those who disbelieve and are disobedient (But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come – Matthew 3:7). The Pharisees and Sadducees were two prominent groups in Judaism during the time of Christ.

Both groups claimed to be true followers of Judaism, but their beliefs were considerably different. The Pharisees held to the Law of Moses, whereas the Sadducees based their beliefs essentially on the Pentateuch, the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy. Both groups were spiritual, but neither one lived according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees, asking them to give evidence of “fruits meet for repentance.” Genuine repentance proves itself by the fruit of a changed life. Many profess to be Christians, but their lifestyles express something different, as they did with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Repentance is needed if our actions and lifestyles are as they were before accepting salvation. Repentance only means regretting what we have done and having a mindset not to continue in the action or behavior again.

God has given us His written Word to live by, there are no in between, either we will live according to His Word or we will reject and disobey His Word. We must be producing the fruit of righteousness to enter into the kingdom of God (And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life – Revelation 21:27). Sin will not be allowed in the New Jerusalem, anything that opposes the Word of God is sin, either we will be obedient or disobedient to the Word of God, read the Word, believe the Word, abide by the Word.