Degrees of Punishment
and Reward
Listed
below are scriptures which indicate there will be degrees of punishment as well
as degrees of reward and discretion on the Day of Judgment.
Since
the “Bride
of Christ”
does not stand before the Great White Throne Judgment, none of these verses
apply to Christians.
Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the
law of sin and death.
I
believe in the majority of cases, these verses apply
to those who never heard; not to those who rejected the Lord. Nevertheless, God is sovreign, just, and
merciful. He has all authority and does
what is right.
Matthew 10:15 I assure you,
the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off on the judgment day than that place will be.
Matthew 11:24 I assure you, Sodom will be
better off on the judgment day than you."
-Some will be better
off than others on judgement day.
Matthew 23:14
ESV "Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense
you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
KJV: Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. for ye devour widows' houses, and
for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall
receive the greater damnation.
-There will be greater
and lesser damnation.
Mark 9:42 "Whoever causes
one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around
his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
Mark 12:40 who devour widows' houses, and
for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation."
-This
implies there are greater and lesser condemnations.
Luke 10:12-14
12 The truth is, even wicked Sodom will be
better off than such a town on the
judgment day.
13 "What horrors await you, Korazin and Bethsaida. For if the miracles I did in you had
been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people
would have sat in deep repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing
ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
14 Yes, Tyre and
Sidon will be better off on the judgment
day than you.
-You
can be better or worse off on judgment day.
Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his
master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will
be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does
things deserving punishment will be beaten
with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be
demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked.
-The
distinction between few and many blows indicates differing degras of
punishment.
Luke 20:47 who devour widows' houses, and for
appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
-This
indicates there is greater and lesser condemnation.
John 19:11 Then Jesus said, "You would
have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who brought me to you has the greater sin."
-This
indicates there is greater and lesser sin.
James 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been
merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
-There
will be mercy on judgment day and it will be given to
those who have ben merciful in this life.
James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to
be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
-There
will be more strict and less strict judgment on judgment day.
2Peter 2:20 If they have escaped the corruption
of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again
entangled in it and overcome, they are worse
off at the end than they were at the beginning.
-Some
conditions will be worse than others.
Depending
on the context, some of these will apply to Christians and some will not.
Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
-I
believe this can apply to Christians and non-Christians.
Matthew 10:41-42
41 Anyone who receives a prophet because
he is a prophet will receive a prophet's
reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous
man will receive a righteous man's
reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold
water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the
truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of
Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will
reward each person according to what he has
done.
1Corinthians 3:13-15
13 his work will be shown for what it is,
because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the
fire will test the quality of each man's work.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive
his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be
saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
-This
is definitely written in the context of the Christian.
Hebrews 11:35 Women received
back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be
released, so that they might gain a
better resurrection.
-This
is clearly in the context of faithful ones who lived before the time of Christ.
Discretion
The
following verses indicate there will be discretion on that day. (These verses do not apply to Christians
since Christians are saved through faith.
This discretion applies to non-Christians.)
Matthew 10:41-42
41 Anyone
who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's
reward, and anyone who receives a
righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's
reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones
because he is my disciple, I tell
you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Matthew 12:36 But I tell you
that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless
word they have spoken. 37 For by your
words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Matthew 12:41-42
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and
condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one
greater than Jonah is here.
42 The
Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn
it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom,
and now one greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 18:33-35
33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'
34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers
to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat
each of you unless you forgive your
brother from your heart."
Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him,
Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on
his knees and cried out, "Lord, do
not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell
asleep.
-This
indicates a belief that some sins will not be held against people, making their
plight better.
Romans 4:5 However, to the man who does not
work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
-Faith
is credited as righteousness.
Romans 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom
he wants to harden.
-God
has mercy and applies it as He sees fit.
2Timothy 4:16 At my first
defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
-This
also indicates Paul believes some sins will not be held against people, making
their plight better.
2Timothy 1:15-18
15 You know that everyone in the province
of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 May
the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often
refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome,
he searched hard for me until he found me.
18 May
the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day. You know
very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
-This
indicates Paul believed mercy will be applied to people, making their plight
better.
James 5:20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from
death and cover over a multitude of sins.
-James
indicates … I
really don't know what James is saying here.
Either we’re
forgiven by our faith in Jesus and His atoning blood or we’re not.
1Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of
sins.
-I
really don't know what Peter is saying here.
Either we’re
forgiven by our faith in Jesus and His atoning blood or we’re not.