Christ as Our Righteousness, Sanctification, and Reward: A Pauline Dispensational Perspective
Orientation
Many believers live under a cloud of fear and condemnation, viewing God as a hard taskmaster and their inheritance as a wage to be earned.
- Justification is often reduced to mere assurance of heaven, leaving no anchor for present life.
- Sanctification and reward become systems of self-effort and merit, fostering bondage.
- This results in a life of striving, not rest; of fear, not sonship.
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)
— Galatians 3:3
Clarification
The believer's identity, life, and reward are not found in personal improvement or law-keeping, but in a Person.
- Sanctification is not a progressive moral procedure, but Christ Himself as our life.
- The Bema seat judgment for the Church is a celebratory presentation, not a punitive reckoning.
- The Church is a distinct, heavenly entity, not under Israel's covenants or rule of life.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)
— 1 Corinthians 1:30
Structure
God's purpose is revealed through a Pauline dispensational framework, centering on union with Christ as the heir of all things.
- Paul uniquely revealed the mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ, a previously hidden entity.
- Believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, freed from sin and law to walk in the Spirit.
- As joint-heirs with Christ through justification by faith, we share His inheritance as a gift of grace.
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:5-6)
— Ephesians 3:5-6
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core error is the Galatian one: beginning by faith but seeking perfection by the flesh. This reduces the Gospel to initial fire insurance and places sanctification and reward under a system of works. It conflates Israel and the Church, applying Israel’s covenant law as the Christian rule of life, which is legalism. Pauline revelation corrects this. The Church is a mystery, the Body of Christ, distinct from Israel’s prophetic program. Our rule of life is union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom 6, Gal 2:20), not Mosaic law. Sanctification is Christ in you, accessed by faith through the Spirit’s supply. Reward is not a wage but Christ Himself—our inheritance secured in Him. The Bema seat is the celebration of the Church as Bride, not a fearful examination. Justification by faith makes us co-heirs with Christ; we share His portion by grace, not merit. This is the everlasting covenant reality: Christ is the Seed of Abraham and David, the heir of all promises, and we are testament heirs with Him.
Integration
Your standing is secure in Christ. He is your righteousness, your sanctification, your redemption, and your reward. There is no pressure to advance or improve your flesh. The life is in the Son. Rest in His finished work. Your inheritance is not conditional; it is yours in Christ as a joint-heir. The Spirit within is the supply, the living water. Look to Christ, not to your performance. The Bema seat awaits not to punish, but to present you in joy. You are accepted in the Beloved. This is your assurance, grounded not in what you do, but in who He is and what He has done. Christ is your life.