Christ as Sanctification
Orientation
The idea that Christian reward is a contest of comparative morality, where the one who sins less wins, misunderstands both sanctification and reward.
- Reward is not a wage for moral improvement or sinning less than others.
- This false framework collapses the distinctively Christian understanding of growth.
- It trades the life of Christ for a system of self-improvement and undermines justification.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
— Hebrews 9:28
Clarification
Sanctification is not a procedure of moral improvement but is Christ Himself given to be our life and our sanctification.
- Christ is our sanctification; He is the source and the substance (1 Corinthians 1:30).
- The believer's growth is a progress of understanding and participating in this life, not an incremental progress in the flesh.
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
Biblical reward is based on what is built with incorruptible materials on the foundation of Jesus Christ, which survives the testing fire.
- Believers build on the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).
- Works built with gold, silver, and precious stones—Christ's incorruptible life—endure and are rewarded.
- Works built with perishable materials—human effort and fleshly striving—are consumed.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (1 Corinthians 3:11-12)
— 1 Corinthians 3:11-12
Weight-Bearing Prose
The true basis of reward is Christ’s life manifested in His people. He appears a second time ‘without sin unto salvation’ (Hebrews 9:28), bringing His reward with Him to give ‘every man according as his work shall be’ (Revelation 22:12). This work is the service of building on the foundation of Jesus Christ within God’s field and building (1 Corinthians 3:9). The increase is God’s alone; we are nothing in ourselves. The fire will test the quality of each person’s work. The incorruptible materials—gold, silver, precious stones—represent works consisting of Christ’s life, wrought into our service through participation in Him. The perishable materials—wood, hay, stubble—represent the product of human effort and religious zeal. Only what is of Christ remains. Reward, therefore, is not for what we produce apart from Christ, but for what remains after all that is not Christ is consumed. This corrects the error that reward is for sinning less than others, which makes Christ’s finished work secondary to our performance.
Integration
Your assurance is not in your building, but in the Foundation. Christ is your righteousness, your sanctification, and your reward. The Bema seat is a celebration of what is of Him, not an examination of your moral track record. There is no pressure to advance or to produce a certain quality of work in your own strength. The incorruptible material is His life given to you. Your sanctification is a Person, not a procedure. Rest in this: your inheritance as a co-heir with Christ is secure, based on union, not performance. Let this truth remove all anxiety about reward. It is His life in you that has eternal value and will be recognized.