The Mailbox Club Course 1 Lesson 6
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Dear Friend,

We have been friends for some time now and we have learned many wonderful things from our study of God's Word.

This lesson is about salvation and rewards. We want to understand clearly what God's Word says about how we are saved. We will also learn about the wonderful rewards which we can earn after we are saved. But first, may I ask you a personal question?

It's the most important question in the world. It is so personal that only you can answer it.

What is the question? It is this:

How are things between YOU and GOD?

Let me ask it another way. If you were to die tonight and stand before God and He were to ask you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" what would you say?

Perhaps you would say, "I haven't been so bad. I've been as good as most other people."

Or you might say, "I always went to church." Again, you might say, "I did a lot of good things for other people."

What would you say?

If you think you would say anything like the above answers, you could be making a terrible mistake.

"But why?" you ask. "Aren't these things good?" Yes, they are, but the Bible says that no one will ever get to Heaven by doing good works. No matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough to be saved.

Having Christian parents will not save you.
Going to church will not save you.
Doing good deeds will not save you.
Giving money to the church will not save you.
Trying to keep the Ten Commandments will not save you.
Being baptized and joining the church will not save you.

These things are good, but the Bible says, "a man is not justified by the works of the law..." Galatians 2:16

How are we saved?

We are saved by God's grace and not by our own good works. The Bible says,

"For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves...." Ephesians 2:8

What is grace? Grace is something God does for us because He loves us. Because God loves us and wants us to be saved, He has provided a wonderful salvation for us.

Now in the next few seconds you are going to read one of the most amazing statements you have ever read. What is it? It is this:

Eternal life is a free gift!

That's right -- it is a free gift. Eternal life in Heaven is the most wonderful thing any person could ever have. Yet, according to God's Word, it is a free gift. The Bible says,

"The wages of sin is death; but THE GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

How long does it take you to receive a gift? Just a moment of time. When someone gives you a gift, you reach out and take it and it is yours. You do not have to work for a gift, and you do not have to pay for a gift. All you have to do is receive it and it is yours.

You ask, "But how can I receive the gift of eternal life?" You receive the gift of eternal life when you take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Eternal life is in a Person -- the Lord Jesus Christ. When you receive Him, you receive eternal life. The Bible says,

"...God has given to us eternal life and this life, is in His Son. He that has the Son has life...." I John 5:11, 12

SALVATION
THRU JESUS CHRIST
Gods Free gift.

We receive the gift of eternal life when we receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour.

How can I know that I am saved?

But you say, "Is it really possible for me to know for sure that I will go to Heaven when I die?"

Yes, it certainly is! If you have Christ, you have eternal life. You know that you have eternal life because God says so in His Word. The Bible says,

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...." I John 5:13

If God were to ask you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" you could reply, "Because Jesus Christ is my Saviour. He died for my sins, Your Word says that I have eternal life."

Remember, salvation is a gift. You receive eternal life as a gift when you take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Now, let us think about rewards.

Rewards are earned.

Did you ever receive a reward for doing something well? Perhaps your father gave you a reward for doing well on your report card.

God gives rewards to His children for the good things they do. God does not give rewards to unsaved people, but only to His own saved children.

It will help us to understand salvation and rewards if we see that there are two great differences between them:

Salvation is free, but rewards are earned.
We have salvation now, but rewards will be given later -- when we get to Heaven.

You understand that, don't you? Salvation is a gift, and you have it now. Rewards must be earned, and they will be given out when we get to Heaven.

How do we earn rewards?

We earn rewards by faithfully serving Christ. Those who have been saved may earn wonderful rewards by the work they do for the Lord.

The Bible speaks of some very special rewards for those who faithfully serve the Lord Jesus. They are called "crowns." Crowns speak of glory -- reigning with the Lord Jesus.
There are five beautiful crowns which will be given to believers as rewards:

1. The Crown of Rejoicing for those who win others to Christ. This is sometimes called "the soul-winner's crown." 1 Thessalonians 2:19

2. The Crown of Righteousness for those who look for and love Christ's return. II Timothy 4:8

3. The Crown of Glory for those who faithfully teach and preach God's Word. I Peter 5:4

4. The Incorruptible Crown for those who "run a good race" in the Christian life. I Corinthians 9:25

5. The Crown of Life for those who suffer for the name of Christ, especially those who lay down their lives for Him. We receive eternal life by simply trusting Christ as our Saviour. We receive "the crown of life" by being faithful. Revelation 2:10

What happens if we do not live for the Lord?

If we live for ourselves and do not serve the Lord Jesus, we will not receive any rewards at all. Instead, we will be ashamed when we stand before the Lord.

Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "I want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, but how can I know whether or not I should do a certain thing?"

We should see what God says about it in the Bible. For example, God tells us that we should not curse or lie or steal or have unforgiveness in our heart toward someone. So we know that we should not do these things.

What about those things that are not mentioned in the Bible? In this case we should ask ourselves, "Would Jesus like to see me do this?" If you think that He would not like for you to do it, then don't do it.

What will happen to the child of God who continues to do things that are not pleasing to God? God will chasten (spank!) him. A good father chastens or corrects his child when he does wrong. Does he chasten his child because he hates him or because he loves him? He does it because he loves him.

Our Heavenly Father is a good Father. He loves us too much to let us go on in disobedience, ruining our lives and bringing shame to His name. God will speak to our hearts when we do wrong, but if we do not listen to Him and turn from our disobedience, He will surely chasten us.

How does God chasten us? He chastens us by letting trouble come into our life. When our Heavenly Father chastens us, let us remember that He does this because He loves us. The Bible says,

"...whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth...." Hebrews 12:6

Christians will be judged.

By now I am sure that you have realized that it is very important how you live your life as a Christian.

The Bible says that, one day, we must stand before the Lord Jesus to be judged. Every believer will be judged for the things he did after he was saved, whether good or bad.

This judgment is called "the Judgment Seat of Christ." The Bible says,

"For we (believers) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body..." II Corinthians 5:10

This judgment is not to see whether or not we will go to Heaven. Every believer will go to Heaven. This judgment is for rewards.

If we have faithfully served the Lord Jesus, this will be a time of great rejoicing for us because we will receive wonderful rewards.

If we have lived for the good times of this world instead of living for the Lord Jesus, we will be ashamed, Perhaps some of us will wish that we could live our lives over again, but that will not be possible. The time to live for the Lord Jesus is now. The time to serve Him is now.

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last."

Salvation is a free gift, but rewards are earned by faithful service.

Do you know some people who do not know Christ as their Saviour? Would you like to win them for Him? Then start praying for them. Tell them about the Saviour.

If you win them to Christ, you will receive the soulwinner's crown. And you will shine as the stars for ever and ever. The Bible says,

"...they that turn many to righteousness (shall shine) as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3

Memory Verses for Lesson 6:

"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8,9
"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth...." Hebrews 12:6
"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." II Corinthians 5:10

Please study the lesson carefully before going on to the test. When you are ready, proceed to the test below and follow the instructions.

QUESTIONS: Course I, Lesson 6

Instructions:

Fill in the answers in the box provided in the question. When you have completed all the questions, select the send button below to send your answers for grading. When you have completed and sent the test, you should go on to the next lesson. To clear all the answers without sending them, select the reset button. Don't forget to register if you want to be able to collect the certificate at the end of the class.

We are saved by and not by our works.
Complete: "For are ye saved ; and that not of yourselves..."
Grace is because .
You receive the gift of eternal life when .
God gives rewards to for .
Does God give rewards to unsaved people? YES NO
There are two great differences between salvation and rewards:
(1) Salvation is , but rewards are .
(2) We have salvation , but rewards will be given when .
We earn rewards by .
If we live for ourselves and do not serve the Lord, will we receive any rewards? YES NO
What will happen to the child of God who continues to do things that are not pleasing to God? God will () him.
Is it important how we live our life as a Christian. YES NO
Will every believer be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ for the things that he did after he was saved? YES NO

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