The Cross-Bearer’s Potential Rewards - God, In Search Of A Better Tomorrow

“There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below” (Charles Spurgeon).

Being a light for Jesus requires the daily willingness to bear one’s cross for Christ’s sake, being willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. Those who cross-bear for Christ will someday in heaven receive great rewards, including the right to “reign with Christ” (2 Timothy 2:12) and possibly “inheriting all things” (Revelation 21:7).

Also known as the “cost of discipleship”, bearing one’s cross is the “total surrender of one’s will to God’s will”. Jesus said to His disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

When Christ “took up His cross” (by dying on the cross), He “willingly, fully denied self and surrendered His life to God’s will”, fully sacrificing Himself for the cause of God’s purposes (Christ’s purpose of being the atonement for humanity’s sins, enabling man to experience reconciliation with God). When Christ died, it was a perfect example of bearing one’s cross, choosing to no longer live for self, but for the cause of God’s purposes, no matter the cost. Although most Christians probably won’t have to experience a death like Christ did, when we follow Christ, we must also be willing to “die to self” for the cause and purposes of God, no matter the cost. This will require suffering for Christ (see 1 Peter 2:21, 1 Peter 4:1), perhaps being “persecuted” and “reproached” for Christ’s sake. Cross-bearing demands self-denial, choosing the same path of exhibiting “love and surrender” towards God and our calling, just as Christ did, when His love for God and people was evident, and He was willing to “give up everything” to fulfill the purpose God had for His life.

Taking up one’s cross daily involves a daily commitment to prioritize Kingdom work over earthly pleasures. Cross-bearing demands the willingness to abandon personal ambitions, comforts, and self-centered desires, no matter the cost, in favor of complete obedience to God, absolute faithfulness to our purpose. In short, cross-bearing requires daily self-denial to God and the God-given dream (purpose) God has for our life, regardless of the circumstances.

Christ lived a life of rejection and sacrifice for the cause of salvation; cross-bearing means we must be willing to do the same for Christ’s sake, for the cause of being a light to lost souls. Especially in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile and resistant to the gospel.

“If children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17).

We are heirs of God, and we will someday, in heaven, be glorified and receive a portion of what God owns, provided that we suffer for Him, bearing the cross for Christ’s sake, striving to fully fulfill our God-given life purposes.

In cross-bearing, when we suffer for Christ, we will someday experience the “crown of life” and the privilege of “reigning with Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:12 says: “If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him…” This verse connects our responsibility to cross-bear, to the promise of eternal glory: when we are willing to endure hardship for Christ’s sake, we will someday experience in heaven the ultimate reward of being a partaker of His future kingdom.

“If We Deny Him, He Will Deny Us”

Unfortunately, the last part of 2 Timothy 2:12 says: “… if we deny Him, He will deny us. If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.”

Denying Christ means “rejecting His person, claims, or authority – either publicly or privately”, under the “pressure of persecution or hardship”.

What denying Christ consists of:

Public verbal renunciation of Christ, especially under pressure.
Rejection of Christ’s teachings or claims (His divinity, His resurrection, His role as a Savior) (1 John 2:22–23; Acts 23:8; 1 Corinthians 15:12).
Persistent public sin that defames the gospel (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).
Moral Compromise and doctrinal drift: Living in patterns Scripture forbids, treating sin lightly, or abandoning clear biblical teaching to fit popular opinion (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
Divided allegiance: trusting wealth, power, or relationships more than Christ (Matthew 6:24).
Hypocrisy and a lack of fruit (Claiming faith but showing no obedience or love). Titus 1:16.
Secretly rejecting Christ’s lordship, resenting God’s discipline, or living as if self-sufficient (Hebrews 3:12; James 4:6–10).

What Denying Christ Does Not Consist Of:

1. Momentary lapses under pressure.

2. Denial of Christ’s existence.

3. Denial of His teachings without rejecting His person.

4. Denial of Christ in a purely private, non-threatening way.

5. Denial of Christ in a way that is not willful or persistent.

(Copilot Search).

Those who deny Christ will never lose their salvation; once saved, always saved. Denying Christ instead means “God will deny us many future rewards”, including the “reward of reigning with Him”. Although we may be unfaithful, God remains faithful – we never need to be afraid of losing our salvation. However, if we deny Him, God remains still faithful – we potentially can lose future rewards as God is faithful to “deny us if we fail to advance spiritually” (Dr. Steven R. Cook).

Just as Christ restored Peter after he denied Jesus three times, God will restore the Christian who truly repents (1 John 1:9), “welcoming the prodigal child back into His presence with open, accepting, loving arms”.

The “crosses” we “bear” daily, as our sufferings for Christ honor God, we will someday “share with God” (being heirs of God) the glory of reigning with Him. To cross-bear consistently, to suffer for Christ’s sake, requires “endurance and faithfulness to God,” as we must remain faithful in spite of our trials and sufferings, which requires endurance to endure them and to remain faithful in the meantime.

“Suffering with Christ is linked to reigning with Him in the future.” “Denying Christ in the present is mirrored by Christ denying us in the future”, in the form of potential forfeiture of rewards. Overall, 2 Timothy 2:12 gives the Christian hope that “if you faithfully endure trials and sufferings for Christ’s sake”, you will someday experience eternal glory and authority with Christ.

“Those who are victorious will inherit all things, and I will be their God, and they will be my children” (Revelation 21:7).

In cross-bearing, we are called to endure potential “suffering, persecutions, hardships, and trials” associated with being a follower of Christ. According to Revelation 21:7, those Christians who victoriously endure them (through the Spirit’s power) will in heaven, “inherit all things” in God’s kingdom, being heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ.

Christians who faithfully resist sin and endure these trials, remaining steadfast in their faith in Christ, will someday receive eternal inheritance and fully experience an intimate relationship with a God that satisfies all our deepest desires and longings.

“As ‘sons of God’, the victorious will someday in heaven be permitted the right to sit with Christ on His throne, signifying a share in His authority over the renewed creation.” The victorious Christian cross-bearer who endures suffering for Christ will be glorified and exalted as a victor in heaven.

Those who remain faithful and overcome spiritual challenges will inherit eternal blessings and enjoy a personal, enduring relationship with God as His children.” Those who overcome and remain faithful to God will experience the ultimate fullness of God’s love and connection (in a manner no one except Christ has ever experienced before), as “God is a Father to His people, with believers being His sons and daughters”.

Christians who remain steadfast (endure hardships) despite persecution or trials will be victorious. Revelation 21:7 is a promise of victory, an eternal inheritance, and intimate fellowship with God for those who remain faithful and persevere despite trials, temptations, and persecution.

Faithfulness and perseverance in Christ lead to ultimate victory. Also knowing that our temporary sufferings in this present world will be nothing compared to the glory we may someday experience as a Christian, cross-bearing, overcomer (Romans 8:18). “Overcoming is not about avoiding all difficulties, but prevailing over them through God’s strength.”

Running the Race in Hopes of Someday Winning the Prize

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24:25).

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul describes living the Christian life similar to running a race to win an “imperishable prize”, in this case, the one of 2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 21:7.

To run this race daily, to win the prize, requires both intense focus and strict self-control. The Christian life is not one of comfort and ease, but a “competitive endeavor demanding total commitment, dedication, and sacrifice, to hopefully win the eternal prize”.

The Christian wins the prize by adopting a daily mindset of intentionality, self-denial, and long-term focus toward being a cross-bearer. The prize is the glory of God and the achievement of heavenly rewards for being a successful cross-bearer, guided by their unique God-given purpose (dream).

To win the prize of 2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 21:7, the Christian cross-bearer must undergo a strict training regimen. Daily, the Christian must discipline his mind and soul by intentionally mortifying the flesh (in complete surrender to God) and rejecting worldly distractions that may potentially block the cross-bearer’s path of winning the prize. Doing both requires daily discipline, especially when running the race becomes hard, or the finish line seems so far away. Just as an athlete must deny their desires to give up or to slow down when running the race fatigued, the cross-bearer must maintain sufficient discipline to deny self in order to follow Jesus, in spite of fear, fatigue, selfish desires, and or suffering, so that they won’t be disqualified in running the race.

In running the race, both the athlete and the cross-bearer must be willing to endure the suffering that is part of the training, lest they be disqualified from winning the prize. For the cross-bearer, choosing not to be faithful to God by avoiding suffering for Christ results in being disqualified from receiving the prize in 2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 21:7:

“If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12).

“Those who are victorious will inherit all things, and I will be their God, and they will be my children” (Revelation 21:7).

Articles In This Series:

No Finer Place Than Heaven, No Grimmer Place Than Hell

Hell: Eternal Punishment, A Place to Definitely Avoid

Where is Your Treasure? What is Your Primary Focus?

Living As A Conqueror Through Christ

Sources:

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/beautiful-heaven-quotes-to-excite-you.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/denying-Christ.html

https://bible.org/article/if-we-deny-him-he-also-will-deny-us-2-timothy-212