Will some saints in heaven experience more joy than others do? Today's question comes from Jordi, a new pastor in the Albertan Prairies of Canada. Dear Pastor John, I recently listened through the 2004 Desiring God Pastors Conference, Money, Ministry, and the Magnificence of Christ, and one of the topics that arose in the speaker panel was the concept of varying rewards in heaven.

You and Randy Alcorn, quoting Edwards, both hold that the reward is increased capacity for joy in Christ. Could you expand some more on where you are getting this understanding, biblically? Well, first of all, let me clarify that I don't mean to imply, in talking that way, that there are not other ways in the age to come that our rewards are experienced as different.

Jesus says you're gonna reign over ten cities, I'm gonna reign over five cities, and I think that means very concretely and specifically it may happen just that way. You may be the mayor of ten big cities, and I may be the mayor of five little cities, and I don't mean to imply those specificities lose all their concreteness.

So don't take it that way. But what we find in the New Testament is that the greatness of our rewards in the age to come are said, or is said, to correspond to the life of obedience that we've lived here. We don't earn the rewards. They're graciously given by God.

We don't deserve them, and they will be evidences that God looks with favor upon his own work of grace in our lives working through us. So the rewards are intended not as evidences of being earned, but rather as occasions for happiness in heaven, not disappointment. But if they are occasions for happiness, and some people have greater rewards than others, will not some people be happier than others?

But isn't the picture of heaven where every tear is dried up, and every sorrow will be removed, and in God's presence is fullness of joy for all believers, Psalm 16, 11. So on the one hand, you have every saint promised fullness of joy—I think that's right—and on the other hand, we're promised differing rewards, which are occasions for greater or lesser joy.

So how does that work? That's the question. So let me simply read a few passages so you get real clear textual foundation for the issue here. These are texts that get at the differentiation in rewards in the age to come. 2 Corinthians 5.10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." Revelations 2.23, "I will give to each of you according to your works." Ephesians 6.5, "Bond-servants, do the will of God from the heart, rendering service with the good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that"— this is really important—"knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord." That's amazing!

Every single good deed gets a special response from God in the age to come. Or Luke 19.17, "Well done, good servant, because you've been faithful in very little. You shall have authority over ten cities and then another over five." Or lastly, Matthew 10.41, "The one who receives a prophet, because he's a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward.

And the one who receives a righteous person, because he's a righteous person, will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water, because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." So there will be all these differences among us in the age to come, but all of us will have fullness of joy.

So what's the solution? Well, here's the textual pointer. You could just philosophically work it out the way Edwards does, but here's a textual pointer to suggest he's right, biblically right. Luke 6.37 and 38 go like this, "Judge not that you not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give," like being generous, "Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." What does that mean? Everybody's lap is full, but with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Well, here's what Linsky says, that he's right. In other words, by our giving, our being generous to people, we build the measure that is the size of our cup that God's going to use. We build the measure that will be used for giving back to us. Our own measure is used to measure back to us.

By using it ourselves, we declare to God, "That's what we want you to use at the end," end quote from Linsky. So, will those who give God a small ladle be defective or lacking in fullness of joy? No, they won't, because Jesus says, "Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

You'll be full, more than full. It's all grace. But your capacity for fullness has been determined, it seems, this is my interpretation, by your generosity to others." Otherwise, the text seems to lose its point. So, everyone is full in heaven, but some cups are larger, some containers are larger than others.

Or what about Luke 6:33? "Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide, in this way, provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with treasure in heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches, no moth destroys." In other words, the way you provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old and treasure in heaven is "give to the needy." The ageless money bags and the treasure in heaven are metaphors for heavenly joy.

I don't think Jesus means literal money bags in heaven. Who cares? We own everything, right? Paul says we own everything. 1 Corinthians 3 21, you don't need any money in heaven. It's a picture of the measure of our joy in Christ as our treasure, and how do we prepare to experience that joy?

Jesus says, "Give to the needy." We lay up treasure in heaven, and clearly he meant get about it, because if you don't, you won't have as much. If we lay up treasure in heaven, that is, we increase our joy in heaven. We do this not by hoarding treasure on the earth, but by using our possessions sacrificially and generously, and if we do that a lot, our treasures are large in heaven.

Our capacities for joy are greater. So, yes, I think Edwards and lots of other people are right, I think, to say that all believers enjoy fullness of joy or pleasure in the age to come, but some people will have larger cups, larger capacities for that joy than others, but no one will be envious, and no one will brag, because part of the fullness is perfect love.

That's a mind-blowing perspective and motivator for personal generosity. It's very convicting. Thank you, Pastor John. And that is a great question, Jordi. These are the kind of questions that we address three times per week on the podcast, and for more information about us, you can find our audio feeds in our episode archive, and you can reach us via email all through our online home at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn.

On Wednesday, we hear from a student who wants to know, "Is it possible for him to be faithful to God at school while also pursuing popularity? What is the give-and-take? What are the pressures? Is such a balance even possible in the first place, and is it wise to pursue?" I'm your host, Tony Renke.

We'll see you on Wednesday.