en thou makest a dinner or a supper call not thy
friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors,
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when
thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind;
and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee, for thou
shalt be recompensed _at the resurrection of the just_."--Luke
14:12-14.

If "each man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor"
(1 Cor. 3:8), there will, then, be different rewards or degrees in
Heaven; for doubtless no two redeemed people ever served God in
exactly the same degree of faithfulness. Paul makes this distinction
clear, as well as the difference between salvation and rewards. He
uses the illustration of building houses out of different material. He
has been speaking of preachers and their work, and then seems to turn
and apply his teaching to every one, for he says, "Let every man take
heed how he buildeth thereupon."--1 Cor. 3:10. Whether he is speaking
only of preachers and their work, or applies it to every man; whether
he is speaking of building in the lives of others by what we teach or
do, or whether he makes a turn and applies it to every man and his
building in his own life, he draws the clear distinction between the
foundation on which the building rests and the building built
thereupon, between salvation alone through Christ, and rewards for
service: "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, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be
made manifest; for the day shall declare it; because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer
loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire."--1 Cor.
3:11-15. Why is he saved? Because he has been redeemed from the curse
of the law, Christ having been made a curse for him (Gal. 3:13);
because he has been redeemed from all iniquity (Titus 2:14); because
he has been redeemed from under the law (Rom. 6:14); and God means His
promise, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved" (Acts
16:31), and he means the promise of the Saviour, "Verily, verily I say
unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me
hath