It has occurred to me that it is impossible to deduce merit from reward. Simply because a person is the recipient of a reward does not mean he or she earned it. The world is full of people who have received a reward and yet are undeserving of such a reward: beneficiaries of family estates come readily to mind, as do winning lottery ticket holders and game show contestants.
This is not to say that such people should be looked down upon for their having received a reward they did not merit. Rather, it is an observation of the world we live in; but, more fundamentally, it is a spiritual truth based in reality: through Christ's redeeming act of crucifixion and resurrection, we are now privy to a reward that we have not, and indeed cannot, merit. In fact, this principle underlies the concept of salvation by grace as opposed to that of works.
Soli Deo Gloria
This is not to say that such people should be looked down upon for their having received a reward they did not merit. Rather, it is an observation of the world we live in; but, more fundamentally, it is a spiritual truth based in reality: through Christ's redeeming act of crucifixion and resurrection, we are now privy to a reward that we have not, and indeed cannot, merit. In fact, this principle underlies the concept of salvation by grace as opposed to that of works.
Soli Deo Gloria
