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Forgiveness and Rewards After Lifelong Spiritual Neglect

The question of forgiveness and rewards for individuals who have lived a life of spiritual neglect is addressed differently across Christian traditions, often intersecting with doctrines of sin, repentance, and divine justice. Forgiveness, in a biblical sense, involves the remission of deserved penalty for sin [5]. The Old Testament describes atonement for unwitting sins, leading to forgiveness [1]. However, the New Testament emphasizes a deeper reconciliation with God through Christ's death, which goes beyond mere pardon to restore favor and fellowship [6].

In Reformed theology, forgiveness is not a consequence of sanctification but an exemption from the deserved penalty of the law, made possible by Christ's expiation of sin [5, 6]. John Calvin argues that human works cannot inherently make a person acceptable to God; rather, they please God only when "covered with the righteousness of Christ," thereby obtaining forgiveness of sins [10]. This perspective highlights that perfect righteousness, as set forth in the Moral Law, is unattainable by human effort, making divine forgiveness essential [14]. Calvin also critiques the idea that one can be careless about sin while praying for the kingdom of God, emphasizing the need to strive for spiritual goals while acknowledging human weakness and seeking remedies for necessities [4].

The concept of repentance is central to receiving forgiveness. Clement of Alexandria, an early Church Father, states that God grants forgiveness for past sins, but "of future, each one gives to himself," meaning that true repentance involves ceasing from sins and not looking back [15]. This view underscores the active role of the individual in turning away from sin as a condition for receiving God's mercy. Jesus himself offered "compassionate forgiveness and sustenance" rather than increasing people's spiritual burden [13].

For those who have neglected spiritual matters throughout their lives, the possibility of forgiveness often hinges on a late-life repentance. The Catholic tradition, particularly through the work of Thomas Aquinas, emphasizes penance as a virtue and a sacrament that can effect the forgiveness of mortal sin [12]. This tradition also includes the concept of Purgatory, where souls expiate actual sin or its temporal punishment. Aquinas describes Purgatory as involving a "twofold pain": the pain of loss (delay of the divine vision) and the pain of sense (punishment by corporeal fire), with even the least pain of Purgatory surpassing the greatest temporal pains of this life [11]. This suggests that while forgiveness may be granted, there can still be a process of purification for past neglect. The doctrine of indulgences, which rests on the Church's authority to mitigate penance, is also connected to this framework [9].

Regarding rewards, biblical texts speak of receiving recompense for actions, both good and evil. Psalm 35:12 notes, "They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul" [3]. However, the New Testament also promises rewards for those who make sacrifices for Christ's sake. Matthew 19:29 states that "every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" [2]. The nature of this "hundredfold" reward is interpreted by some scholars as not necessarily physical, but rather the blessings of "spiritual wholeness and a right relationship with God" [8].

Augustine, in his anti-Pelagian writings, discusses the idea of spiritual progress after the resurrection, where there will be no sin or struggle with sinful desires, and wisdom and knowledge of God will be perfected [7]. This suggests a future state where the consequences of past spiritual neglect are entirely overcome for the forgiven.

The concept of rewards is distinct from forgiveness. Forgiveness addresses the guilt and penalty of sin, while rewards pertain to the positive outcomes or blessings for faithful service and sacrifice. For someone who has lived a life of spiritual neglect, the primary concern would be forgiveness, which restores their relationship with God. Any "rewards" in such a case would likely be understood in terms of the grace of salvation itself and the restoration to divine favor, rather than specific commendations for service. The emphasis in such cases would be on God's mercy and the efficacy of Christ's atonement to cover a lifetime of unfaithfulness, provided there is genuine repentance.

Sources

  1. Numbers “The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs, when he sins unwittingly before Yahweh, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven. -- Numbers 15:28”
  2. King James Version “[KJV] Matthew 19:29 — And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
  3. Psalms “They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul. -- Psalms 35:12”
  4. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: also to themselves and their followers, in that they encourage themselves in a carelessness diametrically opposed to the mercy of God. It is excessively childish to object, that when they long for the advent of the kingdom of God, they at the same time pray for the abolition of sin. In the former division of the prayer absolute perfection is set before us; but in the latter our own weakness. Thus the two fitly correspond to each other—we strive for the goal, 2195 and at the same time neglect not the remedies which our necessities r”
  5. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 24: of the sinner, to allow the conscience to be satisfied with any scheme of salvation which does not provide for the expiation of the guilt of sin by what really satisfies the justice of God. In the Bible, therefore, as well as in common life, pardon is not a mere consequence of sanctification. It is exemption from the infliction of the deserved penalty of the law. Whether this exemption is a mere matter of caprice, or unworthy partiality for the offender, or for considerations of expediency, or at the promptings of compassion, or upon the ”
  6. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 19: of God; until he apprehends that his sins have been punished, as the Apostle says ( Rom. viii. 3 ), in Christ. Again, we are said to be reconciled to God by the death of his Son. ( Rom. v. 10 .) But pardon does not produce reconciliation. A pardoned criminal may be restored to his civil rights, so far as the penalty remitted involved their forfeiture, but he is not reconciled to society. He is not restored to its favour. Justification, however, does secure a restoration to the favour and fellowship of God. We become the sons of God by fai”
  7. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 17 [VII.]--THEIR CALUMNY ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF PRECEPTS IN THE LIFE TO COME. (part 1): But who can bear their objecting to us, "that we say that after the resurrection such is to be our progress, that there men can begin to fulfil the commands of God, which they would not here;" since we say that there there will be no sin at all, no struggle with any desire of sin; as if they themselves would dare to deny this? That wisdom also and the knowledge of God, is then perfected in us, and that in the Lord there is such rejoicing that it is a full and ”
  8. Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 18:30: 18:30 repaid many times over in this life: Their reward would not necessarily be physical, but they would enjoy the blessings that come from spiritual wholeness and a right relationship with God.”
  9. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 79: is a bed of roses with here and there a thorn, instead of the lake of real fire and brimstone which glares through all Church history. In connection with this is to be taken the doctrine of indulgences. This doctrine, we are told, rests on the following grounds: (1.) “That satisfaction has to be made to God for sin remitted, under the authority and regulation of the Church. (2.) That the Church has always considered herself possessed of the authority to mitigate, by diminution or commutation, the penance which she enjoins; and she has alw”
  10. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 69: kingdom. 13. If these things are so, it is certain that our works cannot in themselves make us agreeable and acceptable to God, and even cannot please God, except in so far as being covered with the righteousness of Christ we thereby please him and obtain forgiveness of sins. God has not promised life as the reward of certain works, but only declares, “which if a man do, he shall live in them,” ( Lev. 18:5 ), denouncing the well-known curse against all who do not continue in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do ”
  11. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, X1, Of the Quality of Souls Who Expiate Actual Sin or Its Punishment in Purgatory, Art. 1: Article: Whether the pains of Purgatory surpass all the temporal pains of this life? I answer that, In Purgatory there will be a twofold pain; one will be the pain of loss, namely the delay of the divine vision, and the pain of sense, namely punishment by corporeal fire. With regard to both the least pain of Purgatory surpasses the greatest pain of this life. For the more a thing is desired the more painful is its absence. And since after this life the holy souls desire the Sov”
  12. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Effect of Penance, As Regards the Pardon of Mortal Sin, Art. 6: Article: Whether the forgiveness of guilt is an effect of Penance? I answer that, Penance is a virtue in so far as it is a principle of certain human acts. Now the human acts, which are performed by the sinner, are the material element in the sacrament of Penance. Moreover every sacrament produces its effect, in virtue not only of its form, but also of its matter. because both these together make the one sacrament, as stated above (Question [60], Article [6], ad 2, Articl”
  13. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 12:20: 12:20 Instead of increasing people’s spiritual burden, Jesus offers compassionate forgiveness and sustenance (see 11:28-30; 12:1-14).”
  14. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 43: for pardon, it is of importance to know how our being instructed in the Moral Law renders us more inexcusable. If it is true, that a perfect righteousness is set before us in the Law, it follows, that the complete observance of it is perfect righteousness in the sight of God; that is, a righteousness by which a man may be deemed and pronounced righteous at the divine tribunal. Wherefore Moses, after promulgating the Law, hesitates not to call heaven and earth to witness, that he had set life and death, good and evil, before the peo”
  15. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 2: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria — WHO IS THE RICH MAN THAT SHALL BE SAVED? (part 27): forgive the repenting brethren.[10] "And if we, being evil, know to give good gifts,"[11] much more is it the nature of the Father of mercies, the good Father of all consolation, much pitying, very merciful, to be long-suffering, to wait for those who have turned. And to turn is really to cease from our sins, and to look no longer behind. XL. Forgiveness of past sins, then, God gives; but of future, each one gives to himself. And this is to repent, to condemn the past”
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