`According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and

another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 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, precious

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 by fire' (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Standing and state are here represented in the figure of foundation and building. The foundation is not in

question, `standing'is unaltered: `He shall be saved', even though he be saved `so as by fire'. `He shall be saved',

even though `he shall suffer loss'. There is the greatest difference between `He shall suffer loss' and `He shall be

lost'. The test, the reward, and the loss relate only to the subsequent `work'. Notice the repeated reference to his

work - `Every man's work shall be made manifest'; `Every man's work, of what sort it is'; `If any man's work

abide'; `If any man's work shall be burned up'.

Before we turn to the second reference, we ought perhaps to anticipate an objection. Someone will say that the

whole atmosphere of the revelation of the mystery is of such grace as to rule out all idea of either reward or loss. Of

course this is perfectly true if we confine ourselves to the revelation of doctrine, the revelation of our perfect

standing in Christ. But even Ephesians, with its wondrous acceptance in the Beloved, warns its readers against some

terrible sins, and in the practical section the apostle writes:

`Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond

or free' (Eph. 6:8).

Colossians is even more to the point:

`And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall

receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the

wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons' (Col. 3:23-25).

To those who bow before the authority of Scripture, these two citations are the end of all argument, and as we

are not, at the moment, writing to persuade others, we can now pass on to our second illustrative passage in

2 Timothy:

`If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny

Him, He also will deny us: if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself' (2 Tim. 2:11-13).

Here are two statements which, if not divided aright, appear to be contradictory - `He will deny us'; `He cannot

deny Himself'. But the first deals with reigning, and the second with living. Now living is one thing; receiving a

throne, a dominion, or a crown is another. Both attainments have the necessary qualifications prefixed.

How may we hope to `live with Him'? This is settled once and for ever by the fact that all who believe in Him

are reckoned by God to have `died with Him'. This cannot be altered. It can be neither won nor lost. It stands

entirely in grace. It is God's free gift, and even though one thus saved should become unfaithful, nevertheless, the

Lord will abide faithful to His work and promise; He cannot deny Himself. Such shall be saved, just as surely as the

man of 1 Corinthians 3.

How may we hope to `reign with Him'? This does not depend upon being reckoned to have died with Christ. It

is connected with a voluntary fellowship with His sufferings. If we endure, we shall reign; if we do not endure, then

we shall not reign. `No cross, no crown'. If, in the realm of suffering and reigning, we draw back, we cannot lose

our life, for that is not in question, but we can forfeit the reward; in that sphere, and that only, `If we deny Him, He

also will deny us'.

The reader may well ask why we have digressed from our main theme and entered into this discussion. The

reason is a desire to show that these four great epistles of the mystery give balanced truth. We have not four written

about privilege; neither have we four written about responsibility. We have a pair that lays the foundation, and a