Book review - The Road to Reward.

Recently finished The Road to Reward by Bob Wilkin. The 148 page book was published by Grace Evangelical Society in 2003.

The book is subtitled Living Today in Light of Tomorrow and deals with the doctrine of eternal rewards. The book is divided into four sections with a fifth section consisting of appendices. In the first section Dr. Wilkin deals with the question of eternal life being a reward in and of itself. Dr. Wilkin concludes that the answer is no. Eternal life is a gift. Rewards are earned. They are clearly not the same and should not be confused.

The next two sections deal with the rewards themselves - what they are and who receives them. I found the section dealing with what eternal rewards are to be of particular interest. The fourth section deals with how this should impact our lives now. In dealing with each issue or question Dr. Wilkin is careful to ground his answers in Scripture.

After the main body of the book come three appendices. I must admit that I skimmed the one dealing with the question of all believers being rewarded equally. I did find the next two to be of great interest though. The second one answers the question of if the rewards given will result in jealousy in the Kingdom. In the third Dr. Wilkin addresses the question of what eternity will be like. Having asked these very questions myself I appreciated the opportunity to read Dr. Wilkin's take and to see which Scripture passages he looked to for the answers.

The book is well written and thought-provoking. The subtitle is apt. After all, if we will be rewarded in eternity for what we accomplish for God now, shouldn't that effect how we live? Bob Wilkin clearly believes that the answer is yes and he convincingly makes his case from the Bible. The Road to Reward is a must read for anyone who has questions about why we should live a life that pleases God when we are already saved.