One of the greatest temptations that a Christian will face in his life consists of a deeply rooted desire to be praised by his fellow man. No matter how far along a Christian may get in his walk with Christ, this subtle sin must be subdued. When someone takes even a precursory look into his own heart, he is likely to see a desire to be praised by man present when he is in conversation with others, when he prays publicly, when he gives money, and more.
While it may seem that this topic is not a major one, and that it could simply be discarded or set aside for a later date, do not do it. God has made it clear that, on the day of judgment, the Christian will not have to worry about receiving a “guilty” or “not guilty” verdict. That type of eternal judgment has already taken place. When someone truly believes in Christ for salvation, he is, in that moment, justified. He is no longer guilty before God; the decision has been made by the Father, based on the merits of Christ. This “not guilty” decision is a once-and-for-all decision, which does not go away after death only to be revisited by the Father. It is what it is: the Father has declared the sinner “not guilty.”
So what does the Christian make of the judgment that is to come? A decision will not be made in heaven concerning the Christian’s eternal state (i.e., heaven or hell). Rather, a decision will be made in heaven concerning the rewards that the Christian will receive for the works that he has done on earth while in the body of Christ. Scripture says that, on the day of judgment for the believer, “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” (Matt. 6:5). What this means is that when the Christian stands before Christ, he will be rewarded in direct correlation to the good that he has done. His good works do not save him. The Christian is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Nevertheless, a day will come when the Christian will be rewarded for his good works.
Does that sound easy enough? Just simply do good things. But the Bible says more about the matter, and as a result, it is important to take a look.
Giving
Scripture says, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1). Matthew 6:1-18 is an interesting portion of Scripture which consists of a couple threads that run throughout. The first is that of spiritual disciplines. Giving, praying, and fasting are all spiritual disciplines. The second is that of doing these spiritual disciplines to be seen by God the Father, not man. It should be noted that there are many spiritual disciplines; others include, but are not limited to, Bible reading, sharing a testimony, evangelism, serving, etc. Matthew 6:1-18 can be seen as a Biblical principle that applies to all spiritual disciplines. However, Matthew 6:1-4 directly references the giving of alms.
This “giving of alms” was a gift of money to the poor. When done properly, giving to the poor can be a good act and should be done. It may appear interesting that Jesus actually condemned people who gave to the poor. But He did not condemn the act itself; rather, He condemned the heart behind the act. In Matthew 6:1-4, the “hypocrites” (also known as the scribes and Pharisees) would sound a “trumpet” so that they could be seen by others. They sought the praise of man in their giving and did not give with right motives.
This does not mean that someone should only give when he cannot be seen. Jesus, on a different occasion, commended a widow for giving all that she had. She gave in a public place, the treasury in the temple, and could be seen by many. However, her heart was right in giving, and it honored the Lord.
What is the result of giving to be seen by others? Scripture makes it clear that when someone seeks the praise of man in their giving, the praise of man will be their reward.
Praying
The Christian must also examine himself in the area of prayer. It can be very tempting to pray in front of others to be seen by them. This temptation was something that Jesus confronted when He said, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matt. 6:5). Jesus once again tells us that the person who seeks the praise of man will receive the praise of man as his reward.
These “hypocrites” would find a place where they could draw attention, such as “standing in the synagogue” and “in the corners of the street.” Standing in a synagogue praying demanded attention. Finding a corner where two roads intersected was a place of great activity.
So often, the Christian can do the same thing. He can find a place to perform his “righteous deeds” to be seen by all. He can guide conversations in order to talk about himself and all the good that he has done. The believer must be warned: if he seeks the praise of man in the good that he is doing, he will receive his just reward.
Jesus is not denouncing public prayer, but He does provide a way of escape from the temptation to be praised by man when He guides the Christian to the prayer closet. However, He does not enact a law forbidding public prayer. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul made it clear that public prayer has the ability to edify other believers. Nevertheless, when someone prays to seek the praise of man, his reward will be the praise of man.
Fasting
Fasting is one of those spiritual disciplines that many forgo in their Christian experience. It is important to note that fasting is different from giving and praying. The Bible tells the Christian that he should pray without ceasing and give at least a tenth of his income to the church. This teaching makes it clear that both praying and giving are continuous acts.
Fasting is different. In the Old Testament, fasting was only mandated once a year. Despite this fact, those who genuinely wanted to seek the Lord would fast apart from the mandated time. The believer should seek the Lord on the matter of fasting and determine in his own heart when to fast before the Lord.
In Mathew 6: 16-18, Jesus speaks out against a similar problem that he encountered when discussing giving and praying. Scripture says, “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matt. 6:16). Jesus tells those who fast for the purpose of gaining the praise of man that the praise of man will be their reward.
Does this mean that people should never fast in front of others? Does it mean that others should never know when you are fasting? It may be a good idea to hide the fact that you are fasting in an attempt to guard your heart from temptation and sin. However, it is not wrong in and of itself for people to know that you are fasting. Public fasts were very common in the Bible. The book of Nehemiah could be a good place to see the way in which the people fasted together, and this brought down God’s blessing.
The point is this: When seeking the Lord through spiritual disciplines, it should not be done for the praise of man. Rather, it should be done with a desire to please your heavenly Father.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Your Word. Please help me to guard against the temptation of being praised for my righteous deeds. Sanctify my heart, Lord, I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.