What does Matthew 16:27 mean?

Jesus has posed a stark choice: A person can either take up the cross of self-denial and follow Jesus or live selfishly for his or her own gain. In the form of two questions, Jesus has insisted that those who live for themselves may gain the whole world but still lose their souls (John 3:36; 14:6).

Now Jesus explains why. No matter what a person gains for themselves in earthly life, the judgment of God will still come in the end (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus declares that He, the Son of Man, will come with His angels in the glory of His Father. He is describing what is sometimes called in the Bible the "Day of the Lord."

When that day comes, Christ will repay each person according to what he or she has done. The clear implication is that those who have lived for themselves alone will be repaid with judgment. Those who have taken up the cross of self-denial to follow Jesus will receive a reward.

The difference between one result and the other is not sinless perfection (1 John 1:9–10). Eternal life and eternal death are only separated by the choice whether to follow Jesus and identify with Him in His death (John 3:16–18). This basic concept is central to what we often call the gospel, or the "good news." Those who trust Jesus in this way, refusing their own agenda and trusting in His work as the Messiah, in His death and resurrection as the way to salvation, will be rewarded.