Superficially, it creates highly legalistic religious people with irrepressible pride issues. They are often leaders in ministry who prioritize and celebrate actions irrespective of the motives behind them. They also reward follower-ship, rather than discipleship, and condemn scrutiny in their own lives while assigning themselves as judge and jury over the indiscretions of others.
At a deeper level, the faith plus works doctrine for salvation (not rewards) creates a culture like the one we see today which celebrates celebrities and anyone with clout in the economy because of their perceived philanthropic works to the point of inviting them into sacred pulpits to disseminate their influential ideas. All of course, without assessing whether or not true repentance and an acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has occurred in their lives. After all, their faith in Jesus can come later regardless of their present, private & intentional lack of morality since it is not the prerequisite for service in the kingdom of God...but a mere check mark in the list of many other things they must DO to make heaven anyway.
Every negative trend we see in the world today related to the Church can be traced back to some deviant instruction of scripture. In the past, it came from ignorant exegesis of the proper Word from irresponsibility or insufficient access to information by instructors. Today, however, it is now a deliberate strategy of apostates methodically appealing to human nature, pride, and tickling ears even though God's ways are not our ways.
Our way is to work for what we get so we can claim rights to pride for earning things.
We acquire, retain, maintain, and continually endeavor to be better than others. We hoard what we obtain, and then manipulate, ruminate and even retaliate when necessary to get more as this pleases us.
God's way is to give us freely what we could NEVER have afforded in the first place, require humility and gratitude for our permanent deliverance by Him alone, and to urge us to disseminate the good news of our grand discovery to as many others who would dare to come; so we being many, not exclusive, can enter into the Father's house.
This pleases the Lord.
Salvation is through no one and no-thing, no work, but Christ alone.
Your salvation is purchased by the blood of Jesus. Your reward, or lack thereof thereafter, is what is contingent upon your work.
That coming day at the Bema seat of Christ for believers, (not the great white throne for unbelievers) will prove of what sort our work has been. Some will have great rewards, and some will suffer loss through the fire of proof. (Not the fires of hell) Nevertheless, we shall be saved who have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly defining terms in scripture, rightly dividing the Word based on patient exposition rather than traditional reiteration of preconceived notions will vastly improve our correct understanding of God's Word.
The Bible needs to be comprehended in light of cultural context, original language definitions, speakers & audiences.
That means:
What did they say?
What did it mean when they said it in that specific culture?
Who said it?
And to whom was the speaker speaking?
Those foundational principles for biblical interpretation will help us understand what the Bible is saying as the anchor of truth that it is...rather than what we think it is saying to us based on our own often unbiblical-culture experiences.
Remember, God told us the message was given first to the Jews and then to the gentiles. That fact cannot be divorced from whosoever will come to the Jewish Messiah Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all the earth and savior of the whole world, but He chose to come in the Jewish context and has spoken in no uncertain terms that the people of Israel are His. If you aren't Jewish, and make no attempts to relate to some Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic contexts of the time, chances are your understanding of the scriptures will miss out on certain vital nuances.
And many cultures like my own initial Nigerian upbringing have taken biblical concepts, merged them with traditional culture, and then taught it as doctrine. The same happened with western missionaries who took the scriptures and disseminated them to many African cultures with the enslaving mindsets of their day.
Now though they won some converts, in latter days, we see angry descendants of those converts thinking Christianity is a "white man's religion" because of observed themes once taught not by proper exegesis of scripture, but interpretations to the benefit of that former western mindset.
I will give one example and encourage you to study more on the topic.
When Galatians 4:1-7 speaks of "Adoption as sons" the traditional western mindset of today takes it, considers it a mildly sexist phrase since it only speaks of sons and not daughters, but recognizes some benevolence in its intent since its own concept of adoption is the inviting of a less fortunate and often rejected child or baby into a home to become part of a family. The process of adoption is often quiet though tedious, and the story of it is often even withheld from the child so as not to make them feel less than special since they are not biological children.
In the Greco-Roman understanding, and Jewish mindset of Paul in his day who wrote that scripture however, this theme is vital in understanding salvation by faith, not of works. It is absolutely necessary in understanding eternal security and how it is that Christ has finished the work, and we are joint-heirs with him for all eternity who receive Him as Lord and Savior; especially irrespective of their consequent failures since Christ Jesus has fully paid the price.
Adoption in Paul's day was not just a benevolent philanthropic act towards poor children. On the contrary, it was a highly publicized, financial transaction for the purpose of obtaining grown males to become the heirs and leaders of incredibly wealthy families by exceptionally wealthy fathers. Adopted sons had more value than even biological sons because the purpose for which they were obtained as sons was to inherit; and the father who obtained them had done so at the utmost expense and trouble. The adoption was permanent, and after such high a price was paid for it, in the future, if there were biological children who would dispute the legitimacy of the adopted son's right given by the father to inherit all things, 7 witnesses who were present at the adoption were the defense by which the transaction was sealed after the great price was paid. The adopted son's past was erased and his new identity and future activity would all be as the heir of the father who had adopted him; never again to be reversed...
As I said before, I will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your mind and help you understand the implications of this to you as an adopted child of God and to see all the parallels such as the sevenfold spirit of God, the great price of Christ's death, the permanency of adopted sonship, and the heir-inheriting purpose of the entire transaction.
I suspect that when you do, this understanding will elicit more joy in your heart than before at the great gift you have received in the person of Christ Jesus for all eternity and that nothing can separate you from His love. Not even you.