Crowns are usually a sign of royalty. Queens, Kings, Princes, and Princesses wear them. Little girls love to wear a crown. They feel special when they wear a crown because it associates them with a class of people that are considered royalty. Usually, those mentioned before have absolutely no control over gaining their crown. They gain their crown because they are born into a certain family.
Biblical “crowns” are different. It is true that one must be born into the family of God, but once you have obtained that gift there are things you can do to earn crowns in Heaven. Today we will study the Crown of Life. It’s the only requirement is for your faith to endure to the end. It is the gift of eternal life.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
The very first word of James 1:12 is “blessed.” This means to be “fully satisfied by God, a deep-seated contentment, and feeling of happiness, based on the eternal unchanging circumstances.” James tells us that the person who endureth temptation will be blessed.
Now, if you consider what he is saying, this may not be a crown you would want to refine. You may want to get saved and go on to glory. I mean, to have this kind of happiness you would have to have temptation, or trials, in your life. You’re going to be tested! Yikes!
Well, the truth of the matter is that we are all going to go through trials. We will be tempted. In the commentary by Albert Barnes, he explains the word temptation like this; “It denotes anything that will try or test the reality of our religion; and it may be applied, therefore, either to afflictions or to direct solicitations to sin.”
All throughout the Bible, there are examples of men and women who endured to the end. Anyone who is saved and endures to the end will receive this crown of life. It is eternal life with Jesus in Heaven.
Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
Have you picked up on the keyword here? Endurance is the key to this crown.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Hebrews 3:14 “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;”
From these verses in Hebrews and from many others, we know that unless we persevere we will not attain the crown of life. If we turn back, there is no more sacrifice for our sins. This is not talking about backsliding where we sin and then repent. This is talking about those who have turned back from following and have no desire to pursue Christ. Other verses talk about this same situation, such as I Timothy 1:18-19 where Paul is writing to Timothy and tells him to hold to his faith and not make shipwreck like some have. I Peter 1:5 says we are kept by our faith when we cease to have faith, we are not kept!
No trial or testing is unique to you. Many others have faced the same things and passed. If God brings the test your way, he will take you through. God knows you better than you know yourself and he has divinely measured out your test or trials. So, stop complaining and start depending on God. Praise Him for what he is doing in your life, and for putting enough confidence in your relationship with Him to test you.
I Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Sometimes God may not spare us in this life. We may die as a result of our faith and persevering. Many have, such as the five missionaries to the Auca Indians who lost their lives for the cause of Christ, but great is their reward. They gained more than they lost, and so did those left here. It was because of their love for this tribe of people that their families went back. Now the Auca’s way of life is to live for Christ. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and three others got their reward. That very day they saw Jesus and many crowns will be theirs.
Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
I am committed to finish this race and receive the crown of life. Are you?
