Part X9.1 - The Three Crowns
The Three Crowns The reward of the inheritance deals with receiving the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Php 3:14) which refers to the receiving of an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25). When the Son of Man, the King of kings, comes to this earth, He will be crowned with many diadems (Revelation 19:12) for He will rule over all the earth. In that day, He will have a people who will reign with Him during His millennial Kingdom, and they too must be crowned if they are to come into the Reign of the Heavens and rule with Him. Being crowned means reigning! That day will bring forth the fulfillment of God’s Word, when man no longer will be lower than the angels.
"Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." (Hebrews 2:7-8) In the Scriptures, we are told that crowns are promised to Christians who endure to the end. In his last letter before he was martyred, Paul left his beloved Timothy a faithful statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:11-12 a). Every born-again child of God should know that when Christ died, we died with Him. Our old man was crucified with Him and the life we now live is a life hidden with Christ in God (Romans 6:1-9; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3). But how many Christians realize that once they believe in Jesus they begin a race? This race is an endurance race that must be run either until the end of our Christian life in our earthly tent (body) or until the return of the Lord when He comes for those who have fallen asleep in Christ and for those who are in Christ who are alive and remain.
Until that glorious day, there are many trials that a Christian must face. Each trial is a testing of our faith that will approve us in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ if we hold fast our confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 3:14). We, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). There are many trials and temptations on the way to the Kingdom that is coming, and we must endure to the end if we are to enter it in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ and reign with Christ during His millennial reign. We are exhorted to continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast (Colossians 1:23). In the New Testament, the Greek word for crown is stephanos. To the Greeks, a stephanos was a mark of royal or exalted rank. It also was the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games. Today, at the International Olympics, the winners are given gold, silver and bronze medals. However, in the ancient Greek Olympics, the winners were rewarded with wreaths or garlands. So we have two basic meanings, one associated with royalty and the other with victory in a competition. The Bible presents the crowns in the same way. A crown to a Christian means royalty, ruling with Christ in His Kingdom. It also means victory, being approved or commended for faithfully running and finishing the race of the faith. Another way of stating this thought is that if the Christian runs the race of the faith, completing the course according to the rules, then that person not only will be crowned as a victor in the race but also will be given royal honor as one who will reign with Christ. Thus, the crown is the result of a righteous and holy life lived while in the body and it represents a new vocation for the Christian in the coming age. After all, when He returns, the Lord Jesus has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16{ea}). Who are these kings and lords? They are the ones who are found worthy to rule and reign with Christ. They are the ones wearing the crowns.
There are three crowns presented in the Scriptures. Some people say there are five; however upon closer examination, it would appear that three is the correct number. After all, three represents completion. All things that are complete are stamped with this number three. In fact, three represents divine perfection. For example, the Godhead is three-Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God’s attributes are three-omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. God is light, life and love. Three times the Seraphim cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy." The temple of God has an outer court, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Christ rose from the dead on the third day. Israel will be revived on the third day. Man is spirit, soul and body. Time is past, present and future. This is a small sampling of the many "threes" found in the Scriptures.
We are not told whether the crowns are literally physical crowns. We do know that the Lord’s twenty-four elders, who are most likely ruling angels, will cast their crowns before the throne, declaring the worthiness of the Lord (Revelation 4:10-11). These angels will give up their right to rule over this earth as the sons of God who will reign with Christ are revealed.
What is more important is what the crowns represent. Three crowns represent divine perfection in the life of a Christian. As we will see, all three crowns are intended for every son of God. Each crown is significant in what it represents; for without what they stand for, no man can stand before God. We need all three crowns for the coming Kingdom life. To appear in God’s presence, we must have a new life, the God-breathed life of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit); we must have a new character, the righteousness of Christ (the Son); and we must have a new body with an entirely different nature to live in the heavenly realm, the glory of God (the Father). Notice that each crown is represented by each Person of the Godhead. Also, each crown represents Christ Himself. He is the Life. He is our Righteousness. He is our hope of glory, for we shall be as He is, the Man in glory.
Furthermore, the three crowns represent the fulfillment of God’s purpose in creating man in the first place: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule (Genesis 1:26). The crowns represent the very image and likeness of God, and they represent man being brought back to God’s intended purpose-to rule. Being made in God’s image and likeness speaks of God’s life, God’s righteousness and God’s glory. With these three crowns, man once again will be able to live in the very presence of God and rule with Him. Hallelujah! How can we not get excited when we consider what our Lord Jesus has done for us? He alone has redeemed us back to the purpose for which we were created. Man was made to be in the likeness of God and to rule with God. The three crowns speak mightily of this marvelous act of grace. Man is to be crowned with glory and honor as Jesus Christ the Man is now crowned with glory and honor.
"What is man, that Thou rememberest him?" (Hebrews 2:6). Man is to be in the image and likeness of God and to be crowned like our Lord. This is why God has remembered man. Paul brings this fact into sharp focus in his letter to the Romans. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined {to become} conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
Every believer who will be placed (adopted) as a son of God must have the three crowns to reign with Christ. They are the three pillars of the age to come in the heavenly places. What man can live in the heavenly realm unless he is an entirely new creation; the new man created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24)? The old man can have nothing to do with the heavenly realm. What man can stand before a righteous and holy God without a perfect righteousness? What man can stand in the presence of the God of glory? What human body can withstand the weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17)? We must be like our Lord to take on the eternal weight of glory. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
There is another reason for there being only three crowns, and that is discovered in the way the crowns are presented in the Greek language. Each crown is in the articulate, that is, it is preceded by the word the. Not only this, but also two of the three crowns are double articulate. There is the crown of the life and the crown of the righteousness. No other crowns are described in this fashion. The other articulate crown is the crown of unfading glory. In each case, however, the use of the word the makes the crown something special, unique, just like the faith is a unique aspect of faith.
TheCrown OfTheLife The letter by James begins with an exhortation to count it as all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. We are called to let patience have its perfect work, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4). The entire Bible is a story of the trials of the Lord’s people. We are never promised a life of glory on this earth, but we are promised a life of trial and temptation (John 16:33) which leads to a glory to come (Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:16-21). Our reward is not in this day but in the day to come when our Lord comes with His reward. Until that day, we are called to endure the trials and temptations, to overcome them. Overcoming is the theme of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22. Seven times, to each of the churches, Jesus, standing as the Judge of His people, said (and continues to say), "To him who overcomes." If we overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, we will be approved in the Day of our Lord Jesus.
Both our Lord Jesus and James speak to us of the crown of the life in reference to overcoming.
First, James wrote of being approved and receiving the crown of the life.
Happy the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him. (James 1:12YLT {ea})
We are exhorted to endure the temptations. This will approve us when the Lord stands as our Judge. But notice that there is a promise connected with this crown-to those loving Him. If we love Him, we will willingly do what He calls us to do. Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him" (John 14:23). When we love a person, we will do anything for that person. Likewise with the Lord-if we love Him, we will endure for Him. We will trust His life in us to lead us through every trial and temptation. We will hold fast to Him and not trust in ourselves. By grace, we will overcome through His life under the leading of the Holy Spirit. This love for the Lord will lead us to not love our life even unto death, if necessary. To the church in Smyrna, which was under intense persecution, the Lord said, Become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life (Revelation 2:10YLT {ea}).
If we do not love our life and willingly lay it down for the Lord daily, even if it means physical death due to persecution for His name, then life awaits us. During the coming Great Tribulation, there will be many martyrs for the Lord. The crown of the life will be rewarded to them. Why? Because they will overcome the devil! They will be faithful unto death.
"And they did overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life-unto death." (Revelation 12:11YLT {ea})
Today, our trials can take on many forms. In some parts of the world, many of our brethren are suffering persecution and facing imprisonment and possible death for the testimony of the Lord. May they take the grace of the Lord to endure. However, not all trials lead to physical death. In fact, for most Christians living in the Western world and in many other countries throughout the world, there is little outward persecution today. Maybe this day will come. If it does, who will be willing to endure to receive the crown of the life? In the absence of such persecution, there are many other trials that we are called to endure. Living in a rich country with many distractions and temptations of the world can be a severe trial which leads some Christians to not overcome and even to fall away from the faith (2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Timothy 4:10; James 5:1-6; 2 Peter 2:18-22). Rather than trusting God, they begin to trust in their riches. As the Psalmist wrote, "If riches increase, do not set your heart on them" (Psalms 62:10 b). Being poor can be a trial if the person allows it to be. But consider the wonderful encouragement James gives to the poor: Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (James 2:5). The poor of the world are chosen to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. Why? Because they love God! They walk by faith, trusting in their beloved Lord; and through this walk, they come to know Him intimately. They fall in love with Him and He keeps them. "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20). The heart of one who is seeking the crown of the life is one who is faithful to the end, loving the Lord.
TheCrown OfTheRighteousness
It is Paul who presents to us the crown of the righteousness. There is no one more qualified to write of this crown. Before meeting the Lord of Glory on the road to Damascus, Paul was "the cream of the crop" when it came to Judaism and the Law. There was no one amongst the Pharisees that had better credentials than Paul. He was a zealous Jew who was working out his righteousness under the Law. He was blameless in this regard. But when Christ broke into his life, he saw that his righteousness was rubbish. There was only one righteousness that mattered and it was through faith in Christ (Php 3:3-9).
Paul’s life was never the same after he met Christ as he, a zealous Hebrew of Hebrews, was going to persecute Christians. He entered a race that he called the race of the faith. He saw himself in a competition, competing for the wreath or crown just like in the Greek games. He saw himself as a soldier fighting and as an athlete competing (2 Timothy 2:3-5). As a soldier, he could not entangle himself with the affairs of this life. As an athlete, there were rules to the competition and he had to compete according to the rules. An athlete is not crowned unless he finishes the race according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5). When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was not sure whether he would be crowned. Not that I have already obtained {it} or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of {it} yet; but one thing {I do}; forgetting what {lies} behind and reaching forward to what {lies} ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Php 3:12-14)
What was set before Paul? For what was he striving to lay hold? What was he stretching every muscle of his body to reach? For what was he pressing on? At the end of his life as he was chained in a dark, ugly dungeon in Rome, Paul wrote to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. Paul declared that he knew that he had finished the course. He had fought the good fight. He had not entangled himself in the affairs of the world. He had competed according to the rules. The Lord must have revealed to Paul that he had won the crown of the righteousness. The good strife I have striven, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept, henceforth there is laid up for methe crown of the righteousness that the Lord-the Righteous Judge-shall give to me in that day, and not only to me, but also to all those loving His manifestation. (2 Timothy 4:7-8YLT {ea})
It was not his righteousness but the righteousness of the One that he loved, the Righteous Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul walked in Christ. It was not Paul’s life but the life of Christ in him that lived.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness {comes} through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." (Galatians 2:20-21)
It was all by grace. Paul knew the source, not only of his righteousness but also of any good works or righteous acts that came forth from his life. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) Paul walked in Christ and walked in the good works. He was God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. At the end of his life, the desire of Paul’s heart was fulfilled: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Php 1:21). His trials were over. He was about to gain Christ in death. Hallelujah! How can we read of Paul’s life and not rejoice with him?
He has left us the example. Maybe we are not called to suffer as Paul suffered, but we can love the Lord as Paul loved Him. This is the key to the crown of the righteousness. It is loving His appearing. If we love the Lord, we will be looking for Him to return. How can we remain separated from the love of our life? Pray for His appearing, watch for His appearing, even endure for His appearing; and you will be crowned in that day. It is love that watches and endures to the end unto His appearing.
TheCrown Of Unfading Glory At the manifestation of the chief Shepherd, ye shall receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:4YLT {ea})
Peter the apostle is the one who wrote of the crown of unfading glory. Near the end of his first epistle, he encouraged the elders amongst the brethren. He wrote that he was a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Like Paul who had assurance of the crown of the righteousness, Peter also knew that the crown of glory awaited him (1 Peter 5:1). Peter exhorted the elders to be faithful in shepherding, for if they were, they would receive the crown of glory. Peter knew that faithfully serving Christ in the Body of Christ would require suffering.
Now, many people write that this is the crown reserved for church leaders. However, this is not what the Word of God reveals to us. In fact, man was created to be crowned with glory. We are told this in the Old Testament and then it is repeated in the New Testament. Contextually, both passages deal with the purpose for man’s creation.
Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalms 8:5)
Thou didst make him some little less than messengers, with glory and honour Thou didst crown him, and did set him over the works of Thy hands. (Hebrews 2:7YLT)
Man was created a little lower than the angels; but as the book of Hebrews reminds us, in the age to come, the world will not be subject to angels but to man, man who will be crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:5). How do we know? Because today we see Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor; and because of Jesus’ sufferings, God will bring many sons unto glory (Hebrews 2:9-10). Jesus will have many companions in His Kingdom. "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me" (Hebrews 2:13 b NKJ).
Given these passages, we cannot state that the crown of glory is reserved for a special class of people in the Body of Christ. We also know this from understanding the context of Peter’s first letter. He wrote to the pilgrims of the Dispersion or the saints who resided as aliens and were scattered in Asia and the surrounding area. Peter was the apostle of hope, and like Paul, he wrote of the sufferings that Christians must endure in order to enter into glory. He wrote of the prophets who testified of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow (1 Peter 1:11). He wrote of the sufferings that Christians would have if they lived the righteous life.
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)
Peter understood something about suffering. He had suffered in his soul when he denied the Lord three times. His suffering in that day was due to his unrighteousness. But in his latter days of following his beloved Master, Peter knew a different type of suffering that would ultimately lead him to be crucified for the testimony of Jesus.
He failed his Lord once, but Peter learned his lesson and could exhort the brethren to walk in the steps of their Lord. For you have been called for the purpose of suffering, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. Suffering with patient endurance is commendable before God (1 Peter 2:20-21). We are called to walk in the steps of our Lord, and this will lead to suffering.
Paul wrote to the Romans that we will be fellow heirs with Christ in His Kingdom, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17). At the end of his life, Paul wrote that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).
Both Peter and Paul could speak from personal experience. Their exhortation to us today is that suffering leads to glory. There is no other way according to the Word of God. Christ suffered death and was crowned with glory and honor. His way into glory is our way into glory, and this way is set before every born-again child of God who will be placed as a son in the Kingdom of the Son.
Let us rejoice in the hope of glory. Let us be willing to suffer that we might enter into the Kingdom and Glory. This is the call to every Christian. Are you willing? There is the crown of unfading glory awaiting all that are willing.
Paul Went For The Gold To add further to our understanding of the crowns, it is instructive to look at one man’s life. Of all the saints that are recorded in the Bible, there is one man who stands out amongst them all-Paul, the beloved apostle. There are very few men that we can look at today and say, "Follow that man." But we can look in the Word of God and find one man, apart from our Lord Jesus, of whom we could say, "Follow his example (not the man) for he was a living example of the Christ-life." In his letter to the Philippians, we discover that Paul had all three crowns in view although he did not mention them. Using an expression of today, we could say that Paul was "going for the gold."
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Php 3:8-11)
Paul gave up everything, even the things that once had been of great value to a Hebrew of Hebrews. He counted all that he strove to attain for himself as rubbish in order to gain Christ. As a zealous Jew, he held his own righteousness in high esteem. It was a righteousness that came from the Law. But in the day that Christ broke into his life, he saw that his righteousness was but filthy rags and that there is no righteousness in any man, no matter how good he might appear to be, no matter how religious he is. Paul saw that his righteousness could only come through faith in Christ. True righteousness that is honored by God comes from God, and it is on the basis of faith in Christ, who is our righteousness. Paul saw that this righteousness came from gaining Christ, being found in Him and knowing Him. Paul was seeking after the crown of the righteousness that comes from faith in Christ. It was not Paul’s righteousness; it was Christ’s. To the Galatians, Paul wrote: For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness (Galatians 5:5). What was Paul’s hope? It was to be crowned with the crown of the righteousness. As we have already seen, at the end of Paul’s life, he had the assurance that he had won the crown of the righteousness. He had fought the good fight of the faith. Oh, that each of us would have this assurance in that day.
However, Paul did not stop at one crown. He was pursuing with his whole life the crown of the life. He sought to know Christ more intimately and the power of His resurrection. What is the power of His resurrection? The Lord Jesus declared: "I AM the resurrection and the life!" (John 11:25). The One who died and rose again is the life. He came that we might have life and might have it abundantly (John 10:10). There is no life apart from Him. As John wrote: The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5:11-12).
Paul knew that in Christ was the power of His resurrection. Whether Paul lived or died, the life that was in him was a life that overcomes in this life and one that cannot be held in the grave. It was the life of the One who rose from the grave. Paul had to have more of this life. He wanted all of Christ, that he would be filled with Christ. Even as Paul journeyed through many lands and suffered through many trials, even facing the threat of death every place he traveled, he knew that this resurrection life in him was keeping him. At the end of his life, Paul wrote Timothy: What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! (2 Timothy 3:11).
Peter wrote of the very same thing that Paul lived-a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to {obtain} an inheritance {which is} imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) The crowns that Paul pursued were imperishable and undefiled. He knew they were reserved for him in heaven. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Corinthians 9:25). Had Paul successfully competed in the race? Had Paul endured through the temptations? Was he approved at the end of his life? Did he love the Lord and love His appearing? Was he not poor, yet rich in faith? Did Paul lay down his life? Of course, the answer to these questions is yes. Paul finished the course. Paul had endured. He was approved at the end of his life. He loved the Lord with his whole heart and did not love his life even unto death, even death as a martyr. He was a man full of faith in a Lord who would safely deliver him into His Kingdom and Glory. We can rejoice that this dear brother who poured out his life for the church in his day, and even for us, completed the race and will receive the crown of the life. He has set the example for us to follow. Who is willing to follow in his steps, which were actually the steps of our beloved Lord Jesus? The crown of the life awaits all those who are willing.
Finally, Paul not only desired to know Him and the power of His resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Paul had a mind to suffer for Christ: "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). He desired to enter the fellowship of His sufferings. Paul could not go on the cross as the Lord did for the sin of the world, but he could suffer for the church that she would grow up to the full measure of Christ. Christ died for the Church, and Paul was willing to be conformed to Christ’s death for the sake of the Lord’s people and the gospel that Paul was given to take to the Gentiles.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. (Colossians 1:24)
Apart from {such} external things, there is the daily pressure upon me {of} concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:28)
What a heart of love in this brother who entered the fellowship of His sufferings! He willingly suffered that others might live in the victory of Christ.
After he was stoned [probably to death (Acts 14:19-20)] and revived, Paul declared that through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom. It is in the Kingdom Age that we come into glory.
Paul not only exulted in the hope of glory, but he also exulted in his tribulations, which would lead to a hope that does not disappoint.
Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5) Paul reminds us that glory is set before every child of God, if indeed we suffer with Christ. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with {Him} in order that we may also be glorified with {Him.} (Romans 8:16-17) This was the heart of the beloved Paul. He had a mind and a heart to suffer. It was his hope of glory. Paul was striving for the crown of unfading glory.
It is possible, based on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, that our glory will be given in degrees based on how much suffering we have endured.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable {body}, it is raised an imperishable {body}. (1 Corinthians 15:41-42) The destiny of the Lord’s people during the Kingdom Age is the heavenly realm. We are to rule from the heavenly places as the stars. In fact, the Bible refers to those who are ruling in the heavenly places as stars (Revelation 12:4; Revelation 12:9). But each star differs in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. May we be willing to suffer in this day that we will shine brightly in glory in the day that is coming. Is there any doubt that Paul will be one of the brightest stars in the Kingdom? Is there any doubt that Paul will receive all three crowns in that day? Paul was going for the gold, and in that day, he will receive the prize. To Paul, the crowns will be the very crowning of Christ in his life. May we be like Paul and seek after the gold which is nothing more than seeking to gain Christ, to know Christ and to be found in Christ in that day. He is our life, our righteousness and our glory. The prize we seek after is Christ Himself. The crowns will be the crowning of Christ in our life.
Love Will Crown Us In That Day
Finally, there is one thing that unites all the crowns, and that is love. The crown of the life is for those who love the Lord; the crown of the righteousness is for those who love His appearing; and the crown of unfading glory, although it has no direct reference to love, can only be sought by one who loves the Lord. It is love for the Lord Jesus that will lead a person to suffer in this day. Why? Because love suffers long, bears all things and endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 Corinthians 13:7). In the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ when we all will appear before Him at His judgment seat, it will be love that will raise us up and crown us. John, the apostle whom the Lord loved, wrote: By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love (Him-NKJ), because He first loved us (1 John 4:17-19).
Jesus loved us first. It is His love that has saved us and it is His love that will keep us. Love always starts with God. We are called today to let God love us and for us to love Him. There is no fear when two people are in love. Love is our assurance in the Day of Christ. Do you love Jesus? Do you love His appearing? Is your heart burning to see Him face to face, to be with Him, to be wed to Him for the next age and forever in the eternal ages? Oh, what bliss!
Let us love Him and obey Him. Let love be perfected in us that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment. Let us be longing for and eagerly awaiting His coming. Let us return to first love. Let us return to Jesus, our one true love!
Love will crown us in the glorious Day of our Lord.