the five crowns

8/10/2019 The Five Crowns

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The Five Crowns--Rewards for the Faithful

Lyn Mize

The doctrine of rewardsat the Judgment Seat of Christ is sadly a neglected topic in our pulpits

today, but it is one of the most important for the Christian. This doctrine pertains to the future

inheritance of the Christian, and it is a central theme of the Bible. et, the great ma!ority ofchurches rarely preach or teach on this doctrine. "t is incorrectly assumed that all Christians will

be co#heirs with Christ in his coming $ingdom and all crowns and rewards are automatic. %hile

it is true that all Christians will ha&e 'od as their inheritance, there is an inheritance from the

Lord that is not automatic.

There are se&eral aspects of the doctrine of rewards such as the prize for the o&ercomers,

treasures in hea&en, praise and honor from Christ, co#reigning with Christ, participation in thewedding ban(uet, and a special class of resurrection. )ll of these aspects seem to be directly

lin$ed to the fi&e crowns that are to be awarded to the faithful o&ercomers at the Judgment Seat

of Christ. They are earned rewards.

*nly those Christians who ha&e earned all fi&e crowns will (ualify for +the prize that -aul

tal$ed about -hil /0123. The prize is the +full reward, and those belie&ers who obtain it will be

selected as the Bride of Christ. This is the highest le&el of the three le&els of ser&ice in the$ingdom. ) chart is gi&en at the end of this article to help the reader understand the importance

of faithful ser&ice to the Lord Jesus Christ in the current age.

There will be many positions of ser&ice in the $ingdom of 'od the Son, and the ran$ of each

Christian who (ualifies to enter the $ingdom will be determined by faithfulness while on earth.

Contrary to popular opinion, the phrase +enter the $ingdom does not refer to a person4s spiritsal&ation in the e&angelical sense i.e., the $ingdom of 'od the 5oly Spirit3. The phrase literally

means to enter into the $ing4s dominion, and it refers to Christians who (ualify to reign and rule

with Jesus Christ in his millennial $ingdom i.e., the $ingdom of 'od the Son3. This pri&ilege is

directly related to the doctrine of rewards which depends upon the manner in which the Christianli&es his life during the current age. )s e6plained earlier this is the sal&ation of a person4s soul.

The current age is a time when 'od is ta$ing a people out of the 'entiles +for his name )cts170123 so they can be tested for the purpose of filling positions in the $ingdom of 'od the Son.

There will apparently be three le&els of ser&ice in the $ingdom, and these le&els of ser&ice

appear to be lin$ed to the fi&e crowns. Clearly those who enter the $ingdom will ha&e won

+stephanos crowns at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but it is not absolutely clear about the ran$sof the crowns. 5owe&er, some delineation of ran$ing order is suggested as the crowns appear to

be related to the three le&els of ser&ice in the $ingdom.

The chart at the end of this article may be helpful in understanding the crowns as they are related

to the ran$s in the $ingdom.

The Crown of Life


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The first and basic crown that is re(uired for entrance into the $ingdom of 'od the Son is the

+crown of life. "t must be remembered that the crowns are earned rewards and do not pertain tothe new birth e6perience which is entrance into the $ingdom of 'od the 5oly Spirit. Sal&ation of

a person4s spirit through faith in Jesus Christ can ne&er be lost. Crowns can be lost and the

Scriptures attest to this fact. The crown of life is referred to in the following Scriptures0

James 1:12 (KJV) 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.

ev 2:1! (KJV) "ear none of those thin#s which thou shalt suffer: $ehold, the devil shall cast

some of %ou into prison, that %e ma% $e tried& and %e shall have tri$ulation ten da%s: $e thou

faithful unto death, and ' will #ive thee a crown of life.

ev :11 (KJV) Behold, ' come uic*l%: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man ta*e th%

crown.

The crown of lifewill be awarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ to those Christians who are

+faithful, +lo&e him, and +hold fast. These are Christians who lose their li&es to Christ thatthey might gain them in eternity. This is the sal&ation of the soul.

Lu*e +:22- (KJV) nd he said to them all, 'f an% man will come after me, let him den%

himself, and ta*e up his cross dail%, and follow me. 2- "or whosoever will save his life shalllose it: $ut whosoever will lose his life for m% sa*e, the same shall save it.

The crown of life will be awarded to those Christians who ha&e their souls sa&ed at the JudgmentSeat of Christ. "t is a sal&ation based on wor$s. This is &ery different from the sal&ation of the

spirit which is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, without any wor$s of any $ind3. The

sal&ation of the soul, represented by recei&ing the crown of life, is a reward to those Christianswho see$ the Lord and o&ercome the flesh through confession of sin and filling of the 5oly

Spirit. 1 John 1083

ev :/ (KJV) 0e that overcometh, the same shall $e clothed in white raiment& and ' will not

$lot out his name out of the $oo* of life, $ut ' will confess his name $efore m% "ather, and $efore

his an#els.

The Boo$ of Lifeis greatly misunderstood by the ma!ority of preachers and teachers. The boo$

of life is the basis for rewards in hea&en, not entrance into hea&en. 9&ery belie&er4s name was

written in the boo$ of life +from the foundation of the world :e& 1;0


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other four crowns. Jesus personally described how this crown is earned in the following

Scriptures0

at 1!:+ (KJV) 0e that findeth his life (i.e., soul) shall lose it: and he that loseth his life (i.e.,

soul) for m% sa*e shall find it.

at 1:23 (KJV) "or the 4on of man shall come in the #lor% of his "ather with his an#els& and

then he shall reward ever% man accordin# to his wor*s.

=erse >; abo&e clearly establishes that the sal&ation of the soul is a result of wor$s, and it is

directly related to the crown of life. Thus, the loss of the crown of life is the loss of the soul and

the loss of reward and not the loss of the sal&ation of the spirit which is a free gift from 'od. "f

man must maintain good wor$s in order to $eep this sal&ation, then it would not be a free gift norwould it be by grace. Sal&ation is by grace, but rewards are according to wor$s.

?umerous Christians will be in hea&en whose names were blotted out of the boo$ of life. These

are the Christians who lost all of their reward by li&ing a life controlled by the soulical or fleshnature. Their li&es will ha&e been a waste, but their spirits will be sa&ed. There are many

e6amples of this in the Bible.

Saul is a primary type of the Christian who loses his life and his crown by disobedience. *ther

*ld Testament types who lost their inheritance by disobedience are :euben who lost his doubleportion because of sin, 9sau who sold his birthright for a meal of red stew, and Lot who lost his

reward because he lo&ed the things of the world. )ll of these men were sa&ed spiritually, but

they lost their rewards in the coming messianic $ingdom.

9&ery Christian who wins the crown of life is an o&ercomer and will reign and rule with Jesus

Christ in the millennial $ingdom. Those Christians winning only this crown will be ruling from

the third le&el in the $ingdom, and they will reign o&er the cities of the earth.

The parable of the pounds in Lu$e 18011#>; is a picture of the +good ser&ant who has been

faithful +in a &ery little. 5e will reign o&er the cities of the earth. This ser&ant is in contrast tothe +good and faithful ser&ant who will be made +ruler o&er many things in the parable of the

talents in Matthew >7012#>70/@. The +good and faithful ser&ant will be reigning from the

second le&el in the $ingdom. The incorruptible crown and the crown of righteousness appear to

be lin$ed to the +good and faithful ser&ant. The reader may want to refer to the chart at thispoint in order to grasp the subtle differences in the degrees of faithfulness and the degrees of

responsibility in the millennial $ingdom.

The Incorruptible Crown

1 5or +:2-23 (KJV) Know %e not that the% which run in a race run all, $ut one receiveth the

pri6e7 4o run, that %e ma% o$tain. 2/ nd ever% man that striveth for the master% is temperate in

all thin#s. 8ow the% do it to o$tain a corrupti$le crown& $ut we an incorrupti$le. 2 ' therefore

so run, not as uncertainl%& so fi#ht ', not as one that $eateth the air: 23 But ' *eep under m%$od%, and $rin# it into su$9ection: lest that $% an% means, when ' have preached to others, '

m%self should $e a castawa%.


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The incorruptible crown is awarded on the basis of winning a spiritual race that is mar$ed out by

'od for each belie&er. "t is a daily race of +putting off the sins of the flesh which then allows thebelie&er to +put on the fruits of the spirit Col /3. This re(uires self#discipline of the body which

is used by the 5oly Spirit to manifest the life of Christ. This life is dependent on the filling of the

5oly Spirit through confession of sin and a sensiti&ity to the leading of the Lord.

There is a difference in being +in Christ and ha&ing +Christ in us. )ll Christians are in Christ,

but Christians winning this Crown ha&e Christ in them. The winner of this crown has beensuccessful in denying the fleshly desires and appetites of the body. 5e has been successful in

+crucifying the flesh 'al 70>>#>23.

This crown is tied in with the +good and faithful ser&ant who will be +ruler o&er much Matt.>70>13. )ccording to the following Scripture, it is also apparently a prere(uisite for winning the

crown of righteousness0

Crown of Righteousness

2 im -:3; (KJV) ' have fou#ht a #ood fi#ht, ' have finished m% course, ' have *ept the faith: ;

0enceforth there is laid up for me a crown of ri#hteousness, which the Lord, the ri#hteous 9ud#e,

shall #ive me at that da%: and not to me onl%, $ut unto all them also that love his appearin#.

"n order to summarize and place these crowns in perspecti&e up to this point, it is important to

understand that the crown of life pertains to the soul while the incorruptible crown is connected

to the body. Thus, the belie&er who fights a good fight and finishes the course i.e., he o&ercomessin that affects body, soul, and spirit3 will ha&e won the crown of life and the incorruptible

crown. "t is now possible to win the crown of righteousness which is a higher award in the

second le&el of the $ingdom. "n order to win this crown, the belie&er must not only +fight a goodfight and +finish his course, but he must also +$eep the faith.

The $eeping or guarding of the faith is re(uired for winning the Crown of :ighteousness. This isnot the common faith connected to sal&ation in the e&angelical sense but the faith that spea$s of

Christ4s coming $ingdom and produces good wor$s through those who hope in 5im. This is why

&erse < abo&e says this crown will go to those Christians who +lo&e his appearing. Thus, those

Christians who are alert to and an6iously loo$ing for the return of Jesus are the ones who are$eeping the faith. These are Christians who are daily occupied with Jesus Christ through his

%ord and anticipate his return.

Many Christians perform +good wor$s, but they do them in the power of the flesh. To the

obser&er who sees only the +outward appearance, these wor$s do not appear any different thangood wor$s in the power of the 5oly Spirit. 9&en the Christians performing these wor$s do not

realize that they are merely wood, hay, and stubble. These wor$s will perish in the fire at the

Judgment Seat of Christ. 9&en -eter resorted to the arm of flesh when he cut off the soldier4s ear

in the 'arden of 'ethsemene.

The primary test for determining the (uality of these wor$s is the moti&e behind the wor$s, for

'od +loo$eth on the heart. Many wor$s are performed by Christians for the purpose of e6alting


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and glorifying self. They are performed in order to recei&e praise and honor from men and not

from 'od. The parable in Lu$e 1801>#>; pictures the outcome of a ser&ant who performs wor$s

in the power of his own flesh. This ser&ant $ept his pound laid up in a nap$in i.e., sweat cloth3.This ser&ant is called wic$edAnot slothfulAand he loses all reward the same as the ser&ant who

hid his talent in the ground Mat. >7012#/@3. The ser&ant who hid his talent in the ground was

called wic$ed and slothful i.e., he did not e&en wor$ in the power of the flesh3.

Many Christians who wor$ hard in the Church and occupy positions of leadership are going to be

surprised when they appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ and learn that they were hiding theirpounds in the sweat cloths of self#effort.

Christians often get caught up in wor$s that are to be seen by men rather than 'od. Some times it

is e&en hard for Christians to $now their own true moti&es. That is why a&id prayed for 'od tosearch his heart and show him any e&il ways. Many Christians find it hard to say +no when

as$ed to help. They are afraid of what people thin$. They get caught up in pleasing a pastor or

friends rather than 'od. %e are told to fear 'od and not men. "t should be remembered that

'od4s yo$e is light and not hea&y. "f one4s yo$e feels hea&y or burdensome, then it may be theyo$e of man rather than 'od.

Many of these hard wor$ing belie&ers are Laodicean Christians who do not realize that they are

+wretched, miserable, poor, blind and na$ed :e&. /01;3. They are too busy to study their

Bibles. The common thread for these Christians is a lac$ of $nowledge about the deeper things inScripture. They relate e&erything to basic e&angelical sal&ation and thin$ all rewards are

automatic. They lac$ understanding of the deeper truths of 'od4s %ord pertaining to the

sal&ation of the soul and the doctrine of rewards.

The Crown of Rejoicing

The Crown of :e!oicing and the Crown of 'lory are the two highest crowns awarded toChristians for their faithfulness in see$ing the ingdom of 5ea&en. "t is commonly thought that

see$ing the ingdom of 5ea&en is see$ing to be born again, but this is incorrect. *nly belie&ers

are able to see$ the ingdom of 5ea&en, and it should be the ambition of e&ery Christian.

The Crown of :e!oicing will be awarded on the basis of soul winning and not spirit winning as

is commonly thought among Christians. 9&angelism i.e., witnessing to the unsa&ed3 is a &ery

important wor$, and there will be rewards for those Christians who e&angelize with the correctmoti&es. Dnfortunately, much witnessing about Jesus is done out of guilt, coercion by pastors,

self#e6altation, and &arious other reasons, but the true moti&e should be lo&e for the Lord Jesus

Christ and a desire to please our Lord and Sa&ior by being obedient to the leading of the 5olySpirit. ) strong desire to obey the prompting of the 5oly Spirit will gi&e the belie&er boldness in

witnessing.

The true soul winner is the Christian who wins sa&ed people to a life of obedience by teaching

them the deeper truths i.e., epi#nosis3 of Scripture. Soul winning in&ol&es teaching and

moti&ating Christians to be o&ercomers. Spirit winning sa&es man from the penalty of sin, but

soul winning sa&es man from the power of sin.


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Spirit winning gets the belie&er into hea&en, but soul winning gets the belie&er into the $ingdom

of hea&en. Spirit winning in&ol&es a sal&ation that can not be lost, but soul winning in&ol&es asal&ation that can only be attained by perse&ering in good wor$s until the end. Spirit winning

in&ol&es a gift that is without cost, but soul winning in&ol&es a prize that is wor$ed for, and it is

&ery costly. The rewards, howe&er, are &ery great and far surpass the costs in&ol&ed.

The highest or first le&el of rule in the $ingdom belongs to the Bride of Christ, and this le&el will

be composed of Christians who ha&e won the soul winning crown which is called the Crown of:e!oicing. This crown is described in the following Scripture0

1 h 2:1+ (KJV) "or what is our hope, or 9o%, or crown of re9oicin#7 re not even %e in the

presence of our Lord Jesus 5hrist at his comin#7

The Thessalonians were &ery faithful ChristiansAunli$e the CorinthiansAand -aul had high

hopes of them entering the ingdom of 'od the Son. The following Scripture is only one that

confirms this to be true0

2 h 1:/ (KJV)


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Crown of Glory

1 >et /:1- (KJV) he elders which are amon# %ou ' e@hort, who am also an elder, and awitness of the sufferin#s of 5hrist, and also a parta*er of the #lor% that shall $e revealed: 2 "eed

the floc* of =od which is amon# %ou, ta*in# the oversi#ht thereof, not $% constraint, $ut

willin#l%& not for filth% lucre, $ut of a read% mind& 8either as $ein# lords over =odAs herita#e,$ut $ein# ensamples to the floc*. - nd when the chief 4hepherd shall appear, %e shall receive a

crown of #lor% that fadeth not awa%.

The second crown in the highest le&el of rule is the Crown of 'lory, and it is possibly the highest

ran$ing crown of all. This crown will go to those faithful under shepherds o&er a floc$. The

elders are those who are spiritually mature in the Church. "t is thought that they represent pastors

and teachers who are responsible for feeding the floc$, but it is any Christian who has matured inthe faith and who e6ercises his spiritual gift in ser&ing the body of Christ. These are the

Christians whom 'od has placed in charge o&er the other ser&ants according to Matthew >20>7.

)ll Christians are responsible for feeding and edifying the body of Christ by utilizing theirspiritual gifts. Those Christians who e6ercise their gifts will be assigned positions of

responsibility in feeding other Christians at the appropriate time. "n addition, it seemsinconsistent that 'od would offer a crown to only those Christians who ha&e the gifts of

prophecy and teaching or to ordained pastors of local churches. Certainly all pastors should win

this crown, but this seems doubtful in the current Laodicean Church )ge.

"t seems certain that only a small percentage of those in the Church will (ualify to win this

crown. "ndeed, most of those in the Church are spiritual babes in Christ and ne&er e&en gi&e it a

thought that they will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ to gi&e anaccounting of their li&es. ?umerous Christians will ha&e their names blotted out of the boo$ of

life because they will not be accounted worthy of the ingdom of 'od the Son. There are

numerous Scriptures that warn of this possibility, but pastors and teachers relegate thesewarnings to the unsa&ed i.e., reprobates3. "t is necessary to grossly twist the plain teaching of

the Scriptures to arri&e at this conclusion. The Bible was written to belie&ers, and the warnings

in the Bible are meant for belie&ers.

The Crown of :e!oicing and the Crown of 'lory seem to be tied in with the +faithful and wise

ser&ant of Matthew >2027 who will be made +ruler o&er all his goods as shown in Matthew

>202;. Christians who win these crowns will ha&e won all fi&e crowns. They will be chosen asthe Bride of Christ, and they will rule from the highest le&el in the $ingdom. They will recei&e a

full reward according to the following Scripture0

2 John 1:; (KJV) Loo* to %ourselves, that we lose not those thin#s which we have wrou#ht, $ut

that we receive a full reward.

S!!"R#

The Scriptures are clear that not all Christians will be o&ercomers at the Judgment Seat of Christ."t is important for the reader to stri&e to enter in the $ingdom of 'od. This in&ol&es a great deal

more than simple sal&ation according to the free grace of 'od. So many preachers are caught up


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in the grace of 'od and sal&ation by faith that they completely ignore the plain teaching of

Scripture on the rewards that 'od has for those Christians who are willing to go on into maturity.

*nce a Christian has been born of the Spirit, he has the freedom to become a disciple of JesusChrist or to continue as a sla&e to his own soulical nature, the old man 9ph. 20>>#>23.

?umerous preachers today get caught up in !udging whether a person is sa&ed or not by how heli&es. "t has become a common practice for pastors to cause Christians to doubt their sal&ation by

attempting to describe what a real Christian is li$e. Dsing the criteria established by many

pastors today, Jesus 5imself would ha&e failed the tests so common in Christian circles. 5edran$ wine, which contained alcohol, and 5e was friend to prostitutes and those in the lower

socioeconomic le&els of society and 5e was highly critical of the religious establishment. "t is

inappropriate for Christians to attempt to !udge another person4s sal&ation e6perience by that

person4s beha&ior. %e are admonished not to !udge Mat. ;013. The Bible tells us that someChristians in the current Laodicean church age will li&e !ust li$e unsa&ed people.

?o one e6cept 'od $nows who belongs to him. The only criterion for whether a person is a

Christian is his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular teaching, the Bible teaches+easy belie&ism, and there is no additional criteria needed to pro&e that faith is real and &alid.

The person who belie&es on the Lord Jesus Christ recei&es his assurance of sal&ation the momenthe belie&es :om. @0/13. "t is significant that the word repentance is not found

e&en once in the boo$.

'od does not desire for any Christian to lose his soul. The following Scripture is one of the most

misunderstood &erses in all of Scripture0

2 >et :+ (KJV) he Lord is not slac* concernin# his promise, as some men count slac*ness& $ut

is lon#sufferin# to usward, not willin# that an% should perish, $ut that all should come to

repentance.

This Scripture is written +to them that ha&e obtained li$e precious faith with us through the

righteousness of 'od and our Sa&iour Jesus Christ > -eter 1013. Thus, the recipients of thise6hortation are born again, blood#bought, !ustified Christians. The +us#ward are Christians and

not unsa&ed people whom 'od is desperately trying to sa&e. 'od sa&es whome&er he wishes

and whene&er he wishes, and then he calls them to repentance. "t is only after we ha&e been bornagain that we can truly repent of our sins and sa&e our souls. 'od is long#suffering to us#ward

i.e., Christians3 and does not want any of us to perish i.e., lose our soul3. This is confirmed in

the following Scripture which is also written by -eter0


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1 >et 1:+ (KJV) eceivin# the end of %our faith, even the salvation of %our souls.

"f the Christian attains the end of his faith which is the sal&ation of his soul, then he will be

awarded the Crown of Life, and he will enter the ingdom of 'od the Son and reign and rule

with Jesus Christ in the coming messianic $ingdom. Many Christians will not recei&e the end oftheir faith which is the sal&ation of their souls. Their names will be blotted out of the boo$ of life

and their li&es will perish in the !udgment fires of the Judgment Seat of Christ. They will ha&e

lost their souls and their inheritance as co#heirs with Christ. ?umerous Scriptures attest to thisfact, but Christians refuse to apply these Scriptures to themsel&es.

?umerous pastors attempt to use these Scriptures to show that many Christians ha&e not truly

been born again spiritually, but spiritual rebirth is not the issue in these Scriptures. The sal&ationof the soul is the issue, and this sal&ation pertains to wor$s, and rewards for these wor$s at the

Judgment Seat of Christ. Thus, the Crown of Life is the basic crown for being a part of the

ingdom of 'od. The following Scriptures are usually misinterpreted as pertaining to the

sal&ation of the spirit, but they are referring to entrance into the $ingdom of 'od the Son0

Lu*e 1:2- (KJV) 4trive to enter in at the strait #ate: for man%, ' sa% unto %ou, will see* to enterin, and shall not $e a$le.

Lu*e 1:2; (KJV) here shall $e weepin# and #nashin# of teeth, when %e shall see $raham,

and 'saac, and Jaco$, and all the prophets, in the *in#dom of =od, and %ou %ourselves thrustout.

) person does not stri&e to get sa&ed. "t is only when he ceases to stri&e and he trusts in thefinished wor$ of Jesus Christ on Cal&ary that he is sa&ed spiritually. 5owe&er, one does sa&e his

soul by stri&ing in the power of the spirit, and this sal&ation gains one entrance into the ingdom

of 'od. Many Christians stri&e to enter in by the wor$s of the flesh, but they will not be able toenter the $ingdom because their li&es will be lost. The following Scripture pertains to the

sal&ation of the soul and the crown of life that is so crucial for e&ery belie&er to win0

0e$ 2:2 (KJV) "or if the word spo*en $% an#els was stedfast, and ever% trans#ression and

diso$edience received a 9ust recompense of reward& 0ow shall we escape, if we ne#lect so

#reat salvation& which at the first $e#an to $e spo*en $% the Lord, and was confirmed unto us $%

them that heard him&

-lease note the highlighted phrases to understand that this is a sal&ation accomplished for the

purpose of reward. The implication is that Christians will not escape destruction if they neglectthis sal&ation. This destruction is not eternal damnation but the loss of the soul and the Crown of

Life.

*ne final Scripture e6horting Christians to sa&e their souls and win the Crown of Life is the

following0

>hil 2:121 (KJV)


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resentful of his position in second place. 5ence, the criterion for reigning and ruling is humility

in place of pride.

The Christian4s position in the $ingdom is determined by faithfulness in performing the Lord4s

wor$ in the power of the spirit and in obedience to 5im in this life. There will be many

Christians who will be ashamed at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ because of theirselfishness and their lo&e of the things of this world. The things of the world will pass away, but

the things done for the Lord will be greatly rewarded 1 John >01;3.

The ingdom of 'od the Son is a literal $ingdom occupying time and space. "t is one thing to be

a sub!ect in this $ingdom i.e., all Christians3. "t is an honorable thing to be an officer in the

$ing4s ser&ice and be an administrator o&er a portion of his $ingdom i.e., Christians who enter

the $ingdom and rule o&er cities3. "t is (uite another matter to be among the $ing4s court and ta$epart in go&erning the $ingdom and li&e in the palace in close pro6imity to the $ing i.e.,

Christians who enter the $ingdom and rule o&er many things3. "t is still a more prestigious honor

to be the wife of the $ing and co#reign with him from his throne i.e., the Bride of Christ3. This is

a simplified analogy of the ingdom of 'od the Son with the three le&els of rule and thoseunfortunate ones who will ha&e no position of authority in the $ingdom.

The fi&e crowns addressed in Scripture represent the goals that e&ery Christian should stri&e to

attain in his Christian wal$ with the Lord. 9&ery wise Christian should set about earning all fi&e

crowns so that he can recei&e a full reward and reign and rule as the Bride of Christ. *nly thoseChristians who ha&e $ept themsel&es clean and pure and who ha&e li&ed in close communion

and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ will be rewarded with the +prize of the high calling of

'od. These ser&ant Christians will be gloriously presented as the Bride of Christ. The honor will

be unparalleled in all of history.

The fi&e crowns are described0

Crown Scope of "uthority $ind of

Servant

%escription

Crown of Life G:uler o&er citiesG Lu$e 1801; G'oodG GThe

ChosenG

"ncorruptible Crown

H Crown of

:ighteousness

G:uler o&er many thingsG Matt >70>1 G'ood and

IaithfulG

GThe

IaithfulG

Crown of :e!oicing

H Crown of 'lory

G:uler o&er all 5is goodsG Matt >202; GIaithful

and wiseG

GThe %iseG

Crown &ow 'arned

Crown of Life :epent and be baptized patiently endure the

present trials and testing of life. The baptism is

&ia water and pictures the death of the self. Spiritbaptism occurs the moment of sal&ation i.e.,

spiritual rebirth3


12/12

"ncorruptible Crown Be filled with the 5oly Spirit. -ut off fleshly

desires and appetites of the body. Turn from the

things of the world.

Crown of:ighteousness

Mature in the %ord. -ut on the fruits of the Spiritconsistently. eep the faith. Lo&e 5is appearing.

Crown of :e!oicing Be a soul winner i.e., Moti&ate other Christians

to win the Crown of Life by sa&ing their souls3.

Crown of 'lory Tend, lead and nourish the floc$ i.e., 96ercise

spiritual gifts in building up and edifying thebody of Christ3. This re(uires a $nowledge of the

Scriptures.

the five crowns

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