If you are a true, born again believer in Jesus Christ, a reward and/or crown awaits you in Heaven! First and foremost, understand that these rewards are not anything the you can purchase by doing good works. No! We are redeemed and are purified by what Jesus did on the cross — HIS work. When we believe in Him and HIM only, we accept the fact that He did all the work for us. We are purified by HIS blood. There is nothing we can do on our own — by ourselves or through a church — to gain us entrance into Heaven. Therefore, once we are saved, we are to do good. Based on what we do with the Spiritual Gifts that He gives us when we receive the Holy Spirit, we will get a reward and/or a crown. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about these heavenly prizes.
The word “Crown” in Greek is “Stephanos”, where we get the name Stephen. Who, by the way, was the first Christian Martyr. It means “a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games, or a symbol of honor.” In the ancient Greek culture, it was the crown given to winners of races and competitions. It was a laurel wreath made of leaves that eventually wither away. We’ll see that the crowns we get in Heaven will never wither away. Let’s dig in…
Crowns in Heaven
The Crown of Life
Jesus told us that in this life we would have trials, troubles and tribulations. These “test” our faith, patience, and help us build endurance. The devil is constantly tempting and testing us. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us. If we endure, we will receive the Crown of Life.
Jesus wrote to the people of the Church of Smyrna…
10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10 NLT
James, Jesus’ brother wrote…
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12 NLT
The Crown of Glory
This one is exclusive to pastors and church elders and leaders…
Peter wrote
And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
1 Peter 5:1-4 NLT
See, Peter was never the “head” of any church. He was an elder. Learn the truth about Peter here.
The Crown of Righteousness
The last letter that the Apostle Paul ever wrote was 2 Timothy. He wrote it from prison in Rome. He’s at the end of his race.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT
Obviously, Paul spoke mostly to Greek or Gentile people. He used the analogy of running a race a lot. The people were familiar with these terms from watching the original Olympics. Certainly, to be a winner, you needed to train, be persistent and have endurance. Some races, like a sprint required sheer strength and speed. Other races, like a marathon, required endurance.
Paul wrote to the Philippians…
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
The Crown of Rejoicing
In today’s world, our joy can be zapped quickly and easily. We can’t let it. The Joy of the Lord is our strength! Do a search here in my blog for all the Bible studies that have to do with Joy and you’ll see.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians…
17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. 18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
1 Thessalonians 2:17-19 NKJV
Paul is talking about the joy he will have when he sees the people he ministered to there with him in Heaven.
There are many writings about Joy the New Testament…
And we have the great promise from Jesus in Revelation… (This is one of my favorite passages as it affirms our confident HOPE!)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:3-4 NLT
The Imperishable Crown
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth…
Striving for a Crown
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NKJV
Peter wrote…
A Heavenly Inheritance
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5 NKJV
An Old Testament Crown for the Jews
When I searched the Bible app for “crown”, one Old Testament one came up. I added it here because it’s found in the passage in Isaiah that Jesus read in the synagogue in His home town of Nazareth. We find that story in Mark 6 and Matthew 13. Jesus stopped in the middle of verse 2. Obviously, He didn’t want to get into the judgment part of the passage.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, (Here’s where Jesus stopped)
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
All the mourning in Israel will be turned into JOY! See, here’s that JOY again!
Rewards in Heaven
There are other rewards in Heaven that are not detailed or named in specific. The passage that I use when I read or hear about the persecuted Christians and martyrs is from the Sermon on the Mount. It assures every Christian who is persecuted will have a reward — a GREAT reward!
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Matthew 5:10-12 NLT
There’s that Joy again!
In the Book of Hebrews, we have the “Faith Chapter 11”, where all the God-fearing, righteous people of the Old Testament are listed. Right after that, is a major “therefore”…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
Yearning for Our Heavenly Home
In Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians, he wrote…
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NLT
Friend, this earth is not our home!
Thank God! This world is NOT all there is! Jesus is coming back for us!
Jesus told us…
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:1-6 NLT
THROUGH JESUS! Not through a church, not by doing anything, not through Mary, not through the Pope — ONLY THROUGH JESUS.
Which reward will YOU be getting?
First, you have to have the assurance that you’re going to heaven…
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Then, read the Bible daily. Discover how God wants you to live in this world while we’re waiting for Him to come and get us. Follow the example Paul gave us in Philippians…
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
