Crotonáof&etoarO
The Incorruptible Crown There is a beautiful old hymn that asks, "Will there be any stars, Any stars in my crown? When at evening the sun goeth down When I wake with the blessed, In the mansions of rest, Will there be any stars in my crown?'' While it is a lovely song there is actually no Scripture to substanti ate it. Rev. 12 speaks of a woman who has on her head a crown of 12 stars. This has nothing to do with the rewards of believers. This refers to the 12 tribes of Israel. The real question is not how many stars, but rather how many crowns. Salvation is the present posses sion of all born-again believers. We neither earn it nor deserve it. It is God's gift to those who re ceive His Son as Saviour. Rewards are based upon our faithfulness. They are not a present possession but rather, a future attainment. God's word tells us that every man shall be rewarded according to his own work (II Cor. 5:10). All of us
as true Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10). Notice that it is judgment and not condemnation (Rom. 8:1). While we are assured of life eter nal we should not overlook this aspect of judgment. Only the re deemed will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Here will be determined the degrees of re ward. It will be in both the nega tive as well as the positive vein. It will be a time when the Lord will express His joy and approval to ward those who have labored faith fully for Him. The Bible speaks of five crowns being available as rewards for the child of Cod. The first is found in I Cor. 9:25 where we have refer ence to an incorruptible crown. This is given for self denial. It does not mean one who simply goes away from society to live a solitary and perhaps rigorous life of disci pline. There are those in various parts of the world who physically punish their bodies in the hope of bringing enough tortrue and pain to themselves so that they could merit Cod's favor. The Lord does Page 21
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker