2 Timothy
4: 7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Finally there is the crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only
but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Let
us consider the meaning of righteousness. It has two root words in
Hebrew which mean, right, righteous, righteousness. The second part
means just, justice, justify.
The
word righteous/just refers to the very nature of God. Jesus is known as
both the Righteous One and the Just One. God is both righteous and just
in that He acts and speaks in the purity of His own holy nature. The
Holy Spirit gives the gift of righteousness.
What does God's word say about the righteousness of mankind?
Isaiah
64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness
are like filthy rags; we all fade away as a leaf, and our iniquities,
like the wind have taken us away.
The words "filthy rags", in the Hebrew speak of a woman's menstrual cloth. Ugh doesn't get much nastier and unclean as that.
We
all have Romans 3:23 memorized as part of the Roman road to salvation.
So go ahead and quote it now, I'll wait! What it is telling us is that
because of our sin nature, our unrighteousness within us, we do not
measure up to God, His standard, His glory, His righteousness. Knowing
this God sent His Son, Jesus the Christ to be our propitiation. Look
with me:
Romans 3:24-26
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, whom God set for a propitiation by His blood, through
faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God
had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate
at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
That
word propitiation means atonement, appeasement. Through the blood of
Christ. It is by Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior that we have been made
just in the sight of God, Jesus took our filthy rags and clothed
Himself in our unrighteousness that He might clothe us in His own
righteousness. God called many in the Old Testament "righteous", not
because they were not unclean and without righteousness, but because
they believed in God and their faith in Him was accredited to them based
on what would be done for them at the cross by Jesus the Christ.
The
Crown of Righteousness awaits us on that day, not because we earned it
but because Christ is righteous and He declares us to be righteous in
Him. As I see it and I am not a theologian, the only way we could lose
this crown is to seek our performance as our righteousness. And then
there is that small phrase "who loved His appearing"! Do you long to see
Jesus, are you anticipating that moment when we meet Him face to face?
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.
The
law was never meant to justify us, but to keep us on the right path. To
believe our performance justifies us is to say Christ died for nothing.
The fifth crown is the "Imperishable/ incorruptible Crown"
1
Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that those who run in a race all
run, but one received the prize? Run in such a way that you might obtain
it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate (disciplined)
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for
an Imperishable crown. Therefore I run this; not with uncertainty, thus I
fight; not as one who bests the air. But I discipline my body and bring
it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself
should become disqualified.
What
is Paul telling us about this Imperishable Crown? He compares it to the
athletes who ran to get the Victor's Crown of olive leafs. This crown
would very soon wither and die. Much like what Jesus said about earthly
treasures:
Matthew
6:19-20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and
where thieves do not break in and steal.
This
race that the believer is on, is our life one which we seek the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness, rather than laying up for ourselves
treasures of this world that are fleeting and temporary, we are laying
up for ourselves a heavenly treasures where it will never tarnish or
vanish. We run this race with endurance discipling our bodies by daily
crucifing our fleshly desires, surrendering our will to the will of God.
We understand who we are in Christ and when we fight both our flesh and
the enemy we fight with the authority purchased for us by Jesus the
Christ, and not as one who is unskilled and untrained.
The
last part of Hebrews 12:1 speaks very clearly how we are to run:
"....let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Do you see it? We run with endurance and we discipline our body, by laying aside every weight and sin that easily ensnares us.
Here
is our inheritance, we are co-heirs with Christ, we live in corruptible
bodies on this earth, but day we will receive our glorious bodies which
are incorruptible and be given the imperishable or also known as the
incorruptible crown.
1 Peter 1:4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
It
is imperative that we stay on course, that we do not allow ourselves to
become disqualified, because we grew weary, became discouraged, gave
up, read Galatians 6:9. As Paul do well put it, I to want to be as Paul
said: I finished my race, I have fought the good fight, I have kept the
faith.
Many
will say, well I don't need a crown as long as I am in heaven that's
good enough for me. If that may be your thinking I will confess that was
my thinking back in the 70's because I thought it made me humble. Yet,
it is not biblical.
In Revelation 4:4 John sees 24 elders around the throne with crowns of gold on their heads. But look what happens in verse 10.
Revelation
4:10-11 the 24 elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and
worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the
throne saying: You are worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were
created.
There is only
One who is worthy to wear a crown and that is our King Jesus. Without a
crown what will we lay at our King's feet as we worship Him.
The scripture that sent me on this journey of crowns:
Revelation 3:11 Behold I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
I
will do one more post looking at the Judgment Seat of Christ and our
rewards. I will list the 5 crowns with the scripture references in case
you want to look at them all together. Be blessed.
