An Incorruptible Crown

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to OBtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” (1 Cor. 9: 25)

We seek after an incorruptible crown; this is a part of our reward for service in the Lord’s army. Any crown that is won by worldly means is a corruptible crown, and is usually full of corruption in the OBtaining of it, but, because of Christ and Calvary, we now can receive a crown that cannot be corrupted by vice or by decay. In this alone, we have much reason for rejoicing. This crown, though invisible to the naked eye, is also a gift, given freely to all who put their trust in Christ; it is the gift of eternal life, that cannot fade away or come to ruin; it is “incorruptible”. Unlike the crowns won in earthly events, or passed from generation to generation because of genealogy, this crown is worthy of its benefactor; it is untainted by the wiles and ruses of men. It is a crown that is given freely for the taking, and yet well deserved because it is given by the Master.

There is another crown we must examine, a crown of corruption; a crown of defiance, deceit and mockery, the crown of thorns that adorned the head of Christ. No man strives for this crown, but it is given by others; no man wants it, but many wear it as a reproach and a disgrace to mankind, and yet, Jesus wore this crown! He took it upon Himself, and wore it to Calvary, where He died for the sin of the world. The Perfect man, Jesus, wore an imperfect crown; a crown of disgrace and shame, a crown of sin. Oh, it was not His sin-crown, but ours that he wore! He bore our sins on the cross, and gave His life in payment for our debt; you see, “the wages of sin is death”…and wage will be paid us in full unless we have an intercessor, and that is exactly what we have in Jesus. Though we are weighed down under the heavy crown of corruption, we have hope of a better crown—the crown of life. Two places in the Bible speak of this crown: “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.” (James 1: 12); and “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2: 10). Both of these speak of loving and trusting Christ as our Savior. When we “endure temptation” we are able to overcome it because we have Christ in us to see us through, and we can be “faithful unto death”. Yes, Jesus took our sin upon Him and nailed it to the cross…but that was not the end; He rose again from the grave, and thereby conquered sin and death, and passed that victory unto us. The next time you hear of the crowning of the queen of England, or the crowning of miss America, or any type of crowning for a princess or prince, think of the crown as that which will someday dissolve into nothingness, and remember the “incorruptible crown: that Jesus has in store for you; it is yours for the asking.

“ For whoseover shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13)
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1: 23)

“To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1: 4).