In this lesson we will see the prophecies in the Bible concerning the overcoming believers receiving their reward.
The Christian life plus the church life is an overcoming life. Overcoming begins when people believe into the Lord. The entire universe is against people believing in the Lord; hence, to believe in the Lord is a real overcoming. Through their faith in the Son of God and the overcoming life in them, believers can live a life that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5), the evil one (2:13-14), antichrist (4:3-4), and all the fallen situations of the degraded church (Rev. 2:4, 6, 13-15, 20, 24; 3:1, 15, 17). Even though the enemy’s attack and corruption brought in the church’s decline, the Lord continually sounds out the call to the church to overcome during this time of the church’s degradation and desolation. In order to maintain and continue the church’s work as the Lord’s testimony so that the church can be restored to her original condition, there is a great need for some to overcome the church’s degraded situation. The Lord yearns for this. According to the prophecies in the New Testament, the overcomers will be rewarded by the Lord in the kingdom age.
In the coming kingdom the overcoming believers will reign with Christ. Revelation 20:4 says, “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years,” and verse 6 says, “They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Furthermore, in 2 Timothy 2:12 Paul says, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” These verses indicate that in the coming age the overcoming believers, who are living in the reality of the kingdom today, will reign with Christ as co-kings and be priests of God and of Christ.
A crown is a symbol of glory. In the New Testament a crown always denotes a prize in addition to salvation (1 Cor. 9:25). The overcomers who reign with Christ will receive many crowns, including the crown of righteousness, the unfading crown of glory, the crown of life, and the incorruptible crown.
In 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul says, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.” The crown of righteousness and the righteous Judge in this verse show that in contrast to salvation, which is of grace and by faith (Eph. 2:5, 8-9), receiving the prize is of righteousness through works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Moreover, such a prize will be given to all those who love the Lord’s appearing. The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to the believers. If the believers love the Lord’s appearing and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy, they will receive the crown of righteousness.
First Peter 5:4 says, “When the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” In Peter’s time crowns were given to victors in athletic games (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8). However, those were corruptible crowns, whose glory faded. The crown given to the overcomers as a reward will have an unfading glory. This glory will be the overcomers’ enjoyment in the manifestation of the kingdom of God and of Christ (2 Pet. 1:11).