6.3. Believer’s Crowns

The crowns associated with the reward of the believer are always stephanos. Paul associates this crown with the reward of victory in competition (1Cor. 1Cor. 9:25). Trench argues that Paul’s use of stephanos may not be consistent with that of John in the book of Revelation. Given Paul’s Roman background, he frequently drew from the imagery of Greek athletic competition, but these games were offensive to Palestinian Jews like John and hence unlikely to provide a backdrop for the use of stephanos in Revelation. Therefore, stephanos may denote rule or royalty when used by John.¹

Crowns for Believers

Crown	Verse	Description
stephanos	1Cor. 1Cor. 9:25	Incorruptible Crown
stephanos	2Ti. 2Ti. 4:8	Crown of Righteousness
stephanos	Jas. Jas. 1:12; Rev. Rev. 2:10+	Crown of Life
stephanos	1Pe. 1Pe. 5:4	Crown of Glory2

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Notes

¹ Richard Chenevix Trench, Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in Asia (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1861), 109-110.

² Incorruptible: “that does not fade away.”