Are There Crowns in Heaven?
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There will be rewards in heaven. The Bible talks about five different crowns that believers receive in heaven. The incredible thing about heaven is that we will all be fully satisfied with what we have, and there will be no envy for what others have, but there are still reasons to pursue these crowns.
What are the Different Types of Crowns in Heaven in the Bible?
Throughout the letters of the New Testament, five different crowns receive attention. These are:
1. The crown of life is bestowed upon believers who persevere while suffering. As James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” This crown is for those believers who endure the face of difficult situations.
2. The crown of righteousness appears in 2 Timothy 4, when Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” The crown of righteousness is given to believers who desire Jesus’ return above all else.
3. The crown of glory appears in 1 Peter 5:4 and is given to those believers and leaders in the church who are willing, honest, eager, and humble in their service to God and others.
4. The crown of victory appears in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, where Paul talks about self-discipline’s imperishable rewards. Paul compares the Christian life to a race or competition. He encourages us to run as people seeking a prize, in this case, the imperishable crown of victory.
5. The crown of joy comes to believers when we bring others into God’s family. It comes from 1 Thessalonians 2:19, where Paul calls people he brought to faith his crown of joy.
Why Should Christians Pursue The Crowns in Heaven?
The crowns are not prerequisites to enter God’s kingdom, but they are evidence of the graces he has given us (Ephesians 4:7-8). God will reward us according to the gifts he has given us. This causes us to remember that he is the source of all success and goodness in the Christian life.
Because we know that all the gifts rest upon God’s grace, we can pursue each of the crowns outlined in scripture with confidence that we will be rewarded.
How Do Christians Pursue the Crown of Glory?
Not all believers should pursue the crown of glory. As James says, “Not all of you should become teachers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
Paul echoes this idea in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 when the builders (teachers) are the ones who suffer loss in the end. However, for those who teach, these passages are a warning and encouragement to have our words tested and tried against God’s word. Even if not all of us are teachers, we should share our faith with others and encourage younger believers in their faith.
How Do Christians Pursue the Crown of Life?
The crown of life should be pursued because life is full of challenges, and going through them with the Lord without losing hope and trust in him leads to a greater trust in Jesus moving forward from that time forward.
As Romans 5:3-5 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Therefore, Christians should continue walking with God even amid trials and difficulties—as Paul says in Romans 8:18, our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the future glory.
To pursue the crown of life, Christians should turn to Jesus when things are difficult. It’s important to remember that we were promised suffering in this life when Jesus said in John 15:20-21,
“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”
This becomes a challenge when we feel like God is silent about or absent from our suffering. It is much easier to go to other things like video games, alcohol, or work to numb the suffering we are experiencing. The only place where lasting comfort is found is with God. We should start by casting our anxieties on him because he cares for us. He is the God of all comfort who can comfort us in our afflictions, so let’s go to him when we experience suffering and receive the crown of life!
How Do Christians Pursue the Crown of Righteousness?
Christians should pursue crowns of righteousness because they hope for Jesus’ return. That is when things will truly be made righteous. Only then will the world be as it was intended.
The challenge in 2 Timothy is that our lives on earth can consume our thoughts to the point that we lose sight of the heavenly reality we are looking forward to. We are called to be in this world, yet not of it.
Christians pursue the crown of righteousness by living in this world while remembering that heaven is our ultimate destination. It doesn’t mean forsaking all earthly duties to focus on heavenly ones. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well:
“Let the Christian remain in the world, not because of the good gifts of creation, nor because of his responsibility for the course of the world, but for the sake of the Church. Let him remain in the world to engage in frontal assault on it, and let him live the life of his secular calling in order to show himself as a stranger in the world all the more. But that is only possible if we are visible members of the Church. The antithesis between the world and the Church must be borne out in the world. That was the purpose of the incarnation. That is why Christ died among his enemies. That is the reason and the only reason why the slave must remain a slave and the Christian remain subject to the powers that be.” — The Cost of Discipleship
Christians who have been called to teach should continue to rely on God to fill them up first and give out of that overflow. For those who don’t have the gift of teaching, even something like getting together with a younger believer and encouraging them in their walk with God can be a less formal form of teaching. However, it will likely still be rewarded in heaven for your faithful walking alongside someone. A great way to start this process is to ask someone older in your church to meet with and encourage you in your faith.
How Do Christians Pursue the Crown of Victory?
The crown of victory should be pursued because we want to please God and live our lives in a way that shows our priority of serving him above all else.
Christians pursue the crown of victory through spiritual disciplines like regular bible reading, prayer, and fasting to discipline our bodies and souls to find more of God’s will for our lives and to pursue him in our habits throughout our daily lives. We should also give God more of our time and abilities.
How could you serve in your community or church to pursue the crown of victory?
How Do Christians Pursue the Crown of Joy?
The crown of joy should be pursued because we want people to experience God’s love for them and because we can experience true joy when someone comes to know Jesus for themselves. It is truly a great thing when we can be a part of someone coming to know Jesus.
The crown of joy should be pursued by first learning how to share our faith. Evangelist Bob Waltz’s spiritual baseball method is great for conversations with friends or strangers. The tool turns the tables on evangelism and allows us to ask other people questions, which often makes them more receptive to what we have to share. This tool can help go beyond the surface and make our spiritual conversations more conversational instead of simply explaining.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Angelika Stein
Ben Reichert works with college students in New Zealand. He graduated from Iowa State in 2019 with degrees in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and agronomy. He is passionate about church history, theology, and having people walk with Jesus. When not working or writing you can find him running or hiking in the beautiful New Zealand Bush.