The crown of Queen Elizabeth II has 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies. The crown includes the Cullian II  diamond, known as the Second Star of Africa which weighs 317.4 carats. God is into jewelry. Each gate of New Jerusalem consists of a single pearl. Twelve pearls equals twelve gates. What do you think of Gods’ blink? Did you know one day God will hand out His version of a crown? The Crown of Life the saints of God can receive has far more value than any earthen crown. Earthen decadence never compares with heavenly glory. James mentions this crown in the same breath as overcoming tests and trials in verse twelve.

Epistle of James: Chapter One

PARAGRAPH SUMMARY: James 1:9-18

James begins his letter with instructions on tests and trials encouraging the ‘scattered’ of the Diaspora to ‘hang in there’ and respect the journey understanding that blessings in development and heavenly rewards await the victorious. In the second part of this theme found in verses nine through eighteen, the author addresses tests and trials as seen by the rich and poor. He informs us about the reward for enduring temptations making sure, at the same time, that we understand the source of temptations. James concludes with the ultimate tool given by the Ultimate Giver in the fight against temptation, the Word of God.

James 1:12 (KJV)
12 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.

DEFINITIONS:

•  Blessed/μακάριος/makarios
  • Happy or fortunate.
• endureth/ὑπομένω/hupomenō
  • Endure, hold out, stand or hold your ground. To maintain a belief or course of action in the face of opposition, stand one’s ground, hold out, endure ¹. ‘Endures’ carries a negative sense, ‘to put up with’ which does not make up the sense.
• temptation/πειρασμός/peirasmos
  • Test, trial, examination, temptation. The word has a double meaning, test or temptation. The word ‘endures’ limits the definition to tests and not ‘temptation’. To see the difference understand, we resist temptations not endure them. In this case testing, trial, or examination is a more accurate translation of this word ‘peirasmos’.
• tried/δόκιμος/dokimos
  • Tried and true, approved, genuine, verified, evaluated or tested and then approved, authentic. The opposite of tried, translated as disqualified/ ἀδόκιμος/adokimos, in 1Corinthians 9:27 means to not stand the test.
• crown/στέφανος/stephanos
  • Wreath, crown, prize, reward.

BACKGROUND:

• Crowns and symbolism in The First Century
  • To Romans and Greeks, a crown was symbolic of victory and reward. You see such crowns or wreaths worn by Olympic game victors. These Olympic crowns were simple in style, made of wild olive leaves. In the Pythian games, the crowns were laurel. In the Nemean games, try parsley. And in the Isthmian games, pine was the choice. The Romans granted the “civic crown” on him who saved the life of a citizen. What was it made of? Try oak leaves. ².

QUESTIONS:

• Where does the crown of life come from?
  • Possibly the tree of life in Revelation 2:7. This is not stretching the limits of possibility. Did you notice the materials used in creating the crowns above? They all came from trees. Paul calls it an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25).
• Where did the Lord promise this crown?
  • The promise is not in the Old Testament. It stands as an unrecorded promise from Jesus lips.

 COMMENTS:

• ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:’
  • Remember the Sermon on the Mount?
    • The three words grouped ‘Blessed is the man’ occurs thirteen times in the King James Version. As noted in the Introduction to James, a strong connection exists between James and Jesus teaching. James words have the flavor of his older brother. Look at the Sermon On the Mount for example. Nine different types of men receive blessing. Blessed is the meek kind of man. Blessed is the poor kind of man. Blessed is the persecuted kind of man. James gives his thought. Blessed is the man who stares down temptation.
  • Holding Your Ground
    • Combining the definitions from above we have, ‘Happy is the man who holds his ground when examined or tested’. The pages of scripture overflow with men and women who stared down tests and difficulties. Kings like David, persecuted and scattered because of the jealous rage of King Saul. Prophets like Jeremiah, cast aside for being true to the burning Word of the Lord within him. Apostles like Paul, beaten and stoned for holding fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The pages of Holy Writ declare the words of Jesus, ‘In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ It is not just Bible characters who shown true grit. It is not those who grooved out paths in Jerusalem. Today the story continues in the lives of men and women on every continent. Living burning letters read by anyone. These walk the way (Acts 24:14). They live for His glory and suffer shame for His name while doing it. James tells us that these people walk in blessing. And what blessing? They are possessors of the crown of life.
• ‘for when he is tried,’
  • The Idea of Verification
    • The word ‘tried’ suggests authentication and approval. God’s high-five comes by going all in and refusing to fold up in the middle of the mess.  Some believers refuse this high road. Demas was a greeter of the Colossian church one moment and abandoned it the next (Col. 4:14, 2 Tim. 4:10). Why do some return to the world? They blamed the negative happening for their scurrying back to old ways. What did they miss? For one, standing against tests and trials affords you an opportunity at certification. You can show God, the world, and your relatives you are the genuine article. You can receive authentication as a real deal twenty first century believer by staring down the mud of difficulties. Get your certification. It builds aggressive confidence to know mud, guts, and the world’s puke can’t pull you down. What if you failed the test? The war is not over just because you spilled your coffee. Opportunities to right the course, for the fallen, exist through God’s mercy. Through repentance and restoration, renewal occurs. The lame can experience healing. The crooked can know a straight path again. With blood washed determination prodigals can still realize the life of a ‘blessed man’ and receive the ‘crown of life’.
  • The Badge of Honor
    • The word ‘tried’ is the same word translated ‘approved’ in 2Timothy 2:15. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.” In The New Testament church, ‘approved’ (Romans 16:10) was a badge of honor. The purple heart for blood washed tested hearts. The honor doesn’t come by self-promotion. If you want God’s thumbs up, know higher poll numbers and social media follower counts won’t get you there (2Corinthians 10:18). It’s not popularity. It’s persistence. It’s Jesus blood mixed with overcoming sweat and tears. Every Jesus person wants God’s approval. Believers will receive the peak of approval, the crown of life, at the reward seat of Christ (2Corinthians 5:10).
  • Confirmation by Trial
    
    • The idea of confirmation by trial is a Bible idea. God’s Word, for example, has gone through ‘verification’ seven times according to the psalmist (Psalms 12:6, 119:40). What about your words? How’s your count going? You remember Abraham? Do you recall how he faced the trial of his life about Isaac his only son? When God gave him his test results the Lord also said, “Now, I know that you will not withhold your only son from me.” The three Hebrew boys in Daniel (Daniel 3:8-30) also come to mind in this way. Tests sometimes come from the Lord (Proverbs 17:3, Psalms 66:10). They come by His still small voice speaking and asking you to do something way outside your comfort zone. Tests that have the Lord’s digital signature are unlike the enemies assaults in this way. God’s tests come to corroborate you, to confirm you (Zechariah 13:9), to add value to your life. It’s all positive. His workings make champions out of wannabes. The enemy’s tests come to destroy you. His bag is to make your life and testimony powerless. This negative stuff is what’s on James’s mind here.
• ‘he shall receive the crown of life,’
  • The Word ‘Crown’ and the First Christian Martyr
    
    • Look at the curiosity surrounding the word ‘stephanos’, the Greek word for crown. The word also stands for the name Stephan. Wasn’t Stephen a Christian martyr, perhaps even the first Christian martyr? At least Acts thinks so (Acts 7:58-60). With bold spirit breathing words, Stephen declared God’s dealings with Israel. I have read his words often and marvel at the turn in Acts 7:51. Stephen signed his own death certificate with those words. Couldn’t he have left those words out and lived longer? I mean, his story was accurate to this point. Do you muse about this? How many could Jesus have saved through a life lived instead of one tossed aside? God was using him to do miracles and wonders (Acts 6:8). Why not pile some more wonders up? You know stack them high and deep. Jesus has the answer to this. He said, “A single grain of wheat doesn’t produce anything unless it is planted in the ground and dies. If it dies, it will produce a lot of grain (John 12:24 GW). They buried Stephen. Devout men did what devout men do (Acts 8:2). Before his warm body could grow cold, the wonder of wonders started. Gospel germination began. The disciples scattered preaching everywhere because of Stephens death (Acts 11:19). Stephen produced more in his death than all the miracle credits he would have amassed by leaving verse 51 out of his sermon. And as for Stephen?  ‘Stepahnos’ Stephen will wear the first New Testament awarded ‘stephanos’ crown of life. It’s all because he spoke out verse fifty one instead of playing it safe.
  • The Crown of Life as a Rewards Crown
    • Revelation 2:10 describes the crown of life as a rewards crown.  In this Apocalyptic passage, Jesus encourages the believers of Smyrna. You know Smyrna as one of the seven churches. Jesus tells this bunch to remain faithful even to death. Why? The crown of life goes to the loyal. It goes to the one steadfast in life and unyielding in death. The crown of life is a martyr’s crown. Do you have to die in order to receive it? No. A living martyr lays down his living life for men. A dying martyr does the same. He lays his living life down for Jesus.
• ‘which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.’
  • Agape Love: The Great Motive
    • The crown of life, most of all goes to the lovers. Greatness always does. Who are the great men and women of planet earth? Whose busts do you see line the hall of faith?  It’s, the Paul’s, the Peter’s, the Mother Teresa’s among us. The votes go to the lovers. Agape love, is the great motive for life in God. You know it as well as I do. The famous love chapter in Corinthians discloses the secret of pinpoint living. You want to live a sharp life? Walk in love. Love God. Love people. Make sure your motive for everything is love. Are you going through a trial? Do it in love. Are you facing marriage difficulties? Walk in love. Are you facing hell’s onslaught? Overcome it with love. If you say you love God, prove it by enduring, by remaining faithful to God in the face of distress.

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