A Crown You May Not Expect (or want)

There are primarily two types of crowns in the New Testament. They are generally both translated “crown” but there are actually two different Greek words used. The one we are most familiar with is diadema – which is generally the crown of royalty, status, and authority. In Scripture, this is usually the crown which God and Christ wear.

There is another crown that we are usually less familiar with. The stephanos is a “crown” that is actually a victor’s wreath or a laurel that was made of fresh, green, laurel branches and leaves bent and tied in the circular shape of a crown. It may surprise us to learn that it was highly valued in the first century Roman world because it represented victory, honor, and recognized achievement. There are many statues of victorious military leaders, emperors, and athletes wearing the laurel crowns.

The Laurel is the crown that is promised to faithful Christians (the stephanos not the diadema). It is the “crown of righteousness” in 2 Timothy 4:8 and the “crown of life” in James 1:12. The promised crown has the remarkable difference that it is an “imperishable crown” (1 Cor 9:25), “the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Pet 5:4) – unlike its plant-based namesake. So, who wouldn’t want to have one, right? Well, there’s more to this crown than we’re used to. Consider 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The crown we are promised is a victor’s crown, a prize to those who spiritually exercise, discipline and control themselves so they are not disqualified. Maybe we expect a crown of royalty based on who we are (diadema) but that’s not obtainable for us. Maybe we don’t actually want a crown of victory (stephanos) because we don’t want to exercise, train, and put in the effort to win. There is only one crown for us. To not win, to not be victorious in Christ, is to fail and die. Maybe we want to be winners, receive the crown, but not do what is necessary to win! Remember, there is no second place reward!    dd