Read and pray: "But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." (1 Cor 9:27)
BEATING THE BODY (2)
Many cannot control their own body. Whenever a small stimulus reaches the body, all sorts of sins happen.
We must see that all who cannot control their own body will lose their reward and their crown. Although they may preach the gospel to others, they themselves will be disqualified.
We Christians are saved once for all and will never lose our salvation. But when the Lord Jesus returns in His glory to reign over the earth, He will not give crowns to everyone.
In the new heaven and new earth, although every saved person will receive the same glory, when the Lord Jesus comes to reign over the earth for a thousand years, some will lose their reward, their authority, and their glory.
Some will not be fit to enter the kingdom and will not be fit to receive a crown. The word of the Lord is very clear about salvation and eternal life: both come entirely from grace.
Moreover, whether or not someone can enter the kingdom of heaven depends on his works. We have just seen that we must do the will of God.
Here we see that it is necessary to beat our own body. Outwardly, we may accomplish many works, but as long as we do not restrain our body, we will not be permitted to enter the kingdom.
In the Bible there seems to be a fixed number of crowns. Revelation 3:11 says: "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (NIV). Some who do not understand the Bible do not know the difference between a reward and a gift. Nor do they know the difference between the crown and God’s salvation.
They think that salvation can be taken away from them. The word "take," here, does not refer to salvation, but to the crown. Someone may be saved and yet lose the crown.
Recently there was a very sensational headline in the magazines saying that a certain king of a certain nation had lost his crown. If a saved person does not hold firmly to what he has, if he does not keep the words of the perseverance of the Lord Jesus, and if he denies the name of the Lord Jesus, one day he will lose the crown. If you are weak, and do not hold firmly, you will also lose your crown. Someone may take it from you.
Revelation 2:10 has a word similar to this: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Here it does not say give life, but give the crown of life.
Life is obtained by faith; it is not obtained by faithfulness. If a person does not have faith, he cannot have life. But if a person is unfaithful after having life, he will lose the crown of life. Therefore, if a Christian does not have good works after being saved, he will not lose life, but he will lose the crown.
Enjoy more:
Hymn - The Way of the Cross - "Gain Through Loss"
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