2 Timothy 4.6-8 – The Stephanos Crown

Do you ever wonder what you will be given upon arrival to heaven?

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing.

Here Paul tells Timothy he is being poured out as a drink offering (Genesis 35.14), and that as drinks flow from a cup until empty, Paul knows that his time of…departure has come. Throughout his writings Paul often refers to life here as a struggle, a conflict, a battle or a race, and the marker of a life well lived, so we read, is that we have kept the faith. 

This is where we read of our heavenly welcome-gift, Paul writes that there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 

If we are loving His appearing, we are keeping the faith, and we are promised the crown of righteousness. This is not a crown given to royalty, rather a crown given to the winner of a contest, like this;

Upon passing from death to life, from time to eternity, those who have fought the good fight, those who have finished the race, those who have kept the faith will be given the crown of victory from the Lord.

This was huge motivation for Timothy to fulfill his ministry (v.5), and should help each of us to keep going towards the upward call of God in Christ, all of us to fight the good fight, to finish our race, and to keep the faith.