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Crown of Life

Blessed is the man who endures testing, for that he becomes proven receiving the crown of Life that promised those loving him.* 

Being proven is how a young person becomes a man, think of it as a rite to manhood or maturity within the Kingdom Of God. The process of proving includes testing, or refining, Jesus being the refiners fire and the fullers soap. This process is called perfection, it's purpose is that we become to like Christ, to the full measure of the stature of Christ, which is the end goal of the Church, a pure bride, reaching perfection. The process is perfecting, that we are proven mature, and the outcome is Life, receiving the crown of Life. There is a way unto Life.

you have the words of eternal life and we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.* 

Before we look more at proving to receive the crown of life it is important to know how to obtain Life. How does one obtain eternal Life? One must believe as Peter, "you have the words of eternal life and we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."* And as John who wrote whom they saw, heard, and touched concerning the Word of Life, is Eternal Life, "and this one life revealed and seen and witness and proclaim to you, the one Eternal Life."* Do you see salvation? do you see the way to Life? Through a cross, a death, a new will, testament, covenant was established. Through the blood of the Lamb an everlasting atonement for sin was made. Through the Word that became flesh, Eternal Life was given to men. Life is not in death, and not in blood but in the Word of God, Jesus. All those who behold the Son, who hear his words and believe will have eternal Life. These who have eternal life feed on food that endures unto everlasting life.

But now freed from sin and devoted to God, the fruit you have towards sanctification, and now the end obtained, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.*

Why would fruit need to lead me toward sanctification if it was already accomplished? And why would the outcome of sanctification be eternal life? how do you explain which one came first, life or sanctification? There has been this idea in the Church of eternal life being that which we will receive when we "go to heaven," thus the crown of life would obtained in heaven. The rue we see is that Life came when we believed in Jesus. If the fruit you get leads to sanctification which outcome is Life and to bear fruit one must abide in the Vine and the Vine is Jesus, and Jesus is the Word of God then Life is in the word, Jesus. 

All now who competes exercises power of all, they di it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.*

Possibly, many have believed that the crown of life is given in heaven because they have not received the crown of life here on earth. In Greece a crown was conferred upon a victor in the public games. A crown of Life is conferred on those who are victorious. 

you know the testing of your faith produces endurance, and also  esteem endurance, esteem its work perfecting, so that you exist perfected and whole, lacking in nothing. Now, if any lacks in wisdom, ask God...*

 What is the testing of your faith? the testing is to produce a doer and not a hearer only, its goal is Life. The testing is that you look intently into truth, beholding the Son of God perfecter of faith, not turning away but existing one who endures. In such is the law of liberty and it is agape love perfecting, not fear. If you don't understand ask for such wisdom from God. Think highly of endurance as it is perfecting you, "esteem its work perfecting, so that you exist perfected and whole." 
Purify your souls by hearkening the truth to the extent of a real brotherly love. Agape love one another intensely from a pure heart, for you have not been brought forth of a perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.* 

Hearken is defined literary. to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.to purify, ceremonially cleanse. The principle, of Liberty, states that we are set free looking intently into the truth, which is Jesus, who is the Word of God. Looking intently or beholding Jesus and believing is the beginning of wisdom and understanding and it is how we grow or build our faith. In Jesus is all wisdom and understanding thus Paul prays that our eyes be enlightened in the knowledge of Him. When we are fully grown the outcome of purification of our souls, sanctification, is Life.

For you brothers were called to freedom; only not using your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through agape love serving one to another.*

Amazingly the sign of purification of the body which comes from looking intently into truth is a brotherly love, which is expressed by intensely loving and serving one another. This is what we see in the early Church but unfortunately not so today, we see outreach that sacrifices growth and love for brothers, this is not maturity in Christ and also speaks of self glory. Brotherly love expressed intently in agape love is how the world should know we are His disciples. This is what Jesus said should define us, our love for one another, not by how much we love the lost or how much we outreach to the community, not by evangelism, not by giving, not by sacrifice and serving, but how we agape love one another. get it? 

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Jesus accomplished justification by his blood. We do communion in remembrance of his death, the body he gave and the blood he shed. Those in Christ have powerful testimony of the blood, of being forgiven, reconciled having peace with God. The cross is a sign unto salvation, like the bronze serpent Moses lifted up the wilderness, those who look upon Jesus lifted up will be saved. What is doing the saving? did the cross save? did the blood save? Some say that the power is in his death, they "i am the living bread 



Some believe that sanctification happens when we first believed. It is true we are perfect in spirit, but we also have a soul. So we see the concept of salvation of the soul. Have you ever met someone who was perfect when they believed? so we see also salvation in perfection, or growing in maturity in Christ, also it is a transformation by the renewing of the mind. Once we existed sinful nature slaves to sin, but now we are partakers of God's divine nature, righteous, and indebted to our true nature, righteousness, "so now present that your member to rightness, leading to sanctification."*  Which member must I present a living sacrifice? the member which must be renewed, the one in which evil wars against bringing the child into captivity to sin; the carnal mind. 

for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.*

therefore lay off all pollution and superabundant evil, receiving with meekness the implanted Word, that power to save your souls.*

In Christ there is no condemnation. 




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