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. . . for when he is tried (dokomos) he shall receive the crown (stephanos) of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love (agapao) him.

This crown of life is available to all believers who stand and come through trials (2 Timothy
2:12). It is part of the rewards God has for the believers at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10‐
15, Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10). The reward is not eternal life; it is a crown of life.

Eternal life is not a reward; it is a gift. Rewards are not given but earned by us while we are alive on the
earth. Because the Lord gave this promise of a crown, we can depend on it to come to pass. The Lord will
not promise something and then not perform it. This promise was made in eternity past at the counsel of
divine decrees; it is part of the eternal life package that was seen as complete before the foundation of
the world. This promise is potential, based on our performance in tests and trials.

God has given us all the provisions, in His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to go through life
successfully. He has not promised us the potential of success without giving us the equipment to perform
it. Those who love Him are those who know His Word (2 John 4:7‐8). When we are saved, we know the
Lord. When we grow in His Word, we love Him.

Temptation

Jas 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by
evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

Often, during a testing period, it is easy to lose our perspective, get caught up in the emotions of the
moment and even blame God for our troubles. These testings and temptations are those that would draw
us away from the Lord. This is the solicitation to evil, which comes from our flesh and is ultimately backed
by Satan himself.

God also tests believers and has done so since Old Testament times. But He tests us with the good things
He gives us. He is always testing priorities through the spiritual and natural blessings He gives us.

Satan, however, tempts us to sin and reject the leading of the Word and the Holy Spirit. He wants us to
follow our emotions and lusts instead of the Word. He uses circumstances and time periods to get us to
give up and cast away our confidence and patience. This testing never comes from the Lord, and it is a
blasphemous statement to blame Him. The first one to blame God for Satan’s device was Adam when he
told the Lord that it was the woman “whom thou gavest” (Genesis 3:12).
. . . for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

This part of the verse gets us back to the real issue at hand: the character of God. When we have our
attention fixed on His unchangeable character, we will know who the culprit is and will continue in
patience until the answer comes. We can fulfill the verse that tells us “having done all to stand, stand
therefore” (Ephesians 6:13‐14). We can know with Romans 8:31 that “if God be for us, who can be against
us?” Satan, the flesh, and the world are the problems, and God is the answer to them all. He has provided
everything we need to come through any battle victorious.