“Be faithful unto death, and I will give to you the crown of life”, (Rev. 2:10)

“hold fast what you have, that no one take your crown”, (Rev. 3:11)

Through these words many anxious souls have been troubled, because they have deduced that a Christian is able to lose salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More in ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. But is that what it says here? Actually, a crown is a reward as other passages show (2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4). It expresses the Lord’s appreciation for faithfulness in the life of faith and in service to Him. Now while it is possible to lose the reward if one is not faithful, it is something quite different than losing eternal lifeEternal life is more than life without end. Eternal life is the highest conceivable quality of life. It is life in abundance (John 10:10). Christ himself is the true God... More! A true believer will be saved, even if it is “as through the fire” (1 Cor. 3:15). The exhortations to be faithful and to hold fast, therefore, are not warnings about the loss of eternal lifeEternal life is more than life without end. Eternal life is the highest conceivable quality of life. It is life in abundance (John 10:10). Christ himself is the true God... More, but appeals to the responsibility of Christians, and the crown is the reward to be received by the one who heeds the exhortation.

Nor must we forget, when considering the seven letters, that they are not addressed to individual believers, but to entire assemblies, each of which is represented by the “angel of the assemblyThe literal meaning is “called out”: • called out of "the darkness" (1. Pet 2:9)—this refers to the area where there is a lack of light about God Himself, His... More”.