Now, let's look at two passages St. Paul the Apostle wrote at two different times in his life:
1 Cor 9:24-28: "Run Your Race to Win
24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
This is 27: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."
This letter was written around 53-54 A.D. St. Paul converted around 34 A.D, so after 20 years of ministry.
"The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, probably written about
53–54 ce at Ephesus":
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Letter-of-Paul-to-the-Corinthians
Now, the Greek word here is ἀδόκιμος (adokimos). It is the same word as in Rom 1:28:
ἀδόκιμον (adokimon).
So, after 20 years of ministry, baptizing and converting tens of 1000s to Christ, and edifying and exhorting maybe 100s of thousands of Christians, St. Paul still considers as possible that he could fall away and become disqualified/reprobate (see Rom 1:28 where the same word is used). That statement should give pause to OSAS preachers that Paul never believed what they did, neither did Jesus Christ ever teach it, otherwise Paul would surely not have said this.
Now, some 13-14 years later, shortly before his heroic martyrdom for Our Lord Jesus Christ (how often do you hear modern preachers spoke of the Glory of Martyrdom for Jesus Christ; or of bearing Crosses lovingly for Him?), just before death was coming, THEN, Paul says:
"I have kept the Faith ... there is laid up for me a Crown of Justice" etc. This ought to show every Christian that one should not claim one will persevere till death until one actually perseveres till then when death comes.
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Where are we?
Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67."
https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/second-timothy
2 Tim 4:6 "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
And this is explicitly confirmed in two other passages at least.
Rev 2:10, the Lord Himself: "be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
Here the Lord teaches us that, by His Grace, we can and should strive for faithfulness to death to attain our heavenly crown.
And St. James the Apostle Jam 1:12: "12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."
If you hope to receive the crown, you must make efforts to persevere in faith and love until the end. It's that simple.
Of course, it is God's Grace that enables you to persevere, just like it enabled you to believe. But it is still a free will choice.
Someone asked, how many good works, 5 or 50? The answer is, until one's death comes, you must faithfully do His Work.
God Bless.
