Introduction
If you’ve ever been involved in any
sort of competitive athletics then you know very well that watching an athletic
event is not nearly as enjoyable as participating in one. During this past
week, American football played its 49th annual championship game and
the two weeks leading up to the game, sports analysts gave their expert opinion
on virtually every detail of the two teams scheduled to play in the game.
Oddly, the majority of those commentators never played football at the
professional level. That doesn’t mean they can’t have an opinion or even a
well-educated opinion. However, nothing compares to the perspective offered by
analysts and commentators who either were, or still are, engage in professional
football. Nothing can take the place of experience and maturity derived from
active participation.
I saw a
great poster the other day that read, “Why can’t anyone invent an exercise that
will help me lose weight while I’m sitting on the couch watching TV, eating
pizza, and drinking beer?” I caught myself laughing a little too hard at that
one. But we all know that person who says they want to get into shape but never
change their poor eating habits or commit to an exercise regimen. We work with
the person who talks about how they’re going to climb the corporate ladder only
to see them get to the office an hour late every day, take two hour lunches and
go home an hour early. Some of you sit next to the student who can’t figure out
why they keep failing test and you want to tell them that maybe they should
actually try studying the material instead of goofing off. We know people who
dream of being writers but never really do much writing. We know people who
complain that they don’t read very well but rarely pick up a book to read. We
know people who want to make lots of money but don’t work hard. We know people
who say they love their families but won’t spend any time with them. We know
people who dream of being professional athletes but won’t commit to the rigors
of training. People somehow seem to think that all they have to do is say it
and it will just somehow magically happen. I’ll give you one guess to tell me
how many people became elite football players by sitting in front of the
television or in the stands to watch a football game. How about basketball? How
many people do you know that learned how to dribble a basketball with either
hand while running and not looking at the ball by sitting on the couch watching
someone else do it? How about baseball? You have to know someone that learned
to either throw a ball 100 miles per hour or hit a 100 mile per hour fastball
just by watching someone do it on the television. If you think I’m being
cynical, you’re right…sort of. We all know people who think big and talk big but
their actions are very small.
I know what
you’re asking, ‘What in the world does this have to do with the Scriptures?’
Relax, I’m getting to it. This exact phenomenon goes on every day in the Church
as countless people proclaim to be Christians and want to be in a vibrant
relationship Jesus Christ yet very few are willing to do what it takes to
nurture that relationship. Christians flock to churches by the thousands like
fans to a sporting event. In fact, some churches buildings were previously
sports arenas! They sit in churches singing, dancing, clapping, whistling and
shouting and leave thinking they got everything they needed to be a faithful
follower of Jesus Christ. I want to challenge you to name one person, just one,
who became an elite athlete at any sport by sitting in the stands and watching
the game? Just name one! You can know about the game; you might even know a lot
about the game. But you will never actually become an elite athlete unless you
train, train, train, and then train some more and then get in the game and
participate. There’s a difference between the person who sits in the stands
that talks about being an athlete and the person who actually does something
about becoming an athlete. The Christian life is no different. Are you “working
out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12);” are you in the game,
or are you merely a Christian Spectator?
Subject Text
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do you
not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone
who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last
forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running
aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so
that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize.
Context
Last week I gave you a very detailed
explanation of the context of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. However, I
focused primarily on Corinth and its surrounding culture. I explained that
there were two major landmasses in the Achaia region that includes Greece, with
Corinth as the major city on one landmass and Athens on the other with a narrow
isthmus serving as a land bridge between the two. Last week I focused on the
culture of Corinth but this week Paul clearly has the culture of Athens in
mind. Why? Because it is the birthplace of the Olympic Games dating back to the
8th century BC. “From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D.,
the Games were held every four years in Olympia, located in the western [Achaia
region], in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896
in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 13 nations, competing in 43
events…The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games date to 776 B.C.,
when a cook named Coroebus won the only event–a 192-meter footrace called the
stade (the origin of the modern “stadium”)–to become the first Olympic
champion…The 1896 Games featured the first Olympic marathon, which followed the
25-mile route run by the Greek soldier who brought news of a victory over the
Persians from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C.”[1] Although
the games had a link to the religious cult of Zeus, they had a primarily
secular characteristic intended to display the athletic qualities of its young
people and it encouraged good relationship between the cities of Greece. So
when Paul makes reference to runners in a race, his audience would immediately
associate it with the Olympic games since they were so important that ancient
historians actually began to measure time by four-year increments between
Olympic Games which eventually came to be known as Olympiads.
Text Analysis
24Do you not know that in a race
all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get
the prize.
There is a
strange phenomenon here in the west generally and in America more specifically
where people think there should only be winners and no losers, especially in
sports. However, that same foolish attitude has become pervasive in our
educational system that discourages teachers from giving failing grades so that
children are not traumatized (because not being able to read, write and do math
won’t be traumatizing when they can’t get a job and are homeless or have to
live in run down government housing and become life-long welfare recipients
{read sarcasm}). It has even entered our work-forces where labor unions have
deceived their members into believing that everyone should be treated equal and
they know what “equal” means. That way there are no winners or losers and the
utopian work place can be yours with your regular monthly contribution to the union
that cares for you and loves you {yes you can read sarcasm there again}. No
need to work hard because the benefits are the same whether you work hard or
not—so there are no winners or losers. But this has not always been the case
and it certainly wasn’t the case during Paul’s day and it absolutely wasn’t the
case for his audience so close to the Olympic Games they enjoyed. So Paul’s use
of the illustration in v. 24 would have made perfect sense to his audience.
Everyone who enters an athletic competition participates but not everyone wins.
Paul likens the Christian life to a race and encourages all those who enter it
to participate in such a way that gives them the best chance of winning. “Athletic
images conjure up a number of stimulating associations, including rigorous
training or exercise, singleness of purpose, delayed gratification,
streamlining of maximum performance, self-control, perseverance and endurance.
Athletic endeavor also involves intense competition with lofty objectives and
high stakes, and it requires faithful adherence to a prescribed set of rules to
avoid disqualification.”[2]
25Everyone who competes in the
games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
When I was
younger (much younger), I was involved in athletics in some form or another
either as a player or as a coach. I understood the value of conditioning,
training and practice when it came to getting better. Reaching the championship
level in any sporting endeavor requires a single-minded purpose and focus
toward a very specific goal. It requires a level of discipline that not
everyone is willing to make a commitment to. Paul makes the connection in v. 25
between an athlete training and running a race to win a valued prize and the Christian
who, in a sense, is competing in a race to win the greatest prize of all. Be
careful here not confuse what Paul is saying. Paul is not giving instruction on
how to become a Christian or what we must do to earn the prize of our
salvation. That’s not what Paul is saying. Paul has already said that we are
saved by grace and not by works in case anyone should boast (Eph 2:8-9).
Instead, Paul is giving us instruction on faithful commitment and
self-discipline after we have been saved.
I have often said that being a Christian is not about
religion but about relationship; an eternal relationship with the Creator of
the universe who revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And like
any other relationship, if we value that relationship then we must be
intentional about how we nurture that relationship. I want to draw your
attention to the institution of marriage because it is so often used to
illustrate the relationship between Jesus and His Church. The act of getting
married is relatively easy even if it is quite elaborate. However, the act of
being married is anything but easy. I have been married for 30 years now and I
can tell you that a valued relationship requires focused intentionality,
commitment, discipline, and self-sacrifice. Well our relationship with Jesus
should be our most valued relationship of all and if we are prepared to pour
our lives into our earthly relationships, how much more must we pour into our
heavenly relationship with Jesus? Think about the strict training and discipline
that elite athletes put themselves through just to win a ribbon with a medal
hanging from it or a glass or shiny metal trophy that sits on shelf somewhere
and gathers dust. Granted, some do it for the money that comes with winning the
top prize but that too is merely a temporary reward enjoyed during this life.
Now imagine the discipline and training involved in pursuing a reward the will
be enjoyed for all eternity. Can you imagine what that kind of commitment and
discipline that must take? Well you don’t have to imagine because Jesus gave us
an example of the commitment and discipline required to be in relationship with
God and I hate to tell you this, but somewhere along the way it involves a
cross for all those who don’t just want to run in the race but who want to win.
“In all aspects the athlete applies self-control to every sphere of life that
might affect the outcome of the race, from diet to mastering the sexual
appetite. Paul pictures an athlete going through an arduous regime requiring
endurance, self-denial, and abstinence, since gluttony and sensuality can bring
defeat as quickly as can a skilled opponent or the enervating heat…Paul’s
intention is not to commend an ascetic lifestyle but to emphasize that every
victory has its price in the effort and sacrifice put forth, particularly in
reining in the unruly sensual appetites for food, drink, and sexual pleasure.”[3]
26Therefore I do not run like a
man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
It’s hard to hit any target if you don’t aim for the target. It’s hard
to reach a goal if there is no goal. This is the point Paul is making in v. 26. Paul’s actions and behavior
reflected intentionality of purpose. Paul wasn’t pursuing some nebulous goal.
Instead, Paul knew what he was doing and where he was going and every aspect of
his life was part of the process of getting there. We all know people who seem
to have no purpose in life and their actions are usually characterized by
self-destructive behavior. Behavior characterized by self-indulgence and
self-centeredness usually ends in self-destruction. Paul likens this person to
someone who runs a race without the clear goal of winning the race or a person
who enters a contest without the focus or intentionality of winning the
contest. “[Paul] kept his eyes focused on the goal, running straight for it,
with purpose in every step. He did not allow himself to be sidetracked and he
did not waste time becoming lazy. He kept on, disciplining and training his body.
Paul pictured life as a battle. Believers must not become lazy—for Satan seeks
to cause them to stumble, sin continues to buffet, and sorrow and pain are a
daily reality. Instead of being bound by their bodies, believers must
diligently discipline themselves in their Christian lives in order to stay ‘in
shape.’ ”[4]
27No, I beat my body and
make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize.
There are a number of traps we can
fall into if we misinterpret v. 27.
The practice of mortification of the flesh has a long history within the
Church. Specifically, in the 13th century there was a group
associated with the Roman Catholic Church known as the Flagellants who beat
themselves with whips and cords as a means of self-discipline. Although the
Catholic Church condemned the practice in the 14th century it is
still common in the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Mexico, and at lest one
convent in Peru. Some, again within Roman Catholicism, use this practice of
self-mortification as a form of penance for sins (as though the punishment that
Jesus endured on our behalf wasn’t enough {yes
that’s sarcasm again}). These are all traps of misinterpretation of this
verse.
When Paul speaks of not being
disqualified for the prize, we must ask ourselves if Paul is referring to the
eschatological prize of salvation or the heavenly rewards that await us based
on our faithfulness as followers of Jesus Christ. Either is a possibility
depending on your theology. Some believe that once we have accepted Christ,
there is nothing we can do to lose our salvation. Others believe that our
salvation depends on our faithful obedience to the commands of Christ.
Honestly, there is biblical support for both positions. However, let me go back
to the illustration of marriage I used earlier. Once you are married, you
remain legally married regardless of how you treat your spouse unless your
spouse seeks a divorce or until the death of one of you. However, if either a
husband or a wife is consistently abusive, would you still consider that a
marriage? Perhaps technically and legally but would you call it a marriage
relationally? Probably not. Theologically, it is possible that Paul was
referring to the loss of salvation. However, “to infer that ‘disqualification’
in this context means the ultimate loss of salvation is to push the analogy a
bit far. An important consideration in this regard is what Paul said already
regarding the ‘testing’ of the Day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:5-17), which
will show the quality of one’s works. The end result is the loss of reward, but
the individual himself [or herself] is saved yet only as through fire…It seams
reasonable, therefore, to conclude that the primary intent of the term
‘disqualified/unapproved’ in this context has more to do with God’s final
verdict on his people for which there will be both reward and loss.”[5]
Application
An article crossed my desk this week
called “The heresy of worshiptainment.”[6] I
love that word, “worshiptainment,” because it reflects a symptom of a more
serious disease that has infected many in the Church. The article talked about edification
being replaced by entertainment. That Christians are more interested in the
church experience than in the gospel message. Christians have been deceived
into thinking that being entertained by great preaching, concert quality music,
state-of-the-art video equipment, fog machines, fancy lighting, and
professional set designs makes them faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I mean,
when they attend, they sing to the music, sometimes with hands raised in the
air and tears in their eyes. They applaud the message with shouts of praise and
whistles. And at the end of the event, most go home and don’t give God another
thought until the next time they come to be entertained once again. And all
this, at least in their minds, makes them faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
Now think about that for just a minute.
I have friends who have had season tickets to the Denver Broncos
football team (that’s American football), for almost 50 years and have attended
virtually all the games during those 50 years. They listened to the announcer,
they enjoyed the music and the entertainment on the Jumbotron at either end of
the stadium, they clapped, they cheered and they whistled and then they went
home until the next game when they did it all over again. Guess what? After all
those years and all those games, they never became or thought of themselves as
professional football players! If being a spectator at a football game doesn’t
make a person a professional football player than how does being a Christian Spectator make someone into a
faithful follower of Jesus Christ? The short answer, it doesn’t. Being a faithful
follower of Jesus Christ takes hard work and discipline. It takes an
intentionality that comes with the deep desire to be in a vibrant and growing
relationship with the Creator of the universe.
You know I hate lists because it
gives people a way of checking things off so they can show that they did it
while entirely missing the purpose behind completing the things on the list. But
I want to give you a list of disciplines to practice but only with the
condition that you use them with the spirit that they are intended and that is
as tools to nurture your relationship with God and not so you can brag about
all the things you do for God. Spiritual disciplines are intended to convey
relational intimacy between you and God. They will be difficult and time
consuming. However, Like Paul said, I want you to run the race with the goal of
winning the race and that will take commitment and discipline. There are, of
course, many different spiritual disciplines and you are welcome to add as many
as you like but I want to share what I believe are the essential disciplines
that I believe you should try to incorporate into your daily lives.
Spiritual
Disciplines
Scripture Reading
I know this one seems obvious but
the Bible is still the most purchased and least read book in all of history.
The Bible is not a decoration. The Bible is God’s word for us to live by. There
are countless versions in countless languages so it should be easy to find
something that will suit the purpose. For my own purposes, I use the NIV Life
Application Bible as my study Bible and I use Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase Message Bible for my daily devotional
reading Bible. It’s not the only method or specifically the best method. The
important thing is that you spend each day reading some portion of the Bible.
Bible Study
Considering
churches today are more interested in entertaining people than they are in
edifying people, it is important that you supplement your daily Bible reading
with a more detailed Bible study either by yourself or in a small group
setting. There are countless resources that include my weekly lessons and many
others. What’s important is that you are edified by materials and lessons
published, prepared, and/or presented by someone who has sound Seminary
training. You go to a doctor who has a degree and a license to practice
medicine to care for your physical body that will nevertheless die, why would
you trust your spiritual body, that is eternal, to someone who isn’t similarly
trained?
Prayer
There are
many forms of prayer and I don’t want you to get too bogged down in the technicality
of prayer types. Prayer, in whatever form, is communicating with God. There are
certainly formal prayer books that you can use to help you with the words or
you can just come before God and open your heart up to him. “In the same way
that a small child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a
bad prayer…[In prayer] we bring ourselves before God just as we are, warts and
all. Like children before a loving father, we open our hearts and make our
requests. We do not try to sort things out, the good from the bad. We simply
and unpretentiously share our concerns and make our petitions.”[7]
As part of your prayer life, try to bear in mind that you are engaging in a
relationship. God is not a magic genie that grants wishes. He is Creator, Lord,
Savior, and friend. Keep that in mind when you are communicating with Him
through prayer.
Silence & Solitude
One of the hardest things for
people, especially Americans, to do is stop and listen. The practice of silence
and solitude is the other side of the coin of prayer. While prayer necessary
implies active engagement, silence and solitude implies passive engagement.
Prayer is only half of the process while the other half is silence and
solitude. The discipline is precisely as the title implies—an undistracted
attentiveness to God’s voice. For more on this discipline, please take the time
to read a two part series on the topic at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2012/01/silence-and-solitude-pt-1.html
and http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2012/02/silence-and-solitude-pt-2-conclusion.html.
Praise & Worship
This is where some form of church
attendance comes in. Now I fully realize that for some of you in countries
where Christianity is against the law, this can be very difficult. However, I
can tell you that I perform praise and worship multiple times during the day
and never set foot in an actual church building. It is true that Christian life
is meant to be lived in community but that can take many forms so don’t get too
hung up on traditional constructs of praise and worship believing that your
church is doing it the way it has always been done. I can say with certainty
that the praise and worship gatherings of the New Testament era looked nothing
like what they look like today so let me disabuse you of the belief that the way
your church conducts praise and worship is a direct reflection of a Biblical
model for praise and worship and everyone else’s way is wrong. Praise and
worship is anything that does just what it says—gives praise to God for being
God and worships God as being the only One worthy to be worshipped.
Soul Friendship
Service
In our
modern culture, especially here in America, we seldom do something for someone
else without expecting something in return. However, one of the foundational
principles of the Gospel and the life of a follower of Jesus Christ is service
to others. In fact, Jesus tells us the two commands that encompass the Gospel
message are to love God with all we are and love others as ourselves. In other
words, the message of the Gospel is simultaneously God-centered and
other-centered. Most of the disciplines I’ve listed have covered the first but this
one covers the second. We have countless opportunities every day to serve those
around us in some way—neighbors, coworkers, fellow students, patients,
customers, and countless others. Make it a habit to serve someone every day out
of love for that person and obedience to God’s command to serve without
expecting anything in return.
Again,
there are many other disciplines and various nuances on the disciplines I have
listed but I believe that these are, at a minimum, some essential practices for
all professing Christians. Remember, just as sitting in the stands of an
athletic event doesn’t automatically make you an athlete, sitting in a Church
doesn’t automatically make you a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. My question
for you is, are you going to train and prepare yourself and get in the game or
are you going to be a Christian
Spectator?
[1]
History.com Staff, The Olympic Games,
www.history.com/topics/olympi-games
(accessed February 1, 2015).
[2]
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, gen. eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An
encyclopedic exploration of the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of
speech and literary patterns of the Bible, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press, 1998), p. 54.
[3]
David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians—Baker
Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
2003), p. 441.
[4]
Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 676.
[5]
Mark Taylor, 1 Corinthians—The New
American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2014), p. 224.
[6]
Mike Livingstone, The heresy of
worshiptainment, http://mikelivingstone.com/2014/12/17/the-heresy-of-worshiptainment,
(accessed January 31, 2015).
[7]
Richard J. Foster, Prayer—Finding The
Hearts True Home, (New York , NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992), pp. 8-9.
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