Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Pastors are notorious for using sports analogies in sermons that mean little to a large portion of the congregation. That does not disqualify their use, however, and these verses are the proof we need. Paul used the local context for his audience because, according to The New American Commentary, “Corinth hosted the biennial Isthmian games”. This fact meant that Paul’s analogy immediately plugged them into what he was talking about, which was how we run the race.
There is a phrase that says, “It does not matter if you win or lose, but how you play the game.” In this analogy though, the goal is to finish the race and get a crown. We are not working “toward” our goal of winning. The game was won and Jesus won it on the cross. We are to exercise discipline and self-control because the Holy Spirit is our guide, our “coach” if you will but the crown is ours. We are in a spiritual battle and soldiers need discipline. So do athletes, Paul wrote. Today, may we be disciplined in the word and in prayer and may we be practicing repeatedly our game plan to make disciples and love our neighbor. Then we will enjoy…
The post-game celebration.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church