THE GREEK OLYMPIC GAMES had been part of the ancient near east culture for eight centuries by the time Paul alludes in scripture to the contests established by them. “Do 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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” (1 Cor. 9:24-25a) The games were gladly accepted into Roman culture upon their conquest of Greece, and by Paul’s time they had become part of the widespread culture across the vast geographic influence that Rome wielded. They became the basis for the Roman gladiator sport spectaculars that would soon become in part a venue for Christian persecution and martyrdom late in the First Century A.D, under the emperors Vespasian and Domitian. Paul uses the games as a metaphor; the training of the body for such sports, he says, is like what we must do to be spiritually and physically ready for the contests that we must engage in as Christians. We are constantly preparing for winning souls to Christ for their and our heavenly rewards. “They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9:24-25a)
Paul is familiar, as all would be, with the contests. He asks, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?” (1 Cor. 9:24a) He challenges all who will listen, “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24b) In order to do that, he says, contestants must prepare: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” (1 Cor. 9:25a) He then begins to shift the conversation from a cultural bridge towards the gospel: “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, 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.” (1 Cor. 9:26-27) His challenge, personalized and illustrated in this way, clarifies for us the earlier statements he made; the metaphor explains how it is that he, and therefore we, should understand, prepare for, and engage in the contest between good and evil that occurs whenever and wherever the gospel is preached. It is a contest for very high stakes, and much is at risk; it demands from us the utmost that we have to give. Paul wants us to fully understand the severity of the battle that we are taking part in; this is spiritual warfare, and that which can be won or lost is precious, and must be seen in the light of not just eternity, but eternity lived in blessings or woes.
He is a seasoned warrior in these battles. He has not just survived, but has triumphed, and he wants to impart to us his techniques, the things he practices not just to enter into the battle, but to win the battle. Some five hundred years prior to Paul, Sun Tzu, in “The Art of War,” wrote that “All war is the art of deception.” In like mind, but from far different motivation, Paul writes, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” He says, “Though free, I make myself a slave. To the Jews I became like a Jew. To those under the law I became like one under the law. To the weak I became weak.” All of this he did “To win as many as possible, so that by all possible means I might save some for the sake of the gospel.” And, he adds here, “so that I may share in its blessings. I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19-23)
The Lord has not saved us from what Peter calls “the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers” (1 Pet. 1:18) in order for us to simply enjoy this great gift of life. We have been “bought at a price,” and that price is “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (cf. 1 Pet. 1:19) Paul, the greatest evangelist of the scriptures, encourages us to follow in the path that he has set as an example before us. “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” (Philemon 6) We are called fraternally not only to share in the blessings, but to share the blessings. The Lord Jesus also calls us beyond the blessings: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt. 9:37-38)
Father, thank you for our salvation in Jesus. Prepare us, equip us, and send us, O God. At the sound of your voice, let us be the ones who respond, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isa. 6:8)
Q. Do I walk in strength in the full armor of God? (cf. Eph. 6:10-20)
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