Sermon: Winning the prize (1 Cor 9:24-27)

PAUL'S FITNESS PROGRAM (1 Cor 9:24-27)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

As people get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay in good physical condition. Too little exercise and too many calories eventually affect even a once trim figure.

The army physical-training program requires soldiers to run two miles every other day in platoon formation. Jeff, being somewhat older than the others in his unit, had trouble running faster than a ten-minute mile. During a recent run, he was finding it difficult to complete the two miles without stopping, so he paused and raised his hands above his head, attempting to expand his diaphragm and gain a second wind. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind say, “Forget it, Sarge…we don’t take prisoners.”

As people get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay in good physical condition, and they usually need to adopt some sort of fitness program. The same is often true of people’s spiritual condition. In our passage this morning, we have Paul’s Fitness Program, which he recommends to the Christians at Corinth.

The apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth addresses questions he received from the church (chapters 1-6) and concerns he has for the church (chapters 7-16).¹ In the second section he likens the Christian experience to a physical training program, the kind one would undertake in preparation for a foot race or a boxing match.² In Paul’s Fitness Program, he relates how one becomes an effective competitor in the Christian games of life:

1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know³ that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 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.

In the first century, athletic events were a popular part of Greek society and a regular source of entertainment as participants competed for prizes and fame. Sports included foot and horse races, wrestling and boxing matches, discus and javelin throwing. Participants prepared on local tracks and in gymnasiums. Because these games were common in major cities throughout the empire, Paul alluded to them frequently in his letters to various churches.⁴ Two of his favorite sports to use were racing and boxing because they held parallels to the Christian life. This was especially evident in the passage he wrote to believers at Corinth. He begins by stating simply:


I. There is a race (1 Cor 9:24).…

…in which…

A. Only one wins.

…but…

B. Everyone runs.

Given the limited number of winners, most potential candidates should find competing to be extremely discouraging. Why put effort into something that has only a marginal chance of success? Amazingly, that uncertainty seems to have the opposite effect, encouraging rather than discouraging people to participate.

Are you running to win, or are you just meandering through life, content simply to get by? Your salvation ensures your entry to heaven. What more do you need? …The answer depends on how you want to spend eternity. Although it is better to be “be a doorkeeper in the house of [the Lord] than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10), it is even better to “receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matt 10:41). Do not settle for less when you can strive for more.

There is incentive, of course because…

II. There is a reward (1 Cor 9:25).

…and…

A. It is motivating.

…but…

B. It is fleeting.

Foot race competitions may have been the most common event, as they were the least expensive to produce and required no special equipment. Likewise, the prize in many foot races may also have been quite modest, not a fat purse of coins but a garland of vegetation.⁵ Paul is referring to the physical activity, and to the incentive people have to participate. He says there is something of a comparable spiritual activity, a race on a different course, toward a different goal, and for a different prize. Paul expects his readers to develop the analogy and make further connections themselves, perhaps from earlier hints in this letter.⁶

• Paul referred to a course of righteous living:

1 Cor 6:9a Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?

• Paul referred to a goal of perfected character:

1 Cor 1:8 He will keep you…blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Paul referred to a prize of divine commendation:

1 Cor 4:5c At that time each will receive his praise from God.

Despite whatever vague similarities there may be in his comparison between a physical race and the Christian life, the apostle wants his readers to focus on the certain features of their heavenly calling,⁷ especially the permanence of reward: Those who enter the physical activity “do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor 9:25b). Not only is the reward distinguished, being from God, it is durable, lasting forever.

Are you looking forward to receiving a reward? While you must not be mercenary in serving God, anticipating only or primarily what He can give you, neither are you to ignore what God has planned for you, including…⁸

• A heavenly residence:

“In my Father’s house are many rooms…. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

• A royal inheritance:

“[T]ake your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt 25:34b).

You can look forward to receiving a reward.

Regardless of the activity, whether running or boxing…

III. There is a recipe (1 Cor 9:26)…

…for success, a way of ensuring that you will triumph. That is pretty astonishing. What endeavor guarantees the attainment of your goal? Here it is not your desire that determines your success, as if wanting it or willing it were enough; it is your devotion. Your commitment to making it happen ensures that it will happen. Actually, it is someone else who insures your success: “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1Thess 5:24). Channeling all his efforts, Paul (switching from third person to first person) says…

A. I run to win.

…and…

B. I fight to win.

Paul describes that level of dedication in another letter, where he also alludes to running a race:⁹

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14)

A half-hearted effort will not do. The Lord made that clear to the Israelites with His many inclusive commands:¹⁰

Keep all my decrees and all my laws…. (Lev 19:37a)

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deut 6:5)

While it helps to have a goal in view, an athlete is not always training for a particular event. Often he is just trying to stay in shape. When an opportunity to compete then arises, he can intensify or specify his routine. Here the analogy begins to breakdown, for an athlete is not always at peak efficiency, but a Christian must be:¹¹

[B]e prepared in season and out of season…. (2 Tim 4:2b)

[B]e ready to do whatever is good. (Titus 3:1c)

[P]ray continually. (1 Thess 5:17)

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Pet 3:15b)

A Christian must constantly be at peak efficiency.

While not training for a particular event, a Christian must meet a particular expectation:

2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved….

Moreover, there is an event, the specific date of which does not appear on his schedule, for which a Christian must always be prepared:¹²

[Y]ou…must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matt 24:44)

What is your recipe for success, the way of ensuring that you will triumph in the end? …Whether in boxing or in running, it is important to set your gaze and to maintain your concentration. It is easy to be distracted by whatever may be going on around you, the circumstances of your life (e.g., chronic illness, financial need, relationship trouble).

“[F]ix [y]our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of [y]our faith” (Heb 12:2a)

Do not become distracted even by the “great cloud of witnesses” around you but “throw off everything that hinders” (Heb 12:1). You cannot eliminate all disturbances, but you should be able to concentrate on what is most important. As Paul also writes: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col 3:2). That is your recipe for success.

Unlike an athlete whose focus is in the physical, a spiritual athlete must always be at peak performance by focusing on Jesus. To attain such readiness…

IV. There is a regimen (1 Cor 9:27).

Just as a committed athlete who devotes himself to increasing his physical ability will not train sporadically or haphazardly, a Christian must concentrate his efforts as well. To reach whatever goal an athlete or a Christian sets—and setting goals does help to ensure progress—to reach such a goal…

A. It requires discipline.

…and…

B. It requires sacrifice.

While some goals are easy to reach, others are more demanding. It is up to the individual to decide if the goal he would strive to achieve is worth the effort, whether in his action or in his abstention. Here the analogy breaks down again. For an athlete, the goal may not be worth the effort because the reward is temporal; for a Christian, the goal is always worth the effort because the reward is eternal.

Do you have a regimen, a regular approach to Bible study and prayer? Many people go in spurts, emphasizing study when there is a particular interest and emphasizing petition (the subject of most prayer) when there is a particular need. However fervent such concentrated sessions of study or prayer may be, it is far better that your sessions be frequent and short than infrequent and long.¹³

You will probably never have to endure the hardships Paul faced, experiences that influenced his ability to be such an effective competitor in the Christian games of life, but you may still benefit from Paul’s Fitness Program, as you emulate his readiness for what God has ahead.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.