To the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote:
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ( 1 Cor. 9:24-27.)
Paul used the metaphor of athletic competition to convey the concept of giving up liberties and making sacrifices for the salvation of souls, including his own.
Those in Corinth would have been familiar with the metaphor. The d were an ancient Greek sporting event held every two years in the Isthmus of Corinth. The games were held in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and were one of the four Panhellenic Games, along with the Olympic, Pythian, and Nemean Games. The Isthmian Games were first held in 582 BC and continued until the 4th century AD. They were similar to the Olympic Games in that they featured a variety of athletic events, such as running, wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. The victors of the Isthmian Games were awarded a wreath of pine or wild celery and also honored with statues and poems.
Paul referred to the victor’s wreath that awaits Christians. In contrast to the wreath the winning athletes received which wilted, the crown the Christian will wear is eternal. That being the case, how much more then should Christians give effort to obtaining the imperishable crown? Bodily exercise pales in comparison to the rewards godliness provides (1 Tim. 4:8). Paul was not going out for a morning jog, meandering wherever different paths might take him. No, his run was purposeful. He was running the Christian marathon toward the finish line (Acts 20:24; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:7). He pressed toward the goal (Phil. 3:14). He was not shadow boxing. He was in the fight of his life—the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). All Christians, even Paul, must exercise self-discipline to strive for the goal of eternal life.
Paul’s crown was not only the salvation of his own soul (2 Tim. 4:8), but also the souls he had won to Christ. Paul spoke of his converts to Christ as his joy and crown (Phil. 4:1; cf. Acts 16:11-40). He looked forward to presenting them to the Lord Jesus Christ on the final day. He made some converts to Christ at Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-4) To them he wrote, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:19-20).
In a world that so often focuses on individual rights, we desperately need to consider the message Paul is conveying in 1 Corinthians 9. He was willing to give up whatever rights he had in order to win people to Christ so that their souls would be saved (1 Cor. 9:19-23). Instead of complaining about our rights, let us focus on our responsibilities. Let us strive to master ourselves and be willing to make sacrifices so that souls will be saved. Members of the body of Christ must work together for the good of the whole (1 Cor. 12:12). Eternal souls hang in the balance.
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