Based on a message preached at First Baptist Church, Chamois, MO; not an exact transcription.
Introduction: Paul had led many Corinthians to faith in Christ during his stay there (see Acts 18). Now he’s away from them and he’s pointing out some problems these new believers were having. Here in this passage he’s using a familiar picture to illustrate what he’s trying to say. Let’s take a look at the text:
<Opening prayer>
Text, I Corinthians 9:24-27, NASV: 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; 27 but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
1 The contestants themselves
We’ve seen and heard about the Olympic games for many times over many years, right? Something I didn’t know was that Corinth had its own edition, so to speak, of these games. Paul was there for a year and a half and, who knows, he may have seen these games in person. Now he’s using this example, something these Corinthian believers knew very well, to drive home a point that they needed to get.
Now, I’ve read and checked a number of sources because these games or contests are something I really didn’t know much about. One of the things or common threads is that each contestant had to be a Greek and born of Greek parents. Don’t ask me, I didn’t make the rules!
Another is that the training lasted a long time. I’ll talk more about that in a moment, but the main idea here is that nobody could just show up and be permitted to win or even compete. The judges and officials meant business in those days and it seems to me they wanted only the best of the best to compete.
Third is that there was only one prize. Doesn’t that remind you of some commercials, where you would be asked to buy something and then send in something, hoping your entry would be the winner? The announcer would say something like, “Many will enter; few will win” and, you guessed it, I was among the many who never won anything!!
So, I have a lot of respect for the athletes of those days. As we’ll see, they went through a lot in the hope, small as it may have been, that they would win the prize.
2 The contest
Again, referring to the other sources, the games were held in Corinth every two years. Some of the events in these games were, of course, running, leaping (maybe like the long jump?) and a few others. To be honest, I wasn’t able to find out if there was only one prize for the entire games, or if there was one single prize for each event. The thing to remember is that there was only one winner; no such thing as second or third, silver medal or bronze, in these events. In other words, you either won or you lost.
I mentioned training a moment ago. Given some of the contests, and the variety, it’s no surprise that the training itself lasted anywhere from eight months to a year! Just what the athletes had to endure at the hands of the trainers is not something I’ve found but I doubt it was a pleasant experience for any of the athletes. Probably for the trainers, it was a very good time, though!
Look at it like this. Baseball has spring training, and although baseball isn’t the most athletic sport, those who play need to have some good skills and stamina. Otherwise, they face demotion to the minor leagues or else to be cut. As in, dismissed from the team, or, we might say, fired.
Ditto for American-style football, not to be confused with the sport we call “soccer” here in the USA. Think about all the padding and other protective (?) gear the players wear, and also that training for them starts in summer! Many are drafted, some players are acquired by trade, but all of them have to prove they’re worthy to be on the roster. Or else, you guessed it, dismissed.
All in all, the training wasn’t intended to permanently injure any athlete. Rather, it was to help them be the very best runner, thrower, wrestler, whatever, they could be. Many competed, but only one man could take home the prize.
Speaking of the prize, just what was the prize in these contests?
3 The reward/s
How many of you have seen drawings or other art (maybe even movies) about Greek or Roman athletes who won their contest/s? I saw some of these over the years and wondered why these guys were wearing something that looked like dead tree limbs or dead leaves on dead twigs around their heads! Then I found out that those “leaves” or wreaths were the prize for winning the race or whatever they did.
But that wasn’t all. The winners received other benefits, too, too detailed to mention in any depth, but they were well rewarded for their efforts. True, the leaves would and did fade over time, but the other “bennies” remained, if I’m not mistaken, for the life of the winner. That, to me, would be one reason to try to win—think of the good stuff I’d get if I did win!
There was one overriding condition, though, and that was, the athlete had to play by the rules. If, say, the race course or track was laid out straight, the runner was expected to stay in his lane until he reached the end or goal line. If wrestling, even then there was probably a set of rules for each wrestler to follow. If you threw the discus, you were expected to aim it at the target, not at anyone or anything else! We get the idea: those who disobeyed were disqualified.
Haven’t we seen something like this before?
Paul went on to say he, figuratively, beat himself black-and-blue in order to not let his body become his master. He also said he didn’t box like he was shadow-boxing, or deliberately trying to miss the other boxer or opponent in the ring or whatever was in use back then. I’m reminded of an old saying, “Aim at nothing and you’ll find it every time!”
And finally he said he didn’t run in any direction he pleased; no, he knew the course and he, like the others were supposed to do, stayed in his lane. It doesn’t take a great deal of mental effort to guess that if the track is laid out in a straight line, the runner should aim his body in that direction, not taking a scenic detour (hmmm, that looks nice over there) or that kind of thing. A track and field coach would surely explain the difference between a 3-mile cross country run and, say, a 100 yard dash!
Paul knew about this, and, who knows, he may have seen one of these contests or he may have walked by one of the gyms where training for these events took place. He knew the rewards, for those who played by the rules; and he knew of the penalties, for those who cheated or didn’t do it right. I think he always had the confidence he was doing the Lord’s will, but he was always concerned he wasn’t always staying on target, we might say. He wanted to win, not be disqualified, if he ever broke the rules.
To follow Paul’s example, every believer (that’s us, you and me) are in the race of life. How we run this race is important, as Paul tried to explain to the Corinthians and to us, too. There’s a reward if we win or follow the rules, and a penalty if we don’t. Oh yes, let me add, there is also a giant difference between that race and ours: in the Greek games, only one person could win any one contest. We ALL have the chance to be winners! God had a prize for each one of us and I hope we do it right, so as to win that prize!
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Version of the Bible (NASV)
