Total Commitment Vs. Just A Contributor Series

And then he starts talking about running a race.

Is Paul suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder? NO… no that’s not what this is. Paul just said, “I become like one of the Jews in order to win some of the Jews. I become like the Gentiles in order to win some of the Gentiles.” Here is Paul, becoming like one of the Corinthians in order to win some of the Corinthians.

Every two years outside of the City of Corinth they held something called the Isthmian Games. It was distinct from the Olympic Games that were every four years and held near Mt. Olympus… this was the Isthmian Games – it was every two years, and not quite as extensive as the Olympics – but it was an incredibly BIG DEAL to the Corinthians. The athletes would train for 10 months to get ready, and it had to be verified that they were actually training… they would get a little certificate that showed that they were worthy to compete in these games.

They would do races, discuss, boxing and wrestling, and have music and poetry competition. And people from all over the Mediterranean region came to compete. And if you won one of those competitions you were given a wreath made of pine, and they were basically given a free night on the town. They would have a little statuette made of themselves, and if you were from Athens and you won the Isthmian Games, they would even give you 100 Drachma as a prize (because the Athenians didn’t get along with the Corinthians, so it was like a little extra incentive to beat them).

But in a few months, the wreath was gone, rotted away, and everyone was back to their normal routine of daily living.

So Paul has found a point of contact with the Corinthians… the Isthmian Games. And he gives an example from those athletic events, that points to how we are to live out our Christian lives.

So yes, we are free in Christ! Yes, we are forgiven of our sin! Yes, we are under grace! Yes, we can eat meat, we can go dancing, we can go to the movies, we can listen to secular music, but at the same time we remember that our freedom in Christ is constrained by love. We remember that grace is not a license to sin.

So Paul says, “All the runners in a race run, but only one wins. Be like the guy who wins!” Why? Because you’re running to receive an imperishable crown. It’s not some wreath out of pine that’s going to fade away and wither… it’s not just so people can praise you and buy you meals, and talk about your athletic prowess for a few months until the next games champions remove all memory of you and your accomplishments. Often in his letters, Paul equates the Christian life to a race, or to fighting, or to warfare… And if you’re involved in those things – the goal is the win! Vince Lombardi the Hall of Famer coach for the Green Bay Packers once said, “If it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, then why do they keep score?” And that guy won games! He wasn’t just there to contribute… he was committed to getting his team to the Big Game and winning that game! So Paul is saying here, “Be like the winner of the race. Do what is necessary to be that guy.”