BIG IDEA:
THE VALUE OF THE ETERNAL PRIZE AND THE DANGER OF DISQUALIFICATION MOTIVATE DISCIPLINED CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE WARFARE AGAINST SIN
APPROACH:
- Are we talking in this passage about rewards that will differentiate between believers based on the quality of their Christian service . . . OR
- Are we talking about gaining or being disqualified from the same prize that awaits each believer = eternal life and fellowship with God
Issues to deal with:
- – says that only one receives the prize – how can this be a reference to salvation?
- – Apostle Paul views himself as in danger of disqualification – What to make of this?
John MacArthur takes the view that it may refer to disqualification “from preaching and leading the church, particularly being blameless and above reproach in the sexual area, since such sin is a disqualification.”
But what does the text say?
CONTEXT:
A. Preceding context – 9:23 “that I may be a fellow partaker of it” [the gospel]
Seems to be talking about fellowship in the eternal life that is in the Son in the same sense that fellowship is spoken of in 1 John 1:1-4
B. Following context – 10:5 “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.”
Paul uses this historical example to exhort the Corinthians not to crave evil things; not to be idolaters; not to act immorally; not to try the Lord; not to grumble; etc.; This usage does not seem to lend a lot of weight in either direction.
Start at the end – word study of “disqualified” in v. 27 – NT usage is decisive:
2 Cor. 13:5-7 — used of reprobates
Heb. 6:8 – “worthless and in danger of being cursed”
Rom. 1:28 – “disapproved mind”
2 Tim. 3:8 – “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.”
Titus 1:16 – “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”
Mark Taylor: It seems best to regard this unit as transitional, functioning both as the conclusion of Paul’s self-exemplary argument, which began in 9:1, and also as an introduction to chap. 10, which brings the discussion back to the main topic of food sacrificed to idols by way of the negative example of Israel in the wilderness following their exodus from Egypt.
INTRODUCTION:
The Corinthian believers exhibited a carelessness in their Christian living and a casualness that did not recognize the reality of their ongoing warfare with sin. The Apostle Paul shakes them out of their lethargy with this motivational plea for disciplined Christian living.
Nicoll: Paul pursues this line of warning, addressed to men who were imperiling their own souls by self-indulgence and worldly conformity. Of the danger of missing the prize of life through lack of discipline Paul is keenly sensible in his own case; he conveys his apprehension under the picture, so familiar to the Corinthians, of the Isthmian Games.
Paul uses both the carrot and the stick and dresses up his appeal in the familiar athletic pictures of two different types of contests:
- an Olympic style marathon race and
- an intense boxing match.
These two analogies from the realm of sports should be self-evident:
“Do you not know that”
Robert Gundry: Athletes who competed in contests such as the ancient Olympics and the Isthmian games near Corinth had to undergo a months-long discipline of rigorous exercise, a strict diet, and abstinence in matters of sex and alcohol or, as Paul puts it, “in all respects.” For him, such discipline is analogous to Christians’ needing to avoid food known to have been sacrificed to an idol. The victorious athletes’ “perishable wreath” consisted of laurel, pine, or celery, all of which withered quickly. Christians victorious because of their analogous self-control will receive “an imperishable [wreath]” consisting in eternal life (compare Philippians 3:7–14). For professing Christians defeated because of their lack of self-control are no Christians at all and therefore won’t receive that imperishable wreath.
Anthony Thiselton: The Christians in Corinth would know full well all about competitive races and the stadium, and such other competitions as boxing, wrestling, weaponry, and even music and poetry. The Isthmian Games were held every two years on the very doorstep of Corinth, within a short walking distance, and they provided a major tourist attraction and a huge source of external revenue and employment for all types of trade and business for the city. The Games were held in A.D. 49, shortly before Paul’s arrival in Corinth, again in A.D. 51 while he was ministering there, and again in A.D. 53 and 55, around the period of the arrival of this letter.
David Garland: This sports analogy does multiduty in clarifying three issues.
- First, it plays on the Corinthians’ craving for honor and allows Paul to contrast the ephemeral honor bestowed on the winner of an athletic contest with the eternal prize that God will award the Christian victor in the contest against sin.
- Second, the prolonged, rigorous training required for success in athletic competition was a well-known image in the ancient world, and it sheds light on Paul’s own voluntary restraint in his refusing to exercise his apostolic rights so that he might successfully attain his goal of saving others.
- Third, it warns that any who fail to exercise self-restraint when it comes to the delights of this world may be disqualified from the ultimate race directed by God. It is more than a general warning against complacency, however. It reminds Corinthians of the difficulties of living out their Christian commitment. Entry into the contest does not guarantee a prize (Yinger 1999: 252), and they cannot repose in the illusion that they are safe from failure. The athletic simile serves as a transition to the warning example of Israel in the next section (10:1–13).
I. (:24-25) THE CARROT – RUNNING ANALOGY
THE VALUE OF THE ETERNAL PRIZE MOTIVATES DISCIPLINED CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE WARFARE AGAINST SIN
A. Participation Does Not Equate to Victory
- The Christian Life is a Marathon … not a Sprint
“in a race”
(Although the figure used here for a stadion was only a furlong long, a little more than 200 yards)
- Participation is Not the Same as Perseverance and Victory
“the runners all compete”
- Receiving the Prize is What Matters
“but only one receives the prize?”
B. Pursue the Prize Diligently and Zealously
“Run in such a way that you may win it.”
Why else would you train and participate? The possibility of running and not obtaining is very real to the Apostle Paul.
The Goal of the Christian life is Victory — How is victory defined here?
John Piper: The point here is not that only one Christian wins the prize of the upward call of God. As a matter of fact in the Christian race one of the rules is that you must help others finish (Hebrews 3:13). Finishing the race is a community project. The point is not that there is only one winner. The point is: run the way the winner runs.
How does the winner run? He runs hard. He gives the race everything he has. In another place Paul says, “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:10). This is the way we are to run in our service for Christ: with zeal and fervent in the Spirit. Not lazy or idle or sluggish or unconcerned.
Gordon Fee: Paul is urging the Corinthians to “run” the Christian life in such a way, in this case by exercising proper self-control (the emphasis in vv. 25–27), as to obtain the eschatological reward. In context, the area where they lack “self-control” is that of insisting on the right to continue eating in the environs of the pagan temples. Exhortation, therefore, is Paul’s primary purpose; but the passage also serves as a clear warning if they fail to “run” properly. As warning it anticipates what comes next (10:1–22). Inherent in the metaphor is the greater reality that entry into the contest itself does not guarantee the prize; Christian life requires perseverance as well.
David Garland: The crux of the argument is that simply entering a race and running does not automatically qualify one as a winner (Findlay 1910: 855; Barrett 1968: 217; Oster 1995: 224). Christians not only must join the race, but also must put forth every effort to finish it well, because the laurels go only to the victor, in this case, a multitude of victors. The οὕτως (houtōs, thus, in such a way) means that they are to run as if winning were not guaranteed with prizes granted to every entrant. They cannot amble nonchalantly around the track and expect some kind of trophy simply for participation. They are to run as if their life depended on it. It does.
C. Disciplined Living (Exercising Self Control by the Spirit) is the Key to Victory
“Athletes exercise self-control in all things”
What type of discipline and training do we see from athletes?
How would you describe disciplined Christian living?
Why must the scope of this discipline be “in all things”?:
Morris: Notice that the athlete denies himself many lawful pleasures. The Christian must avoid not only definite sin, but anything that hinders his complete effectiveness.
Richard Hays: We should take care here not to lose the thread of Paul’s argument and slip into thinking of spiritual discipline in an individualistic way. The self-control to which Paul is calling the “strong” is precisely the discipline of giving up their privileges for the sake of others in the community. They are to exercise self-discipline by giving up their rights to certain foods — and perhaps some of their privileged social status as well. This is a minor consideration, Paul suggests, in contrast to the prize set before us.
D. Earthly Prizes Cannot Compare to the Eternal Prize
- Earthly Prizes are Perishable
“they do it to receive a perishable wreath”
- The Eternal Prize is Imperishable
“but we an imperishable one.”
R.C.H. Lenski: The argument from the less to the greater is overwhelming: if those athletes practice such self-control merely to obtain a slight and fading earthly crown, shall we do less for a heavenly crown of glory that lasts forever?
II. (:26-27) THE STICK – BOXING ANALOGY
THE DANGER OF DISQUALIFICATION MOTIVATES DISCIPLINED CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE WARFARE AGAINST SIN
A. (:26) Key Elements of Disciplined Christian Living
- Discipline Involves Purposeful Dedication
a. Transition: Race Analogy – Purposeful Running
“So I do not run aimlessly”
Gordon Fee: This can only mean “as one who has no fixed goal.” People who enter races, of course, do not do such things. Hence the absurdity of the metaphor makes its own point. Paul’s actions, which are defended in the preceding paragraphs, are not those of an aimless runner. Everything is focused — it is for the sake of the gospel, that he too might share in its blessings
b. Boxing Analogy – Purposeful Boxing
“nor do I box as though beating the air”
- Discipline Involves Hardship and Mastery
a. Hardship / Suffering
“but I punish my body”
b. Mastery / Dominion
“and enslave it”
John MacArthur: Most people, including many Christians, are instead slaves to their bodies. Their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and get up, and so on. An athlete cannot allow that. He follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting, he eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae, he goes to bed when he would rather stay up, and he gets up early to train when he would rather stay in bed. An athlete leads his body; he does not follow it. It is his slave, not the other way around.
B. (:27) Ever Present Danger of Ultimate Disqualification
- Christian Service No Guarantee of Ultimate Victory
“so that after proclaiming to others”
Gordon Fee: With this language Paul is bringing the concerns of the foregoing defense back into focus. He exercises self-control in all things, he is telling them with the preceding metaphor, so that after he has fulfilled his task, laid on him by divine necessity (v. 16), he himself will not come short of the prize. To make that point he picks up the athletic metaphor one final time, “lest I be disqualified,” to which the NIV has (correctly) added “for the prize.” This has been the point of the metaphors from the beginning, that the Corinthians exercise self-control lest they fail to obtain the eschatological prize. As he often does, and especially so in the present context, he uses himself as the example of his concern. That he intends it as a word for them is made clear by the argument that follows.
- Disqualification Would be a Terrible Tragedy
“I myself should not be disqualified.”
Robert Gundry: And “to become disqualified” confirms that failure to win the prize would mean losing out on eternal life, for in 2 Corinthians 13:5 disqualification runs counter to being “in the faith” and having “Jesus Christ in you,” which are matters of salvation itself (see also Romans 1:28; 2 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:16). So the underlying issue of eating food known to have been sacrificed to an idol is of no small import.
Gordon Fee: It would be sheer folly to suggest thereby that the warnings are not real. Paul keeps warning and assurance in tension. Simultaneously he exhorts and, by this and the following examples, warns the Corinthians of their imminent danger if they do not exercise “self-control” in the matter of idolatry; yet, as always (cf. on 5:8 and 6:11), he reminds them of their security in the prior activity of God, who has committed himself to them in Christ Jesus. In so doing—and again as always—he puts his final emphasis on God’s activity in our behalf.
Andrew Noselli: Winning motivates an athlete to be self-controlled. The prize for winning an Olympic-type race in Paul’s day was a wreath made of plant leaves, celery, or pine. The prize for winning the gospel race is eternal life with God himself (cf. Php 3:14). The wreath is perishable; the eternal reward is imperishable. Therefore, Paul runs the spiritual race with a fixed goal. Paul changes the metaphor to boxing; he fights with skill. He is not competing against fellow Christians. His opponent is his own body and its immoral desires, which must not control him. He trains strictly so that he does not get kicked out of the race or boxing match in the end. He exercises self-control so that he does not abandon his faith. For example, of he did not keep his body under control, he might have immoral sex, and the sexually immoral – that is, people for whom unrepentant immoral sex characterizes their life – do not inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 5-6). Being disqualified from this race means being disqualified from inheriting the kingdom of God.