Self-control, the path to athletic success and a believer’s witness

By Dean Collins

I was cheering for the old guy a few weeks ago. And if you are young, eventually you will get older and cheer for the old guy as well. I cheer for the old football quarterback, the old beach volleyball player, the old baseball pitcher, and at the PGA championship the old golfers. Last month one of them pulled it off. Phil Mickelson won the championship and became the oldest golfer to have won a major tournament after 50.

Since this victory there have been dozens of articles written about how Phil did this. Everything from his diet, his mental focus, his self-discipline, and the support of his family and coaches have been analyzed and celebrated. My guess is thousands of people have since decided to take up fasting and meditation as part of their new routines. Maybe they, too, could turn back their minds and bodies to the days of their youthful accomplishments.

Self-discipline and physical training has been the path to success for many centuries. Paul speaks of the athlete’s self-control in 1 Corinthians 9 to teach us the ways of Christian discipleship. In verses 24-27 Paul uses track and boxing as his examples. (He didn’t use golf, because he didn’t yet know about this amazing sport! If he were writing today, I’m sure he would have included it!) In our sports-obsessed culture, we are quick to apply to our spiritual walk illustrations like Paul’s in this passage. And while some of these comparisons might be appropriate, I suspect we often miss the point Paul was hoping to make.

The prize of salvation

Paul is certainly not telling us that training like a triathlete puts us in good enough spiritual shape to earn the prize of salvation. That line of thinking is inconsistent with the Scriptures and the gospel. If we read these verses in their context, we note Paul’s emphasis is on the freedoms we have in Jesus. At the same time, Paul is quick to point out that some believers, based on their background and misunderstandings, don’t believe they have these same freedoms.

Paul uses his sports metaphor to help us understand that he didn’t apply all of this self-control to win first place in the faith Olympics. Instead, he would run his race well so that others might come to know Jesus and experience salvation, transformation, and community.

So today take time to practice your spiritual disciplines. Pray, read Scripture, encourage someone, make a financial contribution, feed a hungry person, offer a cup of water, and so on. But don’t do these things because you feel you must in order to be good enough to get into Heaven. Do these things to live out the gospel in a way that allows others to come to Jesus. That’s the real prize we receive and joy we experience for all of the disciplines and efforts we endure.

Your time with God’s Word
1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:24-27‬, 17, 23 ESV

Photo by Christoph Keil on Unsplash

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