THE GREATEST RACE YOU’LL EVER ENTER - 1
“On your mark. Get set. Go!” I remember these words from childhood when I would participate in some sort of contest. Maybe it was a short foot race, toy cars or something else, but whatever it was I was engaged in a competition. Usually it was something done for fun and to establish who was the best on that occasion. From what I can remember, most of the time I wasn’t the best. But it was a race none the less. One thing I know is that while I remember doing those things I cannot recall the details of any of those “contests”. If they had any real impact on my life, someone needs to remind me what they were about. As far as I am concerned, they were meaningless games that were just a part of growing up.
While our childhood races are just vague memories, there is a race that is far more important than these that we need to consider: The race that leads to eternal life.
In the New Testament, Christianity is often described in racing terms. During that time, just as today, racing was prevalent and the best were esteemed with high honors. There were foot races, horse races, chariot races and even torch relay races. Whenever major public games were engaged in such as the Olympics, Pythian, Nemean, etc., racing of all sorts were involved. To enter these contests required at least 10 months of dedicated training at the public gymnasium and they had to take an oath that they would compete according to the rules (Race, McClintock & Strong). Paul made reference to both of these attributes in his writings (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:5) and others to help his brethren better understand their service to God. Let us notice one of these attributes.
Competing according to the rules
An important part of any competition is that we follow the rules. It is sad to continually hear of athletes who are disqualified because they violated rules established for fair play. Olympic athletes have been stripped of their medals because they “cheated” and colleges have been placed on probation because they violated NCAA rules. Occasionally, the athletes were not even aware that they were breaking the rules, but they were still disqualified. While it might not seem fair, there has to be rules and to preserve the integrity of the game, they have to be strictly enforced or a travesty is made of the competition.
As we run the race for eternity, we need to realize the importance of competing according to the rules. Paul admonished Timothy to endure hardship as he did his work as an evangelist. He wrote, “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” 2 Timothy 2:5. It was imperative that Timothy understood the need to abide by the rules. We need to understand that also if we are to be pleasing to God. Jesus taught, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). In Matthew 28:19-20 He impressed upon His apostles the prerequisites for being a disciple. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” Notice that a disciple must not only obey the gospel (i.e. believe and be baptized – Mark 16:16), he must also understand his need to “observe all things…commanded”. That is, while he may not have a perfect or complete knowledge of God’s will, his attitude is that he will do whatever he is commanded to do. In other words, he will abide by the rules - ALL of them! James wrote, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). While his reference was to the Old Law, his point was to us, that we have to consistently observe all things commanded to please God.
Far too many want to enter the race to heaven, but they want to set their own rules. They want God to accept whatever they want to do, even if it is contrary to His word. We cannot do that and expect to obtain the prize at the end of the race. Jesus also said, “Many will say to Me in that day saying, ‘Lord Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22-23) Frequently in the scriptures we read of those who wanted to follow God by changing the rules. Paul wrote to the church of Galatia, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another.” (Galatians 1:6-7). Paul warned Timothy later in the same letter he encouraged him to compete according to the rules that he needed to preach the word, “in season and out of season” (all the time, even if its not convenient). Because, “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth…” (2 Timothy 4:2-4) Like so many today, these wanted to serve God, but only when He agreed with what they wanted.
Whether we like the rules or not, we have to follow them. In Matthew 21:28-31 we read of a parable Jesus taught in which two sons were commanded to go and work in their father’s vineyard. The first said, “I will not” but later repented and went. The second son said he would go, but he didn’t go (he lied). Jesus then posed the question, “Which of the two sons did the will of his father?” The obvious answer was, the first son, though he didn’t want to. The point Jesus was making to some of the Jewish leaders was that God demands obedience, whether you like the rules or not. They didn’t like what Jesus taught, even though He was able to confirm its truth in many ways, so they killed Him rather than submit to His and God’s will. If we want to receive the crown when we cross the finish line, we have to follow the rules.
And what are the rules we are to follow? Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day,” (John 12:48). Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” James 1:21, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Are you willing to run the race according to His rules? Think about it.
THE GREATEST RACE YOU’LL EVER ENTER -2
In helping Christians to better understand their service to God, Paul often used familiar analogies that the average man could relate to. One example of this was his numerous references to athletic contests. Just as athletics and racing have a major influence upon our society, so they did also during the first century. Both the Greeks and Romans engaged in numerous forms of racing. Paul used man’s familiarity with this to impress several lessons upon his audience. He stressed the importance of competing according to the rules in 2 Timothy 2:5. He also made reference to the conditioning of the athlete and well as the prize and finish line. In this article we will notice some of these characteristics.
Endurance
“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) The word endurance in this text means, “Steadfastness, constancy, endurance.” (Thayer). It also involves the idea of patience in waiting meaning one that will not give up (cf. Romans 2:7 – patient continuance). The primary element of many athletic contests, both ancient and modern, is endurance. The goal is to see who can last the longest while maintaining top form. The Greek games often involved endurance as some races were rather lengthy and boxing and wrestling competitions were to see who could last the longest. Like the ancient games, many of our sporting events involve endurance including marathons, boxing and even team sports like football. Have you ever watched a game that looks fairly even the first half, but the second half one team begins to dominate and runs away with the contest? That is the team with the greatest endurance.
As we run the race for eternity we need this endurance. The Hebrew writer wrote, “Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:35-38). The type of race we are involved in is not a sprint, but a marathon that will last as long we are blessed with breath upon this earth. We need strength to handle the difficulties that come our way. And we need the stamina to keep going even when we get discouraged. God expects us to endure to the end.
Temperance
“And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things… But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:25,27) If we are to endure in our service to God we need temperance. It is one of the “Christian virtues” of 2 Peter 1:6 (self-control – NKJV) and a “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:23. The word means, “self-control” (Thayer) and describes one who is in control of all things in his life instead of letting them control him. It was an integral part of Greco and Roman games. When it came to important races and other games, the contestants had to make their intentions known well in advance of the contest. They were involved in an intense period of training for at least ten month which included an particular diet and close supervision toward the end. These things helped them develop so that they could compete in top form. (Games, McClintock and Strong). Anyone who has followed our Olympic athletes knows the intense and sacrificial training that is necessary to compete in top form. They have to exercise extreme self-control, sometimes for years, to be able to win preliminary competitions so that they can compete for the ultimate prize – a gold medal. And when they win the prize, they tell you that it is worth every bit of sacrifice.
As we serve God, we need to learn this same type of temperance. We understand that God must come first in all our decisions (Matthew 6:33; 10:37-38; 22:37-38). This requires great temperance in our lives. We have to exercise discipline in determining both what we will do and what we will not do. Knowing that this world is not our home, we must willingly do without things that might hinder us in our service to Him. Like the athlete, achieving the prize (of eternal life) is what our focus is upon and we are not going to allow anything to deprive us of that prize. As Paul said in Philippians, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). In serving God, are you as temperate as the athlete?
Truly there are many different attributes to the successful athlete and as a “Christian athlete” we need to apply them in our spiritual race. Heed the words of Paul as we close, “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.” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
In your race for eternity, how are you doing? In our next article, we will talk about the prize we are striving for.
I am not an athlete, but I enjoy watching various athletic events. And for those of you who know me, when it comes to High school sports, I get a better view than many – as a sports official. As an official, I have learned that in many instances there is much more at stake than just winning a game. Sometimes there is the potential for advancement to playoffs and an eventual championship. But more importantly, careers are at stake. For many athletes, their abilities are their key to a good education that will determine their direction in life. All their efforts are not just to keep in shape, but for a prize. When I watch the Olympics, I can only imagine how proud an athlete is as he/she stands on the podium and receives the gold medal for winning. And then the national anthem is played in honor of him/her and the nation he represents. All the years of practice, temperance, sacrifice and endurance have now paid off. And with pride, he raises his medal above his head as the crowd erupts into applause and cheering.
In the Greek and Roman games, the “medal” was a wreath shaped from some type of branch (different games used different branches). The victor’s name, country and father were announced in the crowning ceremonies. Depending on the prestige of the games, there were would be great fanfare and other rewards as the victor returned to his country and hometown. Their names and achievements were entered into a public register and placed under the care of suitable officers. Truly there was great honor in these games. (Source – Games, ISBE & McClintock & Strong)
Paul often made reference to this prize. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, some believe that he had either the Olympiad games in mind which were held every four years in Olympia, Greece or the Isthmian games which were held every two years near Corinth. He encouraged these brethren saying, “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.” (24-25). While God expects great things from us as we serve Him, we need to know that it is not without reward. In fact our spiritual reward is greater than even the highest honor bestowed upon the victors in Greece and those of today. Our reward is eternal life in heaven. Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). One way that he describes the end of his life is as finishing a race. The crown of righteousness which is waiting for him is the victor’s crown that winners of the Grecian games received. Thus he is saying that he has crossed the finish line (at least he knows he is about to) and he can see his crown waiting for him along with all the pomp and honor that comes with it. We need to keep this in mind as we run the race of life so that we can achieve the prize. Our crown is an imperishable crown. It is “the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). It is, “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1:4-5). It is the reward of heaven and eternity in the presence of God and, “all those who have loved His appearing” as Paul said. It is a place described with terms like rest, no night, no sickness, death or sorrow, and as paradise (Revelation 14:13, 21:4, 22:1-5, 2 Corinthians 12:2,4, etc.).
When you truly sit down and consider how wonderful heaven will be, it ought to inspire us to run this race intending to win. But to obtain this reward we need to keep our eyes on the prize. McClintock and Strong says that the prize for the Greek games was prominently displayed in the center of the course on a tripod so that the contestants would know what they were competing for. Also, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) says that at the finish line a square pillar was placed opposite the entrance to the stadium so that the athlete would have the goal in sight. Consider this as you read Philippians 3:14 where Paul said, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. In Hebrews 11:13-16, the writer described the faith of many of the patriarchs saying, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” In faith, these patriarchs served God knowing there was something better waiting for them after this life – a heavenly country and that is what they had their eyes on. And we are told God prepared one for them. Interestingly, as the writer concludes his exhortation on faith (Hebrews 11) he makes reference to our race saying, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight (an athletic training exercise – tatjr), and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). If we want to run our race with success, let us keep our eyes on the goal of heaven.
Yes, New Testament writers wrote often of this race that we are to enter. We know not only the importance of the race but what is expected of us as we run in this race for life. How are you running the race? Are you willing to run to win the race, or are you content to just coast along, hoping to just get by one day? Based upon what God’s word says, I wouldn’t risk my eternity on just getting by. Think about it. TATJR