Put Yourself in the Race


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


Most people, and athletes in particular, have a strong desire to compete – whether they are trying to make the team, set a personal best, win a championship or award, or simply outplay their buddies in a friendly game. God uses that competitive spirit to draw us closer to Him. As we work for excellence in sports and other areas of life, we will eventually realize that true satisfaction doesn’t come from winning trophies, medals, applause or scholarships. The truth is that no achievement or award can equal the deep satisfaction of discovering new life in Jesus.(1)
The Christian life is often described as a race; and Paul often used athletic images in his letters to the churches as sporting events were a big part of society. The Corinthians would have found this especially meaningful because their city was the center for the Isthmian Games which was second only to the ancient Olympics. (2) The Isthmian Games took place every two years during the spring. The games were to honor the Greek god Poseidon. There was a stadium, theater and hippodrome used for the athletic competitions. Inside a structure called the Palaimon, the athlete took an oath to abide by the rules of the Games. They would be disqualified if they broke the oath. Athletes would compete in footraces, wrestling, boxing, throwing the discus and javelin, the long jump, chariot racing, and even poetry and singing. The winners of these games earned a celery crown for their prize. (3)
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Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:24 that all runners run to get a prize. Before we can earn a prize, first we have to enter the race. How do we enter the Christian race?
Ephesians 2:1-4 tells us that before we come to know Christ, we are separated from God. We follow the ways of the world and the ruler of this world, Satan. We live to satisfy our sinful nature. In athletic terms this means we miss the mark; like when an archer misses the bull’s-eye. When we break a rule or law, we must suffer a penalty. The seriousness of the penalty will depend on the seriousness of the offense we have committed. Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of what God intended us to be.
Competitors go to great lengths to achieve great things in the field of their competition. Our Creator has also gone to great lengths to chase His dream and fulfill His desire which is to have a close, personal relationship with each of us. (4) Because of this desire, we do not have to remain separated from God. Even though we are sinners, God’s love is so great for us that He sent his one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins. If we believe that we are sinners and that Christ died for our sins, we will have everlasting life. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:5-7;1 John 5:11) Once we invite Jesus into our lives, He redeems – or buys back – our freedom, completely canceling the debt of sin we owed.
This ultimate prize of salvation is based solely on God’s love for us. It is by this unfathomable grace that we are saved. God’s grace is His kindness, unmerited favor and forgiving love (5) which we don’t deserve. Even though we don’t deserve God’s grace because of our failures, He still offers it to anyone who is willing to accept Jesus as their Rescuer and Redeemer. Faith in Christ as our Savior is the only way we can be right with God. No effort on our part can contribute to our salvation; it is a gift. (Ephesians 2:8-9) (6)
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Our time on earth is temporary. But thanks to the “big win” Jesus achieved on the cross, we don’t have to feel the kind of pressure that comes during the crucial last moments of competition. Instead, we can focus on the quality of our relationship with Christ now and the awesome rewards that await us in heaven. (7)
Scripture tells us that nobody knows when we will hear the final buzzer and go to heaven, but when we do, we’ll finally see God in all of His glory (1 Corinthians 13:12). In the meantime, we can seek to be more like Jesus as we learn to run the race that has been set before us. (8)







(1) FCA Resources, “The Big Win” (Kansas City, MO: 2010), http://fcaresources.com/bible-study/session-1-big-win.
(2) David Guzik, “Study notes on 1 Corinthians 9”, Blue Letter Bible (2001).
(3) Gordon Franz, “Going for the Gold: The Apostle Paul and the Isthmian Games” (Akron, PA: 2012), http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2012/07/16/Going-for-the-Gold-The-Apostle-Paul-and-the-Isthmian-Games.aspx.
(4) FCA Resources, “The Final Buzzer” (Kansas City, MO: 2010), http://fcaresources.com/bible-study/session-2-final-buzzer.
(5) Zondervan, The NIV Study Bible, study note on Ephesians 2:8.
(6) Zondervan, Ephesians 2:8-9; FCA Resources, “The Big Win”.
(7) FCA Resources, “The Final Buzzer”
(8) IBID

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