Pursue the Prize

Pursue the Prize

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. -1 Corinthians 9:25

Once a person believes in Christ as their Savior, he becomes a runner in the Christian race. Just as only Greek citizens were allowed to participate in the Isthmian games, once we accept Christ as our Savior, we become qualified to have a personal relationship with our heavenly Father. This relationship makes us citizens of heaven. (1) Being in a personal relationship with Christ means we will receive eternal life. (2) Jesus said the true meaning of eternal life is that we will know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom the Father had sent. (3) We also become co-heirs with Christ (4) which means we share in everything Christ has been given by the Father. In heaven, we will dwell with God personally for all eternity. There will be no more death, sadness, crying or pain. (5)

The point of the Christian race, however, is not to earn our salvation or entrance into heaven. We are saved by grace through faith and not by our own effort, discipline, obedience or good works. (6) The goal of the Christian race is for the glory of an eternal reward.

According to Paul, believers are to “compete” by being temperate, or exercising self-control, in their personal behavior. (7) The Greek word for “competes in the games” is where we get our word “agony” or “agonize”. (8) This tells us the athletes had to work hard. The Roman athletes had to train for ten months before being allowed in the games. An athlete must refuse things that may be fine in themselves, but would hinder the pursuit of their goal to win the prize. (9)

In the Isthmian Games, those who won the competition were awarded a celery crown for the prize. Paul describes it as a “perishable crown. (10) This crown would eventually wither and fade away.

Today a Christian worker may labor for many different kinds of rewards. Some work hard to build personal empires; others strive for the applause of men; still others seek promotion in their field. All of these things will fade one day. The only reward we ought to strive for is the “imperishable crown” that Paul talked about. (11)

As children of God, we have the responsibility of “running the race” and achieving the goals God has set for us. Each believer is on the track; each has a special lane in which to run; and each has a goal to achieve. If we reach the goal the way God has planned, then we receive a reward. If we fail, we lose the reward but we do not lose our citizenship. (12) How do we earn an “imperishable crown”?

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In 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul writes, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” Here Paul was saying he would not be given a fading crown of leaves; his would be a crown of righteousness that would never fade. The crown of righteousness is God’s reward for a faithful and righteous life, and our incentive for faithfulness and holiness is the promise of the Lord’s appearing. Because Paul loved His appearing and looked for it, he lived righteously and served faithfully. If we love Christ’s appearing, live in obedience to His will, and do the work He has called us to do, we will be crowned. (13)

1 Peter 5:4 tells us that when the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, returns we will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. As the Chief Shepherd, He alone can assess a man’s ministry and give him the proper reward. The only reward we ought to strive for is the “Well done!” of the Savior and the unfading crown of glory that goes with it. We will have no desire for personal glory when we see Jesus Christ face-to face. (14)

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Revelation 2:10 admonishes us to be faithful, even to the point of death, as we will be given the crown of life. The important thing is faithfulness, standing true to Christ no matter what might threaten you. The “crown of life” spoken of here is referring to the winner’s crown awarded at the annual athletic games. Smyrna was a key participant in the games, so this promise would be especially meaningful to believers living there. Here Jesus reinforced the promise given by James (James 1:12) and assured His people that there was nothing to fear. Because they had trusted Him, they were overcomers – victors in the race of faith. (Heb. 12:1-3). (15)

We have way more to look forward to than trophies, medals and record-breaking performances. Those of us who have accepted God’s ultimate gift will hear the final buzzer and in an instant, all the pressures, disappointments and pains of this life will be gone forever. (17)

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(1) Philippians 3:20

(2) John 3:16

(3) John 17:3

(4) Romans 8:17

(5) Revelation 21:4

(6) Ephesians 2:8

(7) 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.

(8) Keith Krell, “21. Living for God’s Approval (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) (Richardson, TX:2010) https://bible.org/seriespage/21-living-gods-approval-1-corinthians-924-27
(9) David Guzik, “Study notes on 1 Corinthians 9”, Blue Letter Bible (2001).

(10) Gordon Franz

)11) Warren Wiersbe, “Mark 6:1-56”, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, The Complete New Testament, (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007), pg. 925.

(12) Wiersbe, “Philippians 3:12-16”, pg. 647.

(13) Wiersbe, “2 Timothy 4”, pg. 784.

(14) Wiersbe, “1 Peter 5:1-4”, pg. 925.

(15) Wiersbe, “Revelation 2”, pgs. 1041-1042.

(16) FCA Resources, “The Final Buzzer” (Kansas City, MO: 2010), http://fcaresources.com/bible-study/session-2-final-buzzer.