1 Corinthians
Dear
Friends in Christ,
Pastor
Paul was concerned. The members of the
congregation he had started in the Greek city of
This
was especially disheartening because at one time they had been in great shape. In
today’s terms, spiritually speaking, they had actually been quite buff. And it had shown. They had a noticeable glow and a spirit about
them. They were content with their lot
in life, they were forgiving and helpful toward others, and their relationship
with Jesus Christ figured prominently into their decision making process.
But
something had happened. This, too, was
now beginning to show.
Let’s
not overstate. They had not lost their
faith. They were still Christians. But they had become rather unconvincing
Christians. While they professed Christ
with their lips, their actions did not always conform to their confession. In many ways they had become petty and
self-centered. They weren’t being kind
to each other. They had become
judgmental of one another. They had ceased to be distinct.
Pastor
Paul knew what was going on. The
Corinthians had let themselves go. They
had allowed themselves to become flabby.
And it wasn’t healthy for their souls.
So
Paul confronts their spiritually gelatinous state in terms that 21st
Century American Christians can certainly understand. He turns to the world of sports and physical
fitness to deliver a message that they – and we – need to hear. And what he says we might consider as
PAUL’S GUIDE
FOR SPIRITUAL HEALTH
1. Exercise
2. Self-discipline
That being said, Paul begins by drawing comparisons
between the athlete and the Christian.
This type of illustration plays well for us today, but it would also
resonate with the Corinthian Christians.
Against
that backdrop, Paul says: “Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.” The similarity between the runner and the
Christian is that both must expend effort to accomplish their goals. In a race, the one who runs the hardest and
fastest wins. The point of comparison
Paul makes is that the Christian, running in this race called “life,” should
also run “in such a way.” That is, devoting spiritually the same kind of effort and concentration that is
devoted physically by a prize
athlete.
To
live such a life of devotion calls for single-mindedness on the part of both
the runner and the Christian. This is
the second similarity Paul speaks of: “Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strict training.” The Greek
athlete would start training for his event at least 10 months before the actual
competition. And, as Paul indicates, the
training was strict. The original Greek word used here clues
us in to this because from the word translated “competes” we get the root of our English word “agony.” So there were no half-hearted measures taken
by these athletes. Essential to the
training was both exercise and discipline…
In a
minute we’ll talk about the obvious connection that Paul is making between
physical and spiritual training here, but as our text continues he now makes a
sharp distinction: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it for a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” In the Isthmian games the prize received
by a victorious athlete was a laurel wreath that was worn like a crown. In reality, what they strove for was
something that lasted only a short time.
It didn’t take long for both the wreath and the recognition behind it to
fade away and die.
In
contrast, Paul says we look forward to “the
crown that will last forever.” He’s
speaking of heaven here, which, in the words of Peter, is “an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade.” And it
is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. The
argument Paul makes is this: If the
Greek athlete of the Isthmian games practiced such self-control to obtain a fading, earthly crown, shall we as
Christians do less, knowing that awaiting us in heaven is an eternal crown of life? Once again, Paul calls us to the committed
life of Christian sanctification.
And
he wants us to know that this isn’t one of those “do as I say, not as I do”
kind of propositions. Paul goes on to
speak of his own personal determination to keep his faith in shape with some
more illustrations drawn from the field of athletics: “Therefore,
I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating
the air. No, I beat my body and make it
my slave…” Interesting word pictures
used here. Let’s take a closer look.
“I do not run like a man
running aimlessly.” Aimlessly means without purpose
or direction. That’s not the way a
motivated athlete would run a race, and, by implication, that’s not the way
Paul – or any Christian – is to run the race of life. The Christian life is anything but aimless. We are here to live our lives to the glory of
God and bring honor to the name of the One who died that we might live. We are here to live, preach and proclaim the
good news of Christ through word and deed.
Our lives – and this is a great blessing reserved only for those who
know Jesus – have a clear purpose and direction.
Paul’s
second expression takes us from the racetrack to the boxing ring, but makes the
same point. “I do not fight like a man beating the air” – meaning, I don’t
flail wildly with my punches – “No, I
beat my body (literally, I give it a “black eye,” i.e., a strategic blow) and make it my slave…” At the receiving end of Paul’s well
placed punches is his own body. This is
figurative language, of course. Paul was
not a masochist.
The
point Paul is making is that he had to daily contend with his own body –
meaning his own sinful desires and tendencies to act contrary to the will of
God. And he talks about in terms of
being a fight. Do you remember Jesus’
words to the sleepy disciples who let Him down in the
In
the final words of our text, Paul tells us why he puts so much emphasis on
spiritual training. He does these things
“so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” What Paul is saying here is that even for
such a man as himself – God’s divinely appointed missionary – effort and
exercise was still needed to keep his faith in shape.
Paul
knew himself well (and by sharing this he wants us all to also know ourselves
this well). He was not content to rest
on his laurels as a Christian or consider his “job” as a preacher as some kind
of inside track that called for less energy.
Again,
let’s not overstate. He is not
despairing of his salvation, nor is he suggesting that God won’t love him if he
doesn’t work hard enough. What he is
simply admitting is that if, spiritually speaking, he let’s himself go too long
without regular spiritual exercise and discipline, he could damage, weaken – or
even lose – his own faith. And that is
something he didn’t want to happen.
As we look over this text, I believe there are three great truths about our lives as Christians that God through Paul would have us know. We’ve touched upon all of them, but let’s finish up this morning by personally applying them.
The
first great truth has to do with the need for spiritual exercise in order to keep our faith in shape. What do we mean by this, and how do we go
about it? In his letter to the Romans
Paul gives us the answer. There in
chapter 10 he writes: “Faith
comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of
Christ.” In other words, our
faith grows and becomes stronger as we keep in contact with the Word.
And
isn’t that true from your own experience?
When is your faith the strongest?
When do you feel the closest to your Lord? Isn’t it after we’ve been in contact with the
Word either in church or in a Bible Class or in our personal devotions? And that makes perfect sense because the Bible
tells us that the Holy Spirit works through the “means of grace” (the gospel in
Word and Sacrament) to create and strengthen faith.
So
we might say that the “means of grace” is our spiritual fitness center, and the
Holy Spirit working through them is our personal trainer. Everything is in place for spiritual exercise
to take place and for spiritual growth to happen. But, we have to show up. And that’s the next great truth we draw from
our text.
Paul
talks about the importance of spiritual discipline. Again, we can’t get physically fit if we
don’t show up at the gym. And we can’t
get stronger or healthier by simply wanting it to be so. We have to apply ourselves. Perhaps you’re saying, “I know that,
Pastor. That’s why we’re here. You’re preaching to the choir.” That is true and you are to be commended. But
if we are honest, we know that we can get spiritually lazy.
Paul
knew he had that tendency. In Romans 7
he gets very personal as he speaks of the daily struggle between his old sinful
nature and the new creature he was in Christ.
With God’s help, he had to practice discipline
when it came to his spiritual life. So
do we.
Paul’s
encouragement to us is to discipline ourselves and consistently use the
opportunities we have for spiritual growth – such as worship services,
communion, Bible Classes, daily devotions – with the understanding that when we
do, our faith becomes stronger, our love for God grows, our desire to live for
Him increases and, generally speaking, life becomes better. All because we are spiritually fit.
But
if we let ourselves go and do nothing, the spiritual results can be
tragic. And that’s the third truth drawn
from our text. What happens when we
don’t exercise, eat right, burn the candle from both ends and fail to take care
of ourselves? We get run down, tired and
spiritually flabby. And most
importantly, if we find ourselves in a crisis situation or have to suddenly
exert a lot of energy, we can’t do it.
I
believe it was the legendary coach Vince Lombardi who made the comment that
fatigue makes cowards of us all. He
stressed to his athletes the need to be in shape, the need to be able to still
go strong late in the game when the other team was getting tired out. So he drove them hard. Whether
physical or spiritual, there are no shortcuts in training.
But
it pays off, especially when the going gets rough. Life at times can be hard, and the difficult
times rarely come at our invitation or on our schedule. Usually they are thrust upon us and suddenly
we find ourselves in the midst of them. And
here is why staying close to the Word is so important. Because the spiritual shape we are in before they come will oftentimes
determine how we react to them when
they come.
So
what is Paul telling us in today’s text?
Just this: Spiritually fit
believers know the importance of exercise and self-discipline when it comes to
our lives of faith. Jesus Christ
deserves no less and is worthy of our best efforts. In the process of living a spiritually
disciplined life we end up healthier, happier, and stronger. The spiritually toned life is worth the work
and pays great dividends in joy.
Paul’s
two step guide for spiritual health is exercise and self discipline. Great blessings await us as, under God’s
grace and guidance, we commit ourselves to the program. Amen.