1 Coríntios 9

1 Coríntios 9

Meyer - 1 Corinthians 9:27 Let I myself should be a castaway. Is it for one moment to be supposed that Paul really feared being cast away from the love and presence of God into the outer darkness with its weeping and gnashing of teeth? Surely not! Had he not said unmistakably that nothing could avail to separate him from the love of God which was in Jesus Christ! No, it is impossible to think such a thing. He knew too well that none of Christ’s members can be amputated; none of his sheep perish. The soul that to Jesus has fled for repose, He will not, He cannot, desert to its foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to take, He’ll never — no, never — no, never forsake.” But when the apostle speaks of being a castaway, he means that he feared lest, after having proclaimed the rules of the contest to others, he should himself fail shamefully of the prize. And what was that prize? Certainly not forgiveness, nor eternal life; because these are not procured by any efforts of our own. These are not the prizes of agility or strength, but the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. What, then, is the prize? The context reveals it. It is surely the guerdon of winning souls; the blessed joy and crown of bringing to Jesus those who bad otherwise never known Him. But we may fall short of this. We may set others to do what we fail to do. We may appear before Christ with handfuls of withered leaves. We may yet be rejected. Esau missed the crown of his birthright; Moses the Promised Land; Saul the founding of a line of kings. We may miss utterly and irretrievably. God help us to watch and pray, and bring the body into subjection! Vance Havner - LEST I MYSELF BE A CASTAWAY But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9:27. Paul lived by rigid discipline, took no chances, was not shadowboxing but running the race in dead earnest, lest he be disapproved. God's servant is never safe from falling until he gets home. He gives God the benefit of every doubt, follows the rule "When in doubt, don't!" He denies himself things that may not be evil but may make it easier to sin. He makes no provision for the flesh and avoids what might not be dangerous for others but holds a built-in snare for him. A workman approved unto God, not a castaway disapproved! 1 Cor. 9:27 A CASTAWAY- F B Meyer I invite your attention to a few words found in 1 Cor. 9:27: "Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Paul was too eager and too practical a man to dally with a bogy dread. Since then he intimates that it was his daily fear lest, after having preached to others, he might himself be a castaway, I suppose that there were but few hours in his life when this dread did not haunt him. After he had founded so many churches, written so many epistles, and exercised so wide, spread an influence, in his quiet moments he was perpetually face to face with this awful nightmare, that the day might come when he would be a castaway; and the thought drove him almost to madness. When he was traveling over the blue AEgean, when he was sitting making his tents, when he was engaged in dictating his epistles, the thought would come back and back upon his heart: "I may yet be a castaway." Have you ever feared this? I am not sure that a man ever reaches his highest development without something of the element of fear, and I ask you now if in your life you know something of this haunting dread? May I confess to you that it has become a great dread of my own? and if many days pass, and no one writes to tell me of help derived from my ministry, and no one comes to join our church, and no one seems to be influenced by my life or word, I sit myself down and say: "Good God, has the time come at last to me when for some reason I, too, am to be a castaway?" And reverently, humbly, but most searchingly, I ask you, my hearer, whether it may not be possible that this very moment you are already a castaway. Rod Mattoon - The word "castaway" brings us to some important questions, "What causes a believer to be disqualified in his service or his race for Christ? Why would a Christian not be fit for service?" * Reasons for Disqualification 1. The person is not qualified at all The Bible says we must be born again. If you are going to do the work of the Lord, then you must know the Lord of the work. 2. Not abiding in Jesus Christ It is difficult to serve the Lord when your heart is far from Him. D.L. Moody said, "God uses the man that is close to Him." * John 15:4 — Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. * Matthew 15:8 — This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 3. Deficiency in spiritual maturity * 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 — And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?. 4. The lack of training or preparation to serve God commands us to be prepared and to do our best to serve Him. * 2 Timothy 2:15 — Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. * 1 Peter 3:15 — But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Lord Joseph Duveen, American head of the art firm that bore his name, planned in 1915 to send one of his experts to England to examine some ancient pottery. He booked passage on the ship Lusitania. Then the German Embassy issued a warning that the ocean liner might be torpedoed. Duveen wanted to call off the trip. "I can't take the risk of you being killed," he said to his young employee. "Don't worry," said the man, "I'm a strong swimmer, and when I read what was happening in the Atlantic, I began hardening myself by spending time every day in a tub of ice water. At first I could sit only a few minutes, but this morning, I stayed in that tub nearly two hours." Naturally, Duveen laughed. It sounded preposterous, but his expert sailed, and the Lusitania was torpedoed. The young man was rescued after nearly five hours in the chilly ocean, still in excellent condition. Just as this young man, so Christians should condition themselves by practicing devotional discipline, behavioral discipline, and discipline in doing good. This is what Paul did in his own life. He disciplined and prepared himself to do what was right. 5. Poor spiritual or physical health can hinder your service * 1 Corinthians 11:28-30 — ... But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 6. Being spiritually unclean disqualifies a person from service * Psalm 66:18 — If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: * Isaiah 59:2 — But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 7. A lack of interest in serving the Lord * 2 Timothy 4:10 — For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. * Revelation 2:4 — Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. * 1 Timothy 5:15 — For some are already turned aside after Satan. If you do something because no one else will do it, it's a job. If you are doing something to serve the Lord, it's a ministry. If you do just enough to get by, it's a job. If you do a task to the best of your ability, it's a ministry. If you quit a task because someone criticized you, it was a job. If you continue to serve, though opposed, it's a ministry. If you give up because no one praised you, it was a job. If you do the work because it needs to be done, it's a ministry. It's hard to get excited about a job. It is almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry. Average churches are filled with many people, doing many jobs. Great churches are filled with many people who are involved in ministry. If your concern is just success, it's a job. If your concern is faithfulness to God, it's a ministry. People may say, "Well done," when you do your job. The Lord will say, "Well done," when you complete your ministry. Run your race and be a champion for Christ. 8. People do not serve when they are not present for service * Hebrews 10:25 — Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Dawson Trotman said, "Don't be so busy in the kingdom that you don't have time for the King." Many folks today are so busy, that the Lord is crowded out of their schedules. Many opportunities of service are lost because Christians are not faithful in church. 9. Spiritual handicaps hinder people from serving * 2 Timothy 2:4 — No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Are there weights or entanglements in your life that are keeping you from serving Christ? God wants us to make up our minds and serve Him. There are three types of Christians who respond to the call of service:. 1. Rowboat Christians — they have to be pushed wherever they go. 2. Sailboat Christians — they always go with the wind. 3. Steamboat Christians — they make up their minds where they ought to go and go there regardless of wind or weather. * Avoiding Spiritual Disqualification How do we avoid spiritual disqualification? How do prevent the disruption of our race for Christ?. 1. A Single Master (play and ponder Craig Smith's Single Heart). Have one master, and make sure your master is the Lord. Yield to His Spirit each day. * Matthew 6:24 — No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 2. Superior Love for Christ Have a greater love for the Lord than this world. * 1 John 2:15 — Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 3. Spiritual Goals * Philippians 3:14 — I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 4. Shun any Sin or Hindrances to Spiritual Growth * Hebrews 12:1 — Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 5. The Scriptures need to be Obeyed * 1 Peter 2:2 — As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:. 6. Self Denial needs to be Exercised * 1 Corinthians 9:27-But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. If you are going to be a champion for Christ, then "self must be conquered and kept in check." The conflict between your will and God's will is a constant battle that you will face continually. If it is your desire to be used of God, then you need to learn to deny yourself. To deny oneself not only means in every moment of life to say "No" to self, but also "Yes" to God. To deny oneself means to dethrone self and to enthrone the Lord Jesus Christ as the master of your life. The word "Kamikaze" is the Japanese word for "divine wind." Divine was the wind in the year 1281. Never was a typhoon more God-sent, if one were Japanese. The typhoon crushed the invasion fleet mounted by the ambitious Mongol emperor Kublai Khan (Marco Poli Kublai) in the wake of his conquest of China's Sung dynasty. To take the wind out of the sails of the United States naval juggernauts, the retreating Japanese organized their own kamikaze in World War II....a suicide air force. Japanese pilots slammed their bomb-laden planes and themselves into American ships in the Pacific Ocean. Twelve hundred pilots killed themselves taking out thirty-four U.S. ships. Today, we need "Christian Kamikazes" who will take the faith anywhere the "divine wind" blows regardless of the cost. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who was imprisoned by Adolph Hitler who said, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." This is what eventually happened to him as he died for Christ in Germany. * Matthew 16:24 — Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. When Jesus used this picture of His followers taking up their crosses to follow Him, the disciples knew what He meant. Crucifixion was a common Roman method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses through the streets to the execution site. Following Jesus, therefore, meant sacrifice, true commitment, the risk of death, and no turning back. Taking up the cross meant that death was imminent for the cross-bearer. We are to live our lives for Christ each day as if it were our last. You never know, do you? Let me ask, "If this was your last day to live, what did you do with your life? Did you make it count for the Lord or have you wasted and thrown away your opportunities to serve Him?" * James 4:14 — Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. May we all accept Paul's challenge to be a champion for Christ. As preachers, may we be champions in the pulpit and conduct our church services in such a way that if Christ was sitting our pews, He would be blessed and enjoy our messages because He was honored and glorified and His Word was unashamedly proclaimed. Be a champion for Christ! Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. 2 Timothy 2:15 In Paul's exhortation, "Study to show thyself approved unto God," he encourages us to avoid the very thing he feared might happen to him personally; namely, that he might be set aside and no longer used in the Lord's service. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." This word is a translation of the same Greek root rendered "approved" in 2 Timothy 2:15, only in 1 Corinthians 9:27 it appears in a negative form and means "disapproved." When the apostle speaks of his dread of being a "castaway," he is really thinking of the shame of being a "disapproved" one, not of being lost again. His fear is that he might not receive approval as a workman. He has service in mind, not salvation! I have been told that a huge block of stone lies in a Syrian quarry near Baalbek. It has been carefully cut, hewed, and squared. Sixty-eight feet long, fourteen feet high, and fourteen feet wide, its size is overwhelming. And yet, in spite of all the labor and effort which went into this gigantic piece of rock, there it stands. It was never fitted into that place in the temple for which it was intended! This massive stone seems to lift a voice of warning, repeating the words of the apostle, "lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." May we be faithful in our devotional life, obedient to the will of God, and zealous in our service for Him. In so doing, we will stand "approved"! I want among the victor throng Someday to have my name confessed; And hear my Master say at last, "You stand approved, you did your best!" —Simpson Serving the Lord is much like riding a bicycle— either you keep moving forward, or you fall down. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PAUL'S ATHLETIC ALLUSIONS Jerry M. Hullinger (excerpt from his article = https://www.galaxie.com/article/bsac161-643-07) - In addition to the Olympic games many other athletic contests were spawned. Pápalas noted that "the Isthmian, Pythian, Nemean, Panathenaean and many lesser athletic festivals were established. Greeks who had not been able to afford trips to Olympia could now see first rate athletics in the vicinity of their own polis"...The games themselves were one of the great festivals of the ancient world and ranked only below the Olympic games in magnitude. "Corinth played host to the athletes and visitors at the Isthmian Games celebrated every other year. Next to the Olympic Games, which were held every four years, the celebrations at the Isthmia were the most splendid and best attended of all the national festivals of Greece. Preparation for these events occupied the attention of the citizens several months in advance, and when the throngs arrived to view the contests in the Isthmian stadium, the vendors and entertainers from Corinth were on hand to reap profit from the occasion." This festival drew thousands of people, both as competitors and spectators, from all over the empire. And the greater athletes were honored in Isthmia by monuments, statues, and inscriptions. The glory of this spectacle is further illustrated by the sanctuary dedicated to Poseidon at Isthmia. In his guidebook to Greece Pausanias noted that the Isthmus belongs to Poseidon. In addition he wrote, "Worth seeing here are a theatre and a white marble stadium. Within the sanctuary of the god stand on the one side portrait statues of athletes who have won victories at the Isthmian games, on the other side pine trees growing in a row, the greater number of them arising up straight." The games consisted of foot races, horse races, chariot contests, jumping, wrestling, boxing, and throwing of the discus and javelin. Dio Chrysostom of Prusa, who was almost a contemporary of Paul, described a visit to the Isthmian Games. "When the time came for the Isthmian Games .. . all were at the Isthmus ... . And at that time it was that you could hear in the arena around the Temple of Poseidon any number of luckless sophists shouting and abusing each other, and their notorious students wrangling among themselves, and many authors reciting their silly compositions, poets declaiming their verses to the applause of their colleagues, magicians showing off their marvels, soothsayers interpreting omens, tens of thousands of lawyers twisting lawsuits, and no small number of hucksters peddling whatever goods each one happened to have for sale."10 In light of the popularity and splendor of these games, it is no wonder that Paul used an abundance of athletic metaphors in his writings. They no doubt had a tremendous impact on his readers.11 In fact Paul probably was in Corinth when the games of A.D. 49 or 51 were held. As Murphy-O'Connor suggests, "It can hardly be coincidence that Paul's first sustained development of this theme [athletics] occurs in a letter to the Corinthians.''12 A further reason that lends weight to the idea that Paul attended these games is his profession as a tentmaker.13 Livy suggested that the games at Corinth were popular because of the geographical setting of the city. Because the Isthmus had the resources of two seas, it was a natural meeting place for many people.14 Thus a ripe opportunity was in place for Paul. Every two years the city would host a multitude of people including athletes, delegates, visitors, and merchants. Paul could meet with the Jews in the synagogue on the Sabbath and come in contact with foreigners through his business as tentmaker. "At such occasions large numbers of tents would be needed to provide shelter for the crowds of visitors. .. . In April, or early May, when the Isthmian Games were held, the air is chilly enough to require shelter; and frequent showers and violent gusts of wind that buffet the Isthmian region make such shelter imperative. Paul and his companions would find plenty of customers." THE SPECIFIC ATHLETIC ALLUSIONS MADE BY PAUL THE FOOT RACE Paul referred to the foot race more often than the other athletic events (1 Cor. 9:24; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:7). The word used by Paul in this regard is τρέχω. In classical Greek this word meant to move quickly, to run, especially at a contest in the stadium.18 In the Septuagint it meant to run (Gen. 18:7; 1 Kings 18:46), and in a figurative sense it was used of following the commandments of God (Ps. 119:32), or running into lies (61:4), or being immoral in the sense of "running in the way of immorality" (4 Mace. 14:5). In the New Testament τρέχω was used in a literal sense of Peter running to the empty tomb (Luke 24:12), and in the figurative sense of the Christian life being directed toward a goal (Phil. 3:14). The races took place in an enclosure of about six hundred feet in length called a στάδιοςΡ Three kinds of races were held in these enclosures. "In the stade-race the competitors had to run a single length of the stadium, a distance of 192.28 meters. In the diaulos, which was the middle distance event at the ancient Olympics, they ran twice the length of the stadium, once in each direction, which means that they covered 384.56 meters. In the long-distance event, i.e., the dolichos, they had to run twenty-four lengths of the stadium, a total distance of 4614.72 meters."20 Considering the stamina required by the long-distance event, it is probable that this is the running event Paul referred to in his epistles when he likened the Christian life to a race that comprises one's entire earthly life.21 Paul told the Philippians to "press on toward the goal" (Phil. 3:14). The Greek word for goal is σκοπός which is most likely a reference to the square pillars located at each end of the track on which the runner could fix his eyes in order to run accurately as well as have something to encourage him. 2 2 Gardiner explained that "it is obvious that in a straight two hundred yards race the runner must have some point to fix his eye on if he is to run straight, and a post with a distinguishing mark would have been of great value as a guide."23 The question has been raised as to how all the runners would be able to turn around one post at the end of the track and run back. This could have caused bumping, colliding, and foul play.24 A possible solution to this problem has been suggested by Gardiner. "In the crowding at the turn a runner might easily lose three or four yards, a matter of vital importance for this distance, but of less importance in a three-mile race where the runners spread out rapidly...We may probably conclude then, that in the 'diaulos' each runner raced to and turned round his own post."25 THE SERIOUS NATURE OF ATHLETICS Athletics in the Greco-Roman world were approached with great vigor and passion. This fact helps explain why Paul applied this imagery to the Christian life. In sporting events the goal of the athletes Was not merely to take part but to win. To lose, in many cases, wa^ a disgrace.26 Pindar, a Greek poet of the fifth century B.C., note<| that "the athlete delights in the toil and the cost."27 And Philo wrote, "I know wrestlers and pankratiasts often persevere out of l0ve for honor and zeal for victory to the point of death, when their bodies are giving up and they keep drawing breath and struggling on spirit alone, a spirit which they have accustomed to reject fear scornfully. . . . Among these competitors, death for the sake of an olive or celery crown is glorious."28 The Stoic philosopher Epictetus (ca. A.D. 45-135) noted the same common belief. "In the Olympic Games you cannot just be beaten and then depart, but first of all, you will be disgraced not only before the people of Athens or Sparta or N^kopolis but before the whole world. In the second place, if you withdraw without sufficient reason you will be whipped. And this whipping comes after your training which involves thirst and broilirig heat and swallowing handfuls of sand."The word Paul used to depict this spirit is αγωνίζομαι (1 Cor. 9:25), which referred to an athletic contest ("engaging in a contest") or to any struggle.30 In classical Greek the noun άγων was used in a number of ways: (a) a gathering, (b) a gathering place of the gods on Mount Olympus, (c) the "gathering" of ships in a harbor, and (d) a fight.31 In the Apocrypha άγων occurred primarily in this fourth sense. 32 Paul's use of the word with athletic overtones could refer to an "expression of the contestants' manly discipline."33 Stauffer described the force of this word in this way: "First is the thought of the goal which can be reached only with the full expenditure of all our energies .. . a passionate struggle, a constantly renewed concentration of forces on the attainment of the goal. . . . The struggle for the reward [demands] not only full exertion but also rigid denial. The final assault is so exacting that all forces must be reserved, assembled, and deployed in it. The final goal is so high and glorious that all provisional ends must fade before it. .. . If a man is not ready to set aside his egotistic needs and desires and claims and reservations, he is not fit for the arena."34 THE CROWN Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 9:25 that the reason he exerted himself in his ministry was so that he would obtain an incorruptible crown (στέφανος; cf. 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:8). In classical usage στέφανος originally referred to anything that encircled something else, such as a besieging army or the wall around a city. The usual meaning in secular Greek was a crown or wreath won at various athletic contests.35 In the Septuagint the word στέφανος was used of a royal crown (2 Sam. 12:30) and of a festal ornament (Prov. 1:9; 4:9; Song 3:11; Isa. 28:1). In the New Testament the word occurs eighteen times (eight of which are in Revelation) and often refers to the prize of the athletic victor as a metaphor for the eternal reward of the faithful (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Ti 2:5; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 3:11; 4:4,10). Because of this metaphor which stresses the crown of victory, some have distinguished between στέφανοι and διάδημα. As Trench wrote, "We must not confuse these words because our English word 'crown' stands for them both. I greatly doubt whether anywhere in Classical literature . . . στέφανοι is used of the kingly or imperial crown. .. . In the New Testament it is plain that the . . . στέφανοι whereof Paul speaks is always the conqueror's and not the king's."36 While the words of Trench seem justified, Moulton and Milligan warned that though στέφανοι denoted a crown of victory, "it should be noted that the distinction between στέφανοι, crown of victory, and διάδημα, crown of royalty, must not be pressed too far as by Trench, for στέφανοι is not infrequently used in the latter sense."37 The prize (ßpaßeiov) Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 9:24 and Philippians 3:14 was the crown of victory. Ringwald noted that the prizes given to winners in sporting events included crowns, money, oil, barley, and certain rights throughout the victor's home city.38 Paul's references to the believer's prize seem to be related to conflict in the spiritual life, a prize that can be won only if one throws himself and his resources entirely into the struggle.39 The mythology of the crown. In light of the fact that pine was the most common tree in the Isthmus region, the victors of the games were crowned with wreaths made from the branches of these trees. However, this material was also associated with an ancient myth in which a famous monster Sinis made travel unsafe. This monster received the nickname "Pityokamptos" from his habit of inviting travelers to a pine-bending contest. After the two had forced a tree to the ground, Sinis told the traveler to hold it down, but when the monster let go of it, the tree would spring up and toss the traveler to his death.40 Another myth connected with the pine crown was told by Plutarch. "The pine, and why it was used for the crown at the Isthmian games, was the subject of a discussion at a dinner given us in Corinth itself during the games by Lucanius, the chief priest. Praxiteles, the official guide, appealed to mythology, citing the legend that the body of Melicertes was found cast up by the sea at the foot of a pine."41 The value of the crown. Because of the hardship athletes endured in order to win a crown that would wither in a short time, the question naturally arises as to whether it was worth the effort employed to win it. Does this not weaken Paul's analogy of the crown in relation to the Christian life? Why refer to a crown as a reward for the believer, if it is short-lived? The answer to these questions lies in the fact that it was not the crown itself that was desired, but rather what the crown represented, for the "stephanos to be won at Olympia had only ideal worth."42 This ideal worth can be seen in the works of classical writers. For example Herodotus recorded the response to the question of a Persian as to what prize was offered at the various events of the games. "They told him of the crown of olive that was given to the victor. Then Tigranes son of Artabanus uttered a most noble saying . . . when he heard that the prize was not money but a crown, he could not hold his peace, but cried 'Zounds Mardonius,' what manner of men are these that you have brought us to fight withal? Tis not for money they contend but for glory of achievement!"43 Dio Chrysostom also wrote of the honor of the crowns. "For the pillar, the inscription, and being set up in bronze are regarded as a high honor by noble men, and they deem it a reward worthy of their virtue not to have their name destroyed along with their body and to be brought level with those who have never lived at all, but rather to leave an imprint and a token, so to speak, of their manly prowess. You see what hardships these athletic competitors endure while training, spending money, and finally often even choosing to die in the very midst of the games. Why is it? If we were to abolish the crown for the sake of which they strive, and the inscription which will commemorate their victory at the . . . games, do you think that they would endure for even one day the heat of the sun?" Also the victors were viewed as having acquired divine status. At the Olympic games leaves of olive trees were cut with a golden sickle from the most sacred olive trees before they were handed to the victor. "The victors were placed on the same level as the gods and entered into communion with them. This bond was clearly demonstrated in the temple of Zeus in Olympia, for Phildias represented Zeus wearing a crown of wild olive. When the victors were honored they wore the same mark of distinction as the god: a wreath woven from the evergreen branches of a wild olive tree."45 The ceremony of the crown. On the last day of the games the victors were crowned in an elaborate ceremony. In the morning the victors, judges, and members of the various groups proceeded in a solemn parade to the temple of Zeus, which was observed by all of the spectators who were present at the games. At the temple the judge, wearing a purple robe, placed the crown on the victor's head. Made from a single branch, the wreath which signified magical associations, linked the victor with the god at the moment it was placed on his head. This "was one of the great moments of [the victor's] life—he felt not only the pride and joy of victory but also the sense of pious awe induced by a divine sacrament. Certainly this was the case for as long as the sacred games retained their religious character."46 Possessing this crown signified spiritual, emotional, financial, and social benefits. Yet as Paul wrote, as grand as this earthly attainment was, it paled in significance when compared to the heavenly reward for the faithful believer (1 Cor. 9:25). BOXING Paul referred to the sport of boxing when he wrote, "I box in such a way, as not beating the air" (1 Cor. 9:26). The phrase "not beating the air" could refer to a boxer who is unable to make contact with his blows or to the practice of shadowboxing, which was a favorite method of training in antiquity.47 In view of his reference in this verse to not running without a goal in mind, Paul was probably envisioning himself engaged in landing effective blows during a match. Unlike a shadowboxer, Paul was involved in the actual boxing match and thus bore the marks of that contest in his body. "Paul insists that in his religious struggles he is a geniune fighter and does not act like a shadow boxer who punches the air: Ί bruise my body and bring it into subjugation.' In other words, he bears the scars of contest on his frame."48 This idea is in keeping with the historical data, for boxing was considered the most injurious of all sports. Paul had witnessed boxers engaged in this violent (and sometimes deadly) sport as they strapped their knuckles with leather strips in order to make the blows more punishing. Such allusions to this sport would bring these thoughts readily to the Corinthians' minds.49 "Many of the contestants left the stadium with broken teeth, swollen ears and squashed noses; many sustained serious injuries to their eyes, ears and even their skulls."50 Part of the reason for this is that there were no rounds in Greek boxing. The opponents fought until they were both too exhausted to continue, and they stopped for a breather only by mutual consent. But if this did not happen, "usually the fight went on until one of the two was incapable of fighting any more, or acknowledged defeat by holding up his hand."51 Lucillius related the following account of the disfigurement that could take place in a boxing match. u O Augustus, this man Olympikos, as he now appears, used to have nose, chin, forehead, ears, and eyelids. But then he enrolled in the guild of boxers, with the result that he did not receive his share of his inheritance in a will. For in the lawsuit about the will his brother shows the judge a portrait of Olympikos, who was judged to be an imposter, bearing no resemblance to his own picture."52 Perhaps Paul's reference to boxing showed his earnestness in his apostolic ministry. He wrote that his ministry was characterized by self-discipline (v. 27), and striving (v. 25), and marks of being involved in the actual battle (v. 26) rather than just standing on the sidelines DISQUALIFICATION 2 Timothy 2:5. Paul stated that one "is not crowned except he strive lawfully" (KJV). Νομίμως ("lawfully") means "in accordance with the rules or law of athletes, compete according to the rules."62 This word occurs only once in the Septuagint and as an adjective ("lawful ways of living," 2 Mace. 4: ll). 6 3 In the New Testament it is used only twice and as an adverb (1 Tim. 1:8; 2 Tim. 2:5). An athlete had to "strive lawfully" in two areas. The first was training and the second was in the contest itself, before which the athlete would take an oath. The first was illustrated by Epictetus. "Give me proof, whether you have striven lawfully, eaten what is prescribed, taken exercise, heeded your trainer."64 Epictetus described this training process at length. "You say Ί want to win at Olympia.' Hold on a minute. Look at what is involved both before and after, and only then, if it is to your advantage, begin the task. If you do, you will have to obey instructions, eat according to the regulations, keep away from desserts, exercise on a fixed schedule at definite hours, in both heat and cold; you must not drink cold water nor can you have a drink of wine whenever you want. You must hand yourself over to your coach exactly as you would to a doctor."65 The second area of "striving lawfully" related to an oath that would be taken by the athletes before the games began. In this oath the contestant would affirm that he had trained in the prescribed manner and would observe the rules of his event. At Olympia, for example, Philostratus related how the athletes, along with their fathers, brothers, and trainers would swear that they would commit no foul play and that they had trained faithfully. "If you have labored so hard as to be entitled to go to Olympia and have banished all sloth and cowardice from your lives, then march boldly on; but as for those who have not so trained themselves, let them depart whithersoever they like."66 Concerning the oath, Conybeare added that the athletes had to swear that they had been in training for ten months and that then they would practice in the gymnasium before the games under the directions of the judges or umpires.67 Drees described the oathtaking ceremony in this way: "The oath-taking ceremony was then performed .. . in front of the statue of Zeus. This statue, which was called 'Zeus God of Oaths,' was most awe-inspiring. It seems that the athletes, their fathers and brothers and also their trainers were required to swear over the entrails of a boar that they would not cheat at the Olympic Games. The athletes were then called upon to give a further oath to the effect that they had carefully prepared for the games over a period often months. " 6 8 1 Corinthians 9:27. What were the consequences for an athlete not "striving lawfully" or "according to the rules." What were the results if he broke training or broke the rules during the games? He would not receive a crown (2 Tim. 2:5). Or to put it another way he would be disqualified from winning the prize (1 Cor. 9:27). The word Paul used for being disqualified is άδόκιμοβ. The antonym (δόκιμοβ) refers to what is "valid, recognized, approved or accepted" (Rom. 14:18; 16:10; 1 Cor. 11:19; 2 Cor. 10:18). Conversely αδόκιμα refers to what is worthless, rejected, or proved to be a sham.69 The idea of disqualification is seen in three incidents recounted by Pausanias. In the first he described a case with Apollonius, an Egyptian boxer from Alexandria, who arrived late for the Olympiad in A.D. 107. He said he was late because adverse winds had delayed his ship. But Heraclides, another Alexandrian boxer, was able to disprove this story by proving that Appollonius had really gone to the Ionian games to win prize money. Because of this, Apollonius was disqualified and Heraclides was pronounced the winner.70 Pausanias also told of a case in which an athlete was disqualified and his crown was awarded to his competitor even though the competitor was dead.71 Also Cleomedes was disqualified by the judges, went mad, returned to Asypalaea, and attacked a school of about sixty children by pulling down a pillar that held up the roof.72 The interesting point in relation to Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians (and elsewhere) is that Paul considered it a real possibility that he could someday be refused a crown from the heavenly Judge. Just as an athlete could be refused a reward in the athletic contests by not abiding by the rules, so some Christians will be refused rewards if they do not run the race of life according to God's rules. Thus it is imperative that believers in the Lord Jesus strive to lead godly lives as earnestly as the ancient athletes trained and exerted themselves in the games. SUMMARY This investigation leads to two notable conclusions regarding the Christian life. First, the dedicated Christian life consists not in a passive "letting go and letting God." Instead it requires an earnest, consistent striving, fueled by the grace of God. Second, being disqualified from reward is a real possibility for every believer. Thus the child of God must be careful to strive according to the rules (2 Tim. 2:5) in order to receive rewards from the Lord.