Lessons #301 and 302
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Encouragement regarding eternal prize (1 Cor 9: 24-27)
24 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. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
The simple message of this section that we stated in our last study is Strive to be reward eternally. We indicated that this message of encouragement as unfolded by Apostle Paul consists of four essential elements that we will consider as we expound the message. The first essential element necessary to expound the message is an instruction that we should strive in the spiritual race to ensure we are eternally rewarded. This instruction is given in the last expression of 1 Corinthians 9:24 Run in such a way as to get the prize. We started to consider this sentence, but we ran out of time, so we promised to continue with it in today’s study. Therefore, it is with this instruction that we begin our study today.
The command Run is an interesting one because Apostle Paul used a present tense in the Greek that could be understood as addressed to two kinds of believers – those who have just been saved and those who have been saved for some time. To those who have recently been saved, the command is to be understood to mean that they should begin and continue the action of running, that is, progressing in the spiritual life. However, to those who have been saved for some time, the command could be understood to mean they should continue to advance spiritually, assuming, of course, that they are already progressing spiritually. They are to do it repeatedly. It is as if the apostle wants all believers to form the habit of progressing spiritually.
The command Run is simply an instruction to progress in the spiritual life. It is a command that says we should continue to struggle in our spiritual life. We indicated in our last study that when people run, they overcome wind drag that slows them down. So, running in the spiritual life is an activity that indicates a believer is fighting against the flesh or the sinful nature or against satanic forces to ensure that the believer is making progress in the spiritual life. Anyway, we are saying that the command Run is another way of saying to believers to fight in the spiritual life. In effect, the command Run is similar to the command the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul issued to the young pastor, Timothy, and so to all pastors and believers, in 1 Timothy 6:12:
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
In the context, Fight the good fight of the faith is a command to teach the word of God to believers, defend Christian doctrines, and evangelize unbelievers. Of course, implied in the command is that
Timothy should live the Christian life since his teaching of the word of God requires him not only to teach but also to live the life as, for example, in the passage we cited in our previous study. I am referring to the instruction given to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16:
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
The instruction to Timothy to watch his life and doctrine implies that the good fight he was to carry on involves not only teaching doctrine and evangelizing unbelievers but living the Christian life. Hence, the use of the word “fight” in the instruction given to Timothy in sixth chapter we cited is another way of saying that he should run or progress spiritually. It should not be difficult to accept that the word “fight” is equivalent to the word “run” in our passage of study since the apostle later used the word “fight” in 1 Corinthians 9:26.
The command Run that we are considering is a key command in the spiritual life of believers that we should explore briefly what that entails. As we indicated in our last study, the command implies that one should progress spiritually which we indicated, requires firm commitment to the study of the word of God and its application as conveyed by the Lord to Joshua in Joshua 1:8:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
The instruction to Joshua is applicable to the command Run that we are considering since prosperity and success depend on commitment to the study and application of the word of God. If a person is to progress spiritually, which is the most important form of prosperity, the individual must progress in the knowledge of the word of God. We say this because progress in the spiritual life is tied to the knowledge of the word of God, as we read in 1 Peter 2:2:
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
The phrase newborn babies may refer either to a new convert or to a believer that has been saved for some time since metaphorically believers are always viewed as babies or children and so can be described as recently born. This interpretation will make sense since we indicated the command Run applies both to new converts and those who have been saved for some time. That aside, the command crave pure spiritual milk is one that is concerned with the word of God. For spiritual milk refers to the word of God although often in the sense of the elementary doctrines of the church as it is used by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:2:
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
That milk is used as a metaphor for elementary doctrines of the Christian faith is also conveyed in its use in Hebrews 5:12-13:
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
This aside, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter issued the command crave pure spiritual milk to the original recipients of his epistle and so to us, present day believers. The command given by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter is one every believer must struggle to keep while on this planet. There is no time in our spiritual life that we can assume that this command is not for us. I say that this is a command that we must struggle to keep because of its importance. Satan is aware that if we continue to desire the word of God and continue to get it in our soul, he will have no significant impact on our lives so he would do everything to keep us from the word. Anyway, we are to continue to crave for the sound teaching of God’s word. This reminder is necessary because we live in world dominated by sin.
Sin in the life of a believer keeps that person from having any appetite for the spiritual things. It does not mean that those who are hungry for truth do not sin, but generally they are those who know how to handle their sins and they are not afraid to know more of how they fail so that they could avoid such failures. People who are not ready to be humbled or challenged by truth are those who are not willing to listen to the word of God. Many, because of their lifestyles, are afraid to be exposed to truth for the fear of what it will do to them. But unknown to them is that Satan is behind such an attitude. Fo,r if they understood truly that it is not within their power to live a life of righteousness but that is by the power of the Holy Spirit, then they would not be afraid of learning about righteous demand of God’s word. By the way, the fact that sin keeps people from listening to the word of God may in part explain the reason people would flock to hear a pastor who teaches only how to prosper and rarely teach about sin. Such a pastor is doing great disservice to believers as he would fit the kind of prophet denounced in Lamentations 2:14:
The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter gives us the reason for craving the sound teaching of God’s word in the last clause of 1 Peter 2:2 so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Growing up in one’s salvation indicates that a person is progressing spiritually in the individual’s relationship with God. In other words, growing up in one’s salvation would include having greater understanding of what salvation means, having better knowledge of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoying victory over Satan and the world. In effect, growing up in our salvation suggests we are making progress in our spiritual life that would imply that we are progressing in experiential sanctification whereby we are becoming more victorious over sin in our daily lives.
Be that as it may, the command Run of 1 Corinthians 9:24 involves struggling against sin. This is implied in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:1:
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
The instruction in this verse is concerned with experiential or progressive sanctification which is the practical outworking of righteousness in the believer who is set apart from sin unto God and experiencing of deliverance from the power and practice of sin. Experiential or progressive sanctification therefore is concerned with our conduct as we are controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason that we indicate that the command in 1 Peter 2:1 is concerned with experiential sanctification. We contend that the command in 1 Peter 2:1 is concerned with experiential or progressive sanctification because of the conjunction therefore that begins the verse. The conjunction is used to supply reasons for the command that follows. There are two immediate reasons given to us in the context of 1 Peter 2:1 that led to the use of this conjunction: the purification of our souls and our regeneration. Of course, in the larger context of the epistle of Apostle Peter, it is because the believer is an elect of God. Nevertheless, the emphasis is on the fact that the believer has become a child of God whose sins have been forgiven and who has received eternal life from God. In view of these facts, the believer is given a command. The command is to put aside anything that would contaminate the soul that has been eternally purified by the work of Christ on the cross. The sins we are to get rid of are those that impede spiritual progress. So, we should understand that the command Run of 1 Corinthians 9:24 concerns our experiential or progressive sanctification. Thus, when we think of the command given in our verse, we should realize that it is a command that requires us to live a life of holiness that involves resisting temptation to sin. We can only be successful in obeying this command if we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. We are impeded in our progress in spiritual life by sin but if we stay under the control of the Holy Spirit, we will be victorious over sin in that we will not succumb to our sinful nature. This fact is implied in what the Holy Spirit conveyed to us through Apostle Paul as recorded in Galatians 5:16–18:
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
This passage indicates that it is as we remain under the control of the Holy Spirit by rejecting sin or resisting temptation that we can be victorious over our sinful nature. God the Holy Spirit provides the power to resist sin or temptation for unless this is the case, we would not be commanded to take our stand against Satan with the assurance that he will not overcome us as stated in James 4:7:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
In any event, the command Run of 1 Corinthians 9:24 is concerned with advancing spiritually and it requires commitment to the study and application of the word of God so we can live in holiness. By the way, since we have established that “run” and “fight” are the same as it pertains to the spiritual race, we can infer from the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to Timothy that we considered previously what running entails for all believers. We have indicated that “fight” as required of Timothy consists of teaching doctrine and evangelizing unbelievers and living the Christian life, so part of what running involves for all believers is witnessing for Christ, that is, giving the gospel to unbelievers.
Just the same, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants us to understand two facts about the command Run. A first fact is that there is a right or wrong way to do it and the second is that it leads to a result. The first fact that there is a right or wrong way to run the spiritual race or to progress spiritually is given in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:24 in such a way. This phrase is translated from a Greek adverb (houtōs) that is used primarily in two ways in the Greek. It could refer to that which follows in a discourse material and so may be translated “in this way” or “as follows.” Another usage is to refer to what precedes in which case it may mean “in this way, in this manner, so, thus.” It is in the first usage that the adverb is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:24. The sense of the word is “in the way indicated.” Thus, the command is that believers should run or progress spiritually in the way indicated. The idea of conveying that there is a manner to the command Run implies that there is a right or wrong way of carrying out the instruction. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul was not concerned with the wrong way of carrying out the command given; instead, the focus, as we will note later, is on the right way to carry out the command Run that by implication contains the wrong manner of obeying the instruction. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit through the apostle did not immediately tell us the appropriate manner of carrying out the instruction Run instead we are given the second fact of result.
A second fact concerning the command Run as we have indicated is that it has a purpose/result. It is this result that is given in the last verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:24 as to get the prize. Literally the Greek reads that you may win. The word as in the NIV or that in the literal translation is translated from a Greek conjunction (hina) that in our passage is subject to two possible interpretations. A first interpretation is that the conjunction serves as a marker of purpose, aim, or goal in which case it may be translated “in order that” or “that.” The implication of this interpretation is that it gives the purpose of the command Run. A second interpretation is to consider the conjunction as a marker of result so that it may be translated “so that, that, so as a result.” This interpretation implies that the Greek clause gives us what results from the command Run. It is often difficult to differentiate purpose from result in some contexts, as in our passage. It is true that the idea of purpose makes sense but because the manner of running the spiritual race was mentioned before the clause we are considering, it is probably that the apostle had in mind the result of the carrying out the command Run in the manner yet to be specified. We are saying that when the apostle wrote the command Run and followed it up with the phrase in such a way that indicates there is a right or wrong way of carrying out the command that it makes even better sense for him to speak of the result of obeying the command. The situation would be that the apostle introduced the concept of right or wrong way of carrying out the command and then he digressed to state the result of obeying the command Run before returning to give the details of the right way of obeying the command. In effect, the apostle wanted the readers to think of the result of the command Run to help them focus on the correct ways of obeying the command. You see, we humans would normally focus on something when we know that we will benefit from whatever it is that is presented to us. Take for example, in this congregation, some of us do not pay close attention to a specific teaching because they probably do not see the relevance to them or the application of what is being taught to them in their present situation or experience. In contrast, when a subject matter is taught that is dealing with a specific problem such individuals are facing, they focus their attention to what is being taught. I know what I am saying to be true because some of you have made statements to me about specific concepts/doctrines, we studied at a particular study that meant much to them although I have taught the same concept/doctrine in the past, but it did not have the impact on them because they did not focus on the lesson when I first taught it. It is this reason that led me to this conclusion. The point is that if we know what benefit that is coming to us, we will take seriously whatever it is that would lead to the benefit. This concept was probably what the Holy Spirit brought to the mind of the apostle that after he wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:24 in such a way, he immediately went to the result of obeying the command Run in order to capture the attention of the readers. Let me still illustrate the concept that I have stated that leads to the interpretation that the apostle gave the result of the command Run. Suppose someone tells you that there is a treasure box that contains a million dollars that has been buried at a specific location but that there are several instructions you need to follow to get the money. If you want the money you will tell the one who has informed you to get to the instructions so you would be on your way to get the box. So, you get the point that if a person dangles result of something then we will be more inclined to focus on how to get whatever it is that is dangled before us. The apostle dangled what would result if the command Run is carried out in a specified way to get the Corinthians to listen attentively to the right way of running to obtain what he said would result from obeying the command Run.
The result of obeying the command Run the apostle stated is given in the verbal phrase of the NIV of 1 Corinthians 9:24 as to get the prize or literally in such a way that you may win. This is the second time in the NIV of our verse that we encounter the word get. The word “get” this time is translated from a different Greek word than the first use of the word “get,” although both words have the same Greek root. The second word “get” is translated from a Greek word (katalambanō) that means “to seize” in the sense of to gain control of someone as it is used of evil spirit getting control of a boy that the Lord Jesus eventually healed as recorded in Mark 9:18:
Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
The word may mean to acquire, with the implication of significant effort, hence “to acquire, to attain, to obtain, to take” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the righteousness that is by faith that the Gentiles possess through faith in Christ as we read in Romans 9:30:
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith.
The word may mean “to understand, grasp,” that is, to process information as the word is used in Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians to comprehend the greatness of Christ’s love for them as we read in Ephesians 3:18:
may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:24, the word means “to win,” that is, to acquire something through one’s efforts. Thus, the apostle indicates that the result of obeying the command Run in ways to be specified is to win something that he did not explicitly state. However, the context indicates that what is to be won is an eternal reward that the Lord will give those who obey the command Run, that is, to progress spiritually in a manner specified beginning in verse 25.
It is our interpretation that after the apostle wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:24 in such a way that instead of getting to what the right ways of running the race he had in mind were, he digressed to state the result of obeying the command Run in the verbal phrase as to get the prize before coming back to the right way of obeying the command. Our interpretation is supported by a Greek conjunction that for technical reason is the second word in the Greek of verse 25 that is not translated in the NIV and majority of our English versions. The KJV translated the Greek conjunction used with the word “and” while a handful of our English versions such as the HCSB and AMP translated it with the word “now.” That aside, the Greek conjunction (de) used that is not translated in the NIV is often used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation. When it is felt that there is some contrast between clauses, it is commonly translated “but” and it is translated “and” when a simple connective is involved, without contrast being clearly implied. In some occurrences, it may be left untranslated. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:25, it is used to connect verse 25 and verse 24 in a way to convey a sense of continuity so that it may not be translated as it is done in majority of our English versions or it may be translated “now” as done in a handful of English versions as we have already stated. The continuity expressed with our word is that which indicates a resumption of a discourse that was interrupted. In other words, when the apostle used the phrase in such a way in verse 24 but did not immediately give examples of what he meant instead wrote the verbal phrase to get the prize of the NIV that was a digression, so to return to what he had in mind in the phrase in such a way it was necessary for the apostle to use the Greek conjunction we have considered. Therefore, we are correct in asserting that the verbal phrase to get the prize or more literally you may win is concerned with result to keep the Corinthians motivated to hear out the apostle as he began to give the ways that have to be followed to ensure that the Corinthians and so all believers would be eternally rewarded for spiritual progress on this planet. In any event, the first essential element necessary to expound the message Strive to be reward eternally is an instruction that we should strive in the spiritual race to ensure we are eternally rewarded. This brings us to the second essential element that is concerned with the manner or the way to execute the command Run of 1 Corinthians 9:24.
The second essential element necessary to expound the message Strive to be reward eternally that, as we have stated previously, is the way one should go about progressing spiritually to be eternally rewarded concerns the exercise of self-control. In effect, anyone who would be successful in progressing spiritually should exercise self-control in life. Of course, the apostle did not command believers to exercise self-control but that is implied. Before we examine how the apostle conveyed the concept of self-control, we should recognize that the concept is one that is conveyed in the Scripture. The Scripture tells us that a person who lacks self-control over the individual’s emotion leaves self, defenseless and unprotected as we read in Proverbs 25:28:
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
The clause a city whose walls are broken down gives a picture of an attacking army breaching the wall of a city rendering it defenseless. So, if a person who lacks self-control is compared to this picture, the implication is that one who lacks self-control is really a weak person that would expose self to troubles. For example, a person who lacks self-control over anger may do things that would bring damage to the individual. I am amazed that many people lack self-control of their emotions in dealing with others. It is because of this lack of self-control over one’s emotions that many say that someone has hurt their feelings when if they were in control of their emotions, they would not allow someone else to hurt them. In fact, some of the things people are hurt by are in the larger scheme of things not that important. I am saying that if you are easily hurt by others, you should recognize that you are not in control of your emotions.
Self-control is important in the life of a believer that even as Apostle Paul preached the gospel before Governor Felix, he referenced it as we read in Acts 24:25:
As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
Self-control is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit as we read in Galatians 5:22–23:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
It is because of the importance of self-control that the apostle commends it to the Thessalonians as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:8:
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul includes it as part of the virtues of an overseer of a local church as we read in 1 Timothy 3:2:
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
The apostle included the subject of self-control as part of what Titus was to communicate to the various groups in the local church in Crete. It was required of older men in Titus 2:2:
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
It is to be included in what older women should teach young women in Titus 2:3–5:
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Similar requirement of self-control was to be required of the younger men in the congregation, as stated in Titus 2:6:
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
Those who understand the message of the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ are expected to exhibit self-control, according to Titus 2:11–12:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
It is not only through Apostle Paul that the Holy Spirit conveyed the importance of the subject of self-control but also through Apostle Peter. So, he included it as part of what is essential in having normal prayer life as we read in 1 Peter 4:7:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
The apostle included “self-control” as part of what is necessary in dealing with the devil as he attempts to attack believers as we read in 1 Peter 5:8:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Apostle Peter while not using the term “fruit of the Spirit” implies that self-control is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in the passage he advocated virtues associated with the fruit of the Spirit, as we read in 2 Peter 1:6:
and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
Thus, we get the point that self-control is essential in the spiritual race. Of course, you may wonder how you can maintain self-control. It requires being under the control of the Holy Spirit since that is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. What this means is that as soon as we encounter a situation that will lead us to lose control of self, we should immediately filter our thought so that we will be under the control of the Holy Spirit. If we do this, we will remain under the control of the Holy Spirit that will lead to self-control.
We have stated that the way one should go about progressing spiritually to be eternally rewarded concerns the exercise of self-control hence our consideration of the subject of self-control. The term “self-control” does not explicitly appear in the passage of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 in the NIV, but it appears in most of our English versions. That aside, the concept of self-control is also implied by what the apostle wrote regarding those involved in competition in the games in Corinth and elsewhere in ancient Greece, as we read in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. The clause is a general reference to an athlete that the clause Everyone who competes may, in fact, be replaced with the word “athlete” as in the TEV that instead of the clause Everyone who competes translates every athlete. As we have implied, competition in the games is a metaphor for participation in the spiritual race. This fact is implied in the word competes in the sentence we are considering. The word “competes” is translated from a Greek word (agōnizomai) that literally means “to fight” with weapons as the word is used in the explanation of Jesus Christ to Pilate during His trial that if His reign were an earthly one, He would mobilize His servants to fight for Him as we read in John 18:36:
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
Figuratively, the word means “to struggle” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe the wrestling in prayers of Epaphras for the Colossians as we read in Colossians 4:12:
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
The verbal phrase wrestling in prayer for you may alternatively be translated struggling on behalf of you in his prayers. The word may mean “to engage in a context” both literally and figuratively. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:25, although literally the word means “to engage in a context” but because the apostle is concerned with spiritual race the word means “to fight,” that is, to be engaged in a fight. We have already noted that spiritual race is considered a fight. Thus, the person competing in games portrays the believer involved in spiritual race.
Be that as it may, it is what the person involved in athletic competition does that leads to the concept of self-control that we have stated. The concept of self-control is given in the verbal phrase in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 9:25 goes into strict training. The expression of the NIV “goes into strict training” is translated from a Greek verb (egkrateuomai) that appears only twice in the Greek NT. In the Septuagint, the word is used to describe Joseph’s control of his emotions before his brothers prior to revealing to them he was their brother as we read in Genesis 43:31:
After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
This notwithstanding, in the other usage of our Greek word in the NT besides our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:25, the word means “to control oneself,” being used especially for sexual continence as it is used in 1 Corinthians 7:9:
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:25, it means “to exercise self-control”, that is, to resolutely control one’s own desires, especially sensual desires.
The apostle in using our Greek word that means “to exercise self-control,” meant to describe what is required of an athlete at that time although the NIV does not reveal this in their translation of Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training since the literal translation reads every one competing exercises self-control (in) all things. A difference between the NIV and the literal translation is the phrase all things. The phrase is not to be understood in absolute sense that covers every conceivable thing on this planet. No, the apostle probably was thinking of some of the restrictions placed on those training for competition in the games. It is usually expected that the young athlete be self-controlled in such things as food, drink, and sex. A person training must control what the person eats not just in its nature but also its portion. They were not to drink wine as to become drunk. They were barred from sexual relationship as that may be distracting to them. In short, those who were in training for competition in the games were involved in sacrificing pleasure of life for a period to obtain their goal of victory in the games. They understood that to attain anything great, requires great sacrifice on the part of an individual. We can see that in the time spent training by those who are involved in many sports today such as basketball or swimming, among others. Anyway, since the athlete is used metaphorically for believers in the spiritual race, we also should exercise self-control in the same general areas of self-control of the athlete. We are to be careful to control our emotions such as anger, so we do not sin. We are to control our sexual desires in order not sin against the Lord. We should exercise self-control in food and drink as that may lead to sin. Of course, many people only think of lack of self-control when it comes to drinks so that a person is easily identified as a drunkard, but we often forget that too much eating of food resulting in gluttony is equally a sin because the Scripture groups both together in Proverbs 23:21:
for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
That glutton is sinful is implied in Proverbs 28:7:
He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
Its sinfulness is also implied in the accusation of the Jews against Jesus Christ, as reported in Matthew 11:19:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
Anyway, the point is that if those who train for athletic competitions are subject to self-control in the areas of food, drink and sex, believers are certainly required to exercise self-control in these areas and more.
In any case, Apostle Paul continued with his athletic metaphor by stating the goal or purpose those who compete for the games exercise self-control. They do so because they expect to win a prize as conveyed in the second sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:25 They do it to get a crown that will not last. Literally, the Greek reads they on the one hand now/indeed (do it) so that they might win (a) perishable wreath.
The word “crown” used in the NIV is translated from a Greek word (stephanos) that literally may mean “wreath, crown,” that is, a wreath made of foliage or designed to resemble foliage and worn by one of high status or held in high regard. Thus, it is used to describe what the Roman soldiers put together that involves thorns they used to mock the Lord Jesus prior to His death on the cross, as recorded in John 19:2:
The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe.
Figuratively, the word may mean that which serves as adornment or source of pride and so means “adornment, pride.” It is probably in this sense that Apostle Paul used it to describe the believers in Philippi, as we read in Philippians 4:1:
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
The figurative usage of the word may mean an award or prize for exceptional service or conduct and so means “prize, reward” as that is the sense in which Apostle Paul used it to describe the reward, he expects from the Lord for doing what God demands, as we read in 2 Timothy 4:8:
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 to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:25, our Greek word first literally means “wreath” that is worn on the head to signify victory but when the apostle makes an implied reference to it as it relates to believers it has the sense of “reward” that would be given to believers in eternal state. The meaning “wreath” that is associated with our Greek word may be misleading to some because on the one hand wreaths in many English-speaking countries are associated more with funerals than with running competitions. On the other hand, in other parts of the modern world, wreaths are placed around the neck, rather than on the head as in Greek custom of placing it on the head of the winner in a running competition. To avoid any confusion, the meaning “crown” may be used so long as we understand that it is not the crown associated with monarchs.
The “wreath” or if you prefer “crown” given to the winner in athletic competition is only earthly and so it is not permanent. The wreath may be destroyed since that given to winners of the Isthmian games, held near Corinth, is woven out of pine needle or wild celery or the winner of the wreath could die leaving the wreath on this planet since we know that at death there is nothing material that we will take out of this planet as the Holy Spirit reminds us through Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:7:
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
The point is that there is no permanency to the wreath that a winner receives during athletic competition as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:25 They do it to get a crown that will not last or literally they on the one hand now/indeed (do it) so that they might win (a) perishable wreath. There is more to this sentence but we are out of time so we will continue with this sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:25 in our next study. However, let me remind you that the second essential element necessary to expound the message Strive to be reward eternally is the way one should go about progressing spiritually to be eternally rewarded concerns the exercise of self-control.
03/19//21