1 Corinthians 9:24-27 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. 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. 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 so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
After Paul's conversion, he immediately went to the desert for three years to learn from the Holy Spirit the whole counsel of God. Of course, he understood because of his education as a Pharisee that the earth was made for man, and God had placed man in the center of his will on earth: Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:25-27) Paul also understood that the "likeness" of God in man had been corrupted by sin. Rather than doing right, what was good and perfect on Earth, man chose to act out his self-will, falling into darkness and sin. Paul, the Pharisee, understood all of this, but what he did not understand and needed to learn was the redemptive act of God through Jesus Christ. He did not know that God came to Earth in the form of a man: Jesus Christ, God's Son. In the desert, Paul learned from the Holy Spirit that redemption was nigh to anyone who would receive salvation by faith. He learned eternal life was based on believing the Word of God that is present with every believer through the Holy Spirit. Paul learned the meaning of the Old Testament reference that he shared with the Romans: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9) Paul's direction changed forever in that desert. He fully experienced Christ and rejected his own self-righteousness, desiring only an intimate Savior to commune with him daily. Paul realized through faith he was a new creature in Christ, living forever in the family of God. Paul knew his religious life won him no favor with God. He believed the message the Pharisee Nicodemus heard from Jesus: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8) Paul knew to run the race for a lasting crown: A MAN OR A WOMAN MUST BE BORN AGAIN BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
As a Pharisee, as a zealot for God, Paul understood total commitment to God. He persecuted and killed the Christians for the religion he passionately served. He honored God with all his being in everything he did. Paul knew the prophets served God with their whole lives; therefore, as a faithful Pharisee, he wanted to serve God with all his mind and strength. He was running to win the prize as he knew it, favor with God. When Paul came before King Agrippa, he gave his credentials as a Jew: “The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. (Acts 26:4-5) But Paul the Pharisee was running in the wrong way for the prize of God. He was running as a natural man would run, placing all his confidence on his human ability, his great effort, to win the prize. He did not understand Jesus had won the ultimate prize for him, eternal life. In the desert, schooled by the Holy Spirit, Paul recognized Jesus Christ and his life as everything in this race. Even a young child with little strength to perform physical feats can win this race by taking the hand of Jesus who said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) As we put our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit continues to shape us in his image. Let us make man in our likeness. As a Pharisee, Paul understood the fall of mankind, the need for sacrifices for sins. In his flesh, Paul tried to please God, to conform to God's righteousness, by his own acts of righteousness. But when he met Jesus, he realized eternal life comes only through faith in Christ's death on the cross. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."(Matthew 3:16-18)
Paul's zeal to win God's favor through his own efforts disqualified him for the prize. But his willingness to place his life in God's hands qualifies him for a crown that will last forever and God's free gift of eternal life. Why then does Paul say emphatically, 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. He is a slave to whom? Himself! For what purpose? To finish the course for the One who has called him. The winner is the one who finishes the race. We read earlier in this chapter that Paul said he was willing to go without support from the Corinthian church for the sake of the gospel. Even though he had a right to ask for money, he said, On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. If he must put up with anything so that some might learn of Christ, he would do so. If he must consider the needs of others over his own, let that happen for the gospel to go forward. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! No matter the cost to his ego and body, he determined to preach the "good news." He had to finish the course, regardless of the price to himself. Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone. (1Corinthians 9:12, 16, 19) Paul knew he possessed eternal life within him, but he also knew he had to fight the good fight by revealing the love of God. He became everything to all men so that some could find the grace of God. This was a daily struggle for Paul. He laments his position of servanthood to God in several places as a man who has suffered. He was stoned, beaten, and threatened by men for serving Christ. Yet, he tells the church in Philippi: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 KJV) As we read in today's scriptures, Paul presses on to get a crown that will last forever. He continually reminds himself: I must reveal God and his selfless love to the world. As I am beaten, as I am going without, as I am disrespected, the world will see Christ through me. Is this our lives? Chances are we will never face what Paul faced, but are we willing to face conflict or despair? Are we able to let someone else take advantage of us and not retaliate? Are we going to forgive and not to get even when we are wounded or misunderstood? How are we running the race today? The prize awaits us.
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