Very few things have transcended time, location, and culture like athletics. From ancient Greece, the Mayan and Incan civilizations, or modern America, there are few things that captivate people like physical competition. Biblical authors lived in this reality as well and knew their readers were intrigued by athletic competition. Discipline, effort, perseverance, and reward were all concepts that resonated in their lives, and these authors use sports metaphors to help their readers understand how those concepts have a place spiritually as well.
Running
There is something deep within every human that rears its head whenever someone is standing next to another person, and they realize they are both going to the same place. One person looks at the other and declares, “I bet I can beat you to the ________.” We experience this in my home several times per day with my six-year-old and four-year-old. The sounds of their races are a constant echo through the house as are the bitter screams of defeat.
Scripture too recognizes the desire for humanity to race, as well as the gift of being given bodies that are able to run. New Testament writers understood that a race is also a brilliant metaphor for life in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul tells his readers to “run in such a way as to get the prize.” Similarly, the author of Hebrews encourages believers to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Any good race presents moments of testing and trials for the one running; life with Christ is no different. We will experience the highs and lows of the grueling race, but we run with our eyes fixed on the prize that awaits those who endure with perseverance to the end.
Wrestling/Boxing
There is also something deep within us that desires to assert physical dominance over another human. This is why wrestling and boxing are two of the oldest athletic competitions in the world. They too are apt analogies for the Christian life. Paul talks in
Ephesians 2 about the struggle of this life and who our opponent truly is: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.” We have an enemy who desires to bring us to our knees. It takes strength, endurance, and preparation to be able to stand against everything the enemy will throw at us.
Training
Any good athlete knows that the real work is not limited to game time, but is applied during the hours and hours of training leading up to the event. Some of the most difficult physical experiences of my life came in preseason training for soccer or winter break two-a-days in basketball. These times of complete exertion took everything out of me, but my coaches knew that if they could force us to endure the difficulty of training, that the time of proving ourselves in the fires of competition would come more instinctively to us.
Scripture recognizes this core truth of athletics as well and applies it to our walk with Christ. Practice truly does make perfect. Paul, when writing to Timothy to help prepare him for the trials of the Christian life and ministry, tells him to “train yourself for godliness.” Just as no one stumbles their way into being an accurate three-point shooter or a scratch golfer, no Christian is going to stumble their way into living like Christ. It takes a lifetime of committing oneself to training in obedience, sharpening our spiritual gifts, and growing in the fruit of the spirit to live as Christ has commanded us to live.
The beautiful thing about this commitment is that God delights in and rewards the effort to train ourselves. Just as any good coach wants to create environments to put the practiced skills to the test, God is gracious to give us moments in life to put our spiritual training to use. Sometimes those show up in trials. Sometimes they show up in gospel conversations. God is gracious and merciful to His children, and like a good coach, He will challenge us, encourage us, and continue to equip us in our life as we walk with Him.
The Eternal Prize of Victory
While so much of athletics is about enjoying the work of training and the process of improving, we can’t deny that there are very few feelings like being able to lift a trophy or wear the medal around your neck at the end of the competition. All the work has paid off and you can revel in the reward of victory.
As Christians, we too have a reward we can look to now while in the midst of the fires of competition to motivate us to endure. Paul tells Timothy that all of the effort put into training will lead to the “crown of righteousness,” and that it is a “crown that endures forever.” (1 Cor. 9:25) When we endure this life and all that it throws at us while remaining faithful to our Savior, He is gracious in bestowing upon us an eternal righteousness that He has won for us in His death and resurrection.
Christian brothers and sisters, we struggle now temporarily that we might revel in the joys of victory in Jesus for eternity. That is a victory worth pursuing with all that we have!