1 Corinthians 9:24 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, the apostle points to the strong encouragement that kept him going. He had a glorious prize in mind, an incorruptible crown. To explain this, he compares himself to runners and fighters in the Isthmian games, which the Corinthians knew well because those games were held nearby. He says, in effect, “You know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one gets the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

He uses that picture to urge believers to do their duty. “Run in such a way that you may win.” In the Christian race, it is very different from their sports, where only one person can take the prize. Here, there is room for all to receive it, so they should keep running steadily, carefully, and with full strength. There should also be a holy desire to excel, a kind of noble rivalry in who will reach heaven sooner or receive the best reward there. Paul means, in effect, “I am making every effort to run. You should do the same and follow my example.” Christians should closely follow their ministers in the pursuit of eternal glory, and ministers should lead the way.

Paul then explains his own example more fully, still using the language of the games. People who competed in those contests kept strict control of their diet. “Everyone who competes in the games is temperate in all things” (1 Corinthians 9:25). They did not give themselves every comfort, but held back from many pleasures to train for the race or the fight. Christians should be even more willing to limit their own freedoms for so great a goal as winning the heavenly prize. Paul did this himself, and he says they should do the same. It would be a small thing to give up food offered to idols if that is what it takes to gain the heavenly crown.

The competitors were also trained to endure hardship. In their exercises, fighters practiced by striking the air, or by moving their arms to get ready for close combat. But there is no place for empty practice in Christian warfare. Believers are always in real battle. Their enemies are near, strong, and active, so they must fight in earnest and never grow lazy or discouraged. They must fight against real enemies, not just swing at the air. Paul names one enemy here, the body, meaning our sinful desires and inclinations. He worked hard to keep those in check, and the Corinthians were bound to follow his example. Those who want to seek the good of their souls must beat down their bodily lusts and keep them under control. The body must serve the mind, not rule over it.

Paul presses this lesson on them with further reasons. The athletes worked hard to win a fading crown, while Christians labor for an unfading one (1 Corinthians 9:25). The winners in those games were crowned with leaves from olive, bay, or laurel trees. Those crowns soon withered. But Christians look for an incorruptible crown, a crown of glory that never fades, and an inheritance that cannot spoil, kept in heaven for them. Should believers then allow themselves to be outdone by these runners and wrestlers, who worked so hard for a crown made of leaves and the applause of a crowd? Should not Christians, who hope for the approval of the sovereign Judge and a crown of glory from his hand, push forward with all their strength, crushing sinful desires and tearing down the strongholds of sin?

He also notes that the runners in those games ran uncertainly. All could run, but only one would get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). Each runner had to wonder whether he would win. But the Christian runner is not left in that kind of doubt. Any believer may run in such a way as to obtain the prize, if he stays within the marked path of duty. That may be what Paul means by not running aimlessly (1 Corinthians 9:26). Anyone who stays within God’s appointed bounds and keeps on in the race will not miss the crown, even if others reach theirs first. If the Grecian runners stayed careful and pressed on to the end, though only one could win and no one knew who it would be, how much more should Christians be careful and vigorous, since all of them may receive a crown at the end?

Finally, Paul places before himself and them the danger of giving in to sinful desires and feeding the body’s appetites. “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest, after preaching to others, I myself should be disapproved” (1 Corinthians 9:27). The word “disapproved” means rejected, not accepted by the Judge, like an athlete who does not receive the prize from the umpire. The whole sentence still carries the image of the games. A preacher of salvation can still fail to be saved himself. He can point others toward heaven and never enter there. To guard against that, Paul practiced strict self-control, so that he would not preach to others and then lose the crown himself. A holy fear of our own weakness is needed to keep us faithful, and that is even more true for us than for an apostle. A humble fear of ourselves, not a proud confidence, is the best protection against turning away from God and being finally rejected by him.