One of Paul’s favourite metaphors for Christian discipleship is the athlete (2 Timothy 2:5). During the time of Paul, athletic games were commonly held in Greece in places like Olympia and the Isthmus of Corinth. In these games, some of the key events were foot races and wrestling. Paul drew on these two sports to teach spiritual truths in his epistles.
For example, Paul used the idea of the Christian life as a foot race: “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” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Further, Paul used the image of athletic wrestling to declare: “I do not fight like a man beating the air” (v. 26). He was not a shadow boxer but engaged in actual ministry, wrestling with spiritual forces and his own sinful nature. His discipleship and ministry were not for show but for real.
The successful athlete must have the right motive, habit, and value system. The athlete who runs must be serious about winning the race —this is the proper motive. Paul urged Christians to run in order to win. They were not to be half-hearted. Only the athlete who wins the race gets the victor’s wreath. If the athletes in the Greek games took their race with seriousness and passion, then Christian disciples should be even more serious about their discipleship, because unlike the perishable crowns in those races, the Christian who finishes his race wins “a crown that will last forever” (v. 25).
It is with this in mind that Paul was confident that he would win “the crown of righteousness” that the Lord would award to him because he had “finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). The difference between the Greek race and the Christian race is that the former had only one winner, while the Christian race can have as many winners as there are believers who complete the race faithfully. Hence Paul said that the Lord would award the crown of righteousness not only to Paul “but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (v. 8).
In applying this motive to his missionary endeavour, Paul travelled extensively and often exhibited a deep desire to literally keep walking as far as he could to spread the gospel. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul expressed his desire not to preach where the gospel had already been preached but to go to distant regions; as a 60-year-old man, he was planning to go to faraway Spain (Romans 15:20,24). Paul did not go about his ministry merely as a duty; he had a view to be successful in his work. Like an athlete fixed on winning, he strained every muscle and all he had to press on with stamina amid hardship and persecution (Philippians 3:13–14).
Consider this:
“There is no place for half-hearted attempts or half-finished races in the Kingdom of God.” In God’s presence, examine yourself to see whether there are such abandoned works for the Lord. Turn your reflection into prayer. Discuss the danger of chasing after the latest fads and fashions for a church. How can this produce an addiction to “religious theme park rides” that go nowhere and contribute to the lack of walking with the Lord in a real journey or race?
Excerpted and adapted from Faithful to the End: A Preacher’s Exposition of 2 Timothy by Robert M. Solomon. ©2014 by Robert M. Solomon. Used by permission of Discovery House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Related Resources:
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