Training to Take Control...

For the past several months, we have been involved in a sermon series entitled when Christians act unchristian. Throughout this series, we have seen a man named Paul repeatedly confront a group of people who claimed to be Christians on their unchristian behavior. To understand why Paul is so direct and passionate in his objections, we must keep in mind what is supposed to happen in our lives when we become followers of Jesus.

When we become followers of Jesus, God gives us His Spirit to dwell in us so that we may live the life in relationship with God and others that we were created to live. The Holy Spirit teaches us, convicts us, and motivates us to repent from sin and to live a life that faithfully follows the message and teachings of Jesus. And as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit continues to transform and change our hearts and our mind, which results in changes in how we live our day to day lives. The Bible refers to these changes that occur as the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives as the fruit of the Spirit.

Yet as Paul looked at the members of the church at Corinth, he was not seeing the fruit, or the proof of the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work, in their lives. Instead of seeing the evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s transforming activity that revealed a growing and maturing relationship with Christ, he was seeing the evidence of lives that looked no different from those who far from God.

The Apostle Paul responds to this situation by addressing the absence of a characteristic that marks the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s that results in Christians acting unchristian. This characteristic that Paul reveals for us is that Christians act unchristian when we fail to exercise self control. In 1 Corinthians 9:14-10:13, we see three failures that the members of the church at Corinth made, and that we can make as well, that result in a failure to exercise self control. First, we see that we fail to exercise self control when we fail to train the right way. We see Paul reveal this failure in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by asking them a rhetorical question designed to introduce a well know and generally accepted fact: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Paul here is painting a word picture of a track meet that occurred in the athletic stadium in Corinth, which held games that were second only to the Olympics. And just like today, the members of the church knew that while there were many athletes that competed in these races, there was only one athlete who would win what was called the victors prize.

Paul then takes this picture that the members of the church were very familiar with and applies it to their spiritual life: run in such a way that you may win. In other words Paul was calling the church and us here today to live out our lives as followers of Jesus with a focus on growing and maturing spiritually that reveals the reality that we have come into the possession of our position as part of the kingdom of God. Because, the reality is that while many people run the race of life here on earth not everyone is running the race of life here on earth in a way that results in winning that race and possessing the prize of an eternal relationship with God.

Now a natural question that arises here is “how do we run in such a way as to win? Paul answers this question for us by pointing to the training that the athletes in Corinth put themselves through in order to have an opportunity to win. When Paul states that everyone in the games exercises control in all things, he is referring to the athletes focus on keeping their desires under control during their training. An athlete’s training requires that they keep their desire to satisfy their appetites with food that would harm their performance under control. An athlete’s training requires that they keep their desire to stay out late and ignore their workout routines under control.

Paul then explains that if an athlete is willing to keep their desire under control in order to win a prize that will not stand the test of time, how much more should the members of the church at Corinth strive to keep their desires under control, so that they would be able to attain the indestructible prize of eternal life with God that awaits followers of Jesus. However, when we fail to train the right way as followers of Jesus by failing to exercise self control, the result is a lack of spiritual growth.

Paul then describes how this reality impacted how he lived life in the here and now. When Paul states that he runs in such a way as not without aim, this phrase literally means to run aimlessly and without a fixed goal. Paul then transitions to use a word picture of another athlete in training, this time a boxer. When Paul states that he boxes in such a way, as not beating the air, he is painting a word picture of someone flailing away and missing the mark. Paul’s point that when we fail to train the right way as followers of Jesus by failing to exercise self control, the result is a lack of direction and aim.

Instead of wandering aimlessly through life without a fixed goal; instead of living a life that continually is missing the mark when it comes to growing and maturing spiritually, Paul explains that that he has enslaved his body to a strict and disciplined life of spiritual training designed to produce growth and maturity. Paul then states that he had made this decision so that he would not make the fundamental mistake of talking the talk when it came to proclaiming the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, yet not walking the walk as a follower of Jesus in his daily life.

Paul did not want to live a life that was marked by selfishness and sin as a result of a failure to exercise self control. But why was Paul so concerned about living a life that was striving to grow, mature and reflect Christ in his day to day life? Why was Paul so concerned about running the race of life here on earth in a way that results in winning and proving possession of the prize of an eternal relationship with God?

We will look at the reason for Paul's concern tomorrow. But in the meantime, how are you living your life when it comes to the issue of exercising self control?