Over the past couple of weeks, my family and countless others (perhaps even yours!) have been watching the Olympics, seeing superhuman sorts of accomplishments by American athletes such as Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles as well as athletes from other countries like Hungary’s Katinka Hosszú and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (to name a few of the prominent ones that make headlines, knowing that there are many sports that don’t make prime time and headlines). Many of these athletes are Christians (for some of their stories, see this article in Christianity Today or this post on the Gospel Coalition) At times, one will even hear an Olympic athlete testify about their faith, not just a belief in God but their identity in Jesus, such the comments made by Americans Steele Johnson and David Boudia after winning silver in diving: “But we both know that our identity is in Christ, and we’re thankful for this opportunity to be able to dive in front of Brazil and in front of the United States. It’s been an absolutely thrilling moment for us” (Boudia) “The way David just described it was flawless – the fact that I was going into this event knowing that my identity is rooted in Christ and not what the result of this competition is just gave me peace … and it let me enjoy the contest” (Johnson). (see story here). It is good to hear words like these shared publicly, and we are thankful for their boldness – but we also need to remember that these public Christians are still sinners saved by grace like us lest we put them on a pedestal.
Watching the Olympics has also brought to mind the fact that the Bible uses imagery from ancient sport in describing the Christian life. While Jesus was known to use agricultural and farming language in his parables to describe the kingdom of God, the Apostle Paul often would use these sports pictures (Paul uses sports and farming together in 2 Timothy 2:5-6). Paul speaks of the Christian life as that of running a race, noting at the end of his life that he has “fought the good fight and run the race” (2 Timothy 4:7, combining running with boxing); he tells the Galatian Christians that they were “running well” in their faith before someone hindered them (Galatians 5:7), tripping them up by spreading false truths about what to believe and how they should then live. Paul is not alone in these metaphors, as the writer to the Hebrews also uses the metaphor of a race for the Christian life, telling us to “run” the race of with perseverance because of the great crowd of those who have run before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Ministry and service to others can also be like running, as Paul wants to make sure that he was not “running in vain” in Galatians 2:2, referring to his missionary work. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul’s uses sports to highlight a focus on self-control and also not to be disqualified from the reward, with this context once again focused on how Paul was ministering to others. We should have discipline in reaching out to others, which might involve saying no to some things that we want to do so we can reach others; it calls for use of our time, talents, and treasures not for ourselves but for the kingdom. Our goal is not gold but that others might know Christ.
In addition to encouraging us to continue to move forward in faith and service to others to the very end, Paul also uses sports imagery to encourage us to “compete clean,” an image that has some connection to one of the backstories of the Olympics in terms of the disqualification of the Russian track team because of a systematic use of performance drugs as well as controversial words by American, gold-medal winning swimmer Lily King about the participation of “caught cheaters.” In 2 Timothy 2:5, Paul speaks about competing according to the rules: “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” He does not seem to be talking about performance enhancing drugs here, so what is he getting at? He is exhorting Christians not to stray from the truth of the gospel or its implications for how we live — and when we move to a different or another gospel truth, we are in danger of not being qualified for the crown. False doctrines are for the Christian what performance-enhancing drugs are for athletes — temptations that can cause us not to get what we ultimately desire!
Paul’s sports images are challenging in many ways, but I also find it encouraging as I watch the Olympics. Perhaps the most encouraging part of Paul’s use of sports imagery in the Bible is the fact that winning the prize is something that is not reserved for a select few people with crazy athletic abilities; all can find this heavenly crown in faith in Christ. I have now reached the age that is “past the prime” for most Olympic sports; if someone is in their mid-30’s, they are “old” and make for a good story for NBC to highlight. Therefore, it is pretty clear that I will never win a gold — or any medal. But the crown of eternal life is one that I can achieve, not because of my great skill but because of the great love of God and the work of Jesus, paying the penalty for my sin and giving me his perfection and righteousness in heaven through faith. And just as the crown of life was greater than the crown given to people in ancient times (“They receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable”, 1 Corinthians 9:25), so our gold is more precious than the gold of the games!
