Sports and Sanctification

One of the most magnificent aspects of the Christian worldview is its sheer pragmatism. By this I mean that the Bible so often takes concepts from everyday life that we understand, and it applies them to the Christian life in the hope that we would be sanctified, that is, that we would grow in holiness.

For example, the Bible talks repeatedly about the Christian life as a race:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. (1 Corinthians 9:24, ESV)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV)

How does the sports analogy of a race apply to our sanctification?

Anyone who has trained for a race - or trained for any physical challenge for that matter - knows that the closer one gets to the goal, the more difficult is the training. To double our distance running from one to two miles requires minimal effort, perhaps, but to double our distance running from a half-marathon to a full marathon is an entirely different endeavor indeed. Or, in another sphere, to increase our bench press maximum from 100 lbs. to 200 lbs. may require relatively little effort, but to subsequently increase our bench press maximum from 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. may require an entirely different regimen and focus.

When we engage in these efforts, what becomes clear is this: as we make progress toward our goal, we increasingly realize just how difficult each and every step of progress is, and we become more and more aware of our weaknesses and our fragility. There are setbacks along the way. Many times we need the encouragement of others - a "running buddy" or a "lifting buddy" - to keep us on our regimen and to keep speaking in our ears that the goal is never completely out of our reach...

So, how does this relate to our sanctification, our daily walk with Jesus?

In an analogous way, it is simultaneously true in our sanctification that:

(1) We progress in holiness, being more and more conformed to image of Jesus (Romans 8:29), increasingly walking in God's statutes and being careful to obey God's rules (Ezekiel 36:27). In this, we ought to rejoice and thank God for His grace that does indeed sanctify us!

But it also is true that...

(2) We become increasingly aware of our weaknesses and our fragility, that is, our everyday sin. As we meditate on and grow in the knowledge of God's infinite holiness, our sinfulness is revealed in greater measure. There are setbacks along the way in our spiritual life. And many times we need the encouragement of others - the church - to keep us pressing toward the goal (Philippians 3:14) and assuring us that our complete sanctification - our glorification upon our death and entrance into the presence of God - is guaranteed by the promises of God.

In our daily Christian lives, there is rejoicing in victory, and there is repentance of our sin. And each of these comes in increasing measure as we live our lives in the light of God's glorious grace (2 Corinthians 4:6). Let us resolve to be about the business of both the rejoicing and the repentance, and let us also be resolved to be the encouragement to the brothers and sisters in our midst with whom we are pressing toward the goal of holiness.

May God grant us grace in all of these things as we await the return of His Son. Come, Lord Jesus, and sanctify us completely. (1 Corinthians 16:22)

This is our hope.

(Thank you to Pastor Dave Louis for making comments to this effect during a recent Sunday School class, which inspired this brief post.)

Posted by Steve Vinay III