1 Corinthians 9:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now he again turns to a well-known example and says: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?" He does not say this as though only one of all can be saved. May it not be so. Rather, he means that we must apply great diligence. In the stadium, of the many who enter the contest, not many are crowned. Only one attains this. Therefore it is not enough merely to enter the contest, anoint oneself, and wrestle. So here also it is not enough merely to believe and to struggle in some fashion. Unless we struggle so as to show ourselves blameless to the end and attain the reward, we receive no benefit. Though you may consider yourself perfect in knowledge, he says, you have not yet attained everything. He hints at this in the words: "So run that you may obtain." From these words it follows that they have not yet attained. Then he also teaches the manner of attainment.

In accordance with them he will struggle without deviation, having firm hope in the beautiful rewards. He will submit to the good Lord and first Captain of the contest. Having ascended upon the divine footsteps of the First among athletes in goodness, and having overcome by godlike contests the actions and beings that hinder his deification, he dies with Christ through baptism, that is, mystically, to sin.

Having above shown at length in himself an example of how one must abstain from personal wishes and needs, and subject them to the benefit of one's neighbor, the Apostle wishes to incline the Corinthians to the same thing. For this purpose he uses a new comparison, or a new example, of runners in the stadium and wrestlers. In order to receive perishable crowns, they "abstain from all things" that might weaken the body or make it heavy, and so hinder them from reaching the goal. So also the Corinthians, in order to receive the imperishable crown, must abstain from that to which their knowledge supposedly gives them authority, namely, from eating things sacrificed to idols. Yet even in this metaphorical comparison, the Apostle again presents himself as an example to the Corinthians, so as to take away from them every pretext for excuse.

Otherwise everything is lost, as the labor of an intemperate fighter is lost when he does not know how to strike his enemy accurately and often strikes not the enemy but the air. A fighter carefully prepared for the contest does not act in this way. He knows the ways and means of dealing accurate and terrible blows to the enemy. Such a man will certainly conquer the enemy. In the same way Christian ascetics conquer the enemies of salvation by abstaining from everything that hinders success in the struggle against the flesh, the world, and the devil. St. John Chrysostom asks: "What does 'abstains from all things' mean?" And he answers: "That is, not that he abstains from one thing while sinning in another, but that he abstains from gluttony, sensuality, drunkenness, and from all passions generally. By abstaining completely from all things, they, the participants in the contests, occupied themselves only with their contest. If this happens in external contests, how much more must it happen here, where the generosity is greater and the rewards themselves are far higher than the contests." Then, turning attention to the Apostle's words, "I discipline my body and bring it into bondage," he presents the Apostle as saying this: "I endure everything. But besides this, I also take upon myself that great labor of living temperately. Do not think that I succeed in this without toil. No, for me this is a contest, abstinence, and a struggle with nature, which constantly rises up and seeks freedom. But I do not yield. I tame it and subject it with great effort. He did not say, 'I destroy' or 'I torture,' because the flesh is not an enemy. Rather, 'I discipline,' that is, I strike it, and 'I bring it into bondage.' This belongs to a master, not to an enemy; to a teacher, not to a criminal; to a guardian, not to an adversary." Do not think that it is enough for your salvation that you have believed. If it is not enough for me, who preached, taught, and converted thousands of people, unless I conduct myself blamelessly, how much more is this true for you?

He did this so as not to place an obstacle before the Gospel. He also yielded what was his in many other respects for the benefit of those being converted. It would have been enough simply to say this: see how I renounce everything for the benefit of the brethren. You too must renounce what your knowledge supposedly authorizes you to do. Stop eating what is sacrificed to idols, lest you scandalize weak brethren. Otherwise your salvation is doubtful. A brother perishes by your knowledge, a brother for whom Christ died. You sin against Christ. Such a manner of acting is not crowned with a good end. The Apostle expresses these thoughts in verses 24-27. He presents the life of each person, with all its particular features, as the course run in the arena. In the arenas all run so that, having reached the goal, they may receive the crown. So we run in order to receive the true crown from the Lord. These arenas were customary among the Corinthians themselves. The Apostle says to them: see how matters are in the arenas? So understand it, and “run in such a way that you may obtain” (verse 24). Since he spoke to intelligent people, he does not extend the application. He lets them understand for themselves what he wants from them, namely, that they abandon eating what is sacrificed to idols. For by scandalizing a brother, this hinders them from attaining the hoped-for end as they should. Yet supposing that perhaps they might evade the proper inference, he hints at it by saying, “Everyone who competes is temperate in all things” (verse 25). This addition said the following: do you understand where this leads? Then be pleased to act accordingly. And to remove every pretext for excuses, he again presents himself as an example (verses 26-27). This is how St. Chrysostom and our other commentators understand the meaning of these texts. “In the arena.” Among the Corinthians themselves there were contests of various kinds. They wrestled, boxed, threw stones, jumped over ditches and posts, and among these contests they raced, both on foot and on horses. For the last a certain goal was appointed. Whoever reached it first received the appointed prize. All who offered themselves for this contest ran. The Apostle points this out to the Corinthians. See how it is among you in the arena: all who have undertaken to run do run, but only one receives the honor. Why? Because he prepared himself better than the others. He cast aside everything that could hinder his running. He spared neither strength nor exertion while he ran. Do the same, he says, yourselves: “run in such a way that you may obtain.” Use the same methods and efforts which that one used, all of you. Put away everything that hinders the race, and do not spare your strength. And do you know what hinders your race? That which destroys a brother and makes you guilty before Christ. Therefore, abstain. St. Chrysostom says: “That one receives the honor is not said in the sense that only one of us all can be saved. May it not be. Rather, it means that we must apply great diligence. There, among the many who enter the course, not all are crowned. Only one attains this. Therefore it is not enough simply to enter the contest, anoint oneself, and wrestle. So also here it is not enough simply to believe and struggle in some manner. No. Unless we struggle so as to show ourselves blameless to the end and attain the prize, we shall receive no benefit. Even if you consider yourself perfect in knowledge, he says, you have not yet attained everything. He hints this to them in the words, ‘run in such a way that you may obtain.’ From these words it follows that they had not yet attained.”