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1 CORINTHIANS 9:27 “BUT I KEEP UNDER MY BODY AND BRING IT INTO SUBJECTION; LEST THAT BY ANY MEANS, WHEN I HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS, I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CASTAWAY.” (KJV)
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” (NKJV)
“But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.” (ASV)
“But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” (NASB)
“But I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (RSV)
“Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.” (TLB)
“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (NIV)
I have to admit. The first time I read this passage of Scripture, I was a little confused by Paul’s use of language…probably more so by the English interpretation of the words being said. The meaning of the words, however, hit me with great understanding.
“Keeping under my body” made me think of being under something…a heavy vehicle that I occasionally work on or, as the image above suggests, a weightlifter under a huge weight preparing to do a “bench press.”
Although, I tried to be an athlete my whole life, I have to say, the number of bench presses I have done has been few. My body wasn’t built for that kind of exercise. I could run a mile in less than five minutes and do a full-twisting layout back flip, but I don’t think I ever bench pressed more than 150 pounds.
Having been on the Cross Country team in the fall, Gymnastics team in the winter and the Track team in the spring, I could easily identify with the concept of “keeping under my body.” This easily meant that the harder I trained and disciplined my body toward growing stronger and running faster, the better would be my success at competition. It also meant that when pain occurred as the result of competitive exertion, I could withstand it and keep on running. I could bring my body into subjection to keep me from quitting when it started to hurt.
Some of the time, this type of training simply meant saying “no” to things that were harmful to my efforts to make my body do what I wanted it to do. You won’t run very fast if you enjoy a greasy hamburger right before you run two miles. However, I did find that most of the time, success at athletic events occurred because I had practiced, repeatedly, for many days before I competed in the actual race.
I clearly remember a very hot, humid, Indiana, August afternoon when Coach Hathaway told us we were going to run four sets of four quarter mile runs, all under 70 seconds for that day’s practice. All of us 16 to 18-year-olds complained to the coach that it was too hot for us to do that kind of workout that day.
As you might have guessed, we ran every one of those practice runs, jogging back to start the next one, only to be “encouraged” by Coach Hathaway each time, loudly asking us if it was “too hot yet?” We got the message. If we wanted to win the race later, we had to “bring our bodies into subjection” now and make them do what we didn’t want to do. Our cross country team went two straight years undefeated in all competitions which included two State Championships. We had ten teenage runners who could all run two miles in under ten minutes and we were untouchable by any competitors.
Do you see the spiritual application of this example to 1 Corinthians 9:27? We are talking about discipline. Not asceticism, discipline. Apparently, proper spiritual discipline involves some sense of bringing our bodies into subjection too. Hmmm.
In our previous chapter, we discussed bringing our tongues into subjection. I haven’t completely achieved that yet. But that seems to require some physical discipline on my part to keep my mouth shut when I want to say things I know I shouldn’t say.
The sexual drive, for men especially, tends to make us seek every way we can find to satisfy that drive, sometimes by means that are harmful to us. “Keeping under my body” in this context means saying no to some of those urges, not looking at things or persons in ways I should not and maybe, even running away from them when I it doesn’t seem like there is any other way to avoid that temptation. This brings us better understanding of what 1 Thessalonians 5:22 means when it tells us to “abstain from all appearance of evil.”
We could probably give at least another dozen examples of what “bringing our body into subjection” means to us in our daily Christian walk, but I think we get the idea. Let’s not forget the rest of the verse, however. Look at the results if we do not follow these directions: “when I have preached to others, I might become a castaway.” At best, this sounds like it implies the image of hypocrisy on our part. At worst, sin, as it always done when we allow it to have dominion in our lives, can result in our spiritual death! We can be cast away!
Look at the other versions: “I myself should be disqualified.” I should be rejected, “be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.” Pretty severe, huh?
You do not have to look very hard to find hundreds of examples of those who have been involved in very productive ministries who destroyed them by, sometimes, just one moment of indiscretion. More often, however, that one moment they “got caught” usually reflects many years of habitual “giving in” to what the body wants. Even though we know it is bad for us, it is not what the Lord expects of us and is a terrible testimony to everyone who knows.
I don’t know what Paul had going on in his life to testify that we all need to “get under our bodies” and “bring them into subjection.” I doubt he ever trained enough nor sacrificed enough to run a competitive 100 yard dash. But he certainly understood, identified with and warned us against the very common, human condition of giving in to what the body wants. We identify with that concept too.
Oh, Christian soldier, saved and sanctified athlete, daily devoted worker in the Kingdom, save yourself from the pain that comes from an undisciplined life! Bring all your weaknesses, failures and indulgences in this area of your life to the cross. Crucify them every day! Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to help you keep them dead. Discover the Lord’s way to get under your body and bring it into subjection so you won’t end up being a castaway yourself!
Questions to ponder: This is advanced stuff. We aren’t talking to the lost who are slaves to this kind of lifestyle. They are lost. We can only expect them to act like they are lost. This is Paul talking to Christians, both Corinthians and Americans, who are born again but, in some cases, allowing sin to still rein in parts of their bodies. In what areas of your life is this teaching true? This might not be something we want to confess to everyone. But Satan knows…that is why he so often tempts you in the areas of your weakness. He is not omniscient. He is very observant. He knows where to tempt you. More importantly, even though no one else might know, the Lord knows.
What are some ways you have found successful to overcome some of the temptations Satan has sent your way. “Just say no” is often considered a trite way to deal with this. But, does any victory over temptation come without first saying “NO” to the temptation? Can we grow spiritually while we continue to give in to carnal desires and temptations? I know we must distinguish between God’s grace which covers all our sins and the burden of still-unconquered areas of our lives. But, how easy is it for us to stand on God’s grace for forgiveness while still allowing these areas to have dominion in our lives? What does being a “castaway” mean?
Other Scriptures to study: 1 Thessalonians 5:22, James 4:1-8 “lusts that war in you”, “friend of the world means enemy of God.” “Submit to God” “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee fornication.” 1 Timothy 6:9-11 “The love of money.” 2 Timothy 2:19-22 “Flee youthful lusts.” Wow! There sure are a lot of Scriptures in the Bible addressing this area. This must be something that is very common to us, even after we are saved.
 
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