Topic: Let’s Cogitate On This Verse
“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.” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
The presentation I have heard over the years while
growing up in the church world is that a believer can ‘be a castaway ‘ from
heaven or from entering heaven and the verse above is the riveting verse to
seal their assertion. Well, thank God for knowledge and thank God that I have
the willpower to open my heart to knowledge. Firstly, let’s try to analyze this
verse and draw out the right doctrine it depicts. The Greek word translated
castaway is the word adokimos, it means unapproved, rejected, worthless or disqualified.
So we can interpolate these words in the verse this way “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 unapproved, rejected, worthless or
disqualified.” The word castaway is the appropriate word to use based on
content and context of the write-up.
This is very factual because verse 24-26 of the same
chapter establishes the reason why the writer used this word castaway in verse
27. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the
prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery
is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but
we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as
one that beateth the air” (1 Corinthians 9:24-26). It is emphatic to say that
verse 27 of this chapter is not a standalone but a buildup established from the
flow of thought of the writer as regards to the subject matter. And the subject
matter here is a race or better still a competition and in this race or
competition there’s going to be a reward.
Before I go forward, I want us to differentiate these
words reward and gift. Now, a reward is given to someone who has done something
noble, so he or she receives something tangible because of what he or she has
done. But a gift is what someone receives not necessarily because he or she has
done something. It is important to also state that for someone to enter into
any competition or race; he must have gotten the preliminary qualification from
the organizers of the race or competition and this involves his agreement to
run or compete according to the rule(s) of the game. The preliminary qualification
to be in this kind of race the writer is talking about is that one must firstly
be a believer in order to participate in the race. So the race therefore, is
the believer’s race and an unbeliever cannot be part of it, which implies the
race is not for unbelievers but for believers. And is interesting to point out
that the race cannot disqualify one from been a believer because becoming a
believer is not predicated on the race but one can be disqualified from receiving
the reward from the race because he didn’t run according to the rule(s) of the
race.
The question therefore is, how can someone become a
believer? Well, you become a when you have believed in Christ and as a result
you receive the gift of eternal life “For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) also “But now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23). This gift of eternal
life is not predicated on someone’s performance but on his or her ability to
believe in Christ.
In conclusion, a believer cannot be a castaway from
heaven or eternal life, because eternal life the believer has received from Christ
is a gift and such cannot be withdrawn but a believer can be disqualified from
receiving reward(s) because he or she didn’t do well in his or her
responsibilities in Christ. See this “Every man's work shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the
fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as
by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).
Therefore, let every believer keep his or her body under
subjection while carrying out his or her duty in Christ because for each job
well-done there is a reward attached to it. Run and participate with the right
zeal and focus so that you don’t miss your reward!
Till I come your way again, keep on basking in the Arena
of Indubitable Truth!
Chukwuemeka C. Asiegbu
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