(A) The prize

What is the prize that Paul pressed on to win? It was to attain to the resurrection of the dead. v11. It is at the resurrection that Paul will know Christ in all his fullness and be made perfect. This is the prize that should be the goal and longing of all Christians.

In this passage Paul makes it clear that salvation is not only a gift - it is also a prize. Now salvation is usually thought of as a gift, especially in Reformed circles. Paul himself teaches that salvation is the gift of God. Eph2v8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not of works, so that no one can boast. See Note on passage.

There is danger in believing that salvation is a gift and only a gift. It is a very real danger. It can engender complacency. We can assume that there is nothing for us to do. We cannot affect our salvation one way or another. Indeed, some tell themselves that they can sin and get away with it. I find it easy to get into this mind set and fail to resist temptation as resolutely as I ought. Verses 8 and 9 of Ephesians 2 are better known and more popular than verse 10: For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I think it is salutary to think of salvation both as a gift and a prize. Paul does not fail to acknowledge God's part in salvation in the passage we are looking at. He writes, God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus v14 and Christ Jesus took hold of me. v12. God took the initiative in saving Paul. He always does. The chorus I sang as a boy sums it up admirably:

Perhaps it will help if I draw an analogy between the Olympic games and the Christian life. No one can enter themselves for the Olympic games. The competitors are selected to compete just as Christians are chosen for the Christian race. It is a privilege to take part in the Olympic games. The gold medal for winning an Olympic event is in the gift of the Olympic Committee. It is no use minting your own and presenting it to yourself - it wouldn't be worth having. The gold medal is both a gift and a prize. It is in the gift of the Committee but you can only receive the medal if you win the event. It is awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievement of winning an Olympic competition.

Salvation is in the gift of God. We cannot award salvation to ourselves. We cannot earn salvation. It isn't of works lest any man should boast. However it is awarded to all those who finish the race: I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who longed for his appearing. 2Tim4v7to8.

(B) The Prize-worthy attitude.

(a)The ability to concentrate on the task at hand.
Paul writes: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.. He is intent on doing all he can in the present to attain his great goal of sharing in the resurrection of the dead and winning the prize for which God has called him.

It can be a great hindrance to dwell on the past. I learned this as a cricketer. It is very foolish to dwell on past failures as this undermines confidence. Similarly it is asking for trouble to rely on past successes as this induces complacency. A cricketer takes each innings as it comes. He concentrates on doing his best in all circumstances.

Christians who are preoccupied with the past are often disgruntled or discontented or disillusioned. They become demotivated and demotivate others. People in my own church will say, "It was better when we had a pastor. That is when it was all happening." Well it was better when we had a pastor although some were dissatisfied then. The important thing is not to keep harping on about the past, that is rarely quite as rosy as we paint it, but to support what is being done in the present. I have to do the work that God has given me. It may not be to my taste. I might think I am capable of greater things. I have to put aside such thoughts and accept that God knows better than me and believe that so long as I am faithful to my calling I will win the prize in the end.

(b) Making every effort.
Paul says, I press on... He uses an expression the signifies the determined, single minded, endeavour to finish and win the race. Paul is doing everything he can to know Christ, to experience his power, to share in his suffering, to die to self and to be raised up victorious at his return.

I know just what Paul means. When I competed at squash as a younger man I played to win to the point of exhaustion. I would stagger from the court absolutely drained of all strength. It would take me an hour or so to recover. I do not take the Christian life quite so seriously! However there are days when I make myself do hard things for Christ sake. Yesterday I went to see a deaf old man in a Care Home. It distressed me totally. He wasn't getting the care he needed. He was suffering from thrush and his mouth was all gunged up. I helped him to a drink but that was all I could do for him. All he wanted - was to sleep. He is waiting to die. I would rather not have gone to see him but Jesus told us to visit those who are imprisoned. Make every effort, urges Paul. God does not intend the Christian life to be easy. Remember those words in Ephesians: For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God will not award a prize to those who have not done the good works he has prepared for them to do.

(c) The need to pace ourselves.
Paul was obviously very interested in athletics - but he wasn't an athlete. I think if Paul had been an athlete, or even a games player like myself, he might have stressed the importance of setting the right pace and avoiding burn out. In a long race it is foolish to start too fast. The runner has to husband his strength for the final laps and last desperate sprint for the finish.

I realised as I approached the last three or four years of my teaching career that if I didn't ease up I would break down and not be able to finish the course. I had a short period of stress induced dizziness, back pain and hyperventilation. If I hadn't slowed down I would have been no good to anyone.

Some Christian ministers are poor at pacing themselves. They do not take time off. They play no sport and take no exercise. They attend far too many meetings and are involved with too many organisations. They behave as if they are indispensable. Then they crack up... Some never recover and are lost to the ministry. It should be remembered that Paul did a lot of travelling. This included many days of walking between engagements. He also earned his living as a tent maker - a job that involved manual effort. I don't think he sat on many committees!

The church needs Christians who are able to make a sustained effort over a long period not believers who burn brightly for a little while and then burn out. Some Christians are great initiators. They begin a project with tremendous enthusiasm. They put on a great show but then their enthusiasm wanes. Such people are more trouble than they are worth. They stir us all up to let us all down. They are like a stubble fire - burning brightly, furiously but briefly. No one can fail to be impressed while the stubble burns but all that is accomplished in the end is a mess of charred straw and ashes.

A praiseworthy attitude.

Paul says that a mature believer will be :

(a) Informed
His exact words are: All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. In other words we should be appraised of the nature of the Christian life. It is a long and arduous pilgrimage. It is a struggle, a race, a battle - to death. We will have to endure many testings before our characters begin to improve. Only baby Christians think they have already been made perfect and that there is nothing left for them to do.

Sometimes one of my pupils would approach me and ask, "Did you pass your G.C.S.E in Geography, Mr Reed." Only baby scholars ask questions like that. My pupils had no idea how far there was to go before they were properly qualified, professional, Geographers. It is also interesting to note that they did not entertain a high opinion of their teacher's ability. We must not be too upset by the judgements of immature Christians!

(b) Open
Paul expected the Philippians to be open to God's word. He writes: And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. One of the saddest things today is that Christians are not open to God's word if that contradicts an entrenched opinion. Scriptures that contradict a treasured doctrinal position are ignored or twisted. A mature Christian will be prepared to change their point of view if the Scriptures warrant it. They certainly will not believe that they are right about everything and there is no possibility of being mistaken.

(c) Realistic
The most important thing for a Christian to do is to live up to what they have already attained. We will get little credit from God for being right. God desires us to live up to what we have grasped of Jesus' teaching and example. Jesus thought it was more important to get on with the work that God had given him to do than to provide his disciples with an explanation of suffering. They wanted to know why a man was born blind. Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him that sent me. Night is coming when no one can work." John9v4. We must do the work of him that sent Jesus and remember those words in Ephesians:For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

ANY COMMENTS FOR JOHN REED: E-mail jfmreed@talktalk.net

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