A number of years ago I decided to compare the letter to the Hebrews with the 13 Pauline epistles. I placed each side by side and began compiling a list of similarities, affinities, and parallels. The results blew me away. Eventually I distilled these affinities and published them in a book. Of the many similarities I noticed, metaphors were high up on the list. In particular, the author of Hebrews makes rich use of athletic imagery. The book is filled with vivid sports-related metaphors encouraging such traits as perseverance, discipline, and fortitude.
- Heb. 12:1-2 clearly echoes the stadium race, the most celebrated context in Greek athletics.
- Heb. 10:32-26 compares the endurance of the believer to an athlete's courage and stamina.
- Heb. 12:5-11 draws on the analogy of the training (Greek paideia) the athlete goes through while preparing for a competition.
- And Heb. 5:14 uses the vocabulary of gymnastic training (Greek gumnazō) to emphasize spiritual and moral conditioning.
This powerful imagery is brilliantly paralleled in the writings of Paul. Just read:
- 1 Cor. 9:24-27.
- Phil. 3:12-14.
- 1 Tim. 6:12
- 2 Tim. 4:7
In these passages Paul depicts the believer as a disciplined athlete for whom a divine reward awaits. Thus, athletic metaphors bridge the gap between Paul and Hebrews in a way found in no other New Testament author. I suspect that Paul, whose youth was spent in a very cosmopolitan city like Tarsus (a major center of Greek education and one that hosted numerous athletic festivals), was deeply familiar with athletic culture and therefore was able to deliberately use it as a metaphor in his 14 writings.
But did Paul himself ever train like an athlete? Probably not. The Jews of his day viewed participation in Greco-Roman games as idolatrous. His education was rabbinical, not secular. But figuratively speaking, Paul was an athlete of the first degree even though he never wore Nikes. He fully embraced an athlete's discipline and perseverance. He endured hardship and so ultimately finished his race, receiving an imperishable crown.
As you know, my own journey into athletics stems largely from Paul's description of an athlete. I'm not going to get into everything here, but suffice it to say I was tired of being out of shape and not living up to my own standards or my potential. I've never been someone who accepts defeat without giving it my best shot. Yet I wasn't 100% committed. I kind of wanted to get fit but not with my whole heart. But this time it was different. I was already 71 and my 70-year warranty had expired (Psalm 90:10). I had no idea how many more years the Lord would give me (I still don't), but there was no way I was going to live the rest of my life like that. One question kept nagging at me: If not now, when?
This time it was all or nothing. I snapped out of my apathy and it changed the course of my entire life. I decided, if the Lord would allow it, to get fit again. My weight, as you know, went from 240 to 193 pounds. I started seeing hunger as a gift, a signal that fat was actually being melted. "Hunger" shifted from suffering to success. I began intermittent fasting, eating 2 meals a day. Once I started seeing progress I knew I was on the right track. I felt confident in the Lord that I would keep losing fat and hit my goal weight. I began walking 15,000 steps per day. And that made it easier for me to control my appetite. The weight was slowly but steadily dropping. That supercharged my motivation. And, because I was still weight training 3 days a week, I didn't lose much muscle. I finally hit my goal of 15% body fat. To put everything into perspective, imagine taking two 22.5 pound dumbbells and pulling that much fat from your body.
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| This week's steps. |
During this process I encountered several weight loss plateaus. Not losing scale weight can be discouraging, but a plateau can actually be a good thing. Often your body uses this phase to recover, adapt, and recalibrate your hormones. It's not a loss of progress. It's merely a readjustment. I also noticed that weight can stay the same while fat keeps dropping. This whole experience was like being a freshman in college. I learned so much along the way. But the biggest lesson I learned was this: With God, nothing is impossible. With his help, you can achieve anything you set your mind to it. Jim Elliott put it unforgettably: "Wherever you are, be all there, and live to the hilt whatever you are convinced is the will of God for your life."
Looking back on my fitness journey (which is still very much in progress), it reminds me why I wanted to get fit in the first place -- not just staying in shape for the sake of my family and my ministry, but consistently pushing myself to become better in all areas of my life to the glory of God and the good of others. Likewise in the Christian life. Faith's ultimate "victory" lies in perseverance to the end, like a good athlete.
Thank you, Paul, for reminding us of that.
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| The leaner me I never thought was possible. |