1 Corinthians 9:13-27

[Hidden In Him]

Making Ever-Greater Sacrifices For The Glories Of War, Part 2

     In Part 1 I covered how Paul and Barnabas were warriors for the Lord, and how Paul believed that glory in eternity awaited those who fought hard in the spiritual war and refused to denounce Christ in the face of terrible adversity. As a result, both were making great sacrifices for the gospel's sake. Both were foregoing marriage, and both refused to receive material compensation for ministry:

     Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? Whoever goes to war at his own expense? (1 Corinthians 9:1-7)

     It's no accident that Paul would here lead off with a military analogy. That soldiers did not entangle themselves in earthly affairs was an analogy he used elsewhere, and here he was also relating their refusal to receive material compensation to solders "going to war" without pay. Why exactly were they doing these things? As becomes clear on closer analysis, it was not just for the sake of the gospel. Paul understood that the more sacrifices he made in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, the more glory awaited him in the next life. As he would say to the Corinthians in his next letter:

     Though our outward man is being destroyed, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is only momentary, is building for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen but at those which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but those which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16b-18)

     As I also explained, this was apparently the teaching of all the apostles. Peter would likewise teach that the prophets had foretold how the saints would experience great sufferings at the hands of the Antichrist, but would also attain to great glory at the Lord's return, telling his readers:

     You are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls, regarding which salvation the prophets, who prophesied of the grace predestined for you, undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified beforehand of the sufferings that would take place until the coming of Christ, and the glories that would follow afterwards. (1 Peter 1:9-11)

     Peter was speaking here about passages in the Book of Daniel, where he is described as inquiring into the timing of the "time of trouble" that would come upon the nation of Israel, after which God's kingdom would finally be established on earth (Daniel 12:1-8). Daniel described this "time of trouble" a few Chapters earlier when he said:

     [The Antichrist] shall speak pompous words against the Most High, and persecute the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and law. And they shall be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time. But the judgment has sat, and they shall remove his dominion to abolish it and destroy it utterly. And the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of the kings under the whole heaven were given to the saints of the Most High, and His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all powers shall serve and obey Him. (Daniel 7:25-27 LXX)
 
     These, then, were among the "glories" the saints would enjoy in the coming kingdom. The power and greatness of the kings of the earth would become theirs, for as Jesus Himself said, the meek would inherit the earth. The above was actually a pattern that Jesus Himself laid down for the saints to follow. He humbled Himself even unto death by crucifixion, and as a result sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, who exulted His name above every name in Heaven or on earth. This is why Jesus would be referred to as the "Author and Perfecter" of our faith: 

     Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself lest you grow weary and faint in your minds. 4 For you have not yet resisted unto bloodshed, striving against sin... (Hebrews 12:1-4)

     Paul here used the analogy of running a marathon in the Greek games. A great audience in Heaven was watching us run our spiritual race, and encouraging us on. Thus, his point was that the saints needed to endure the agonies and sufferings that came with serving Christ. The analogy was very fitting, because just as in a marathon, the longer they ran this race the harder it would become, and they would need to prepare themselves not to "faint in their minds." The times were coming when they might very well pay for their opposition to the Devil with their own blood, just as Jesus did on the cross, and the apostle Paul did when he was beaten with thirty-nine stripes on five different occasions by the authorities. But Paul's teaching was that glory would be awaiting them in eternity for it, just as awaited marathon winners in the games if they "competed lawfully" and won the race by legitimate means.


Paul's Converts: His "Crown Of Boasting"

     In First Corinthians, Paul used the runner's analogy as well, only here they could "win the prize" by yet another means: By sacrificing their personal rights in order to save the lost. As he would tell them in our next passage:

     19 Though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews. To those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law. 21 To those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be a partaker of it with you.
     24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:13-27)

     His reference to an "imperishable crown" here was an allusion to attaining glory in the next life by achieving victory in the spiritual war as well as the great spiritual race they were running. Runners, boxers, and all in fact who achieved victory in the games were given wreaths made of pine leaves that would be placed in the temple of their respective home cities upon their return. Many also got rewarded with other honors, such as having statues made of them, or songs written about them.

                                   

     Paul also likened himself to a boxer in this passage, one not "beating the air" but striking himself in the stomach. In literal terms, Paul meant that he was conditioning his body through fasting to withstand the temptation to eat meat sacrificed to idols, so as to win the lost rather than potentially lose them by influencing them to eat idol sacrifices that led them to cast down their faith, worrying in retrospect that they had committed an unforgivable sin. And as is clear from an examination of other letters he wrote, Paul clearly viewed winning souls to Christ as a means by which he hoped to attain glory in eternity. It's why he told the Thessalonians that they too would be his "crown of boasting."

     We, brothers, having been bereaved of you for an hour of time - in person, not in heart - were more abundantly diligent having a great desire to see your face, to which end we wished to come to you not once but twice, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting? Are not even you before [the Presence of] our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and our joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20)
   
     This passage referred to the exact same thing. Paul believed those he was bringing to Christ would bring him glory in eternity, so he told the Corinthians that he was becoming a Jew to the Jews, a Gentile to the Gentiles, a weaker brother to the weak, and sacrificing his body like a marathon runner to make sure they all made it to Heaven.
     Not every letter the apostles wrote would make it into the New Testament, which means that for this theme to keep appearing regularly in the epistles suggests that it was one of Paul's standard teachings, and a type of motivational technique he was using to encourage the brethren. Great rewards awaited them in eternity if they put the spiritual welfare of others above their own physical wants and needs, and set aside their fleshly "rights" for the sake of wining the lost. And what must be understood about Paul's example was that he was a highly ambitious man, not just before he got saved but afterwards. He went from being a Pharisee of Pharisees with a long list of credentials, to declaring himself "not the least of the apostles," and developing an even longer list of things he was enduring for the gospel's sake, to win as many as possible to the Lord. 

     I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. In traveling frequently I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, in danger from false brethren, [serving God] amid labor and toil, frequent sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, frequent fastings, and cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)


The Glories Awaiting The Soulwinner

     Psalms 84 ends with the following words, which are an encouragement to the people of God that He holds glory in His hands, and awards it to whomever He chooses:

     God will give grace and glory. The Lord will not withhold good things from them that walk in innocence. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You. (Psalms 84:11-12)

     The same was taught in a vision given to Kathryn Baxter back in the 1970s. During the period when she was caught up to Third Heaven, she related seeing one of the rewards being granted to soulwinners. Diamonds are apparently created in their honor, as a form of eternal remembrance of their having brought a soul to Christ in their former life:

     I could see diamonds - glittering, glistening, exquisite diamonds - diamonds everywhere. Some were as large as blocks of concrete. Some of these diamonds seemed to be for the mansions of those who were soulwinners on earth. It seemed that every time someone led a soul to Christ, Heaven provided a diamond for that faithful Christian. The Bible says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30). And also, "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:3).
     As I stood drinking in the splendor and grandeur of that glorious place, I saw an immense, beautiful angel coming down a path. In his hands he held a scroll, which had gold edging in it. The angel laid the scroll on a pedestal table, which was made of a slivery material unlike anything I had ever seen before. The oblong table literally glistened with light.
     The scroll had a name written on it. One of the saints picked it up and began to read it.
     "Jesus is the Master Builder," the saint in Heaven told me. "He determines who deserves the diamonds and where they go. This scroll I hold is a report from earth of a person who has led someone to Jesus, who fed the poor, who clothed the naked - who did great things for God." (Baxter, A Divine Revelation Of Heaven, P.27-28)

     I will end this two Part study with an antidote, using the same analogy the apostle Paul was using when he described the saints as "more than conquerers, through Christ who loves us." Alexander the Great was arguably the greatest conquerer in human history, and without question an exceedingly ambitious man. He had a violent temper and could be rash and stubborn, but could also be perceptive, logical, calculating, and charismatic, all of which helped make him a great leader. He conquered virtually the entire known world of his time and made no bones about actively seeking glory in doing so, being remembered as once saying, "Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame." He also once remarked, "I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity." He would eventually fulfill this wish, dying of disease before he ever got to enjoy the rewards of world conquest.
     But along with being highly ambitious, Alexander had another quality not unlike that of the apostle Paul. He had a knack for winning people over to his cause, and it was actually his diplomatic skills which won him the title "Great." Rather than slaying the rulers of those nations he conquered, Alexander showed them mercy and often sought out their friendship.
     A classic example of this is the story of how he befriended the Queen of Persia after the conquest of that empire was finally complete:

     In September 331, Alexander destroyed the Persian army in the Battle of Gaugamela. King Darius was heavily wounded and died soon after the battle. Sisygambis and her relatives were kept in the baggage train following Alexander’s army. The Achaemenid queens and their children were unsure of the future following Darius’ demise. Nevertheless, Alexander treated them quite well, and liked to talk with the Achaemenid queens and princesses. He was a man who loved smart women. After Darius’ death, he sent the man's body to Sisygambis, to which the queen said that she now had only one son, Alexander. These actions showed the surprising bond that existed between them...
     In fact, Sisygambis had a good life thanks to Alexander’s provisions. Ancient resources claim that he treated her like his own mother and respected her. The bond became so strong between the two that the Persian queen died soon after Alexander took his last breath. Legends say that when she heard about his death, she sealed herself in one of her rooms and stopped eating. Sisygambis was grieving, and lost the will to live. She apparently died just four days after the message of Alexander’s death arrived. (Royal Bonds: How the Mother, Wife, and Daughter of Darius III Became Family of Alexander the Great, Ancient Origins.net)

     Alexander the Great attained to great glory in the earth, not only because he conquered virtually the entire known world but because he won over even many of those who were once his enemies in war. But his glory was only short-lived, and limited to this earth. We will attain unto an eternal glory if we spend our lives winning over the lost to the Lord Jesus Christ, and bringing even our enemies to salvation and eternal life.

                                                     



Links to sources:
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/royal-bonds-how-mother-wife-and-daughter-darius-iii-became-family-alexander-021139