Contending Lawfully
“And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended lawfully” (2 Timothy 2:5).
Human beings have probably been playing games since time began. Games are a healthy outlet for the competitive spirit when they are played fairly. For games to be played fairly, there must be an agreed upon set of rules. Without such rules, the game is not fun for either the winner or the loser, but when we follow the rules, there is something healthy to winning fairly and squarely. There is also something healthy to losing fairly and squarely. Both winning and losing teach us about ourselves.
The apostle Paul was no stranger to games. He knew of the Isthmian games because he wrote about them in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. He also knew of the Olympic games which were held in alternating years. Those games even included poetry competitions, another area of culture with which the apostle Paul was familiar. Whether the sport was boxing, writing poetry, or playing the lyre, there were certain rules that participants were obliged to follow if they desired to compete. Only when they followed these rules and won could they be said to have triumphed.
Contending lawfully in the games is a metaphor for contending lawfully in life by living virtuously. If we expect to be crowned with the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), we cannot compete in the game of life unlawfully. We must follow the standard of behavior that God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ. That is what Paul means when he says that such a crown will be given to those who have “loved his appearing.” To live otherwise is to cheat, and cheaters will not win in eternity.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley