What is “The Prize”?

Have you ever wondered what you're running for as a follower of Christ?

Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 9:24 that we should run the race in order to win the prize! Have you thought about what the prize is?

I have wondered about that, and I always thought the prize was heaven. Paul says that we're running for an imperishable crown. So, heaven must be what we're running for, right?

Well, I was curious about this question because of what Paul was willing to do for the prize.

He says anyone willing to win the prize must go into

  • "strict training" (vs 25)

  • "strike a blow" to their body (vs 27)

  • "make" their body "a slave" to earn it. (vs 27)

That made me wonder, do you have to do that for salvation?

Last I checked Ephesians 2:8-9 says this:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

You don't have to do all those things to earn salvation!

So what is the prize??

Let's search the chapter for clues.

Paul says he is an apostle  - Sent to people (vs2)

The people are his seal - Approved by the people (vs2)

He is willing to lay down his rights for - the people (vv3-18)

so that he can win more people (vv19-23)

And the prize is, Heaven?

Even after looking at the context of the passage it was hard for me to accept this since it hasn't been what I grew up learning. Then I came across this passage in 1 Thessalonians 2:19:

“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?”

What is our prize? If we look at the larger writing of Paul and the context, It isn't heaven.

People are the Prize!

Investing in the life of other people for the sake of the gospel is what gives me the motivation to live as a disciple, to beat my body and make it a slave. Sharing Jesus with others is like a fuel injector for our faith and it motivates us to do things we would not do if we were the only one benefiting from the labor. It's like a prize. Olympic level athletes have a certain amount of their motivation come from standing on the world stage. Our motivation as followers of Jesus comes from seeing people in heaven. They are our imperishable crown. 

People are the Prize.

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People Are The Prize: Next Level

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Invitation to The Prize Prayer Project