1 Corinthians 9 (6)

Pray Psalm 32.1, 2.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Sing Psalm 32.1, 2.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
Blessed are they whose sins the LORD has forgiven by His Word!
Pure their spirits are within; them He charges with no sin;
them He charges with no sin!

Read 1 Corinthians 9.1-27; meditate on verses 24-27.

Prepare
1. To what did Paul compare the Christian life?

2. What does this require as far as our bodies are concerned?

Meditation
The idea of having to “discipline” our bodies sounds perhaps not very appealing.

But there is no way around it. Paul says we’re in a race, and our goal is to win the prize (v. 24). What prize? The prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus—to be like Jesus, to know true and continuous fellowship with Him, and to realize increasingly the imperishable crown of everlasting life (vv. 24, 25; cf. Phil. 3.12-15; Heb. 12.1, 2).

Though we are saved and forgiven, the law of sin still operates in us (Rom. 7.21-23). The only way to keep it in check is to improve in all areas of our soul—heart, mind, and conscience—and to bring our bodies into conformity to the way of Jesus, which is the Law of God (1 Jn. 2.1-6).

It’s strange to think, but the shaping of our soul begins with the disciplining of our body. For unless we cause our body to come to the Word each day, set aside time to pray and meditate on Jesus, and sit still and listen for the voice of His Spirit (Ps. 139.23, 24), our soul will not have access to the resources it needs to be transformed into the image of Jesus. Conversely, as our soul is transformed, our body will follow its lead into the good works God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 2.10).

The Corinthians needed to understand that loving and edifying one another doesn’t just happen. It requires discipline. They must commit their bodies to the Gospel and to all that is required to break out of their spiritual infancy. Then they must keep up the disciplines of grace for every moment of their lives. The prize is certainly worth the effort.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Good news. There is absolutely no law against “self-control” (Gal. 5.23).

We are free to rein in our wills for obedience to Christ any time we choose.

Paul gives a helpful hint by sharing the word temperate. He suggests that those of us who are competing for this prize of bearing the characteristics of Jesus Christ be temperate in all things. Adjectivally this conveys that we be moderate or self-restrained as regards indulgence of appetite or passion; calm, and reasonable.
Synonyms for temperate are: being agreeable, levelheaded, pleasant, sober, checked, even-tempered, sensible, stable, and not excessive.

And Paul stressed the undesirability of hypocrisy. “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9.27). When our mouths and our behavior don’t match up, it is never a good look.

And we strive in this manner for the prize “not with uncertainty” and not futilely (1 Cor. 9.26) but in the knowledge of the promises of God.

“The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand…
For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good…
IF you obey the voice of the LORD your God,
to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and
IF you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off” (Deut. 30.9-11).

God never makes it too difficult for us to understand or for us to do.
He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13.5), and He has given us His Spirit to strengthen and guide us for the work and the commandments He has given us to follow (Jn. 14.16, 17).

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I AM holy’” (1 Pet. 1.13-16).

It'll take discipline—but “the prize is certainly worth the effort.”

For reflection
1. How do you discipline your body for the sake of the Gospel?

2. What benefits do you experience from such discipline?

3. Whom will you encourage today in the disciplines of the Lord?

The body must not be suffered to rule. The apostle presses this advice on the Corinthians. He sets before himself and them the danger of yielding to fleshly desires, pampering the body, and its lusts and appetites. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 1 Corinthians 9.24-27

Pray Psalm 32.3-11.
Pray for a more disciplined life, that God will show you how to train your body and soul to gain His great reward.

Sing Psalm 32.3-11.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
When in silence I remained, groaning in my sinful pain,
You Your hand upon me lay; all my strength You drained away,
all my strength You drained away.

I confessed my sin to You; You forgave me, ever true!
Let confession’s pleading sound reach You while You may be found,
reach You while You may be found!

When flood waters threaten me, You my hiding place will be.
O’er them I will rise above, buoyed by Your redeeming love,
buoyed by Your redeeming love.

Teach me, LORD, how I should live; sound instruction ever give.
Let me never stubborn be; let Your eye watch over me,
let Your eye watch over me.

Though the wicked wail and weep, they rejoice whose souls You keep.
Trusting, we exult with praise, joyf’ly singing all our days,
joyf’ly singing all our days!

T. M. and Susie Moore

Need help disciplining your life? Our ReVision series, “The Disciplined Life” can help. Here you’ll learn how to bring your whole life under the discipline of the Lord, so that you may grow in Him day by day. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I’ll send you all seven studies in this series in PDF.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from theNew King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are fromThe Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.