The city of Corinth was a hub of culture and commerce in the ancient world, and the Corinthian believers would well understand the athletic metaphors used here to describe the Christian life. We run and fight with certainty and purpose, not for a fading crown on earth but because there is an eternal prize to obtain. The word “discipline” paints a compelling picture. Taken literally, the expression in the original means something like “I keep hitting myself under the eye.” This teaches us the importance of self-control, a quality that is itself related to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). The apostle Paul recognized that it would be possible for him to preach to others but then become disqualified himself.

The term “disqualified” draws our attention, too. Although it is used in an athletic context here, it also had an application to the business world. As in our days, silver and gold coins would be accepted at a certain value because they weighed a certain amount. Over time, those coins would be worn down little by little through ordinary usage. Eventually their weight would no longer meet the standard. At that point they would be stamped with the word “disqualified” and removed from circulation. Those disapproved coins were no longer acceptable for the job they were intended to do.

The term is used eight times in the New Testament. Most other times it refers to unbelievers or pretenders in the faith. Paul knew he was not disapproved in God’s sight (cf. 2 Cor. 13:6), yet he did not want to behave like a mere pretender or become disqualified for the ministry God had entrusted to him. How attentive we must be to this reality!