Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
Parallel translations
- WEB Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
- KJV And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
- NKJV 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.
- NASB Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
- NLT All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Every competitor exercises strict self-control to win a perishable crown; believers do so for an imperishable one. Eternal reward makes Christian self-discipline supremely worthwhile.
Overview
Paul notes that athletes endure rigorous training and self-denial for a fading wreath of leaves. How much more should believers practice self-control, since their goal is an eternal, incorruptible crown (cf. 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Pet 5:4). The contrast between the perishable and imperishable prize motivates wholehearted devotion. The Christian's disciplined life is not joyless asceticism but purposeful pursuit of lasting glory in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- 2 Tim 2:5Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.
- Rev 2:10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
- 1 Tim 6:12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.
- 2 Tim 4:7–8I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
- Jas 1:12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- Rev 3:11I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
- 2 Pet 1:6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
- 1 Pet 5:4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
- 1 Pet 1:4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
- Eph 6:12–18For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- Gal 5:23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
- Heb 12:28Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
- Heb 12:4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
- 1 Cor 15:54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
- Titus 1:8Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
- Rev 4:10the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
- Titus 2:2Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.
- Rev 4:4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 9:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.