Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.
Parallel translations
- WEB Also, if anyone competes in athletics, he isn’t crowned unless he has competed by the rules.
- KJV And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
- NKJV And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
- NASB And if someone likewise competes as an athlete, he is not crowned as victor unless he competes according to the rules.
- NLT And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.
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
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Faithful service requires obedience to God's standards, not merely effort.
Overview
The second image, the athlete, teaches that endurance must be disciplined and lawful to be rewarded. There is a way of serving Christ that accords with his commands, and only such faithful striving receives the victor's crown. The verse points ahead to the eternal reward awaiting those who serve rightly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Cor 9:24–27Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.
- Rev 3:11I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
- 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.
- Col 1:29To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.
- Luke 13:24“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
- Phil 1:15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
- Heb 2:7You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor
- 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 Pet 5:4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
- Heb 2:9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
- Heb 12:4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
- 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:
- 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.
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Christ at the center
Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.
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Original language
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