The Apostle Paul spoke of his efforts to bring his body under control so that he might keep himself saved. He made that statement in 1 Corinthians 9:27 as he concluded his discussion on the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols.

 

First Corinthians 9, along with chapter 8, sets the stage for the Apostle's strong rebuke of the men at the church in Corinth in chapter 10. There, he bluntly criticized them for participating in idol feasts. He said, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.” (v. 21)

 

These Corinthian men, believing themselves to be knowledgeable, considered their practice of sitting down at tables with food offered to idols to be acceptable and harmless. They correctly believed that an idol did not represent real deity (Isaiah 44:14-18), for there is only one true God, the Maker of heaven and earth and all that exists. Therefore, taking part in idol feasts, they would argue, could not mean they believed in idols.

 

However, Paul tried in chapters 8 and 9 to get them to stop the practice of participating in idol feasts using a gentle persuasive approach. He simply argued in favour of consideration for those among the saints at Corinth who were “weak" in the faith. The “weak” were the converts who still felt a sense of reverence for the idols they had long worshipped in the heathen world. They would have sinned eating meat that had been offered to such idols. The practice of “strong” believers could cause the “weak” to stumble and be led away from Christ. The death of the Lord, who gave up His life for them, would then be vain. The Apostle, therefore, pleaded with the “strong” to consider the impact of their actions on the “weak”.

 

Then, in chapter 10, the Apostle spoke to them about the issue with a more forceful tone. He hammered down that one cannot be in fellowship with Christ and with demons at the same time (cf. Matt. 6:24). Paul's message became more uncompromising, moving away from the softer persuasion of the earlier chapters.

 

This shift in Paul's writing shows how serious the issue he was dealing with was. Initially, he appealed to the “strong” members of the church to show love for the “weak.” But he ultimately had to take a firmer stance, making it clear that partaking in pagan rituals was incompatible with their commitment to Christ.

 

When Paul spoke of bringing his body under subjection, he appears to be conveying this message: the sacrifice truly worth making is the surrender of physical, temporal things in favour of spiritual, eternal things. Material things we have today will be gone tomorrow.

 

The approach the Apostle took was to keep his gaze fixed on the heavenly prize (1 Peter 1:5).

 

Paul's sacrifice consisted in denying his sinful desires, including his evil thoughts, to constantly conform his life to God's will. Though his credentials as a servant of Christ were unparalleled, he recognized the need to maintain self-control in his own life.

 

He knew his salvation depended on his continued faithfulness and self-discipline. He knew he could potentially fall short and miss heaven. The doctrine of "once saved, always saved" finds no support here. If the greatest of all Apostles could miss heaven, then any Christian can face the same fate. No one is immune to the temptation of the flesh, regardless of their spiritual pedigree. 

 

We must therefore vigilantly guard our hearts and discipline our bodies, like Paul, lest we be disqualified.

 

Constant Coulibaly