Olympics and the Bible

By Lane Palmer, Christian Post Guest Columnist Tuesday, February 14, 2006

You gotta love the Olympics. Well, you don’t have to love them, but it’s tough not to when you combine the incredible training, talent and time spent in preparation with an international stage filled with competition and drama.

Plus, I think it’s fun just to go around chanting “USA!!! USA!!!” … but maybe that’s just me.

Part of the appeal must be the desire in each of us to achieve greatness. Most don’t believe they will ever realize fame or prominence, so it’s somewhat fulfilling to watch these incredible athletes and imagine what it would be like. I know that’s definitely true for me—especially in the ski jumping discipline. My real life experience has been achieving around 20 miles per hour for 10 feet … these guys blaze along the lines of 50 MPH and fly over 300 feet!

What impresses me is the astounding amount of blood, sweat and tears these Olympiads have invested day after day and year after year for (in many cases) just one event. Can you imagine that? Their drive to succeed and honor their country consumes their thoughts, dictates their schedule, and becomes THE goal of their lives.

What depresses me is astounding lack of effort Christians invest in what should be THE goal of our lives. What I mean is, have you ever thought of yourself as an “Olympian” of sorts? The Apostle Paul did, which is why he wrote this:

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (I Corinthians 9:27)

The Olympics were around in Paul’s day, and when he learned about the training and dedication behind the athletes, he immediately made the connection to Christianity. We, too, are in a competition, and one day there will be a closing ceremony where judgment will be meted out. It’s called the Judgment Seat of Christ in our Bibles, but in the original language Paul used the term “Bema Seat.”

What’s a Bema Seat? The word Bema simply means “raised”, and it referred to a place where an authority figure sat to make a judgment. It was specifically used in the Olympics of the day to describe where the person who determined the winners sat. So Paul is telling us that one way to look at the Christian life is as an Olympic event:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

What if one day you got a call from the Olympic committee informing you that you had 4 years to get ready to compete in an event? No doubt you wouldn’t hang up the phone and live life the same ever again. My gut is that you would write that date on your calendar, hire a trainer, learn everything you could about the competition, and (most importantly), get off the couch and hit the gym in a big way! You’d watch your diet, your schedule, and push yourself to the limit as often as possible.

All this for a shot at a cheering crowd, a proud country, and a piece of medal.

Guess what? The call from heaven has already come through. You’re in the Olympics as we speak. My hope is that you’ll finish reading this and never live life the same again. Get off your spiritual couch and hit prayer and Bible study in a big way. Love God and love others to get ahead of the competition. Most of all, keep your eyes on the prize so that when the Olympics are over, you will hear the cheering crowd of heaven, a proud Father, and a crown that will never fade away.

“USA!!! USA!!!”? Of course. But better still:

“JESUS CHRIST!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!”