The Prize: What Are We Actually Running And Fighting For?

In the ancient world, athletes competed fiercely for a fleeting reward: a crown woven from leaves, a moment’s glory, perhaps a place in history. Yet the image of the race and the fight recurs in the Apostle Paul’s teaching—not to stir up aimless striving, but to focus Christians on the ultimate prize. To be a man of God is not only to run and fight—but to do so for something far more enduring than the temporary approval of others. The Christian life is a pursuit, yes, but what makes the effort meaningful is the nature of the reward: eternal life, the “crown of righteousness,” and Christ himself.

Perishable Wreath vs. Imperishable Crown

Paul’s powerful illustration in 1 Corinthians 9:24–25 cuts right to the core of our motivations:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (ESV)

In the ancient games—the Olympics, for example—the victor did not receive gold or riches, but a garland of olive or laurel leaves. Crowds cheered, families boasted, and for a moment, the runner basked in glory. But the wreath itself wilted and faded, and with it the applause.

Paul’s contrast is stunning: “But we an imperishable.” The effort called for in spiritual life is not for a reward that dies with the season, but one that lasts forever. The crown up for grabs is one that neither tarnish nor time can touch. Running and fighting for God means looking to a reward that will not be taken away.

Take Hold of Eternal Life

Paul sharpens this focus in 1 Timothy 6:12:

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (ESV)

The “prize” here is eternal life. But notice the language: “Take hold.” Eternal life is not just a future promise; it is a present possession and pursuit. Paul exhorts Timothy not only to wait passively for heaven, but to actively grasp life in Christ now—living with the knowledge and hope that eternity shapes every decision and every battle.

Taking hold means living like eternal life truly matters. It means refusing to settle for lesser joys and temporary distractions. It means believing that God’s promises are worth so much more than anything the world offers.

Pressing On For Christ

The heartbeat of Paul’s pursuit pulses in Philippians 3:12–14:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

Paul’s “one thing” is clear—his whole life is aimed at “the goal for the prize of the upward call.” What is that prize? Simply and profoundly: Christ himself. Membership in God’s family, union with Christ, the promise of resurrection and glory at his coming. Paul’s relentless pursuit is not slavish religious duty, but the joyful chase after Jesus—the One who first laid hold of him.

This shapes everything: Paul runs and fights not to earn God’s favor, but because he belongs to Christ. The effort of faith, the pain of discipline, the weariness of endurance, all find meaning in the pursuit of a Person and a promise.

Keeping the Faith Until the Finish Line

Paul’s well-known testimony in 2 Timothy 4:7–8 anchors the metaphor:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day—and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (ESV)

Finishing the race and fighting the good fight culminate in this: keeping the faith until the very end. The reward? The “crown of righteousness”—an unperishable promise of full acceptance, final transformation, and divine approval in Christ. But importantly, this crown is promised to all who love Jesus and endure in longing for his return—every man who truly runs and fights for Him.

Integrating the Metaphors: The True Prize

Race and fight, though different in imagery, are united in purpose: the goal is enduring, unshakable life with Christ. Moral effort, unchecked, spits out either pride or despair. But effort rooted in gospel hope keeps men running hard—not to gain acceptance, but because they already possess it in Christ. The finish line is not a vague perfection, but the face of Jesus and the fullness of his promised reward.

Application: Evaluating Your Pursuit

Exercise: Take a moment and write down your top five current life goals. Career, family, hobbies, fitness, finances, reputation—be honest with yourself.

Now evaluate: which of these goals actually aligns with the “imperishable wreath” promised to those who run for Christ? Which are worth relentless pursuit—and which are fading crowns, tempting you to invest energy that won’t matter in eternity?

Be honest. Every man has chased lesser prizes. Comfort. Security. Applause. Image. But the gospel calls us out of pursuing good things as ultimate things—and into pursuing Christ as the greatest treasure.

Pastoral Edge: To men, especially: Don’t run for a fading laurel. The world applauds effort—at work, in sports, in social circles—and the praise feels wonderful, but it fades. God’s call is better: chase the prize that lasts, the joy that endures, the crown that doesn’t wilt.

Defining your life’s race and fight by Christ’s prize will change your daily choices—what you train for, what you resist, what you endure, what you hope for.

Ask yourself:

• What crown am I running for each day?
• Whose approval do I really seek?
• Is my energy spent chasing what cannot last, or invested in what cannot die?



Let your running and your fighting be shaped by hope, not moralism. Pursue Christ—who first pursued you. The finish line is not only relief from the struggle, but embrace by the Savior who delights to crown his sons with life that never ends.