We return today to my questions: Why and how should a Christian pursue athletic greatness? Or, as a Christian, how can I justify my drive to become the best athlete I can be? (If you haven’t been following along, you can follow my outline here.)

We are still on point number four (of six):

A Christian can joyfully pursue athletic greatness because he (or she) lives in hope that one day all things (including sports) will be made new and that here and now, in sports, he (or she) can serve as an imperfect preview of that perfect day to come.

Regarding this point, I first said: a) We pursue athletic excellence in hope that because of the person and work of Jesus Christ, sports and competition (and our enjoyment of them) will one day be all we wish they were now.

Today I add this:

b) We seek to be salt and light in the sports world by pursuing athletic excellence in light of what we believe sports and competition should be and what they one day will be.

My first point (a) was supposed to highlight the belief that according to the Biblical story, sports and competition (at least most) are good things in and of themselves; and that because they are good things, there is a place for them at the end of the story, on the New Heavens and New Earth. Though I am naturally limiting what I say in order to keep these posts semi-short, I tried to highlight the belief that because of the person and work of Jesus Christ, there is hope not only for man, but also for his good (though imperfect) works. I know not every theologian out there is in perfect agreement as to exactly what this will look like, but in seeking to be faithful to the Biblical story and the work of Jesus Christ, it seems we can say that in light of a promised physical resurrection and New Heavens and New Earth, there is a hope that sports and competition will not be done away with by the return of Jesus Christ, but instead, be refined so as to become all that they were originally intended to be.

If I am welcomed to the New Earth only to find out I am wrong, I know I won’t mind it then. But I have to say that I like the thought now and do believe it makes sense in light of the story of Scripture. Not only that, but it gives me a vision for pursuing athletic excellence that is rooted in both the beginning and end of the biblical story. And Christian or not, we all should recognize that our belief about the beginning and end of things cannot help but shape our values and desires here and now. Theology is much more practical that we might first expect; and we are all practicing theologians one way or another.

That being said, I repeat my sub-point for today: We seek to be salt and light in the sports world by pursuing athletic excellence in light of what we believe sports and competition should be and what they one day will be.

In order to understand what I am saying here and how it applies, ask yourself two questions:

If there were no sin in us and thus, in the sports world, what would sports and competition look like today?

If it is true that we will enjoy sports and competition on the New Earth, with perfect motivations, and new and perfect bodies, what will our sports and competition look like then?

Great questions aren’t they? I think so. But I am sure you know instinctively that although they really are different questions, their answers are the same (at least in Christian perspective). For in light of the biblical story, the way things ought to be and the way things one day will be do not conflict, but because of Jesus Christ, come together in the end.

As regards sports and competition, and the pursuit of athletic excellence, get your imagination rolling. Imagine the sports world without any sin at all. No pride, selfishness, self-exaltation, dishonesty, anger, insecurity, idolatry, fear, but instead humility, love for others, God-centeredness, self-control, integrity, inner peace, and unending joy. Can you imagine such a world? Probably not. But according to the Christian story, that is the way things ought to be and indeed, the way they one day will be.

Even more, because of the person and work of Jesus Christ, this is the kind of sports world that Christians ought to pursue right now. Not is some domineering, theocratic sort of way, but in a humble, servant-like sort of a way. In a redemptive way. In a way that seeks to honor God and bring blessing to others. In a way that is genuinely salty and bright.

Our pursuit of this standard is sure to be imperfect, but so it is for the entirety of our Christian life. If the biblical story is accurate, then we as Christians are supposed to live the entirety of our lives in light of the way things ought to be and how they one day will be because of Jesus Christ. But if that is true, then the entirety of our lives are bound to fall short. And yet, that is no reason to shy away from such a calling, but instead, reason to have confidence that however far we fall short, our efforts are still delighted in by God and a source of blessing to others.

And so it also is for our pursuit of athletic excellence. Imperfect as it may be, it is good to pursue nonetheless. For it is pursued in hope that however imperfect we may be, we can, by God’s grace, be previews of that perfect day to come.