Disciplined or Disqualified?
- Pastor Jay Christianson
- Jan 2
- 5 min read
“Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)
It’s confession time.
Quite apropos, seeing as we’ve just entered a new year.
My confession is this. Even though I’ve read through the Bible, attended worship services and my local church’s Men’s group, and kept current with High Beam Ministry’s daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly responsibilities, I’ve fallen short of God’s call on my life.
God’s standard is clear:
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1 NIV)
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Did I live up to that standard of God’s calling constantly in 2025? Did I live for God’s glory consistently throughout the year? That’s a big negatory, good buddy. (A shout out to the days of the CB radio folks.) I may have looked good on the outside, my friends, but inside is a bit of a horror show, in my opinion.
You see, in our Christian lives, it doesn’t start with what we do. It starts with who we are. Who we are on the inside is where everything originates. As Jesus said clearly, “But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. (Matthew 15:18). And what I’ve seen within me ain’t too great.
Family relationship struggles have left me fuming and frustrated. Watching the utter corruption and fecklessness of our politicians has provoked me to let loose some unholy language. Wait! Did I say some? I think it may have been a bit more than that. And the natural temptations of mind and body have driven me to distraction and disobedience. (Oh, don’t sit there judging me. Jesus sees you, too.) Much of our problem with living like Jesus is the lack of discipline.
If we can’t bring what’s inside our bodies, ourselves, under consistent discipline, we run the risk of letting what’s undisciplined inside erupt to the surface into bodily actions; speaking and doing things that betray our calling and deny God His rightful glory for saving us.
If we are undisciplined on the inside, we’re setting ourselves up for moral failure, which means not living up to Jesus’ standard. And yes, this is a critical matter. As Apostle Paul said, “Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27, italics author).
Now, whether you believe you can lose your salvation or not, let’s cut to the chase. Why risk disqualification? If Paul says under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration that disqualification is a possibility due to an undisciplined life, then you might want to take God’s word seriously. Here are some examples to learn from.
Esau was undisciplined and lost firstborn status and the covenant lineage (Genesis 25:34; Hebrews 12:16-17). Reuben also lost firstborn status because he, through lack of self-discipline, slept with his father, Jacob’s, concubine (Genesis 25:32; 1 Chronicles 5:1).
King Saul lost his God-given kingship through undisciplined disobedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23). The man after God’s own heart, King David, Saul’s successor, fell into grave sin (adultery and murder) by being undisciplined (2 Samuel 11). David’s son, King Solomon, permitted widespread idolatry due to a lack of discipline (1 Kings 11:4). And the nation of Israel temporarily lost its land because most of the people were undisciplined in keeping their covenant with their covenant Lord (Ezekiel 6:1-10).
The source of all this comes from an undisciplined life, and when we turn to self and turn away from God = disqualified.
On a lighter note, I find humor in Paul’s 1 Corinthians 9:27 comment about disciplining one’s body. The word for “discipline” is hypopiazo (hoop-o-pee-ad'-zo), meaning “to hit under the eye (buffet or disable an antagonist as a pugilist), i.e., (figuratively) to tease or annoy (into compliance), subdue (one’s passions)” (NAS Greek Lexicon).
Another dictionary says, “to beat black and blue, to smite so as to cause bruises and livid spots; like a boxer one buffets his body, handle it roughly, discipline by hardships” (Key Dictionary of the Greek New Testament).
What’s so funny about that? Because the NAS Bible translation says, “I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” So, do we pummel our bodily urges into submission, or do we indulge them at the local Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet? My body would rather pull up a chair to the lunch table, but I know Paul wants me to give myself a Holy Spirit beat-down.
What a great point, Holy Spirit. Do we feed ourselves through undisciplined living, or do we place ourselves on a disciplined diet of righteousness so that what we are and then do lines up with God’s standard without hypocrisy?
People, there are no shortcuts. I know the start of the New Year is a great time to reset one’s life, especially working off all that Christmas buffeting we’ve indulged in. Sadly, there is no GLP-1 shot for spiritual weight loss or Testosterone/Steroid shots for growing spiritual muscles.
It’s discipline. Period.
We must set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). We must not let sin reign in our mortal body, so that we obey its desires (Romans 6:12). And we must not buffet our bodies with the tasty treats of the undiscipline life, but beat-up and beat-down into submission anything that prevents us from overcoming our short-comings and flaws.
Yes, I’m talking about myself first and foremost.
Every Christian’s calling in life is to glorify God. Everything flows from that. If we don’t discipline ourselves to pursue that within ourselves, then a lot of slimy, unrighteous rot will eventually ooze out of us, staining whatever façade we put up for all the world to see.
Don’t risk being disqualified.
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Shining the Light of God’s Truth on the Road Ahead
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts