Final Salvation: Christians must ‘Run the ‘Race’

God has established the requirement for every Christian to “Run the Race” that has been established for them:

“…let us [meaning every Christian] RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”Heb 12:1-2

Once modern-day (unsaved) individuals hear the Gospel message—those who believe and then accept the ‘Good News’ by confessing Jesus Christ with their mouth, the Bible says that such people are ‘Saved’ from spending eternity in Hell (Rom 10:9-10).

However, such people are yet to run the race God has established for every Christian to embark upon and hopefully finish.

This ‘race’ is necessary because there is a Devil dwelling among us who does not like sinners ‘Saved’ out of his kingdom of lies, unbelief, sins, hatred, etc. into God’s kingdom of truth, mercy, peace and Godly love (i.e. “charity” — 2 John 1:3). 

After Satan has lost one of his own to Jesus, his role is to have such people:

• Doubt what Jesus says (Matt 14:31);
• Question everything written in the scriptures (Gen 3:1);
• Embrace the false teachings of Satan’s preachers and pastors in the pulpits (2 Cor 11:14-15) thereby attempting to discourage God’s people from pressing into His kingdom in faith (Matt 11:12; Phil 3:14)

Satan’s role to prevent the Christian “Run the Race”

It is Satan’s purpose to win back into his kingdom every “follower of Jesus Christ” (Matt 10:38) by applying his temptations upon their weaknesses so as to become sinful once again. In this, he wages war against the new Christian’s mind, in his attempt to have him or her ‘backslide’ (Prov 14:14) away from God, and ultimately to withdraw from running the race God requires every Christian to run:

“Now the just shall live by [his] faith: but IF ANY MAN DRAW BACK, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. {39} But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [or Satan’s kingdom through sin — 1 John 3:5-10]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul [from Hell].” (Heb 10:38-39)

To prevent Satan from being successful in his attempts to pervert a Christian’s spiritual journey with Christ (Rom 8:1), God has established that every Christian should “RUN” their spiritual race to achieve Final Salvation.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

The above image illustrates the following message for every Christian:

• The serious phase of ‘running of the race‘ commences with the New Birth symbolized by the “baby“;
• “Works” and “Fruit” commences sometime afterwards with the “little child”;
• The Christian has to continue “Growing in Grace”, Faith, Works and other godly qualities to improve in their spiritual life, where he or she finally matures as a “father” or a “good soldier of Jesus Christ”;
• The Christian’s goal throughout their race is the “Mark of high calling in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14)
• Near the end of their life on Earth, the Christian MUST have competently resisted every temptation Satan has inflicted upon him or her that attempts to “hinder” them in their journey (Rev 3:21).

What does ‘Run the Race’ represent?

As in any sporting event involving athleticism, the participant needs to not only be physically fit in running the race and “enduring to the end” (Matt 10:22). He or she should discard any ‘unwanted baggage’ that might hinder their performance:

“Ye did run well; who did HINDER you [with ‘unwanted baggage’] that ye should NOT OBEY THE TRUTH [that prevents you ‘running the ‘Race’]? {8} This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you [but of Satan].”   (Gal 5:7-8)

Therefore, if we assume that an athlete needs minimal clothes, together with the right footwear and the correct directions needed to cross the Finish Line, he or she should rely on “looking to Jesus” for His guidance towards crossing the ‘Salvation Finish Line’:

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Heb 12:2-3) 

What do Christian participants first need to consider?

Any ‘race’ involving athletes can take a variety of forms:

1. A sprint to the Finish line;
2. A footrace as part of a larger marathon;
3. A vertical race up stairs where the Finish Line is at the top of a hill or building;
4. A cross country race that requires use of directions and aids to help navigate unfamiliar territory;
5. Other variations of the above.

In the spiritual sense, the cross-country race (4) typifies what God requires each of His children to ‘run’ (spiritually) throughout their lifetime on Earth.

To prepare for such a race, Christians need to obtain the necessary ‘spiritual items’ needed along the route; as well as becoming spiritually fit enough to ‘endure’ to the Finish Line.

Items needed prior to the race

The following chart provides an indication of what a typical athlete might need to acquire as aids for the race — compared to what Christians need to acquire for their spiritual ‘Race’.

Item #	Items needed for a Cross Country Race	Equivalent items needed for a Spiritual Race	Bible Reference
1.	Clothing	Your Righteousness	Matt 5:20
2.	Footwear	The Gospel Message	Eph 6:15
3.	Directions	The Bible	Psa 119:105
4.	Support crew	Jesus and the Holy Spirit	Heb 12:2 John 16:13
5.	Water	The Scriptures	Eph 5:26
6.	Food	Sincere milk / strong meat / sound doctrine	Luke 4:4 1 Peter 2:2 Heb 5:14 1 Cor 3:2
7.	Courage	Endurance	Matt 10:22

Items NOT needed to ‘Run the Race’

The following items should NOT be carried in the race as they will “hinder” the participant’s progress.

Item #	Items NOT needed for a Cross Country Race	Equivalent items NOT needed for a Spiritual Race	Bible Reference
1.	Baggage	Sins / idols / unforgiveness	Heb 12:1 1 Cor 10:14 Mark 11:26
2.	Doubt	Doubt	Luke 12:29
3.	Unbelief	Unbelief	Rev 21:8
4.	Fear of the unknown	Fearful	Exod 20:20 Matt 10:28
5.	The ‘Fear of Man’	Respect of persons	Rom 2:10-11
6.	Lack of preparation	Idleness / slothfulness	1 Tim 5:13 Matt 25:26

Stepping up to the Start line

Firstly, Christians should also have experienced the ‘New Birth’ into God’s kingdom.  If he or she experienced a genuine “birth”, they should be able to explain what each “saw” on entry into God’s kingdom.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, HE CANNOT SEE the kingdom of God.”(John 3:3)

There is no set day that the individual’s ‘race’ commences – nor does Jesus assign a particular period of time for the Finish Line to be crossed.  This is an endurance race — so “enduring to the end” (Matt 10:22) is the prime standard God uses for His children on Earth to successfully finish the race.

The race will involve navigation from a ‘map’. This involves observing signs and landmarks along the way, so as to reach the Finish Line successfully.  The Christian will need guidance from the scriptures (the directions) and the Holy Spirit (each Christian’s personal guide) for the correct changes of direction in the route to confirm the route from the ‘landmarks’ observed along the way.

Naturally, there will be a “hinderer” (1 Thes 2:18), who will swap or rotate signposts (among other distractions) in his attempt to confuse the participant throughout the ‘race’.  Unless the scriptures are used to confirm the ‘way ahead’ (Psalm 119:105), the child of God could end up heading in the wrong direction or become exhausted and ‘lost’ because of the hinderer’s actions.

Therefore, prior to approaching the Start Line in this ‘race’, each Christian should have a good understanding of God’s word (meaning Sound Doctrine — Titus 2:1) so as NOT to be led astray by the Devil.

Babies cannot run in this ‘race’

As with most athletic events, there are age groups in which competitors can participate.  All “babes in Christ” must first have grown into some level of spiritual maturity after being ‘weaned from the breast’ (Psalm 131:2; Isa 28:9) — meaning, separation from reassuring doctrines such as “Jesus loves you” by progressing from the “milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2) to the “meat of the word” (1 Cor 3:2). Such basic maturity ultimately involves partaking of “strong meat” (Heb 5:14). This involves studying “…the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (Heb 6:1-3) and far more besides. 

Once Christians spiritually ‘mature’ because of their diet of ‘spiritual meat’, these should progress into becoming the “sons of God” through the following growth stages:

• “little children” (1 John 2:12 )
• “young men” (1 John 2:13)
• “strong young men” (1 John 2:14)
• “fathers” (1 John 2:13-14)
• “a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:3)

Therefore, if any of the above listed “children of God” commence their unique ‘race’ as “little children”, it is a course that God has arranged for each of them so they can “grow” into one or more of the other mature states as “sons of God” prior to reaching the Finish Line (Rom 8:14; 8:19; Phil 2:15; 1 John 3:1-3).

More about this can be found in the article titled, The Apostle Paul’s Gospel of Salvation.

Feel free to leave any comments or questions below that you may have about this teaching.