The Christian AthleteSample

Christian Athletes Put Their Trust in the Gospel

Perhaps the most obvious (and assumed) trait of a Christian athlete is that they are actually a Christian. What does it actually mean for someone to be a Christian? According to the Bible, it means we have both repented of our sin and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The bad news is that we are born not as God’s children, but as objects of his wrath because of our sin. Romans 6:23 shows us that the payment for our sin is death.

If we’re honest with ourselves, I think we all know that something inside us is ... off. And as athletes, we often want to fix it ourselves. Our athletic mentality says I can see where I am weak in a specific area or skill set. So my next step is to work hard at it and get better. That works in sports. Sometimes it works in life. But when it comes to our relationship with God, no amount of spiritual training or “getting ourselves right” will bring God to say, “Yeah, you’re good now.”

Athlete, you can’t come into a relationship with the God of the universe on your own terms.

Romans 6:23 sounds like doom and gloom, but it’s followed by very good news indeed. In its entirety, the verse reads: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Because we sin, we deserve death. God sent his Son, Jesus, to the Earth. He lived a life without sin and died the death we deserve. Then God raised him from the dead! Jesus’ death satisfied the price we owed for our sin.

And it’s completely free.

That’s the definition of grace—a free and undeserved gift. This is hard for anyone to wrap their mind around, especially athletes. You work for everything in sports. Nothing is just given to you.

You become a Christian when you respond to this gift by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Rom. 10:9). If you have never done that before, here is a sample prayer to express the desire of your heart to God:

“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Help me to love You and love others.”

A Christian athlete is not better than others. A Christian athlete is not morally superior. A Christian athlete is just…forgiven.

This forgiveness offered freely (grace) to us from God, should unleash us to compete FROM a position of acceptance, not FOR acceptance. We don’t have to earn favor with God. Jesus already did that for us on the cross.

Christian athlete prayer of the day:

“God thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank you for showing me through that act of love that you are already fully pleased with me and I don’t need to prove myself to you—or anyone else today. I want my obedience towards you today to flow from a heart that knows I am not better (or worse) than anyone else. I am forgiven. I am loved. Would you help me to grow in my understanding of your love for me when I play my sport today? Would you help me to get a greater sense of your nearness? Would you help me to see that you are more glorified through my relational presence with you than my athletic performance? Amen.”