1 Corinthians 9:25 Meaning and Explanation
“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Athletes discipline themselves in everything to win a fading crown; believers do so for a crown that will never perish.
What Does 1 Corinthians 9:25 Mean?
Paul develops the athletic image. Every competitor who trains for victory practices strict self-control in all areas of life, denying himself for the sake of the contest. Yet they endure all this for a perishable wreath, a crown of leaves that soon withers.
The contrast sharpens the call. If athletes will discipline body and appetite for a fading prize, how much more should believers exercise self-mastery for a crown that is imperishable and eternal. The reward Christ gives never fades or fails. Paul summons his readers to the kind of disciplined devotion that keeps eternity in view. Self-restraint, far from being grim, becomes the glad training of those who run for an unfading glory laid up with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:25 in the Original Language
aphthartos (ἄφθαρτος), 'incorruptible' -- imperishable, not subject to decay or ruin.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 9:25
What does 1 Corinthians 9:25 mean?
Athletes discipline themselves in everything to win a fading crown; believers do so for a crown that will never perish.