“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.”

Part 3 – A Christian look at the “Win at all costs” ethic in sport.

“Second place is the first loser.” “I have to win because there are no post-game interviews for second place.” “There will be no opportunity for proclamation of the gospel if I’m not the winner.” “The Lord wants me to be a winner.” “The Lord had His hand in this win.” “It’s the Lord’s will for us to be champions.” “Christians should be the head and not the tail.” I’m sure we’ve all heard such language from the mouths of Christian competitors in the past. Some of us may have even uttered such. Sadly, I’m also sure such statements have been made by Christians who have skirted the rules, have competed unethically or have otherwise chosen to pursue the win above any other consideration, even above obvious Christian ethical standards. The mind justifies.

If one adopts the “win at all costs” ethic for his or her life in sport he will cheat on tactics e.g. doctoring the ball in baseball or using illegal equipment. He will cheat in recruiting players by academic fraud and granting recruits sexual favors from beautiful coeds or making gifts to coaches, parents or would be agents for players. She will cheat in training by using performance enhancing drugs or by illicitly videotaping her opponent’s practices prior to a big game. He will cheat in competition by using his foot to improve the lie for his golf ball, by seeking an unfair advantage over his opponent or maliciously trying to injure an opposing player. Others with this ethic will choose to not compete at all. “If I can’t win, I won’t play.” The obvious dilemma here is that if you don’t play, you can’t win. This leads surely to bitterness and envy toward those who do win. This is the ethic of Machiavelli, not Jesus. This is born of a philosophy which espouses, “The end justifies the means.” Jesus’ ethic states that, “he who would be first among you must be the slave of all.” Mark 10:44 The one who wins at all costs loves being first and his behavior and attitudes reveal his heart’s pride. The will chooses.

We see a biblical example of the “win at all costs” ethic in III John 9-11 where John writes, “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.
For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”
Diotrephes loved to be first among those in the Church and he chose any behavior which would further his pursuit of his goal. His pride led to behavior which Paul describes as evil in verse 11 and it led Paul to even question his relationship with Christ.

A scripture with direct application to Christian sportsmen and sportswomen is found in I Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

The Apostle Paul states that one should “Run in such a way that you may win,” but this statement does not stand alone. It is qualified by the following statement, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” He also adds the proviso, “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” For the Christian competitor, our competitive drive to win must be constrained by self-discipline and an even stronger desire to honor Christ. How great a disappointment it would be to finish first, but to be fettered with the knowledge, private or public, that we had gained an unfair advantage over our opponents by cheating and even being disqualified. Our heart’s deep desire to be first could even discredit our public witness for Jesus if we’re found with conflicting ethics. The heart loves.

Let’s be the ones who deal with the ethical dissonance among Christian competitors. Let’s boldly proclaim that Christ’s way of self-control keeps one’s competitive drive in check and enables each one who competes to experience sport at its best. Sport devolves into brutality and becomes the province of thugs if it is absent of any ethic other than “win at all costs.” Let’s be salt and light in the world of sport. Let’s transform its taste and enlighten the process with the presence of Christ Jesus.

“What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies.” This statement was spoken by my friend and colleague in sports chaplaincy, John Ashley Null, in summary of the 16th century Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer's writings. Dr. Null has been translating Cranmer’s work from Medieval Latin shorthand into contemporary English.