Are sports biblical?

[Skitnik]

Sure I did, but my response was intended as an observation about one aspect of the OP, not a new version of War and Peace or a point-by-point analysis of everything that was written there.

OK
If you say that there is nothing wrong with idolatry, religion of sports than.


Jesus had twelve on his team. I just do not recall any mentioning of "team Jesus vs team Pharisees" games with Mary and Martha jumping on the sideline almost naked and with pom-poms.

 

[jsimms615]

I think it is mainly to acknowledge the God who gave them the ability they have in sports, which is right and respectful to do.

 

[Albion]

OK
If you say that there is nothing wrong with idolatry, religion of sports than.

.

Trust me on this; if I had thought that, I would have said it.

As you can see...I did not.

 

[RDKirk]

Running a race is mentioned in an approving way in Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 2:16, Galatians 2:2, Galatians 5:7, 2 Timothy 4:7, and 1 Corinthians 9:24-26.

Those last two passages mention boxing as well.

It seems that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan. And if it was OK for him...

Doesn't mean he was a sports fan, only that sports provided useful metaphors for his audience. "Put on the full armor of God" did not mean Paul was encouraging anyone to become a Roman legionary.

Many people in those days were as sports-crazy as Westerners are today, as noted by murals and mosaics that have been preserved in Pompeii, even paintings of favorite gladiators and wrestlers on bedroom walls.

It should be clear--but isn't--that idolization of sports and sports stars is detrimental to a Christian life.

The question for us under the New Covenant is not whether there is a written law of "Thou shalt not...." That's not how we contemplate the righteousness or unrighteousness of our actions under the New Covenant.

"Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is edifying."

The question is: Does it benefit or edify me as a Christian? Is it a step toward being a more effective member of the Body of Christ, or a step away?

Here in Dallas TX, many young people are so involved in sports that they are unable to participate in any church activities, even having meets and games scheduled for Sunday morning. Whole families are scheduling their lives around sports attendence. Families are setting up their budgets around paying $1000-1500 monthly to keep their kids in sports, scheduling their summers around sports summer camps.

You see people who are ashamed to be known as Christians at work--but unashamed to paint their faces in the colors of their favorite teams and gallivant around the city.

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Whatever dictates a man's decisions and actions is his god. A pastor recently said, "You can know what your god really is by what subject you most want to talk about. If you're free to engage someone in a discussion about any subject you want...the subject you're most likely to choose is your god."

For a lot of people, including a lot of Christians (especially in Texas), sports dictates their decisions and actions more than God. Sports is what they'd rather discuss than God. Sports is what they study more than God. Any teams statistics of two or three sports: Memorized and kept up to date. Scripture? Hmm, not so much.

What, really, is their god?

 

[frater_domus]

Both everything and nothing can be biblical. It is what you make of it. Sports can become an idol, but it can become your way to glorify God. Only by God’s grace can be achieve anything, whether we are aware of it or not. Every goals we score, every weight we lift, every training we complete, nothing would be possible or would mean anything without God. So train in gratitude, take care of the body you have been given, do it to glorify God and let it be your witness, for you achieved it with diligence, perseverance and patience. If you can do that, then sports is very biblical.

Having said that, most of the high profile sports you see on TV have little to do with that. This is an example of something becoming an idol. That is when something ceases to be biblical and becomes a barrier between you and God.

 

[BigDaddy4]

Many sports came out of soldiers training for wars, where battles are a life or death competition, or from life skills like hunting. While God certainly empowered the Israelites of the OT in their battles, one does not just pick up a sword or a bow and arrow and become a skilled swordsman or archer. King David didn't just all of a sudden know how to use a slingshot to kill Goliath.

 

[dqhall]

Many sports came out of soldiers training for wars, where battles are a life or death competition, or from life skills like hunting. While God certainly empowered the Israelites of the OT in their battles, one does not just pick up a sword or a bow and arrow and become a skilled swordsman or archer. King David didn't just all of a sudden know how to use a slingshot to kill Goliath.

Sports are used to train and strengthen boys and girls. It is advantageous for people to be strong and swift. Society has a surplus of obese couch potatoes. Able bodied workers are needed.

I saw a jockey win the 2018 Kentucky Derby race on a muddy track in the pouring rain. He was a short thin man speaking with an American accent. While being interviewed after the race he said, "I want to thank Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior." It was a powerful witness that brought joy.

Old men can not run as fast as when they were young, but some like to watch contestants giving all they have on the field of competition.

 

[GUANO]

Games are magical rites and rituals---just like everything else we do in this "secular" society. Just pay attention to which spirits and archetypes are glorified.

 

[Skitnik]

Many sports came out of soldiers training for wars, where battles are a life or death competition, or from life skills like hunting. While God certainly empowered the Israelites of the OT in their battles, one does not just pick up a sword or a bow and arrow and become a skilled swordsman or archer. King David didn't just all of a sudden know how to use a slingshot to kill Goliath.

Those were martial arts. Mindlessly beat up own body and bodies of others chasing ball that may not even be round around is not.

You do not defend your nation by throwing or kicking ball at the enemy. You enrich team owners and divide people into hating each other just for the color of the tee shirt.

 

[BigDaddy4]

Sports are used to train and strengthen boys and girls. It is advantageous for people to be strong and swift. Society has a surplus of obese couch potatoes. Able bodied workers are needed.

I saw a jockey win the 2018 Kentucky Derby race on a muddy track in the pouring rain. He was a short thin man speaking with an American accent. While being interviewed after the race he said, "I want to thank Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior." It was a powerful witness that brought joy.

Old men can not run as fast as when they were young, but some like to watch contestants giving all they have on the field of competition.

American accent??

Many athletes in all different types of sports give glory to God or Jesus in interviews after their competition. I don't see how that witness to potentially millions of viewers could be a bad thing.

 

[BigDaddy4]

Those were martial arts. Mindlessly beat up own body and bodies of others chasing ball that may not even be round around is not.

You do not defend your nation by throwing or kicking ball at the enemy. You enrich team owners and divide people into hating each other just for the color of the tee shirt.

You asked a question if sports were Biblical, to which I responded. With your ranting, you obviously have a negative bias toward sports that didn't exist until the mid-1800s to early 1900s. Have at it if it makes you sleep better at night.

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

Those were martial arts. Mindlessly beat up own body and bodies of others chasing ball that may not even be round around is not.

You do not defend your nation by throwing or kicking ball at the enemy. You enrich team owners and divide people into hating each other just for the color of the tee shirt.

Sports provide a way of having conflict that doesn't do real harm. It is a way to engage the competitive instinct without resorting to war. It is therefore beneficial to society to have sports events.

 

[KayH85]

Whatever, I can't wait to watch the World Cup the week after next.

 

[messianist]

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him?

 

[Skitnik]

You asked a question if sports were Biblical, to which I responded. With your ranting, you obviously have a negative bias toward sports that didn't exist until the mid-1800s to early 1900s. Have at it if it makes you sleep better at night.

I do not live in 1800 or 1900. I live today and I watch this whole society being consumed by some kind of orgy of sports. One day seemed like everybody in the lunchroom at work were talking sports in on way or another. Somebody asked me what my team is or something like that. I said: "I do not care about sports". Everybody who heard that stopped and stared at me like I am weird or something.

I definitely do not mind being left out of that orgy but it is sad to see so many people filling up their minds and lives with pure idolatry by another name. Aka sports.

Sports provide a way of having conflict that doesn't do real harm. It is a way to engage the competitive instinct without resorting to war. It is therefore beneficial to society to have sports events.

Care to provide a Biblical case for such a humanist philosophy?

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

. . . . . Care to provide a Biblical case for such a humanist philosophy?

No need. Its just a fact. One doesn't bother to make a biblical case for every fact. And one doesn't reject facts just because they aren't in the Bible. The Bible is a mighty small book to be tasked with containing every possible fact.

 

[Skitnik]

No need. Its just a fact. One doesn't bother to make a biblical case for every fact. And one doesn't reject facts just because they aren't in the Bible. The Bible is a mighty small book to be tasked with containing every possible fact.

Your opinion is not a fact.

 

[Ken Rank]

But I don't think the Lord spoke of prostitution as a positive thing.

Actually, and I am not using this as a position for or against yours... but Hosea was told to choose a harlot for a wife and then God used that story to depict Israel being punished AND one day coming back to Him.

 

[Skitnik]

Sports are used to train and strengthen boys and girls. It is advantageous for people to be strong and swift. Society has a surplus of obese couch potatoes. Able bodied workers are needed.

I saw a jockey win the 2018 Kentucky Derby race on a muddy track in the pouring rain. He was a short thin man speaking with an American accent. While being interviewed after the race he said, "I want to thank Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior." It was a powerful witness that brought joy.

Old men can not run as fast as when they were young, but some like to watch contestants giving all they have on the field of competition.

And a next day is sunny and warm. Christian jockey falls off the horse and openly homosexual jockey wins. What does it mean? That God bet on the horse with a Christian jockey and lost?

What is to God which horse wins at which derby? He is not some bookie in the sky.

 

[Celticroots]

-___- It doesn't mean anything except someone other than the Christian jockey won. That's it. And for heaven's sake what does a sportsman's sexuality have to do with the ability to do well in a sport?

You get upset because the jockey thanked His Savior Jesus Christ for his success?

Wow.