Nike has long dominated sports marketing with its “Just Do It” campaign. Original or not (some suggest it is a version of the phrase coined by controversial NFL owner Al Davis: “Just win, baby”) there is little doubt that the slogan itself has been a winner. The “Just Do It” message works well with the name of the company itself, which comes from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The marketing message appears to be simple: “Nike is for winners who ‘just do it.’ ”
Who is a winner? Some define winning in terms of successful performance, where winners are people who perform so well that they actually win competitions. These winners have risen to the top of their respective fields—the valedictorian of the senior class, the one who gets the promotion at the office, the athlete who runs the fastest time, the company with the highest market share, or those who wear a Super Bowl ring. Although we may want to give credit to those who “give it their all,” when it comes down to it, many believe winning is based on performance.
Some are careful not to fall into this trap. They would rather push the other extreme by defining a winner solely in terms of a person’s character—their attitude, effort, and motivation. In some ways it’s hard to debate this. After all, this is what we teach our children. Whether they are playing sports or taking an exam at school, our kids are encouraged to do their best and no matter what the results, have a good attitude.
So some define winning in terms of performance, and others in terms of character. But what does winning have to do with our relationship with God?
How do we avoid falling off either side of this balance bar? Do we even have to choose between character and performance? Richard Pratt, Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Old Testament Professor, suggests that this is where we often get ourselves in trouble: “We make choices in matters like these as if they were either/or when in fact they are both/and.”
Character and Performance are a Matter of Stewardship
While we must not lose sight of the importance of character, the fact is that results that come from an excellent performance are important to God. The parable of the talents (Luke 19:11-27) strongly suggests this. We cannot bury our treasure only to bring it up when our Master returns and expect He will be pleased. Instead, there is an expectation that our performance should bring about results.
Two keys help us unlock this matter. First, even though we do not earn salvation based on character and performance, they are both extremely important as a matter of stewardship. Because we are made in the image of God we are not only accountable to reflect God’s character, but also his performance (“Be holy, even as I am holy ... As the Father has sent me, so send I you ...”). We are responsible to multiply our God-given talents and abilities in an effort to extend our dominion over the earth for His glory (Genesis 1:26-28).
Second, we must not reduce the concept of winning to mean that we always win the game, get the promotion, score an “A” on the test, or experience healing over sickness on this earth. The Bible’s theology of “competing to win” is more complex than that, and victory often comes in other ways.
According to Pratt, “we can learn a lot about winning on a personal level from what the Scriptures teach about Christ winning, what theologians often call ‘Christus Victor.’” The story told throughout the Bible, with its climactic conclusion in the Book of Revelation, is about the greatest winner of all—Jesus. The New Testament is clear that Jesus endured all of his suffering for the goal of victory. Bob Cara, New Testament professor at RTS, summarizes the main theme of the Book of Revelation as “Jesus has won, Jesus is winning, and Jesus will win.”
Winning was important to Jesus, but He won by conforming both His character and His performance to His Father’s will. We agree that our salvation is based on the person and the work of Jesus Christ. But even in the case of Jesus the winning results were complex. When He calmed the storm and healed the sick the victory was plain to see. On the other hand, few people were thinking Jesus was a winner while He was beaten and then hung on a cross. The same will be true for us. There will be times when our actions will result in victory that will be obvious. But there will also be those moments when even though it may appear that all is lost and that we have been defeated by our opponents and by the world—we may experience some of our greatest victories for the glory of God.
Ultimately, if we make the mistake of neutering the concept of winning, we will, in effect, ‘neuter’ our passion for Christ and His kingdom and we will diminish our hope of the new heavens and new earth and the abundant life offered to us in Christ.
The Different Faces of Winning
While experiencing victory in our daily life involves conforming our character and performance to that of Jesus Christ, the truth is that winning has many different faces. First, it is the diversity of gifts and callings that makes winning look different from one person to another. Poor at sales? Maybe you’re good at administration. Therefore, the expectations we have and the performance-oriented goals we pursue will vary. Your child may be an excellent math student but struggle in English, or an all-star soccer player but warm the bench in basketball. In each case what it means to be a winner varies.
Secondly, assuming that all Christians desire godly character and motivation, different situations call for different kinds of goals. For example, winning at the office should look different than playing a pickup basketball game with my nine-year-old daughter. At work, meeting sales quotas, achieving profit margins, and gaining market share may represent a legitimate winning effort. However, a winning performance while playing basketball with my daughter centers on building our relationship, working on basketball skills, and developing her character.
Some think that competing at the office involves giving 100 percent effort, but in order to get any benefit out of playing basketball with my daughter it is necessary to “tame” my competitive spirit. Nonsense.
Think about it—do our children want or deserve any less than 100 percent when we are playing with them? Of course not! When I play a game with my daughter she is constantly telling me to play my best. She wants me to give 100 percent—she doesn’t want me to let her win. She wants to see my heart and mind engaged in our activity. Is it fair to her to put all my passion and zeal into my work and then come home and go through the motions with her? An old maxim gives a healthy perspective: “Wherever you are … be all there.”
But to “be all there” does not simply mean giving 100 percent physical effort.While it is always my intention to give 100 percent, my primary goal when playing basketball with my daughter is not to see how many times I can slam-dunk over her. Rather, it involves the development of the whole person. For purposes of improving her basketball skills, I may defend her in a way that makes her learn to dribble to her left. Relationally, I might “drag the game on” just so that we can spend more time together. Emotionally, the score of the game is of some relevance because I desire for her to learn how to handle both victory and defeat, which means I don’t let her win every time. In each case, my desire is to give 100 percent effort toward the goal.
Conquerors Through Participation and Perseverance
I believe we can properly confess together as Christians that winning is both our goal and our destiny. I might even suggest that the Bible has its own version of “Just Win, Baby” or “Just Do It” that is found in the book of Revelation: “he who overcomes” or sometimes translated as “he who conquers.” Jesus uses this “slogan” in his message to each of the seven churches. These churches represent the entirety of the Church throughout all of history, and so each time the phrase is used by Jesus it has application to us today. This phrase centers on the Greek word nikao which in its verb form is translated “to conquer” or to “overcome.”
What is at the heart of this phrase? What does it mean to be an overcomer or a conqueror? The essence of its meaning is in two words—participation and perseverance. In other words, when we participate in Christ’s conquest by faith and persevere in works of faith that advance His kingdom we are winners.
Daily, our goal is to compete in a way that reflects that we are disciples, of Jesus Christ. However, participation in Christ’s conquest does not come without also taking part in His death—we must die to self and seek to glorify God and build up His Church above all else. In humility we consider the needs of others before ourselves. It means we put away arrogance and pride because we realize that every good and perfect gift comes from above. We have no reason to boast in our own efforts and ability, and we confess that every step is by grace. Our effort and our attitude are to reflect the mind of Christ no matter the circumstances of our battles.
To be a winner does not simply mean that we participate, but it also implies a commitment to persevere until the end. We must never give up in our quest to advance Christ’s kingdom throughout the ends of the earth. We desire to do our best for the glory of God in every aspect of culture—whether in word or deed. But we also have the wisdom to understand that how we define a successful performance is often in the context of our circumstances.
Finally, we know that winning is our destiny only because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Anyone who repents of their sin, thereby receiving the forgiveness that comes through Christ’s shed blood on the cross, and places their faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, death, and the Devil—to them, He gives the right to become children of God. As God’s children our labor (competing) in the Lord is never in vain. Thanks be to God that we have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Yes, our goal is to experience victory now—today. And yet we know the full consummation of Christ’s conquest will be seen and experienced by the saints who, by the grace of God, have participated and persevered in the advancement of His kingdom until the end. Our heavenly Father has given these saints the right to co-reign with Christ in the new heavens and new earth for all eternity.
Frank Reich is President of Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. He may be best known for leading the Buffalo Bills to the greatest comeback in NFL history in 1992. With the Bills trailing Houston 35-3 in the third quarter, Reich rallied the Bills to a 41-38 victory in overtime. The victory led to a Super Bowl appearance for Reich's Bills. Amazingly, eight years earlier, he set the record for the greatest comeback in NCAA Division I-A history by leading Maryland, trailing Miami and Bernie Kosar 31-0,to a 42-40 victory.
