Saint Paul — "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, …"
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
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More from Saint Paul
"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!"
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law."
"For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that."
"And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Paul says he rigorously disciplines his physical desires and keeps them under strict control. He fears that after urging others to live righteously, he himself could fail the very standard he preached and be disqualified. The point is that teaching or leading does not exempt anyone from the same self-restraint demanded of followers. Personal integrity must match public instruction, or the messenger forfeits credibility and the reward promised to the faithful.
Relevance to Saint Paul
Paul was a former Pharisee turned traveling apostle who planted churches across the Roman world and wrote much of the New Testament. Trained in strict Jewish law under Gamaliel and later a tentmaker by trade, he knew both rigorous discipline and manual labor. Having persecuted Christians before his Damascus conversion, he carried acute awareness that zeal without integrity condemns. This verse mirrors his athletic metaphors and relentless drive to practice what he preached.
The era
First-century Corinth hosted the Isthmian Games, second only to the Olympics, where athletes trained brutally for a perishable pine wreath. Paul wrote this around 55 AD to Corinthian Christians surrounded by temple prostitution, gladiatorial spectacle, and Greco-Roman indulgence. Stoic philosophers also prized self-mastery, making his language resonate broadly. Early Christian leaders faced constant scrutiny from Roman authorities and rival teachers, so a preacher's moral collapse could discredit the fragile movement entirely.
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