I was leafing through a popular magazine at the barbershop when an article about a particular coach piqued my interest. One of my sports-savvy friends even had a biography of that coach on his living room table. I learned that not only was this man a great coach, but also that he belonged to an exclusive group of people who understood the game.

SPORTS AND THE LAW OF GOD¹

Rules are the first parallel that comes to mind between sports and God’s law. Rules shape, permit, forbid, protect, and have consequences. However, in some ways, this rather Western concept of the law is at odds with the biblical definition.² An analogy between sports and the law would include but not be limited to the rules. While many people can give the reason for a rule, not everyone can interpret the game. This is where the coach fits in. A more biblical understanding of the law is one of direction³— knowing what to do (and what not to do), and when to do it. The Torah, the written law in the Bible, applied to sports, would mean understanding the entire game, its secrets, its beauty, its logic—and, of course, rules would be included in that whole.

Ever since I was a child, I have found it difficult to understand how some people could love a set of rules so much that they think about them day and night. But suppose we view the Law in its broader sense, as the instruction unlocking the game’s secrets (including the rules). We might then envision believers loving and even being grateful for clues that help us understand it, meditating on these clues day and night, raising a cheer for the instruction, and seeking every opportunity to learn more (e.g., Joshua 1:7, 8, Ezra 7:10, Psalm 1:2, 19:7, 40:8, 119:1, 18, 29, 44, 69, 70, 77, 97, 113).

Imagine experts on a radio or television program debating with a 12-year-old boy who is consistently one step ahead of them. Part of the reason a child from a simple family in Nazareth could surprise doctors of the law is that while they knew the rules, He understood the game.⁴

In sports, understanding the game involves knowing the rules, strategy, nutrition, physiology, psychology, and statistics. Other factors include the ball’s physics, the human body’s biomechanics, the neurosciences of learning and adapting, and even weather and atmospheric conditions. A coach does not have to be an expert in all those fields—no one can be—but a coach who understands the game needs to have correct intuition about the interaction of different factors.⁵ Even then, knowing the game requires the capacity to select and prioritize. “With their magnifying of things small and their belittling of things great,”⁶ the rabbinic schools contributed little to the “game” of life. In contrast, Jesus prioritized “that which will enlarge man’s capacity for knowing God, and increase his power to do good.”⁷ He summarized all the Law and the Prophets into one notion: love (Matthew 22:36–40).

To ““Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”’” and to “‘“Love your neighbor as yourself”’” (NIV)⁸ is comparable to a coach saying: “Go, play well, play with all your heart.” Love is the whole point. Every bit of knowledge and skill is meant to contribute to that. The problem is that most of us have inadequate notions of love, so God was precise in teaching us what love is—and, most importantly, how to love. The law is that instruction. This means we don’t have to wait until the second coming of Jesus to have a better life.⁹ We can begin a process now of being taught by the One who created life and love.

NOT A MERE SOCIAL CONVERSATION

Sports are a popular topic of conversation in the part of the world where I live. People enthusiastically discuss various games, and self-proclaimed “experts” share their views, claiming to understand why a team does not perform well, and offering potential solutions. However, most of these “experts” never enter the field of play, at least not the one they are discussing. And we can do something similar to the law. We analyze and discuss it, but how much does it affect the field of play in our lives? We might talk about economics and business, but do we put our money on the line?

Whether we realize it or not, we are always “playing” and putting our capital at risk as long as we are alive. Our emotions, health, time, relationships, abilities, and projects are all factors in what we call the “game of life.” We are constantly doing—or failing to do—something with our lives that impacts us and those around us.

COVENANT AND TORAH

The comparison is limited, and differences exist in the analogies we might use. God is not reducible to a coach, nor entirely comparable to a hen, eagle, grapevine, door, or rock. There is another distinct difference: Most renowned coaches have access to elite players. Unlike top coaches, God was willing to make a standard for the rest of the nations from a people enslaved for generations.

It would be comparable to a world-class coach offering to train a group of amateur enthusiasts who are incapable of paying him and do not merit his attention. Nonetheless, let’s presume he desires to do so. It would require some kind of relationship, with the coach making a statement similar to this: “I shall be your coach, and you will be my team. If you trust me, you will follow my directions, and I guarantee you will be astounded by how well you play. Others will also inquire about the reason for this transformation, and you will be able to teach them as well.”10 If accepted, this relationship encompasses their entire life. Every request is for their good, even if they cannot fully comprehend it at that moment.

Acceptance and commitment are essential components of a covenant relationship. God’s love is not diminished for those who reject Him. It’s their loss. He “‘causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’” (Matthew 5:45, NIV). However, He seeks to bless His creatures to the extent they will allow it.¹¹ Transformation and guidance into a better life are components of the gift.¹²

I recall a coach discussing goals with us on the first day of pre-season training. He said, “We can have a good time together by practicing less and conversing more. We just have to lower our expectations. However, if we want to make the playoffs, we must practice hard. By working hard, you will not be doing it to impress me but rather to have a whole different experience when you play.” We trusted him and yet could hardly believe it when we were playing well and in the finals.¹³

That a world-class coach would be willing to lead a group of amateurs is extremely unlikely. However, this is Old Testament grace. Before offering the Ten Commandments as a gift at Sinai, the narrative makes clear the existence of a covenant relationship (Exodus 19:5) in which God compared Himself to a parent eagle who would teach them how to fly¹⁴ and, in another metaphor, transform them into a kingdom of priests and holy people.¹⁵ That’s what the covenant and the Torah do: transform a bunch of slaves into a royal priesthood.

Anyone can join this team and improve if they believe in the Coach. Such trust means doing what He asks, even if they don’t always understand it. They accept that God “will show . . . [them] the path of life” (Psalm 16:11, NKJV)¹⁶ and will never lead them “otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning.”¹⁷

COVENANT AND TORAH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The notion that there is such a thing as truth has been rejected in many areas of the world.¹⁸ That is challenging, and yet, it would not be the first time that the covenant people had to deal with a pluralistic scenario. In a polytheistic environment, they lacked a rationale to defend their position in the face of assumptions foreign to their worldview about other people’s gods. Even if a third party wished to provide them with these parameters, they would not be considered superior to what Yahweh proposed. Their sure defense was what Yahweh said, as opposed to the claims on behalf of other gods.

It was a matter of allegiance, alliance, or vow to one of these divinities that formed the core of how they understood and “played” the “game of life.” Through His people, God wanted to show what He desired to do with all humanity. This alliance should not have been enjoyed in isolation; on the contrary, the opportunity to enter into a covenant with Yahweh and to enjoy the blessings of that relationship should have been extended to others. Covenant and Torah grew out of the goodness of God then, and they will become a decisive test at the end of the Great Controversy.

THE OPPORTUNITY STILL STANDS

If I were an athlete, I would like to have a great coach. I would love to learn from him or her during training hours, share the playing field, and make the most of every opportunity to listen and learn. I would not try to twist his or her coaching into my opinions because I would realize that the coach knows better. On the contrary, I would listen as carefully as possible and remember the gift of his or her instruction.

The Bible reminds me that an even bigger opportunity still exists. The covenant and Torah, as well as the teachings of Jesus, are available for everyone. The One who can transform a group of slaves into kings and priests can instruct our lives, families, churches, and universities on the secrets of life.

Marcelo Falconier (PhD candidate in Education, Andrews University, Michigan, U.S.A.) is a Professor of Educational Foundations and Religious Education, and Chair of the College of Education at River Plate Adventist University, Entre Rios, Argentina. E-mail: [email protected].

Recommended Citation

Marcelo Falconier, "What a Sports Coach Taught Me About the Law of God," Dialogue 37:2 (2025): 10-13

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. Some readers might find this comparison disrespectful. That is not my intention, and the attempt has biblical precedents. Even when these games were occasionally violent and dedicated to pagan deities, Paul seemed to have prioritized their relevance to his audience. See Bradley Arnold, “Re-envisioning the Olympic Games: Paul’s Use of Athletic Imagery in Philippians,” Theology 115:4 (2012): 243–252. https://doi. org/10.1177/0040571X12440919; Edgar Krentz, "Paul, Games, and the Military" in Paul and the Greco-Roman World, J. Paul Sampley, ed. (Harrisburg, Penna,: Trinity Press International, 2003): 344–383; Oscar Broneer, “The Apostle Paul and the Isthmian Games,” The Biblical Archaeologist 25:1 (February 1962): 2–31; Brian Brock, “Discipline, Sport, and the Religion of Winners: Paul on Running to Win the Prize, I Corinthians 9:24–27,” Studies in Christian Ethics 25:1 (February 2012): 4–19.
2. Siegfried H. Horn, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary rev. ed. (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1979), s.v., “law.”
3. R. Liwak, “Tôrâ,” Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, G. Johannes, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds., David E. Green, trans. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2006), 15: 609–649.
4. Luke 2:46, 47. David Perkins argues that teaching for understanding requires a global vision. He uses baseball as an example and argues that a child does not learn how to play by learning every rule, every distance and dimension because even if that would be possible, he or she could not enter the field and apply all of them at once. Cf. David Perkins, Making Learning Whole. How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010). And that is what religious leaders were attempting by the time Jesus came to this earth.
5. College-educated Christians can make a great contribution to society on this. See, for example, Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun, For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos, 2019).
6. Ellen White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1903), 77.
7. Ibid., 81.
8. Scripture references in this article credited to NIV are quoted from the New International Version of the Bible. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
9. “‘Something better’ is the watchword of education, the law of all true living” (White, Education, 296).
10. I could not include all the elements without forcing the analogy. For a more accurate description of covenant in Old Testament times, see George E. Mendenhall, Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East (Pittsburgh: The Biblical Colloquium, 1955).
11. John Peckham states: “the freedom of humans to respond to God does not mean that humans merit God’s love or in any way earn the right to relationship with him; the positive human response to God’s love is no more meritorious than the acceptance of a gift from a benefactor” (The Love of God: A Canonical Model [Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2015], 153).
12. The concept that humans play a passive role must be revisited. True, some theologians have concluded that salvation can be earned via works, but the solution is not to assume a passive role of humanity in transformation. Here the sports analogy is helpful as well: The coach’s decision to train us is a gift, and this gift entails that we train and follow instructions—not to earn merit but as part of the gift itself.
13. Ellen White wrote: “The true teacher is not satisfied with second-rate work. He is not satisfied with directing his students to a standard lower than the highest which it is possible for them to attain. . . . It is his ambition to inspire them with principles of truth, obedience, honor, integrity, and purity— principles that will make them a positive force for the stability and uplifting of society. He desires them, above all else, to learn life's great lesson of unselfish service. These principles become a living power to shape the character, through the acquaintance of the soul with Christ, through an acceptance of His wisdom as the guide, His power as the strength, of heart and life. This union formed, the student has found the Source of wisdom. He has within his reach the power to realize in himself his noblest ideals. The opportunities of the highest education for life in this world are his. And in the training here gained, he is entering upon that course which embraces eternity” (Education, 29, 30).
14. This image is more explicit in Deutoronomy 32:11.
15. John Davies, A Royal Priesthood: Literary and Intertextual Perspectives on an Image of Israel in Exodus 19.6 (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies, 395) (New York: T & T Clark, 2004), 37.
16. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
17. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1898), 224.
18. There have been numerous attempts to characterize this phenomenon. Probably the most widely used has been the notion of “postmodernism,” usually referring to the culture in postindustrial societies and the crisis of modern metanarrative.