The weather temperature is dropping and the sounds of the Seminole war chant are in the air in Tallahassee, Florida. The Fall semester is officially here and with it the college football season. Each Fall, beginning in September, brings with it a sense of expectation and excitement. All day tailgates are a reminder that there is no college sports environment quite like NCAA football.
Leading up to this season, college football has been plagued with scandals and probations. Create a scenario where you compete against your rivals, have millions of dollars at stake, tens of thousands of rowdy fans that demand victory, coaches’ jobs on the line every year, and you have a perfect "recipe for rules infractions".
Most notably are the incidents that happened at Ohio State University and the University of Miami. Both programs are suffering from violating rules involving recruiting and illegal player compensation. It seems many college football programs are “gaining the whole world while losing their soul”.
A couple of weeks ago I was watching a roundtable discussion on ESPN with former Florida Gator’s coach Urban Meyer and some current prominent college football coaches. The topic of discussion was about how to punish programs that initiate and allow activity that breaks NCAA rules and policies. There seemed to be a consensus from the panel that the NCAA should make more rules and enforce them more strictly. This was their solution to stopping a problem that has tainted college football for quite some time.
While I appreciated their passion and commitment to uphold, enforce and improve NCAA college football rules, I couldn’t help but think about how the Bible reminds us that rules have never stopped people from participating in inappropriate conduct.
Think about it, even the Ten Commandments, couldn’t keep the Israelites from sinning and rebelling against God’s laws. God was never surprised that commandments, rules and laws didn’t change people’s behavior. These were never God’s final remedy for the sinful condition of human nature. God’s law was a schoolmaster intended to guide them to something, or should I more accurately write someone, much greater and more powerful.
Galatians 3:4 says, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (KJV)
Apostle Paul, the writer of Galatians, uses a metaphor in this verse about the Jewish law, the Greek word “paedagogos” which was in ancient Greece, a trustworthy attendant for children.
The “schoolmaster” in the historical context of this Scripture was not the teacher, but rather the slave, who cared for the master’s son from around the age of 6 or 7 until they reached puberty. The servant, usually elderly, would escort the child to school and care for his safety in his immaturity, seeing that this child too was his master. Once the child grew up, he was no longer required to obey his servant.
The technical duty of the attendant, according to historians, was to guard the children from evil, both physical and moral, rather than instruction. He went with them to and from the school and gymnasium, and was personably responsible for their safety and protected them from any bad company.
This is striking imagery of how the Law was primarily given for a certain purpose as an attendant to lead us to Jesus, who is the real teacher. Paul makes it clear that the Law was never given to teach us (we could never obey it), but rather it was an instructor pointing to the One who is the only teacher, Jesus!
When Jesus ministered on earth, He did not give people more rules and laws. Instead, he summed up our whole purpose in life with one “big idea” statement: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself”. All the Law hangs on this one “big idea” (Matthew 22:37-40).
More NCAA rules will never change the corrupt activity in major college football, just as more laws in our society will never keep people from committing crimes. Our only hope for this nation, and our only hope for the future of college football, is people who love Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. These people are the ones who have repented of their sins, put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and have received a new righteous nature.
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have more of these people leading our nation, our college football programs, and competing on the gridirons across our country? I think of a guy like Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who won the Super Bowl doing things the right way. According to Dungy, the key to his success was following Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He won the most prestigious prize in pro football free of scandals and violations. More college coaches need to follow his example.
College football has created a “recipe for rules infractions”, and only Jesus Christ (not more rules) can change the content and intent of the ingredients!
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