{
 "id": "basics-def-race-of-life",
 "question": "What does the Bible mean by the race of life?",
 "answer": "The race of life is Scripture's picture of the believer's course: God has set a race before every one of us, and we choose whether to run it, how to run it, and whether to endure to the finish.\n\nThe race has three phases. The start is salvation, which happens in a split-second. The distance is spiritual growth - the hardest part, because it is a process and every process takes time. The finish is death or the Rapture, which again happens in a split-second.\n\nThe race is a source of joy to the one who has built strength and trained; a strong man loves the challenge of it, and the Christian way of life is enjoyable when we follow the training program. Endurance comes from persistent study of the Word of God, and we will not be any more persistent in application than we are in study. Everything in the cosmos is set against our keeping that focus, so each of us chooses whether we will give in to the distractions and entanglements or press on to finish with honor.",
 "url": "/faq/what-does-the-bible-mean-by-the-race/",
 "unit": 3,
 "lesson": "3-1",
 "lesson_title": "The Race of Life",
 "question_type": "definition",
 "tier": 1,
 "faq_class": "definition",
 "aeo_questions": [
  "What does the Bible mean by the concept of running a race in life according to its teachings?",
  "How does the Bible describe the Christian life as a race to be run with endurance?",
  "What are the three stages of the believer's course as described in the Bible, from start to finish?"
 ],
 "topic_anchor": "Race of life",
 "derivation": "derived-definition",
 "source_authority": "authoritative",
 "author": "Gene Cunningham",
 "book": "The Basics",
 "source": {
  "doc_id": "btbm-01-TheBasics-8-10-24",
  "ref": "The Basics, Unit 3 - The Race of Life (pp. 123-128)",
  "segment_id": "the-basics__def__race-of-life",
  "book_page": [
   128,
   128
  ]
 },
 "scripture": [
  {
   "display": "Isaiah 40:31",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Jeremiah 12:5",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "1 Corinthians 9:24",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Galatians 5:7",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Hebrews 12:1",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Psalms 19:5",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Psalms 119:32",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Proverbs 4:12",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    140
   ]
  }
 ],
 "topics": [
  "Death",
  "Growth",
  "Race of life",
  "Rapture",
  "Salvation",
  "The Christian way of Life"
 ],
 "topics_context": [
  "Race of life",
  "Small things",
  "Christian, way of life",
  "Faith and endurance",
  "Hebrew words for Faith"
 ],
 "printed_pages": [
  128
 ],
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