A Lesson from March Madness: Life is Single Elimination

I, like million of others, am fascinated with the theatre that is called March Madness. The raw energy, effort, and emotion come at you in relentless waves. Even if you are not a basketball fan it’s easy to see these competitions as a microcosm of life. There are bad breaks and heartbreaks. There is reward and rapturous celebration. We vicariously experience the glory of winning and the despondency of defeat as we silently (and sometimes not so silently) rejoice with the victors and weep with the vanquished. But why such intensity? Because these tournaments are not double elimination. There are no do-overs, no mulligans. Keep winning and you hoist the trophy and wear the crown but if you lose you’re out, it’s over. There are no second chances. 

And I believe we so identify with this drama because we innately know life is the same way. And God’s Word confirms this. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27). Dwell on this truth for any length of time and it is both stunning and sobering. This is it, folks. We only have one life to live. Life is single elimination. We don’t get a second chance to get it right or do the right thing. The Scripture is clear about everyone’s progression: life, then death, then judgment, then eternity. It is unavoidable and we must be ready. 

But this seems so overwhelming. And actually it is. We have all made mistakes and sinned. I know no honest person that wouldn’t share a litany of regrets and poor decisions.  I believe this is because the law has been written on our hearts (see Romans 2:12-16) so we intrinsically know that we have all failed to do what is right and do so most of the time. Paul captured this reality by saying that, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And falling short in one area condemns us in all of them (James 2:10) Combine this with life’s brevity (James 4:14) and you have the perfect storm for becoming fatalistic or worldly, grasping for this life’s empty trinkets because we seem destined for constant spiritual and moral failure anyway. “Life’s short, so live it up, go for the gusto, and enjoy it while you can,” they say. Sadly, this is the dark, hopeless reality for so many. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

The verses that immediately precede and succeed Hebrew’s announcement of appointed death and eventual judgment tell us some good news that is worth sharing. It’s true that we can’t live a life that measures up to God’s holy standard, but enter Jesus the Messiah, the Savior. Consider the writer’s words of hope: 

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf….But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself…so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:24, 26, 28). 

Yes, there is a righteous judge and judgment awaiting us all but there is also a Savior for all those who believe. Jesus is the one who has put away the sin, taking it on Himself, of those who see Him as their only hope, those who are “eagerly waiting for Him.” Jesus is now appearing before God and pleading His follower’s defense, saying, in essence, ‘look at my righteousness and not their filthy rags’. Yes, He is the righteous judge of those who reject Him but He is the also righteous defense attorney who makes the winning argument on our behalf before a God who demands absolute perfection. And He is coming again to reveal the culmination of our redemption. 

In other words, without Christ, life is a single elimination deal with no hopes of winning. We can’t be victorious in the battle for holiness nor hoist the trophy (reward) of a righteous life on our own. We will never wear the crown in life or death apart from Him, His mercy, and His grace. We can’t but He can for us. And He has. But we must receive His gift of triumph, the victory over sin and death He has secured for us. And we must forsake any thought there is any other way but Him. As Paul said, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).