Calabig’s Free Throw Lesson
by Oliver Carlos
One of my most memorable teachers was Mr. Mendelson Calabig. He was my Physical Education teacher twice, the first time was in UP Rural High School, and the second time was in UPLB. The sport he taught — my favorite, basketball!
In our college PE class, our final exam was free throw shooting. We were to attempt 30 times from the 15-foot line, and our final grade would depend on how many shots would go in. I made 29 out of 30 shots. Mr. Calabig gave me a 1.25. I felt bad for not getting a flat 1. I hit the first 3 shots, missed the 4th attempt, but made 26 straight free throws. However, it’s not perfect, so I didn’t get the perfect grade.
A quarter of a century later, our paths crossed anew. We became colleagues at work. Mr. Calabig and I became co-teachers in another university. The first time we met there, he shouted my name, ran to me, and shook my hand firmly. The first story he told me was that my record was still standing in UPLB all these years. Nobody has made a perfect 30/30 in the PE classes.
Years later after that meeting, I tried breaking my own record. There’s a half court in front of our house, and out of boredom, I would practice every day. In one instance, I made not only 30/30 free throws, but I made 40/40 free throws, and with my left hand at that! My feat was recorded on video and I posted it on FB with Mr. Calabig tagged so he can see my feat.
I realized one thing after breaking my record. No matter how many straight free throws I make, it won’t change my final grade. Even if I make 100/100, my grade would still be 1.25. It’s a permanent mark on my transcript.
There’s only one way my grade can be changed. Under university rules, that is when the professor would walk up to the academic council and ask the university bigwigs for a change-of-grade process. In essence the teacher would be saying, “Change the grade of my student, put the blame on me.”
This story has parallels to the Bible. Romans 3:23 (NLT) says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” This is similar to making 29/30 shots. Because of a missed free throw, even just one, we fall short of the standard. We are not good enough for God’s flat 1. Nobody is deserving of eternal life, fellowshipping with a holy God, because we have sin.
Next, no amount of good works can make us righteous. Ephesians 2:9 (NLT) made that clear: “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” In the shooting story, making 40/40 shots still wouldn’t change the grade I incurred in the past. After committing one missed shot, no number of free throws can make my grade a flat 1.
The only way for me to get a perfect grade is for the maker of the grade to declare that I am perfect. But for him to make such a declaration, he must also absorb the fault and bear the humiliation as he proclaims, “Oliver is perfect, count the error on me.”
Jesus did that when he died on the cross. He bore the full weight of our sins, so that we would be sinless. Let’s read 2 Corinthians 5:21 (MSG): “How? you ask, in Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.”
Therefore, getting saved is not a matter of our good works, but is a matter of God’s good work. On the cross, we are saved. It’s because of his grace. We read in Ephesians 2:8 (NLT): “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
Friends, the good news for today is that we can be perfect in the eyes of God, he can declare that we are righteous. This can happen IF we just allow him to. Let us repent from our sins, and believe that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross erases all our sins. As simple as that. Yes, that is how we accept God’s offer of making us sinless so he can bring us to heaven.
