Paul is in the midst of two running arguments in this passage.
First, he is continuing to deal with the touchy issue of food sacrificed to
idols. Then, within this argument, he is defending his own position as an
apostle AND his behavior in the community, which has apparently come into
question. Yet, in the midst of these responses, we have a beautiful vision
of just how devoted Paul has become to the gospel. The first point he wants
to make is that his proclaiming the gospel, or evangelizing, is not just a
good idea he came up with. He can’t brag about it, because God called
him to it. It wasn’t his choice. It was God’s. Paul gets no reward
for service; instead, he has been literally “entrusted with a commission.”
God has compelled him to do this. Note the number of times he uses the word
“all” toward the end of the passage. He doesn’t leave much
room for half-hearted living or playing favorites.
Paul’s reward is being able to carry out his commission
without taking advantage of his right to be paid. He isn’t bound by a
paycheck. Therefore, he is free. In his freedom, he willingly becomes a slave
or servant to everyone.
Paul then goes on to describe (and at the same time defend)
his behavior toward non-Christians and vulnerable believers. His goal in all
his actions is to win or gain converts to the gospel. The word here (kerdaino)
can be defined as “to acquire by effort or investment, to gain”
(BDAG, 2000). This could be taken as similar to what Jesus said to His disciples
at Sychar in John 4:34-38, “My food is to do the will of him who sent
me.” It’s interesting to note that in both passages, evangelism
of those outside the Kingdom is the central activity.
Paul then breaks the people with whom he has interacted into
four categories. It need not be assumed that these are four distinct groups.
The divisions are simply different angles from which to view them.
1 Corinthians 9:20: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to
win the Jews.” This is the pattern: “To the . . . I became like
. . . to win . . .” “Jews” refers to those born into Judaism
who follow its ceremonial customs (since Paul is already a Jew and doesn’t
see ceremonial issues as having anything to do with salvation as long as one
doesn’t put confidence in these actions). “Those under the law”
is probably another reference to the Jews’ obedience to the full law
code, although it could possibly refer to proselytes. Paul is careful to distinguish
his behavior in order to reach these people from believing this behavior secures
his salvation. “Those not having the law” most likely refers to
Gentiles. Here Paul is careful to delineate that a basic moral lifestyle that
is faithful to Christ has not been abandoned. Christ is Lord of his activity.
Some Corinthians have failed to make this distinction. “The weak”
are thrown in among these groups to acknowledge that they have a long way
to go in their spiritual maturity; they are not nonbelievers, but they are
vulnerable in similar ways. If they persist in a legalistic mindset or massively
violate their conscience (see chapter 8), they may lose their faith. Finally,
Paul makes one of the most amazing statements in the Bible, 1 Corinthians
9:22: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means
I might save some.” He does “everything” for the gospel so
he might share in its blessings (evidently referring to the joy of people
finding faith or going on to maturity as a result of his ministry).
For those in full-time ministry the application is obvious.
The same spirit can captivate our hearts, even if we are paid for our ministries.
Our attitudes and actions can still put the gospel first. Paul is a wonderful
example of lifestyle evangelism and preaching for the right reasons. Our people
need to hear sermons where the call to preach is named and explored. If they
never hear about it from the pulpit, they won’t be able to discern God’s
voice very effectively. Here we can proclaim the proper motivations for ministry
and the worthy goals of preaching and ministering. This is as good a place
as any to be reminded that we are not called to preach “texts” out
of the Bible. We are called to preach the gospel. We are called to put every
text into the context of God’s saving message in Jesus. We are called
to invite people to give their lives to this purpose: reaching others with
the gospel.
There is even broader application here. Every believer, regardless
of vocation, can give themselves to gospel purposes. In fact, since Paul essentially
has another job, he is engaging in ministry in his “free time” and
provides an example for those who work in the marketplace or home and love
Jesus. The text begs the real-life excuse, “But I don’t have time.”
Could any of us look Paul in the eye and make that claim? Paul apparently
did not have a family, so some accommodation needs to be made. He still could
have been distracted from his purpose by dozens of legitimate concerns, yet
he maintained a singular focus for daily living: furthering the gospel. Perhaps
we have here a legitimate homiletical bind, and perhaps Dr. Lowry (see last
week’s notes) is smiling.
(For the full manuscript of this sermon
go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons”)
One has at least two options for the sermon. It can become an
important occasion to cast a vision for God’s call to full-time ministry.
This can also give the preacher an opportunity to explain his or her own philosophy
of ministry (after a bit of thoughtful examination of one’s present ministry!).
Confession is good for the soul. If one is preaching to preachers, there is
amazingly fertile ground at every turn. It’s almost easy to see how the
calling can be renewed by the passionate and vulnerable proclamation of this
text in light of the gospel. (I think I just preached it to myself!)
The other option is to give laypersons a vision toward which to live. Here is the real and original purpose-driven life: to become all things to everyone that I might, by all possible means, save some. Some will need a bit of balancing here as they might neglect major responsibilities in this task. Craig Blomberg makes a key point for preaching to laypersons in The NIV Application Commentary, “The most important lesson . . . may relate to their choices of companions, whom they spend significant time with, cultivating friendships and engaging in recreation or leisure-time pursuits” (1 Corinthians, 188). As in chapter 8, unless love is our genuine motivation, these actions will be empty and manipulative. Here we all have the opportunity to live with gospel purpose to the glory of God. I cannot imagine any more rewarding life! The text also gives opportunity to present some details and subtleties about the relationship between lifestyle and the gospel. We can’t earn it, but we can live it by God’s grace!
