I Corinthians 9:19

First Corinthians 9:19

In First Corinthians 9:19-22 the Bible says, "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

Because of what Jesus accomplished for us in His sacrifice on the cross, we who believe have been given a very great freedom. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." We are free from sin, free from condemnation, free from a guilty conscience, free from hell, free from the corruption of the world. We will have even more freedoms if we learn to enter into them by faith: we can be free from fear and worry, and we can be free from our burdens. Of all of the freedoms that we have through Jesus Christ, one of the greatest is to be free from the law. We are free from the requirement to keep a list of rules and regulations as the means to please God. The means to please God is faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." "The just shall live by faith."

Because we are free from the law we have a great freedom of action. That is one of the reasons that Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." The point that Paul is making in First Corinthians chapter 9 is that we must be careful with this great freedom that Jesus has given to us. Even though we are free, we must think of ourselves as servants. That is why Paul said in First Corinthians 9:19, "though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all." The Bible says that when Jesus came to the earth, He took upon Himself the form of a servant. The greatest thing that you will ever do in following God is to learn to be a servant.

In this passage of scripture Paul told us why he wanted to become a servant to others. He said, "That I might by all means save some." One of Paul’s primary goals in life was to see souls saved. There is nothing more valuable or more precious than a human soul. Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man should he gain the whole world but lose his own soul, or what could a man give in exchange for his soul?" If we are not concerned about souls or the salvation of souls, then we are either very immature spiritually or we have a spiritual problem. Paul was right to have such a great desire to see souls saved. Great honor and rewards will be given by God to those who have a part in such important work. The scripture says, "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever."

Paul said that he became all things to all men. Paul was concerned about the salvation of everyone that he met. It does not matter the race or the nationality or the religious background, everyone needs to be saved. In regards to the salvation of the soul, there is a great equality in the human race. God has created and given life to everyone who lives. God loves everyone. Everyone has sinned. Jesus died on the cross for everyone in the world. And there is only one way to be saved. Everyone who gets saved will be saved by exactly the same means as anyone else: faith in the Savior. All of these things and more tell us of the great equality that exists concerning every human being, and the equality of humans has its greatest application in the salvation of human souls. If you have prejudices of any kind against other humans, it will limit your ability to be a winner of souls.

When Paul said that he became all things to all men, Paul was primarily talking about his attitude. He did not put himself above any other human. He regarded all other humans as equals. He was not judgmental or condemning. He met people right where they were at. That is how God treats us when he saves us: He receives us just as we are. A great Christian hymn was written with this theme:

Just as I am without one plea,

But that thy blood was shed for me.

A theologian should be able to talk on the same level as any human that he meets. If he cannot, he is not all like Jesus, and not even like Paul. Evidently when Paul talked to people he found points of common interest. There is always more than one way of looking at things, and Paul tried to look at things from the perspective of the person to whom he was talking. Instead of finding reasons to disagree, he found reasons to agree. To the Jews, he was a Jew. To those without law, he was as without law. To those that were weak, he was as weak.

Some of the first missionaries to go to China at the first part of the 20th century applied this principle because they thought they were alienated from many of the Chinese by being dressed as westerners, and the western garb was a great deal different from that of the Chinese. These missionaries started dressing the way the Chinese dressed, and found many more doors opened to them to present the gospel. To the Chinese they became as Chinese that they might gain the more.

When Paul said, "I have become all things to all men," he was talking primarily about his attitude towards others and he was talking about his ability to get on the same wavelength as others; but of course, he was not saying that he participated in any wrongdoing with them. We know that we are not supposed to go out of the world: we are supposed to be in the world but not of the world.

Paul became all things to all men. If anyone ever talks down to you, or puts on airs with some kind of attitude of superiority, then you will know that they are a long way from understanding this important principle that Paul gave. If you have not had success in talking to other people about Christ, maybe you should ask yourself if you have learned to be all things to all men.

In First Corinthians 9:23 Paul said, "Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker of it with you." Why did Paul give up some of his freedoms and rights? Why did Paul become a servant to all? Why did Paul humble himself and learn to become all things to all men? He told us why. He said, "This I do for the gospel’s sake." What have you sacrificed, what have you given up, or what have you done away with for the sake of the gospel? How important is the spread of the gospel to you? Are there things in your life about which you can say "Now this I do for the gospel’s sake?"

As Paul was writing about how he had disciplined his life and organized his life for the sake of the gospel, he compared what he did to two different athletic competitive events. The first athletic event that Paul used for an illustration was that of running a race. Paul said in First Corinthians 9:24-25, "Know you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

Paul compared the Christian life to running a race. There are two attributes of running a race that Paul used. The first thing about running a race that one should notice is that everyone who is in the race is trying to win the race. They are not in the race to come in second or third place: but they are in the race to come in first place. That is their hope, that is their plan, and that is why they are running. The purpose of a race is to see who will come in first place, and the runners will expend every ounce of their strength and their energy to see what they can do. The Christian life is a race against time. You only have so much time, and then the race will be over. Someone who wins an important race can go down in history as one of the great athletes that the world has known. Just a few seconds or a few minutes of a race can result in someone receiving rewards and other positive consequences that can last for many years or even a lifetime. The Christian life is just like that. The race will be very short compared to eternity, but for those who receive rewards because of the race that they have run, there will be good consequences in the form of rewards and opportunities throughout all eternity.

The Christian life is a great challenge. When you were called to follow the teachings of Christ, in some ways you were called to one of the most challenging of life-styles. You will not be able to meet the challenge unless you strive for the mastery. It will demand a great effort on your part, and Paul said that the effort that is demanded of you is not unlike the effort that is made by someone who runs a race and who runs to win.

You must make the effort because you have decided that it is what you want to do, and Paul also said that you must be temperate in all things. To be temperate means to be under control. It means to not go to an excess in anything. Most sins are a result of failing to understand the importance of moderation. Something that is okay to do with moderation is often a great sin when it is done to excess. You must understand the nature of the contest that you are in, and then you must organize your life accordingly. Remember that he that strives for the mastery must be temperate in all things. Do not let anything control you in such a way that it will keep you from running the race.

Paul compared the Christian life to the running of a race, and he also compared it to a boxing match: to a fight. Paul said in First Corinthians 9:26, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air." Basically Paul is saying that when he observed boxers he noticed the very big difference between someone who was shadow-boxing, and someone else who was face to face with an opponent. Someone who is a shadow-boxer, who beats the air, can do no wrong. There are no real consequences to the fight that he is involved in. But that certainly is not true of someone who is in a real boxing match. A difficult fight with a dangerous opponent is what the Christian life is like. The spiritual forces of evil will sometimes come against you. You can win the fight by trusting in Christ who is more powerful than all, and by making the effort that He wants you to make. But never let your guard down. Do not forget that you are involved in a fight and in a war, with very serious consequences at stake. "The devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour," and trying to keep you from fulfilling your part in spreading the gospel.

Every believer should have as one of the primary objectives in life to help spread the gospel, because of the great commission that Jesus gave to the disciples and to the rest of us when He said, "Go into all the world and spread the gospel to every creature." But there is one great danger when someone aspires to tell others about the gospel of Christ, or about the Bible, or about God. The danger is that someone will make the proper effort in communicating these truths to others, but then they will neglect to make the same effort at applying to their own lives what they have been teaching. Paul said in First Corinthians 9:27, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

If you become someone who speaks in order to spread the gospel, never forget that there is something more important than what you say: and that is what you do. Actions speak louder than words even in the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are going to put an effort into speaking the truth, make sure that you make an equal effort into obeying the truth. Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do these things and teach them." Jesus also said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven."

Paul said that he did not want to become a castaway. The word that is translated "castaway" means disapproved. Paul is talking about the same concept as verse 25 where he mentioned an incorruptible crown that believers will win if they run a good race and fight a good fight. A Christian’s life will one day be evaluated by God, and each Christian will either win a crown or will be disapproved and will lose the crown. The Bible says in First Corinthians 1:14-15, "If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Do not ever take the mercy of God for granted. Just because salvation is by grace does not mean that there is a license to sin. "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap." Even if you are a Christian, there are a lot of good things that you can lose because of sin. Paul said that he took extra precautions to make sure that he did not lose his reward by becoming disapproved.

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