Key verse: 9:22b-23
"I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."
In last week's passage, we learned that we need be aware of others when we practice our freedom. Our freedom may cause others to stumble. Today I would like to talk about how Paul gave up his freedom and rights as an apostle and became a slave to all in order to save others.
I. Paul's freedom and rights as an apostle (1-14).
Some of the Christians in Corinth were questioning Paul's authority as an apostle They thought that Paul was not qualified to be an apostle and should not be supported financially. From chapter 4 we learned that the Christians in Corinth had a worldly view of what a Christian leader should be. They thought Paul was soft and a weak leader. He was not exercising his rights as a leader by bossing others around. But instead he was serving others.
Look at verse 1. "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." Paul was obviously a genuine apostle. He did not only see a vision of Jesus but an authentic appearance of the post-resurrection Jesus on the road to Damascus and Jesus commission Paul on the spot as an apostle (Acts 26:12-18). Paul was free, not under authority to anyone but Jesus Christ. And the work of God among Corinth was evidence enough of Paul's apostolic credentials. They were the seal of Paul's apostleship in the Lord.
Verses 4-6 Paul tells his rights as an apostle. "Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?" It wasn't that the Corinthian Christians questioned Paul's right to eat but Paul means that as an apostle or as a pastor like he has the right to eat and drink at the expense of those ministers to. Also the right to bring along a wife, family member when traveling for ministry. And the right not to work for a living, but as be supported by those who he ministers to. A full-time pastor is probably is the hardest job there is. That's why a pastor needs a lot of support from members of the church.
Look at verse 7-12. "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?"
For a full-time preacher like Paul, it is just normal to be supported by those he ministers to. Even Lord Jesus commanded his disciples when he sent them out to preach, cast out demons, and heal the sick, not to bring anything: gold, extra sandals or staff. For the laborer deserves his food (verse 14, Matthew 10:10).
Paul gives up his freedom and rights for the gospel(14-18)
Lets read verses 15-18. "But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel."
Even though Paul had many rights and freedom to exercise his rights, he chose not to. He was not concern whether he gets the support of others or not. He was not concern whether he gets paid, underpaid, or not paid at all. He was not hinting the Christian in Corinth for support saying, "I need your support so I can preach effectively." What matters to Paul was the gospel. He just wanted to preach the gospel. He wanted to preach not for human ambition, to make a living, or to impress others with his wisdom. But Paul preaches because God told him to. He knew that he had this strong calling from Jesus to preach. For sure that event on the road to Damascus where he met Jesus was in his mind and heart every single day. He knew his purpose in life was to preach the gospel. All he wanted is to preach the gospel and he was able to without anyone's support but God.
Paul uses his freedom to enslave himself to all
In these verses tells us why Paul wanted to preach the gospel. Look at verses 19-23. "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."
a. To win others
If you look at verses 20-21, Five times he says that his goal is to win people. Verse 19: "that I might win the more." Verse 20: " that I might win the Jews . . . that I might win those under the law." Verse 21: "That I might win those who are without law." Verse 22: "That I might win the weak."
b. To Save Others
Then at the end of verse 22 in his summary statement he says, another goal, "I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some."
c. To Be a Partaker of the Benefits of the Gospel
Then in verse 23 he gives one last goal: "And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it." Lutheran Scholar R.H. Lenski says what it means. Paul is saying, "If I omit this concern of love for others, although through my work, devoid of such love, many others may be saved, yet I myself would not be saved." In other words, if Paul was to ignore the salvation of others and stop loving others, then he would be bear witness that his faith in Jesus would be false.
So what does this mean to win others for what? Save others from what?
Paul's goal is to win others to Jesus who gives eternal life. Paul became all things to all men so that they might meet Jesus and win them to Jesus. Many Christians today believe that the gospel is good news because it saves them from life's problems: depression, grief, abandonment, loneliness, anger, low self-esteem, fear, etc. The gospel does save us from all those things. But that is not what makes it the gospel. If the gospel did not touch any of those things in this life it would still be unspeakably good news. Because the gospel saves us from something bigger than those things. The problems we face here on earth are small compared to what the gospel really saves from. Romans 5:9 "Having now been justified by His(Jesus') blood, we shall be saved from the wrath [of God] through Him(Jesus Christ)." When we put our trust in Christ, we are saved from "the wrath of God." The bible says that the wages of sin is death. We are all sinful and no one is righteous and we are in danger of God's judgment. John 3:16 says implies that we are perishing people.
In verse 22 Paul says, "I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some"—from the wrath of God. The gospel is the good news that God has made a way to save us from his own wrath. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Paul says that "Jesus delivers us [=saves us] from the wrath to come."
When the time comes, all things comes to an end, there will be two events that big. Those who are in Jesus will be saved and enter heaven for eternity and those who are not in Jesus will face Almighty Infinite God with fire in his eyes against the unbelievers. Jesus describes hell and it's horrendous: "weeping and gnashing of teeth." where the worms that eat them do not die and fire is not quenched."
For us Christians, should we be just enjoy God and just enjoy fellowshipping with fellow believers? Should we be also thinking of others and finding ways to help others who are in danger of the coming wrath?
So Paul was constantly thinking of others and his strategy in winning and saving others is to use his Christian freedom to become the slave of all. Look at verse 9. "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more." Paul used his freedom to become a servant. In 1520 Martin Luther, the great Reformer in Germany, wrote a treatise called "The Freedom of the Christian." He began it with this paradox: A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
Galatians 5:13 has the same meaning as verse 19. It says, "You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." That's what Paul says he is doing in verse 19: "Though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave [or servant] to all." This love is not human love, but God gives us his love to serve others. So our goal as Christians is to show the love of God to the others by serving others.
Paul’s attitude in pursuing his goal(24-27)
Paul used his freedom to enslave himself to all people. But he could not do so without very strict personal training, just like the best athletes of his day, who had to beat their body into total submission (24-27) . Many perhaps want to be influential Christian leaders, but who may quite unwilling to pay the high cost of self-sacrifice and the loss of personal comfort.
In this passage we learn of Paul who gave up his rights and freedom in order to save others. Paul imitated the life of Jesus who gave up everything to save us from our sins and have eternal life. May God use us to help others and win others to Jesus.
