"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some!" (I Corinthians 9:22)
In our last two lessons on I Corinthians 8-9, we saw how the apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers to "take care that their 'liberty in Christ' did not become a 'stumbling block' to the weak," and even resolved that he himself "would not eat meat offered to idols again if it caused his weaker brother to stumble"! And he went further in applying this same principle to his work as a minister of the gospel, by refusing to expect or demand wages for it--even though he had a clear right to receive them! And even though it was written in the Law of Moses that "you should not muzzle an ox while it is threshing;" and even though "if he sowed spiritual things in them, it wasn't to much to expect to reap material things from them"! And even though Jesus Christ Himself declared that "those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel"! And yet--despite all these reasons for his rights--Paul determined not to use any of it on his behalf, but chose instead to "endure all things so that he wasn't a hindrance to the gospel of Christ"! And he also wanted to make it clear to all that he wasn't just writing all these things about his rights "so that it would now be done for him"! He added that he'd "rather die than for anyone to think that he was in it for the money! He was "under compulsion to preach the gospel," he said! It was a "stewardship entrusted to him" by God; and "woe is me if I do not preach the gospel"! Wow!
And that set the scene for our lesson last night, on I Corinthians 9:17-29, where Paul continues to write about his calling from God to preach the gospel, and to do it without charge! And he begins by stating that "for though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more"! (There he goes again!) Paul claims that he would absolutely do anything (within the bounds of God's Word) to win people to Christ, illustrating again the principle of how "love limits our liberty" as believers! And what follows demonstrates how Paul denied himself to accomplished it!
And so what's involved for one to apply this principle in every day life? MacArthur writes that it involves two basic things, which we see illustrated in this text: self-denial and self-control! And lots of both! Let's see!
Paul writes, in verse 20 that, "To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews!" The Phillips translation puts it this way: "To those who were under the Law I put myself in the position of being under the Law (although I stand free from it), that I might win those who are under the Law!" And so Paul basically identified himself with his fellow Jews when he was with them, adapting himself to the Jewish culture and customs-- keeping the Sabbath, engaging in their feasts and ceremonies, and rituals, and doing whatever was necessary to gain a hearing, and thus be able to share the truths of the gospel with them! For example:
Then, in verse 21, Paul writes about "those who are without the Law" (speaking of Gentiles)! Phillips says, "To those who had no law I myself became like a man with the Law (even though in fact I cannot be a lawless man for I am bound by the law of Christ), so that I might win the men who have no Law"!
To further clarify this difficult verse, Constable writes that, "As a Christian Paul was not under the Law of Moses, but he was under the 'law of Christ"! The Law of God for Jews, before the Cross, was the Law of Moses, but the law for Christians, in the present age, is the "Law of Christ," and Constable goes on to describe it as "the code of responsibilities that Christ and His apostles taught in the New Testament, which include some of the same commandments as are in the Mosaic Law! Galatians 5:14 say, "...the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself"! Romans 13:8 says, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor fulfills the Law"! And Christ, in Matthew 22:37-38, said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it; 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself! On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the prophets!" (Sounds like the "Law of love," to which Paul said he was "bound"! And to which we too are bound!)
But Paul's not done! In verse 22, he says that, "To the weak I have become weak, so that I may by all means win some! I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some! I do all things for the sake of the gospel. so that I may become a fellow partaker of it!" Wow!
MacArthur notes that Paul "stooped to make the gospel clear at the lower level of comprehension...not offending anyone within the bounds of God's Word, including those weak in understanding; condescending in ways that could lead to salvation, but never changing Scripture or compromising the truth" in doing so! And so, in this passage, a whole lot of self-denial going on!
But Paul's not done in illustrating what's involved in serving God and his fellow man! It also requires lots of self-control! And it comes out loud and clear in verses 24-27!
Do you not know (Paul writes) that those who run in a race run all, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win! Everyone who competes in the game exercises self-control in all things! They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable! Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified! Wow!
The analogies are clear!
Paul writes in II Timothy 4:7-8, "But have nothing to do with worldly fables, fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life, and also for the life to come!"
Paul says that he needed to discipline and control his body--make it his slave, and bring it under subjection, so that he doesn't get disqualified from "running the race"! (MacArthur notes that "liberty cannot be limited without self-control, since the flesh resists limits on its freedom"!) Can you imagine the apostle Paul ever becoming disqualified from preaching the gospel and running the race, and serving the Lord?
How much more should this speak to us?
The apostle Paul might ask this of us: "Are you ready, and willing, to limit your liberty out of love for Christ, and others"?
Lowell
In our last two lessons on I Corinthians 8-9, we saw how the apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers to "take care that their 'liberty in Christ' did not become a 'stumbling block' to the weak," and even resolved that he himself "would not eat meat offered to idols again if it caused his weaker brother to stumble"! And he went further in applying this same principle to his work as a minister of the gospel, by refusing to expect or demand wages for it--even though he had a clear right to receive them! And even though it was written in the Law of Moses that "you should not muzzle an ox while it is threshing;" and even though "if he sowed spiritual things in them, it wasn't to much to expect to reap material things from them"! And even though Jesus Christ Himself declared that "those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel"! And yet--despite all these reasons for his rights--Paul determined not to use any of it on his behalf, but chose instead to "endure all things so that he wasn't a hindrance to the gospel of Christ"! And he also wanted to make it clear to all that he wasn't just writing all these things about his rights "so that it would now be done for him"! He added that he'd "rather die than for anyone to think that he was in it for the money! He was "under compulsion to preach the gospel," he said! It was a "stewardship entrusted to him" by God; and "woe is me if I do not preach the gospel"! Wow!
And that set the scene for our lesson last night, on I Corinthians 9:17-29, where Paul continues to write about his calling from God to preach the gospel, and to do it without charge! And he begins by stating that "for though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more"! (There he goes again!) Paul claims that he would absolutely do anything (within the bounds of God's Word) to win people to Christ, illustrating again the principle of how "love limits our liberty" as believers! And what follows demonstrates how Paul denied himself to accomplished it!
And so what's involved for one to apply this principle in every day life? MacArthur writes that it involves two basic things, which we see illustrated in this text: self-denial and self-control! And lots of both! Let's see!
Paul writes, in verse 20 that, "To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews!" The Phillips translation puts it this way: "To those who were under the Law I put myself in the position of being under the Law (although I stand free from it), that I might win those who are under the Law!" And so Paul basically identified himself with his fellow Jews when he was with them, adapting himself to the Jewish culture and customs-- keeping the Sabbath, engaging in their feasts and ceremonies, and rituals, and doing whatever was necessary to gain a hearing, and thus be able to share the truths of the gospel with them! For example:
- Acts 16:1-5 records how Paul persuaded Timothy, who had a Gentile father and wasn't circumcised, to be circumcised before accompanying Paul on his second missionary journey (even though there was no need or spiritual benefit in having it done), in order that he would be accepted by the Jews to whom they would minister!
- Acts 18:18 tells how Paul took a Nazarite vow, and had his hair cut, before traveling to Ephesus and entering the synagogue there to "reason with the Jews"!
- In Acts 21, upon returning to Jerusalem, after having spent a great deal of time in ministering to the Gentiles, and after being considered "ceremonially unclean" by the Jews, after word got out that he was teaching the Gentiles to forsake Moses and Jewish traditions (which he wasn't doing!), he agreed (at the urging of James) to undergo a purification ceremony, in order that the Jews would see him in a different light and hear what he had to say about the gospel!
Then, in verse 21, Paul writes about "those who are without the Law" (speaking of Gentiles)! Phillips says, "To those who had no law I myself became like a man with the Law (even though in fact I cannot be a lawless man for I am bound by the law of Christ), so that I might win the men who have no Law"!
To further clarify this difficult verse, Constable writes that, "As a Christian Paul was not under the Law of Moses, but he was under the 'law of Christ"! The Law of God for Jews, before the Cross, was the Law of Moses, but the law for Christians, in the present age, is the "Law of Christ," and Constable goes on to describe it as "the code of responsibilities that Christ and His apostles taught in the New Testament, which include some of the same commandments as are in the Mosaic Law! Galatians 5:14 say, "...the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself"! Romans 13:8 says, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor fulfills the Law"! And Christ, in Matthew 22:37-38, said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it; 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself! On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the prophets!" (Sounds like the "Law of love," to which Paul said he was "bound"! And to which we too are bound!)
But Paul's not done! In verse 22, he says that, "To the weak I have become weak, so that I may by all means win some! I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some! I do all things for the sake of the gospel. so that I may become a fellow partaker of it!" Wow!
MacArthur notes that Paul "stooped to make the gospel clear at the lower level of comprehension...not offending anyone within the bounds of God's Word, including those weak in understanding; condescending in ways that could lead to salvation, but never changing Scripture or compromising the truth" in doing so! And so, in this passage, a whole lot of self-denial going on!
But Paul's not done in illustrating what's involved in serving God and his fellow man! It also requires lots of self-control! And it comes out loud and clear in verses 24-27!
Do you not know (Paul writes) that those who run in a race run all, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win! Everyone who competes in the game exercises self-control in all things! They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable! Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified! Wow!
The analogies are clear!
Paul writes in II Timothy 4:7-8, "But have nothing to do with worldly fables, fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life, and also for the life to come!"
Paul says that he needed to discipline and control his body--make it his slave, and bring it under subjection, so that he doesn't get disqualified from "running the race"! (MacArthur notes that "liberty cannot be limited without self-control, since the flesh resists limits on its freedom"!) Can you imagine the apostle Paul ever becoming disqualified from preaching the gospel and running the race, and serving the Lord?
How much more should this speak to us?
The apostle Paul might ask this of us: "Are you ready, and willing, to limit your liberty out of love for Christ, and others"?
Lowell