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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
July 11
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Today's Pathway:
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I Corinthians 9:19-23
- 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.
- And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
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In today's passage Paul is continuing to explain why he has chosen not to exercise his liberty. Please remember when reading these verses that Paul did not violate or compromise the Scriptures in any way. He begins in verse 19 by recognizing that he had his liberty in Christ. He was free from all men. He had apostolic authority, and was answerable only to God. No human being had jurisdiction over him, nor could compel him to do anything that the Bible Itself did not require. Yet with that freedom, he chose to make himself the servant of all. Bob Utley wrote,
"Because Paul was a slave of Christ, he was a slave of all who Christ came to serve and save, both the believer and the unbeliever."
He did this so that he could "gain the more" - so that he could bring people to Christ. This was Paul's goal in life, and he was willing to sacrifice his spiritual liberty in order to accomplish it.
In verse 20-22 he gives examples of his choices. In verse 20 he "became as a Jew" in order to evangelize the Jews. We know that Paul was already a Jew by birth, but because he had been saved he was now "free from the law". Yet, within the limits of God’s Word, Paul chose to be as culturally and socially Jewish as necessary when witnessing to Jews. Perhaps he kept the dietary laws when he was with them so as not to offend them. We know, for example, that he had Timothy, who had a Gentile father, circumcised; not because the Law required it, but because he felt that this would open doors to evangelize Jews that would have been closed if Timothy had remained uncircumcised. In Acts 17:1-2 we read that when Paul went into a new city it was his custom to go into the synagogue on the Sabbath. Neither his liberty nor the Law demanded this, but his desire to see Jews saved did.
In verse 21 he says the same thing about the Gentiles. The Gentiles had not been given the Mosaic Law in the first place, so he says that he became "without law" when dealing with them. This does not mean that he chose to violate the moral precepts of the Bible, for he quickly adds that he did not live lawlessly (being not without law to God), but rather he obeyed the moral law of God because he was now subject to the law of Christ. What it does mean is that he did not allow the fact that he was a Jew and they were Gentiles, or allow the Jewish customs that he had grown up with, to hinder his outreach. Again, he did this so that he could win Gentiles to Christ. In verse 22 he became as the "weak". He has spoken about the "weak" back in I Corinthians 8:7,10, as well as in Romans 14:2. The weak are those believers who have not yet matured. Paul was willing to surrender his liberties so that he could minister to these Christians as well. This is why he said previously that he would not eat meat sacrificed to idols if it would cause a weaker brother to stumble (I Corinthians 8:13). He finishes by saying that he did whatever was necessary (within the boundaries of the Bible) to try to reconcile men to Christ. The expression "I am made all things to all men" has been used incorrectly by many. It does not mean that we are to compromise with the world in order to fit in. Some have used it as an excuse to live worldly lives, assuming that unrepentant sinners will be impressed and want to come to Christ. But Paul never compromised God’s moral standards set forth in Scripture; rather, he was willing to surrender his traditions and his liberty in order to reach any audience, Jewish or non-Jewish. According to verse 23, he did it for the sake of the Gospel.
In summarizing these verses, Steven Cole offered the following comments and question:
"A slave does not view himself as being over others, but rather as being under them to serve them. He doesn’t think of himself first, but of those he serves. Paul made himself a slave to those who were without Christ. Do you view the lost as the enemy to be fought or as those whom you need to serve?" It's a valid question, and one which we as Christians need to answer.
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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