1 Corinthians 9:19-27 For the Sake of the Gospel
1/11/04 D. Marion Clark
Introduction
Why do you act the way you do? Why are your priorities what they are? Businesses, corporations, and even churches have mission statements to explain their reason for existing and why they do business or ministry the way they do. Paul gives his mission statement in this passage. He even has a motto, a trademark. If he had had a good marketing department, he could have worn a logo on his clothing that identified his mission. Let’s see what it is.
Text
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
Paul is speaking of his financial freedom. He is free from benefactors, although I should qualify that statement. He did receive some donations. He thanked the Philippians for support they sent to him while in prison (Philippians 4:10ff). Nevertheless, his normal practice was to provide for his own livelihood. This freed him from obligations that money often places on the receiver and removed the taint from his labor that receiving from the persons he is bringing the gospel to might give.
But this freedom may be extended beyond financial support. As he noted in chapter 7, as a single man Paul was freed from marital obligations. In chapter 8, he confirmed the freedom Christians have not to be bound by superstition, and he in other letters champions the freedom Christians have from the law. He would agree with Martin Luther’s motto: “A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none.” But his verse makes clear that he would also agree with the second half of that motto: “a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.” Let’s repeat the full motto: “A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”
How does this statement fit Paul? In the gospel, he is now free from trying to win favor with God by obeying regulations and hard work. In his gospel ministry, he has further freed himself from the obligations with which marriage and financial dependency on others would have encumbered him. The value of this freedom is that he can more effectively serve the Lord and the Church. He is flexible enough to meet the different circumstances that he faces and minister to the different types of people he encounters. He explains himself in the next verses.
20 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.
Paul, of course, had always been a Jew. What he means is that when he received the gospel, he became a new man in Christ, in one sense neither Jew nor Gentile. He certainly was freed from the law obligations that distinguished Jewish life. Even so, in order not to give needless offense, he observed Jewish regulations when ministering among the population. Thus, he would practice their eating laws. If attending synagogue services, he would abide by its worship tradition. In Jerusalem, he even took a Nazerite vow, a temporary vow to practice a kind of Jewish asceticism, in order not to offend his Jewish brethren.
He had limits. He would not forsake befriending Gentiles and even rebuked Peter once for doing so. In Antioch, Peter with Paul freely ate with their Gentile brethren until church leaders came from Jerusalem. Then he backed off. Paul rebuked him for it. The issue with Paul primarily was the message it sent about the gospel, that one must still live like a Jew in order to be saved. You see the determining factor. If the issue at hand does not affect the gospel, then there is flexibility; if, however, it compromises the gospel, then there can be no ambiguity about what is right or wrong.
Why does Paul willingly subject himself to laws that no longer control his status before God? As he says, that I might win those under the law. To win them to the gospel. That is his mission. That is the end which controls his means.
21 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.
Here Paul speaks of the Gentiles. In bringing the gospel to them, he shed himself of needless Jewish customs that might affect how the Gentiles received the gospel – dietary laws, certain Sabbath restrictions, and particularly their restrictions about how they related to Gentiles. Thus, he is outside the law. He is also outside the law in the sense of earning righteousness before God. Salvation by obedience to the law does not apply to him as one who is in Christ.
He makes clear that he is not outside the moral law. He remains under God’s law by being under Christ’s law, which, if anything, raises the standard of ethical living, and which heightens the command to love one’s neighbor. So Paul lives as much like a Gentile as possible to remove unnecessary obstacles to the gospel, again so that he might win them over to it.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.
It is unclear as to whom he means by the weak. He could be speaking of the weak in conscience for whom he shows concern in chapter 8. But there he is speaking of weak Christians; here he is speaking of unbelievers. Back in chapter 1, he refers to most of the Corinthians as being lowly in the world, even referring to himself being with them in weakness. He says on that occasion that he became weak so as to show the power of God and to shame the strong. Whatever the reason, he did not avail himself of the high intellectual ability that he possessed, but, rather, spoke in a simple, plain matter and acted in weakness. He addressed them differently than he did with the Athenians with whom he tried to reason after there own fashion. What he needed to be, he tried to be. Why? Again, to win as many as he could to the gospel: I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
By “save,” Paul does not mean doing what only the Holy Spirit can do, but in the common sense that we take it – winning people to embrace the gospel. This single-mindedness is seen in Paul elsewhere.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice (Philippians 1:12-18).
Now comes Paul’s motto: 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
All that Paul does is for the sake – i.e. the progress – of the gospel. What will advance the gospel? How can the gospel best be conveyed? The answers to those questions answered the other question of how he should live in any given circumstance.
His devotion to the gospel is tied up in his personal stake in it: that I may share with them in its blessings. The next verses explain what he means by this. He uses athletic illustrations to explain his own commitment to the cause, and what should be his readers’ as well.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
The Christian life is like a race for a prize. Live that life in the same way a runner runs a race to win the prize. Gaining the prize – not beating the competition – is point Paul is bringing out. How then does one run the race? Through self-control.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
The committed athlete exercises control of his whole life to gain his objective. The Olympian will control his sleeping patterns and his diet. He will schedule his daily activities to enhance his training, even including how his mental attitude is affected. He will not be so foolish as the Kansas State quarterback who, because he lacked sexual self control, jeopardized his own and his team’s readiness for the big bowl game which they lost. The athlete keeps the goal before him and subjects all else to obtaining it.
And he does this for a temporal goal. Our goal is an eternal one – living in glory with Christ Jesus. Thus, all the more reason we, like Paul, so devote ourselves to receiving it. We should not run aimlessly, as though taking a mere jog, but should run as directly to the goal as possible. We should not box as though punching an imaginary opponent, but fight against the real enemies of sin and Satan.
Paul holds himself up as an example, both of one who is committed and one who could lose the prize. He does not have a special in with God as an apostle. He too must run his race to the end as well as he can.
Lesson
So, what do we learn from Paul’s example? Let’s begin with this concern of his to finish the race. These verses are unsettling in the sense that they seem to indicate that one may not finish the race begun. Are we in danger of losing our salvation?
Keeping with Paul’s race analogy, let’s explore what he means. In America’s most famous marathon, the Boston Marathon, thousands of runners participate. Not all of them are registered runners. They had failed to qualify for the field and sneaked in. In the same manner, there are many persons who profess the Christian faith, yet never qualified for entry in the Christian race through proper repentance and honest faith. Many belong to churches who have never known the Savior. They have head knowledge but lack true faith and love for their Lord. They have not grasped their sinfulness and the hopelessness of their state without Christ. Rather they depend upon their good works and moral character. Others don’t even do that. They live careless lives trusting in church membership for their salvation. Still others show much emotion but little understanding. They love Jesus, but fail to obey his commands. They trust in their sincerity to excuse their buying into the ways of the world, excusing themselves by saying God knows their hearts.
But that is our problem. God does know our hearts, and we cannot deceive him. He knows who are qualified runners and who are not. Furthermore, the manner in which we run will either vindicate us or condemn us. Those who are not qualified will take one of two paths. Some will take the easier route, like many in the Corinth Church were doing. They take the path that stresses freedom to live the way they seem fit. Others will take the respectable route. Their path seems right precisely because it appears arduous and thus proves their commitment. But the true route veers in neither direction. The runner stays on the right path by keeping his eyes on the Cross. Sometimes the path is easy, sometimes hard; whatever the case he keeps focused on the Cross. He puts his trust in nothing and no one else. His intent is upon finishing the race by following the Cross, knowing that only then will he receive his full reward.
Shouldn’t he relax, knowing that God has guaranteed him the prize? He has tasted the prize and it only stirs in him greater desire for the full reward. Thus, all the more he runs the course. But should he worry that he will fail? The runner engaged in the race neither worries nor relaxes because he is caught up in reaching his goal. He believes he will reach it, but that does not cause him to slacken his pace. Such faith only spurs him on to persevere. In the same manner, the Christian who knows his Lord trusts that he will complete the good race because he trusts his Savior; and it is that very trust that motivates him to finish the race well, to give all to his Lord and Savior.
Consider also Paul’s motto, “for the sake of the gospel.” That should be the motto of every Christian. We are not all called to live the same way Paul did. He lived in such a way to carry out his calling as an apostle. Even so, we are to live for the sake of the gospel.
Do you? Does your home life reveal that you live for the sake of the gospel? Do you care for the salvation of your family and are you living in such a way that makes the gospel as winsome as possible? The gospel message itself is scandalous. Not many people take to a message about them being desperate sinners who can be saved only by faith in the cross of Christ. We, therefore, should be attentive to our behavior that we do not raise needless obstacles. Last week I said that God will hold me accountable for how I preach the gospel. He will hold us all accountable for how we model it in our homes, in the workplace, in our neighborhoods, schools, and campuses, even in the grocery stores, malls, and sports arenas.
As Christians, we are free from living legalistically. We are free from trying to prove ourselves to God, to make him think we are worthy of salvation. But to possess freedom – real freedom – is to possess a great responsibility, and that is to use it for the glory of God, to use it for the sake of the gospel.
We need to understand this as a church as well. What is coming through the way that we do church – the way we worship, nurture one another, and reach out? We cannot become all things to all people, but are we consciously ministering the gospel? By the way we do church, is grace manifested? Is the love of Christ felt? Is the love for Christ observed? Can these things be seen in our service to one another and to our neighbors?
We need to ask if we put up needless obstacles to the gospel. This requires careful examination. It is not easy to know. The longer a church exists the harder it becomes to see ourselves from the outside. Traditions become regulations; peripheral issues get confused with the gospel. But a church can swing the other way. Eager not to be up obstacles to the gospel, it leads people along detours. It experiments so much that it is difficult for outsiders to know what really does matter. A church, in an effort to win the world can become too much like the world. That was another trap the Corinth Church had fallen into. Trying to package the gospel in the world’s wisdom, it effectively hid the gospel not only from the world, but from itself and led its own people astray.
Keep focused. Let the gospel be the guiding light in all we do. To do that, though, we must know the gospel. Going back to last week’s sermon, that is why I must keep preaching it. It is also why you must continue to study it. Study God’s Word; study the doctrines of grace. Don’t shy away from theology. Real theology leads you into the gospel. Grapple with it. Use it has a light to examine everything you do and believe. You will be surprised by what you learn. But again, first, make it your busy to know the gospel as deeply as you can. Then study everything else, particularly the way you live, from the gospel’s light.
For the sake of the gospel, let us live.
