The Corinthian church is a tough group. After Paul has been the founding pastor/evangelist he now has to defend his apostleship with the church. He begins the chapter by giving a dissertation on his right as an apostle, especially his right with them. However, the crux of the chapter is not about his defense but about his aim at evangelism. Paul begins in the latter half of the chapter to share his strategy of evangelizing both the Jew and the Gentile. His purpose or mission in life is to win as many as possible to Christ. This is not a selfish or boastful goal of Paul but rather he recognizes that his main purpose of existence is to glorify God by proclaiming the Good News to as many as possible. In verse 19 Paul makes this goal very clear by stating, “For although I am free from all people, I have made myself a slave to all, in order to win more people.”
As humans we spend much of our time trying to free ourselves from bondage and tyranny. However, Paul willingly submits to this servitude in order for Christ and His principles to be advanced and that many, from all nationalities might receive the same forgiveness which he has experienced. While this self-imposed slavery is defined by Paul in a way that he states, “I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some” (v. 22) he recognizes this is not a license to break the laws of God in evangelizing people. Paul would not break the commands of God, but rather he is cognizant of the self-imposed laws of the religion which has held many of the Jews in bondage and he recognizes the superior attitude the Jews took against all other nationalities. He therefore says I will not be bound by human traditions or prejudices in seeking to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Paul closes the chapter with an analogy of an athlete in training. Paul takes this form of discipline and training into the realm of his preparation for the day he must give account for his actions and his walk with God. He makes the statement in the final verse that “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” Paul in essence is saying, I will walk the talk! I will live my life in complete obedience to my Lord because of my love for Him and my desire to please Him in all things. Can we say the same about our lives?
Takeaways:
1. We are commanded and expected to share the Good News with ALL people in such a manner that they understand and desire to receive our Lord’s forgiveness.
2. We must make the presentation of the Gospel contextual for the people or individual with which we share this precious gift.
3. We must discipline ourselves to obedience in all areas in order to not lose our own qualification in God.
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