1Cor 9:20-22 | KingComments | STEP | . Paul has proven his right for support by believers clearly and extensively. Now he senses the danger that the Corinthians would be thinking that he had written all those things to get money from them. That was certainly not his intention! In the past he never accepted anything from the Corinthians and that was still the case. Some of the Corinthians thought that Paul only preached for his own benefit. To nip this thought in the bud, he says that he would rather die than want to give that impression. He would like to have his boast, not for himself, but for the gospel. He didn’t want to be obstructed by anything at preaching the gospel ( ). The gospel had to be brought in all its clearness and without any restriction. Money can play an obstructing role in preaching the Word. There is a saying that sounds: ‘Who pays the piper calls the tune.’ That indicates that you are inclined to say what people like to hear who give you a lot of money. You might become fully dependent on them. It is a danger that threatens each preacher who preaches on demand to people who also pay him. You may think on what is written in 2 Timothy 4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but [wanting] to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” ( ). But a servant of the Lord must speak the Word of the Lord , without having thoughts about whether or not he will receive a reward from anyone. . When Paul was preaching the gospel, it wasn’t something he could boast in. He owed that to the Lord, for He was the One Who commanded him to do it. He talks about the necessity that was laid upon him, not by people or by an organization, but by the Lord. He even speaks the “woe” over himself if he doesn’t preach the gospel. . To him preaching the gospel was not a kind of voluntary work. In general voluntary work is appreciated well in our society. Such an appreciation would also be his reward, in case he worked as a volunteer for the Lord. But Paul was not willingly or voluntarily a preacher of the gospel. “A stewardship” was “entrusted” to him by the Lord. Paul was aware of his responsibility. Therefore he did not want to connect the gospel with money nor goods in any way. . His “reward” consisted of the assurance that his Master approved what he was doing. That ‘reward’ was sufficient for him. He didn’t need a reward from the Corinthians. He wanted to preach the gospel for free and did not want to make use of his right for support. In that way he remained free from all men. . That freedom concerned only his work. As for himself, he wanted to be a servant to all people, to win through the gospel as many people as possible for the Lord Jesus. How much, in that respect, does he resemble the Lord Jesus Himself, Who also did everything without asserting His right for compensation. Who was as free as He was? He did not allow anyone to tell Him what He should do. Though, who was a servant like Him? He came, not to do His own will, but the will of His Father. . Paul made himself a servant to all men willingly. His desire was to serve every man with the gospel. He adjusted himself as much as he possibly could to meet his listeners. When he was preaching to the Jews, he adjusted himself to the habits of the Jews. That implies that he wouldn’t eat pork when having a meal with a Jew. He wanted to use every opportunity to win the heart of the Jew by fulfilling, as much as possible, all outward demands that were of importance to the Jews. He considered the commandments from the law if he could win the heart of a Jew for the gospel. That didn’t mean, however, that he was willing to preach the law again. He himself was free from the law and he wouldn’t permit to be brought back under the yoke of the law again. Only if the situation demanded that it would serve the advancement of the gospel, he adjusted himself to it. When he preached the gospel to the Gentiles, thus to people to whom God had not given the law, he operated differently. Then he descended to their level of thinking. In Acts 17 you read about a speech of Paul that hooks up to the thinking of the people from Athens ( ). In our days other ways of adjustment are also possible. Just think about the missionaries who go to the inlands of Africa or who travel to other countries with totally different cultures to preach the gospel. They get the best entrance to the gospel when they start living in the same way as the native people. . The fact that he was “without law” did not mean that he behaved himself lawlessly. At approaching the Gentiles he remained subject to Christ. He would have never acted in a way that was not in accordance with his Commander. Some nice examples of the way to approach people, you find in John 3 and 4. In John 3 the Lord Jesus speaks with a high-placed spiritual leader of Israel. In John 4 He speaks with a woman who was through and through sinful. It is wonderful to see how the approach of the Lord is adjusted exactly for each person ( ). The lesson is clear. Adjust yourself as much as possible to your conversation partner, whom you want to win for the gospel’s sake, but keep your eye fixed on the purpose. Toward someone who has placed himself under the law, as many reformed Christians do, admit the good things of the law. In that way you can keep the conversation going on with them. Try to demonstrate what effect the law has had, death and judgment ( ), and what God’s solution is for this problem, Christ, Who suffered the curse of the law ( ). During the conversation, remain aware that you are free from the law and do not give the other person any room to bring you under the influence of the law. In your conversations with worldly people who have nothing to do with religion and who waste their lives with hunting for money, drink, drugs and sex, you act differently. Stand beside them and tell them that you can understand them in their desire for happiness. Make yourself a friend of them; the Lord Jesus is called “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” ( ). You can tell them about the happiness you have found in the Lord Jesus. During the conversation, remain aware that you are legally subjected to Christ and don’t let yourself be tempted to a worldly way of thinking and living. Now read 1 Corinthians 9:15-21 again. Reflection: Do you also have the desire to win people for Christ?

‏ 1 Corinthians 9:20-22

Win More

1Cor 9:15. Paul has proven his right for support by believers clearly and extensively. Now he senses the danger that the Corinthians would be thinking that he had written all those things to get money from them. That was certainly not his intention! In the past he never accepted anything from the Corinthians and that was still the case.

Some of the Corinthians thought that Paul only preached for his own benefit. To nip this thought in the bud, he says that he would rather die than want to give that impression. He would like to have his boast, not for himself, but for the gospel. He didn’t want to be obstructed by anything at preaching the gospel (1Cor 9:12). The gospel had to be brought in all its clearness and without any restriction.

Money can play an obstructing role in preaching the Word. There is a saying that sounds: ‘Who pays the piper calls the tune.’ That indicates that you are inclined to say what people like to hear who give you a lot of money. You might become fully dependent on them. It is a danger that threatens each preacher who preaches on demand to people who also pay him. You may think on what is written in 2 Timothy 4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but [wanting] to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2Tim 4:3). But a servant of the Lord must speak the Word of the Lord, without having thoughts about whether or not he will receive a reward from anyone.

1Cor 9:16. When Paul was preaching the gospel, it wasn’t something he could boast in. He owed that to the Lord, for He was the One Who commanded him to do it. He talks about the necessity that was laid upon him, not by people or by an organization, but by the Lord. He even speaks the “woe” over himself if he doesn’t preach the gospel.

1Cor 9:17. To him preaching the gospel was not a kind of voluntary work. In general voluntary work is appreciated well in our society. Such an appreciation would also be his reward, in case he worked as a volunteer for the Lord. But Paul was not willingly or voluntarily a preacher of the gospel. “A stewardship” was “entrusted” to him by the Lord. Paul was aware of his responsibility. Therefore he did not want to connect the gospel with money nor goods in any way.

1Cor 9:18. His “reward” consisted of the assurance that his Master approved what he was doing. That ‘reward’ was sufficient for him. He didn’t need a reward from the Corinthians. He wanted to preach the gospel for free and did not want to make use of his right for support. In that way he remained free from all men.

1Cor 9:19. That freedom concerned only his work. As for himself, he wanted to be a servant to all people, to win through the gospel as many people as possible for the Lord Jesus. How much, in that respect, does he resemble the Lord Jesus Himself, Who also did everything without asserting His right for compensation. Who was as free as He was? He did not allow anyone to tell Him what He should do. Though, who was a servant like Him? He came, not to do His own will, but the will of His Father.

1Cor 9:20. Paul made himself a servant to all men willingly. His desire was to serve every man with the gospel. He adjusted himself as much as he possibly could to meet his listeners. When he was preaching to the Jews, he adjusted himself to the habits of the Jews. That implies that he wouldn’t eat pork when having a meal with a Jew. He wanted to use every opportunity to win the heart of the Jew by fulfilling, as much as possible, all outward demands that were of importance to the Jews. He considered the commandments from the law if he could win the heart of a Jew for the gospel.

That didn’t mean, however, that he was willing to preach the law again. He himself was free from the law and he wouldn’t permit to be brought back under the yoke of the law again. Only if the situation demanded that it would serve the advancement of the gospel, he adjusted himself to it.

When he preached the gospel to the Gentiles, thus to people to whom God had not given the law, he operated differently. Then he descended to their level of thinking. In Acts 17 you read about a speech of Paul that hooks up to the thinking of the people from Athens (Acts 17:22-34).

In our days other ways of adjustment are also possible. Just think about the missionaries who go to the inlands of Africa or who travel to other countries with totally different cultures to preach the gospel. They get the best entrance to the gospel when they start living in the same way as the native people.

1Cor 9:21. The fact that he was “without law” did not mean that he behaved himself lawlessly. At approaching the Gentiles he remained subject to Christ. He would have never acted in a way that was not in accordance with his Commander.

Some nice examples of the way to approach people, you find in John 3 and 4. In John 3 the Lord Jesus speaks with a high-placed spiritual leader of Israel. In John 4 He speaks with a woman who was through and through sinful. It is wonderful to see how the approach of the Lord is adjusted exactly for each person (Jn 3:1-12 ; Jn 4:7-26).

The lesson is clear. Adjust yourself as much as possible to your conversation partner, whom you want to win for the gospel’s sake, but keep your eye fixed on the purpose. Toward someone who has placed himself under the law, as many reformed Christians do, admit the good things of the law. In that way you can keep the conversation going on with them. Try to demonstrate what effect the law has had, death and judgment (2Cor 3:7 ; 9), and what God’s solution is for this problem, Christ, Who suffered the curse of the law (Gal 3:13). During the conversation, remain aware that you are free from the law and do not give the other person any room to bring you under the influence of the law.

In your conversations with worldly people who have nothing to do with religion and who waste their lives with hunting for money, drink, drugs and sex, you act differently. Stand beside them and tell them that you can understand them in their desire for happiness. Make yourself a friend of them; the Lord Jesus is called “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 11:19). You can tell them about the happiness you have found in the Lord Jesus. During the conversation, remain aware that you are legally subjected to Christ and don’t let yourself be tempted to a worldly way of thinking and living.

Now read 1 Corinthians 9:15-21 again.

Reflection: Do you also have the desire to win people for Christ?

All Things for the Sake of the Gospel

1Cor 9:22. You understand now that Paul’s life was fully dedicated to the gospel. He subordinated everything to it. To succeed he was willing to serve all men. There was one person whom he did not serve and that was himself. Additionally he considered every man as a creature that has a soul to lose and who has to be won for Christ. He meets to the other person as far as he could in the situation this one found himself. Even so he approached the weak as if he himself was weak. He considered the conscience of the weak and was careful not to do anything that might cause the weak to turn away from the message of the gospel.

You might say that he did all he could to win one person. He did that because every man is invaluable to God. The more you are aware of that, the more you will be engaged with preaching the gospel to your fellow men. “Save some”, that’s what it was all about to Paul. An important condition to do that is self-denial, not to think of your own concern or to be occupied with yourself.

1Cor 9:23. Paul made every effort for the gospel’s sake to be a fellow partaker of it. He presented the gospel as a person whom you know. When someone is important to you, you would do everything for him or her. The gospel was such an important ‘person’ to him, for whom he did everything.

1Cor 9:24-25. To illustrate that, Paul uses some examples from the world of sports. He more often takes examples from the world of sports because from them there is a clear comparison to the life of a Christian. Some matters that are at issue with both the athlete and the Christian, are:

1. the training,

2. the competition or match and

3. the prize.

To be able to participate in a competition or match, you first need to train. The more important the competition or match is, the more intensive the training will be. The more intensive the training is, the better the preparation. There are clubs of all kinds of sports where the only important thing is recreation. Especially older people are trying to stay in good health in this way. Then the training is very sociable and is not focused on achievements. The competition or match is also for fun and it is very nice when the game is won. There is nothing wrong with this, but Paul is not looking at the race of the Christian in this way.

The picture Paul has in his mind here and what he also presents to you, is the picture of an athlete who is fully in control of his body. The athletes, who in his time, participated with the Istmian games (later called the Olympic Games) that were regularly held in all big cities of Asia Minor, needed a period of ten months for preparation. During this time of preparation the athlete freely subjected himself to a hard training. Great trainers from that time always taught their pupils: ‘You need to have an orderly life; with little food and the abstention of sweets; training on a steady time, whether it is hot or ice cold weather’.

Horatius has said: ‘The youngster who wins the race has suffered a lot and has done a lot. He sweated and suffered cold. He has abstained from love and wine.’ The period of training was for the Greek athlete a time of living in isolation. It was a time of abstention from things that were good in themselves, but would be a hindrance for him to achieve optimal results. He abstained from everything that could be harmful for his achievements.

When Tertullian applies the example of the athletes to the persecuted Christians, he says: ‘They are tormented, exhausted, worn-out.’ Would you be able to apply this picture to nowadays Christians? I venture to say that we as Christians in the Western world live a flabby and easy-going life.

Just take a careful look at such a Greek athlete, and at many of the nowadays top athletes: a long period of intensive training, a great deal of self-denial and suffering much inconvenience for a competition or match that will last for only some minutes or even seconds to a couple of hours, dependent on which kind of sports, with as the highest result a perishable wreath.

Ask yourself now: if they could yield to that, shouldn’t I submit myself freely to such a similar severe discipline and self-denial to serve the Lord Jesus in a way He is worthy of? If we Christians would surrender ourselves with as many efforts as the Greek athlete, to a life of separation, how much power and blessing would our life reflect to the honor and glory of God?

A competition also means that there are competitors, opponents. Paul was aware of the opposition in his race. In his letter to the Philippians he also writes about that (Phil 3:14). You see it clearly before you: Paul flashes across the racetrack there. He forgets everything behind him because looking back for a moment can be fatal. In that way he runs toward the goal.

Paul doesn’t mean here that we should not think about the sins we committed formerly, although they are forgiven now. The sins from the past have to keep us humble. He thinks here about his service for Christ. Therefore he certainly does not lean back complacently in an easy chair and praise himself for all he has done. He hasn’t reached the goal yet and therefore he runs toward it.

The first verses of Hebrews 12 show the same picture (Heb 12:1-2). The writer of the letter to the Hebrews sees the mobs that populate the stadium, while the athletes prepare themselves for the race. Everything that could prevent maximum effort has to be put aside. The Christian also has to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin”. You still might have things in your life of which you know that you should settle. They trouble your conscience like a burden. Make sure that you get rid of this burden. You should confess certain sins you might still have in your life and which you haven’t abandoned yet. Confess them! Then you will be able to continue the race unhindered. And thereby look unto Jesus continuously.

1Cor 9:26. The latter brings us back to this verse in 1 Corinthians 9. What is mentioned here is also important to bear in mind. I hope the final goal of the race is clear to you. You know, to speak once again in terms of Philippians 3, in which direction you are pressing (Phil 3:14). Otherwise you look like a racing cyclist who got disjoined from the platoon and because of that lost his way. He cycles as fast he could to join the platoon again, but in the wrong direction. That is a waste of energy!

Like the one who is boxing Paul talks about, who beats the air. He pulls out to deal a hard blow, but the opponent avoids him nimbly. The blow becomes a wasted effort and the power behind it dissolves in the void without any effect on the opponent. A Christian should be directed on his goal and should be conscious of that goal.

Finally the prize, because that is what it is all about. The Lord Jesus has crowns ready for Christians who have dedicated themselves fully to Him. He will give those crowns when we will be with Him. Can you imagine a more precious reward than that He would say to us: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21)?

1Cor 9:27. There is another thing why Paul is that fully committed to preaching the gospel: he doesn’t want to be disqualified himself after having preached to others. He would have become disqualified if he would have only preached, without having lived himself according to what he preached. He didn’t want to be someone who could just tell a nice story with a message for others to sacrifice everything, while he himself lives an easy-going life. Therefore he applies to himself what he just said about the athletes.

Literally it says that he beats his body. With that he refers to the heavy training as a preparation for the Games. Paul submitted himself to a tremendous self-discipline. The word ‘disqualified’ doesn’t mean that Paul could perish. It indicates that a person, who truly loves the Lord Jesus and sincerely wants to live for his Lord, is aware of his responsibility. Such a person will do anything to show in his life for Whom he lives. A person who is only a Christian by name, or formally, will not be able to do that. That will be paid attention to in the first part of the next chapter.

Now read 1 Corinthians 9:22-27 again.

Reflection: How is your training schedule?