1 Corinthians: Chapter 9 (verses 18–27)

This article will cover the second half of 1 Corinthians 9.

What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:18).

Many scholars have interpreted this passage as Paul stating that his preaching was a reward in itself, that to preach the gospel free of charge and not make use of his rights for pay was sufficient reward. But in light of the previous verse, where Paul affirmed that if he did so of his own will, he would have a reward, and if not, he was still entrusted with a stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:17), it seems helpful to look at Paul’s words in a different way. The second interpretation of this passage is that Paul knew he would one day receive a reward for having preached without pay. Christ would reward him for not seeking his own benefit.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them (1 Corinthians 9:19).

Living in the Mediterranean world, Paul was used to engaging with many different cultures. In these varying situations, he committed himself not to exercise his right to pursue the norms of his own cultural preferences, and not to insist on his freedoms under the gospel.

He started with a strong assertion: I am free from all. By claiming his free status, Paul declared that he did not have to conform himself to the preferences of others. Even so, Paul voluntarily made himself a servant to all. He gave up his rights to his own preferences so that he could serve other people. He did this to win as many as possible, to spread the kingdom of Christ.

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. 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 (1 Corinthians 9:20–21).

To show how far he was willing to follow his policy, Paul described the two different aspects of his multicultural ministry: He ministered to both those under the law (the Jewish people under the Mosaic Law) and to those not having the law—the Gentiles. At that time, the differences between these two groups could be huge. Religious beliefs, moral practices and cultural customs, family practices, legal systems, clothing, holidays, and eating habits were very different between the Jews and Gentiles. This diversity required great flexibility from Paul, which he embraced because he wanted to win people from both groups and bring them to Christ.

The term “under the law” referred to the Jewish way of life under the Mosaic Law. Paul himself was ethnically Jewish, but he understood that through Jesus’ sacrifice and death on the cross, God had created a new people, His church, where there was no distinction between Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:28). The old covenant had been nullified, and believers were now under what Paul referred to here as the law of Christ. In order to reach Jewish people, Paul was willing to temporarily adopt aspects of the Jewish way of life and customs as needed to be able to share the gospel.

Paul knew that these practices had been annulled by Jesus’ death on the cross, with God canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands, by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). But Paul cared so much about the Jewish community that he observed their customs and laws when he was with them so that the gospel might take root in them.

On the other hand, being outside the law meant that the Gentiles were “excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12 NIV). They didn’t have the guidance of Scripture teaching them to worship God, but followed pagan rituals and lifestyles without the restrictions of the Jewish law and customs. While Paul didn’t approve of pagan lifestyles, he observed their customs and laws when he was among them, so that the gospel could be spread among the Gentiles.

He was flexible as he went from one community to another, but he knew when to draw the line. When he was with religious Jews, he remembered that he was no longer subject to the law (though I myself am not under the law). Likewise, when with Gentiles who did not observe the laws of Scripture, Paul conformed his outward behavior to theirs in many ways, but he did not stray into paganism, as his goal was to bring people to the knowledge of the one true God. While he was free to observe local cultural customs and ways of life, he was bound to keep the law of Christ (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law).

“Christ’s law” does not stand in opposition to the Mosaic Law. Jesus himself said, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). When Paul refers to Christ’s law, he is referencing the moral teachings of all the Scriptures as they were taught by Christ and His apostles. Paul often affirmed that God’s law was designed as a guide for Christians (Romans 2:25–29; 1 Timothy 1:8). Yet, here he made it clear that God’s law for Christians is interpreted in the light of Christ’s coming and thus had become Christ’s law.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Paul added another group of people besides the Jews and Gentiles, one that drew attention to his concern for the Corinthian church—the weak. The strong and knowledgeable people in the Corinthian church refused to make allowances for the people they deemed to be weak among them. The strong contended that they had the freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idols, since idols have no real existence, but in doing so, they sinned against weaker brothers and sisters who were stumbled by this practice (1 Corinthians 8:4–7).

In contrast, Paul became weak by willingly conforming his behavior to that of the weak. In limiting his freedom, he made certain that he didn’t cause weaker brothers and sisters to fall into sin. The strong and knowledgeable at Corinth understood their rights, but they had forgotten the importance of love for others. Disregarding the weak in the Corinthian church would eventually bring about the judgment of God.

Paul went on to state that he had become all things to all men. He gave up his rights to pursue his own preferences and submitted to others so that he might bring them to salvation. His main concern was to build the kingdom of Christ through reaching the lost and bringing them to faith and new life in Christ. He didn’t allow his own freedoms to interfere with leading others to follow the way of Christ, whether it was those under the law or those outside the law.

I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:23).

Paul’s purpose and calling was sharing the good news of salvation through Christ with people. He wanted the kingdom of God to come in full, and he made himself a servant of all in order to reach these goals. Paul knew that God would reward him and he sacrificed his own rights so that he might share in God’s blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:24–25).

Paul uses an analogy of an athletic race to highlight the seriousness of exercising self-control in order to pursue the goal of bringing as many people as possible to Christ. Due to the Corinthians’ sponsorship and connection with the Isthmian Games, the reference to a race would be a fitting metaphor that the Corinthians could relate to. Paul went on to draw several comparisons between the Christian life and a race, using himself as an example.

First, not everyone will win the prize, just as not everyone who begins the Christian life endures to the end. Christians must pursue their race single-mindedly and be “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14 NIV). They express their faith by striving to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

Second, every athlete goes into strict training and learns to exercise self-control in all things to reach their goal and finish their race. Christians are to devote themselves to following Christ, choosing actions that will build up the body of Christ, His people, and promote their spiritual development and self-discipline (Ephesians 4:12).

Third, unlike athletes who strive to get a ceremonial wreath that will not last, Christians will receive a crown that will last forever (2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4). Paul was referring here to eternal rewards such as everlasting life and eternal glory that Christians “who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality” will receive (Romans 2:7; 2 Timothy 2:10).

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:26–27).

Paul drew some moral implications for his life from the analogy. First, he did not live his Christian life like someone running aimlessly. He had a definite goal—winning the prize—and he ran to achieve it.

Second, Paul commented that he didn’t fight like a man beating the air. Later, in a letter to Timothy, Paul again metaphorically wrote of running and boxing with the purpose of gaining a crown (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Here, he pointed out his care not to miss with his “spiritual punches.”

Third, he disciplined his body. This is a metaphor showing the rigor of his spiritual life. He conditioned himself spiritually, denying himself as athletes deny themselves for the sake of winning the contest.

Paul concluded this athletic analogy by restating his goal. He worked hard to make sure that after he had preached to others, he would not be disqualified from the prize. He was not speaking of losing salvation, but he was aware that even he could fall away from Christ. He knew that the prize is received only by those who endure to the end (James 1:12).

Paul was speaking generally about his entire spiritual life, and his single-minded focus on the goal of reaching the world with the gospel. In order to do so, he exercised self-control like an athlete in every area of his life. But in this chapter Paul also focused on how he gave up his rights and freedoms for the sake of others, and made himself a servant to all, so that he might win more people to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19). Denying oneself in service to others was a sacrifice, but Paul knew that it was necessary. He used himself as an example for the Corinthians to follow. Since he, an apostle, had been willing to make such sacrifices, the Corinthians should be willing to do the same.

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Note
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.