For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  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.  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 9:19-22

Paul had the divinely given right to be financially supported for preaching the gospel (9:3-14).  However, some at Corinth thought he was not a true apostle and was preaching solely for financial gain (2 Cor. 12:11-18).  By asking the Corinthian brethren for financial support, he would appear to lend legitimacy to their slanderous claims about him and thus place obstacles in their path towards accepting him and his teachings as divinely legitimate.  For these reasons he had willingly given up this right with them “rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (9:15-17).  Thus, his “reward” in lieu of financial support was “not to make full use of (his) right in the gospel” for financial compensation by “present(ing) the gospel” to Corinth “free of charge” (9:18).

All of this was said to illustrate his larger point that Christians should be willing to forgo things they have the right or freedom to do in order to avoid placing stumbling blocks before their brethren and those outside of Christ (8:1-13).  In the passage quoted above, Paul now elaborates further on this teaching by continuing to use himself as an example to follow (9:19-22; cf. 11:1).

Even though he was a free man in a legal and spiritual sense, he chose to figuratively enslave himself to anyone when it came to avoiding putting obstacles in their path to obeying the gospel (9:19).  This meant that if he was trying to convert a Jew, someone “under the law” of Moses, then he also would observe tenets of Old Testament law even though he knew that God did not command him to do so as a Christian under Christ’s new covenant (9:20-21; cf. Heb. 8:6-13; 9:15-17).

Likewise, if he was trying to convert a Gentile, someone “outside the law” in that they were not obligated to obey Moses’ law like Jews were, then Paul would act like a fellow Gentile who also was under no obligation to follow Moses’ laws…while still being under every obligation to abide by God’s laws set forth in Christ’s new covenant (9:21).

If he found that he was dealing with a spiritually weaker brother in Christ whose had scruples concerning matters which God gave Paul and others freedom, Paul would “(become) weak,” i.e., honor his weaker brother’s scruples by giving up his rights and freedoms, all in order to open his brother’s mind to accepting biblical truth about the matter (9:22a; cf. 8:7-13).

Basically, the apostle was willing to “become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (9:22b).  Paul’s own rights to do what Christ’s laws allowed him the freedom to do did not matter to him nearly as much as doing whatever he could to convert lost souls to Christ and keep the souls of his Christian brethren safe.  Nothing was more important than helping every soul with whom he came into contact obey the gospel so that both he and they “may share…in its blessings” by remaining faithful in order to receive the crown of life (9:23; cf. Rev. 2:10).

Paul was inspired to write this for our sakes (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  The Lord wants us to always care more about the spiritual welfare of those around us than our own rights and freedoms.  Doing so requires us to first “deny (ourselves)” (Lk. 9:23) and instead “count others more significant” than ourselves, “look(ing) not only to (our) own interests, but also to the interests of others” just as Jesus did with us (Phil. 2:3-5ff).

Does this describe you and me, brethren?

— Jon