The Gospel for Everybody - 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

English Standard Version (Chapter 9)

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 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. 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. 22 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. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Your own personal experience does have a lot to do with how you see things some times…but it may not affect reality.

“standpoint epistemology.” assumes personal if not exhaustive knowledge being necessary in order to speak to certain dispairity in society.

This is the beauty of worshipping a God who is transcendent. Because he is transcendent, he is outside of, above, creation. He is altogether unaffected by us. And yet, he is the God who is near, and who understands…the God who formed my inward parts, the God who knows my thoughts afar off...

its the beauty of worshipping an immutable God. Meaning he doesn’t ever change… His character and ways are the same today as they were before he created Adam, and he will be the exact same when the earth burns up with a fervent heat.

So when Christ commands us as disciples, to preach the gospel and make disciples of all the nations… People dont have to be just like me for me be effective. And as you hear someone preach the Gospel to you, they don’t have to be just like you...In fact, in our passage, Paul is speaking to the Corinthian believers in an often diverse, and hostile setting. He is reminding them that goal of believers is not to be just like the culture around them, but to be like the Christ within them…and with sufficient knowledge of the Holy, and with a little empathy, i wont win everybody, but I can win anybody!

God is instructing us today in how to empathize without compromise or how to contextualize but not syncretize.

So, how in the world do we win people who are not like us?

1 Cor 9:22 “ I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”

1. In order to win anybody, Proclaim the Gospel while sacrificially serving everybody....(all things to all people v19...)

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

A follower of Christ is actually free (freedom)

Pauls experience as a jew was rich…

“The irony of New Testament lordship is that only in slavery to Christ can a man discover authentic freedom.” R. C. Sproul

but a follower of Christ makes himself a slave

I make myself a slave: doulao: to enslave.

Eph 6:6 “not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,”

2 Tim 2:24 “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,”

The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Ex 21:2-6) https://www.gotquestions.org/bondservant.html

become “all things”: does not mean that he has become a sinner. What did he say he became? what are the things?

became as a Jew (v20) as one under the law (same). He even had timothy circumcised. Acts 16:1-3. “for they knew his father was a greek.” He had jewish heritage… it would be appropriate, and it was an accommodation for him so that he could preach to unbelieving Jews. Titus on the other hand was purely greek. Gal 2:3-5 Titus it says, “was not forced to be circumcised…” this was to resist false teachers that demanded it.

to the gentile… or to those “outside the law” AS one of them (v21)

He is not endorsing lawlessness. He is merely describing the gentile who is not under old testament law. The context is those meeting in the idol temples or eating the meat offered to idols. He knows that those false Gods are nothing. He is accommodating their conscience so he can contextualize, but not compromise.

2 Cor 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Even to the weak, he became as weak. Remember the context is the weakness of the brother’s conscience. Paul considered himself in the category of the strong, but he accommodated the weak so he would not violate the weaker brothers conscience.

1 Cor 8:9 “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” a slave surrenders thier rights...

“to ALL men” so who is this toward? everybody.

Your friends: 1 Pet 1:22 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,”

yes even your enemies: Matt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

To win them: Win means to gain something by effort or investment.

Paul Kingsnorth: wrote an article called the Migration of the Holy. It seems he was an agnostic of some kind, but in light of all that is going on in the world, he is seeing the need for Christ… his life is an imperfect picture right now, but seems headed in the right direction -- here is how he described the quest for liberation of society that shook him out of his slumber:

“The result of this entwined process of breakdown and liberation is that the sovereign individuals who make up what used to be society, having no point of reference beyond the self, end up being unable even to agree on the shape of reality. The endgame then becomes the replacement of that reality by a new one - the technium, the “metaverse”, augmented reality - built in the shape of that confused, broken individual, who believes that she/he/they are master of their own personal fiefdom .... but have in fact become slaves to their [own] passions, delusions and felicities.” https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/p/the-migration-of-the-holy

Mt 20:28 “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

Rom 15:1-3 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.””

2. How are you going to win the anybody - Proclaim the Gospel with Absolute Certainty.- (that by all means, I win some)’

by “all means”… does he mean my stuff? well that would be true...

The sovereign God who owns the universe, has given you authority to use the means of your life not to buy vacation spots, but to expand his kingdom. Wesley get all you can, give all you can...

Ill: “The Use of Money.” Wesley made note in 1789 that the Methodists of his day were ignoring the third part of his sermon. In fact, Wesley argued that the primary reason for the ineffectiveness of the Methodist movement was due to their failure to give all they could. Wesley came to the profound conclusion that “If Methodists would give all they can, then all would have enough.” Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.

He said it this way:

“If you wish to be a good steward of that which God has given to you on loan the rules are simple enough. First provide sufficient food and clothing for yourself and your household. If there is a surplus after this is done, then use what remains for the good of your Christian brothers and sisters. If there is still a surplus, then do good to all people, as you have the opportunity. If at any time you have a doubt about any particular expenditure, ask yourself honestly:

- Will I be acting, not as an owner, but as a steward of the Lord’s goods?

- Am I acting in obedience to the word of God?

- Is this expense a sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ?

- Do I believe that this expense will bring reward at the day of resurrection?

If you are still in doubt, put these questions as statements to God in prayer: “Lord, you see that I am going to spend this money on … and you know that I am acting as your trusted steward according to your design.” If you can make this prayer with a good conscience then you will know that your expense is right and good.”

Haggai 2:8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”

Deuteronomy 10:14 “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”

All of that is true, but here he does not mean “by way of your stuff”. Here “by all means” means that is will certainly come to pass.

Conclusion: Here is what we know. God relates to you perfectly…he is transcendent but near...yet, he feels our pain with complete perfection…when we hurt, the God of the universe feels our sorrow with better clarity than we do. And when we are captive to sin, the omipotent God of the universe, can set us free because where sin abounded… Grace abounded even more. He can save ANYBODY… NYC mission tri a few years ago, and tried to proclaim the gospel on the subway to an Asian girl… She said you have no idea how the life i live… Not even God can save me… I dont know your story, but i know mine… i was lost, but now i’m found, i was blind but now I see… i dont understand how God does it, but if he can save me, he can save you.

Gloria Gaither Song:

“We each could tell a story of how He brought us here, Gave us hope and banished all our fear. But from our many differences His love has made us one, The song we share has only just begun. All the glory belongs to Jesus, All the praise belongs to Him. All that I am or ever hope to be, All the glory belongs to Him.”