self-discipline, all things to all people

Good morning everyone,

Starting with the new year, I've been sharing daily scripture readings along with introductory notes with my congregation by email. It's been exciting to hear from people that getting the readings in their mail boxes each day has encouraged them to spend some time with the Bible each day. I'd like to build on this by posting the same readings and notes on a blog so that people can engage with others about the readings. We're about halfway through First Corinthians now and it would be great to add some people to the conversation. So without further ado, here's today's reading:

Today Paul continues his discussion on why he has the right to live by the gospel but chooses not to. One interesting thing Paul points out is that he takes pride in his work to make the gospel "free of charge." He says he has nothing to boast about for proclaiming the gospel because God laid an obligation to proclaim it on his heart. So when he proclaims the gospel, he's just doing what he's supposed to be doing. Where he feels like he has a reward or opportunity to boast for going above and beyond what God commissioned him to do is that he doesn't received payment or living expenses to support him in preaching, but instead supports himself by outside work.

Paul continues by explaining how he meets everyone on their own terms, putting aside his rights, to bring others to faith. Here's where the commonly used phrase "all things to all people" comes from. The trick here is to adapt to proclaim and explain the gospel to different people in different situations without compromising one's integrity. Often if we try to be all things to all people we end up being inauthentic or lose track of who God calls us to be uniquely. It is a tricky balance to strike. One of the ways Paul keeps that balance is by reminding himself and his readers that while he becomes "as" many different kinds of people he is not. So he becomes "as one under the law" to win those under the law, but "I myself am not under the law." I think too, it's important that Paul is open about what he is not. He acts "as" someone under or outside the law in terms of making himself understandable to them, but I don't think he's trying to pretend to be any of those things.

Like the previous paragraph, the last paragraph speaks about dedication to the gospel of God's love. Paul uses the language of competition here, which is useful because it describes the discipline and dedication needed to succeed as an athlete. The risk is that it can lead us to think we're competing with others in the faith, which is not true. Instead we need each other to run the race of faith successfully.

Blessings,

Sam

1 Corinthians 9:12-27

¹²If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

¹⁵But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting! ¹⁶If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

¹⁹For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. ²⁰To 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 I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. ²¹To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

²⁴Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. ²⁵Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. ²⁶So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; ²⁷but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.