1 Corinthians 9:16-23 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Paul Kept The Main Thing The Main Thing

The Apostle Paul saw His calling as a preacher of the Gospel to be a great blessing from God. He said “Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”. When Jesus knocked Saul down on the Damascus Road, He set Saul (soon to be Paul) apart to preach the Gospel. God told Ananias:

Acts 9:15-16 Go thy way {to Paul, and help him}: for {Paul} is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

What is interesting is that Saul before he was called Paul caused great suffering to many Christians. After Saul was saved, and was called “Paul”, he in turn suffered greatly for the preaching of the Gospel.

Paul was treated with suspicion by those he previously hurt.
Paul was treated as a traitor to the Jewish Ruling Sanhedrin.
Paul was imprisoned as a troublemaker by Rome.

And yet Paul never gave up trying to reach others for Christ. He said:

2 Corinthians 11:24-27 (ESV)Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

With all the trials and tribulations, discouragement and disaster, you would think that Paul would just throw up his hands and quit. But he didn’t. Paul had been allowed to look into glory one time, and that look blessed him beyond measure (2 Corinthians 12:3). Paul kept the main thing the main thing. He realized he was called to share the Gospel of salvation to others, to live so as to lead others to Christ. Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:17 … if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me

Word Study: When God called Paul to salvation, God promised a “reward” if he did as God required. The word translated “reward” is the Greek μισθός misthós, {pronounced mis-thos’}, which means “dues paid for work, wages, hire paid at the end of the day”.

There will be a payday, someday, for us all.

The son or daughter of God is called to work for the Lord Who saved them. We are not saved by works, but once saved, we owe our allegiance to the King of Glory. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV) … Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward {misthós} is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We, like Paul, keep our eyes looking Heavenward, knowing that one day the saved will be with us in glory. What a wonderful reward it will be to see a lost person in glory, rather than in flames of hell! That is our reward.

Word Study: But Paul also said, “if {I preach} against my will, a dispensation” was given to him. The word “dispensation” is the Greek οἰκονομία oikonomía, {pronounced oy-kon-om-ee’-ah} which means “stewardship”.

If you share Christ willingly, God will treat you as a son. If you share Christ unwillingly, God is treating you as a servant. You choose how you will serve Him.

What Was True Of Paul Is True For Us As Well

Paul is not talking about his ministry to brag. He wants us to apply these truths to ourselves as well. All Scripture has purpose to the believer.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the {Godly believer} may be {spiritually mature}, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Everything in the Bible was written with the purpose of growing us spiritually to be more like Christ.

Romans 15:4 … whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Paul told the Churches he wrote:

1 Corinthians 4:16 … I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1 Corinthians 11:1 … Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Philippians 3:17 … Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Philippians 4:9 … Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

As Paul had a calling, every Christian has a calling. We are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). God could have taken us to Heaven the day He saved us, but God left us as strangers in a strange land (Jeremiah 5:19). We are all called to represent Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

• Both Paul and we who are American Christians have been given the Grace of unprecedented physicalfreedom.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

Word Study: The word “men” is NOT in the manuscript, but was added by the King James translators. They showed this addition by italicizing the word men. The Apostle actually says, “though I be free from all”. The Apostle was “free” both PHYSICALLY as well as SPIRITUALLY. Let’s deal with the PHYSICAL freedom of Paul first.

In the ancient Roman Empire conservative scholars note that around 10% of the population was enslaved. Freedom is a great blessing!

When Paul was threatened with scourging by a Roman soldier, the Apostle said:

Acts 22:25 … Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

When the soldier realized Paul was a freeman, he told Paul:

Acts 22:28-29 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I {my} freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born.

No one chooses their own birth. Some born into Rome were born into slavery and poverty. Others were born free. Paul was “a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia … brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers …” (Acts 22:3). Paul was blessed by God in his birth. Gamaliel was one of the great Rabbinical Scholars of that day. Paul was born physically free because God chose to make him so.

Even so, as Americans we are born extraordinarily free. Though some be born into poverty, even the impoverished in America are blessed by the standards of other countries.

In Afghanistan the minimum wage for government workers is $74 per month.
In Algeria the minimum wage is $156.19 per month.
In Angola, it is $58 per month.

There are worst places than these. We have the freedom to travel from state to state at will, when ever we want. God gave us this freedom for a reason.

• Both Paul and we who are American Christians have been given the Grace of unprecedented spiritual freedom.

The believer in Christ is freed from death and sin. We are told in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” We are not bound by sin, but are bound to a Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. We are “set free from sin so that we might serve God” (Romans 6:22). We are “dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7:4). We as believers no longer need to sacrifice animals on an altar, nor do we need to seek forgiveness through a human High Priest. Jesus Christ is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). Jesus Christ is our sacrifice for sin (John 1:29, 36). Our Jesus “makes intercession for us who are saved” (Romans 8:34). As Jesus said:

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Death has no hold on the believer. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

As Christians, we are given freedom for a purpose.
Let us honor God in our freedoms.

We are given this unprecedented freedom, both spiritual as well as physical, so that we can share the Gospel of salvation with others. We are not saved by this glorious Grace so that we might coast our way into Heaven. We should say with the Apostle:

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

When Israel was brought into Egyptian bondage, the Bible says they were in “bondage” (Acts 7:6, δουλοω, douloo, [pronounced doo-lo’-o]). The Apostle uses the same word in 1 Corinthians 9:19 when he says, “I made myself servant {douloo} unto all”. Paul lowered himself – not into sin – but came to each person where they were. This is the same thing our Lord Jesus did. Jesus was often found dining with sinners and publicans (Mark 2:15), and called Jesus “a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!” (Luke 7:34). Yet Jesus told the religious critics,

Mark 2:17 …. They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Paul Used His Freedom To Reach People For Christ

Being a Jew, Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

The meaning of the text is not that Paul became Jewish, but instead he followed the habits and rituals of the Jews insofar as they conformed to the righteousness of God. People will best identify with people who first identify with them. The commentator Matthew Henry notes:

“Though {Paul} looked on the ceremonial law as a yoke taken off by Christ, yet in many instances he submitted to it, that he might work upon the Jews, remove their prejudices, prevail with them to hear the gospel, and win them over to Christ.”

The Apostle took the vow of the Nazarite (see Acts 18:18) – a specialized priest in Israel and highly regarded (Lamentations 4:7) – so that he could reason with and possibly reach the Jews at Ephesus with the Gospel. We read further:

1 Corinthians 9:21 … To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

Most orthodox Jews of that day shunned contact with the Gentiles, but Paul sought out friendship with the Gentiles. Our Lord Jesus did the same thing with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:7-10). Jesus finds this woman at the well drawing water, and asks her “give Me something to drink” (John 4:7). Both Jews as Gentiles need water. The woman responded, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan (a Gentile) for water? The Jews have nothing to do with us!” (John 4:9). Jesus used this encounter to tell her that He is the Messiah, the “One Who can give living water” (John 4:10).

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some. (23) And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].

The Apostle says “I have become (literal Greek) all things to all men”. This does not mean that the Apostle lowered himself into sin in order to reach the sinner. Though Jesus was accused of being a drunkard (Matthew 11:19) by His detractors, He never lowered Himself into sin in order to witness to the lost. Neither should you, dear Christian! We do not justify what God has condemned as sinful when reaching out to the lost. But we do ignore cultural and color differences, and with love and civility reach out to those without Christ.

We are ambassadors for Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). An Ambassador lives in a foreign country while he works. An Ambassador takes his orders from his Sovereign Nation. As Christians, we are strangers and foreigners in this world. We are alive to represent Jesus Christ our Lord to a lost and dying world. Our written directives are found in the Holy Scripture. The Apostle said:

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (12) Having your {way of life} honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation …

We who are Christ’s are members of His Body (1 Corinthians 12:27). While we serve the Lord, we will be blessed. “A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful Ambassador is health” (Proverbs 13:16-17). As the Apostle Paul had a reason to live, a purpose, we who are Christ’s have a purpose. Let us live for Him, and reach out to others with the glorious Gospel of salvation. Jesus is alive! We serve a Risen Savior! Amen and Amen.