1 Corinthians 9:15-23 – Be sensitive, adaptable but uncompromising

After all that he had said, Paul wanted the Corinthians to know explicitly that his intention was not to solicit for support from them. In fact his objective was the very opposite.  The cardinal point of 1 Corinthians 9 is verse 15. For Paul, death would be preferred than to have an empty boast. We all feel uncomfortable with the word boast as it may be misconstrued that Paul was being proud.

 

So in verses 16-18 he went on to explain what he meant. After all the imposing reasoning about receiving financial support, and scriptural support for its legitimacy, Paul said he would not take a cent. For if he had received any support from them, his work as an apostle would be viewed as not given freely and willingly to God. Unlike the philosophers who would charge a fee, he offered the Gospel for free. The former were compelled by money to teach whereas he was motivated by an inner compulsion to preach the Gospel. This drove him to preach the Gospel and not the thought of money. Preaching the Gospel was a commission from the Lord, it was a stewardship and he was obligated to discharge it responsibly. It would be pure misery if he did not preach the Gospel. While to receive income or not for his service was a right he could exercise, preaching the Gospel was not. For him the issue was not about salary but service. In the service of preaching the Gospel, his deepest satisfaction was to offer it free of charge without insisting on his right for support.

 

Paul’s one all-encompassing attitude was to exercise his liberty in such a way so that he could win more people for the Lord. Though he was a free man and was at liberty to exercise that freedom, yet for the Gospel’s sake he would curtail that liberty and impose self-restriction. To Paul, the message of the Gospel should not be changed or compromised but the approach in presenting it should be adaptable. Paul advocated here that the best method to be deployed should depend on the situation encountered. In verses 20-22 he mentioned four categories of people: the Jews, the strict legalistic Jews, the Gentiles and the weak. He adapted himself to each category so that some might be saved. He did all for the sake of the Gospel so that with them, he could be fellow partakers of the blessing.

 

Like Paul we should be driven by the motive to reach the people for the Lord. And similarly, we should also not change or compromise on the message and the intention of the Gospel. We can be sensitive and adapt to the people but we must never cave in to wrong moral, for that would discredit our message and our life.