Original Meaning

IN VERSES 19–27, Paul makes plain the evangelistic principle underlying his attitude to both idol meat and money for ministry. Whatever he does, he wants to clear the ground of unnecessary obstacles that might hinder unbelievers from coming to Christ. Verses 19–23 enunciate this principle in terms of “all things to all people.” Verses 24–27 describe the spiritual discipline involved in adapting oneself to diverse cultural and moral situations.

The main thought of verses 19–23 is essentially stated six times: to win or save “as many as possible” (v. 19), “the Jews” (v. 20a), “those under the law” (v. 20b), “those not having the law” (v. 21), “the weak” (v. 22a), and “some” (v. 22b). Freedom from human “strings” or entanglements allows Paul to give the best possible service to the widest range of people (v. 19).

The four specific examples of verses 20–22a are closely parallel. “Those under the law” probably include Gentile God-fearers and proselytes to Judaism as well as ethnic Jews. “Those not having the law” obviously refers to Gentiles apart from any Jewish influence. It is less clear who “the weak” are. In chapter 8 they referred to Christians, but here Paul seems to be talking about those who need salvation. Is he using the term as in 1:27 or Romans 5:6 for the powerless of society? Yet this meaning seems out of place in this context. Given the explicit sequence of 10:32, with which Paul concludes his discussion of idol meat (“Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God”), he probably is referring to the same three groups here, in the same order. After mentioning those under the Law and those not having the Law, the “weak” most likely refer to Christians with weak consciences, that is, those with mildly legalistic scruples. Paul must therefore be using “win” in the broader sense of winning to a more mature form of Christian faith.1

Paul understands that with the death of Christ the age of the Law has come to an end (Gal. 3:19–4:7). Scripture itself is still relevant for followers of Jesus (2 Tim. 3:16) but only as it is interpreted in light of what Christ has done (Rom. 10:4). Nevertheless, to Jews and others under the Law, Paul at times acts as if he is still subject to all of the laws of Moses (cf. Acts 16:1–3; 21:20–26), so long as it is clear that his actions are not a proof of salvation or spiritual maturity in any way. Hence he is not really “under the law” as non-Christian Jews believe they are. With the Gentiles he does not impose his Jewish scruples or follow Jewish ritual, but he avoids becoming antinomian and is careful not to transgress God’s timeless moral principles.

For Christians, God’s will is now summed up as Christ’s law (v. 21; cf. Gal. 6:2), which probably includes both Jesus’ explicit teachings as well as the laws of the Old Testament as they now apply in light of the work of Christ.2 Verses 22b–23 summarize the paragraph, repeating Paul’s principle of flexibility one last time and noting an additional rationale for his behavior. As in verses 15–18, there is inherent blessing in fulfilling his commission and seeing the results—people saved from their sins.

Verses 24–27 have been taken as belonging more with 10:1–13 than with 9:19–23. But the theme of sharing in the gospel’s blessings continues, and the analogies of strict discipline fit the single-minded passion Paul has articulated in verses 15–18. So Paul is probably not thinking of the Christian life in general as a race or boxing match (as he does, for example, in 2 Tim. 4:7) but is referring instead to these particular tasks of being all things to all people and voluntarily relinquishing his rights. The Corinthians would have been familiar with all of these analogies from the regular athletic training and competition that surrounded the Isthmian games the city hosted every other year.3

In verses 24–26a, Paul reminds the Corinthians that not all who run in a race receive the prize for first-place—a “crown” (actually a pine wreath) that “will not last” (literally, “corruptible”). He does not want any of the members of his church to fail to get their spiritual and incorruptible crowns. Because this is an analogy, we must not press the correspondence too far. Paul scarcely imagines that there will be only one faithful Christian on Judgment Day! But he is aware that some who begin the race of fulfilling their commission may not complete it and thereby be disqualified (v. 27). So too he likens his struggle to a boxer who dare not shadow box or miss too many punches if he intends to knock out his opponent (v. 26b).

Verse 27 then spells out the spiritual import of these two analogies. Verse 27a does not imply that Paul is promoting asceticism after all; rather he is now referring to the spiritual training and self-discipline that he exercises so that his ministry will not become futile. Verse 27b has been taken as Paul’s concern that he might lose his salvation (a remarkable thought in view of Rom. 8:31–38) or that “the prize” refers to some kind of rewards above and beyond eternal life itself (an idea for which there is no shred of contextual support). More probably, “disqualified” (adokimos) should be interpreted in light of the other reference to testing in the context of Judgment Day in 1 Corinthians (3:12–15). There Paul says God will “test” (dokimasei; v. 13) believers’ works and give out corresponding praise or censure (see the discussion above, pp. 74, 80). But neither one’s salvation nor eternal status in heaven is at stake.4

Bridging Contexts

THE KEY TO applying verses 19–27 is to keep Paul’s evangelistic principle clearly in focus. Verses 19–23 have massive implications for strategies of outreach and friendships with unbelievers, though they can be exaggerated. Paul is not promoting pure situation ethics. These verses form part of his larger discussion of morally neutral matters (8:1–11:1). So we dare not apply his strategy of “all things to all people” to issues of fundamental morality or immorality. Paul would never have said “to the thief I become like a thief,” or “to the adulterer I become an adulterer.” Conversely, he would never have stopped practicing those virtues that are always right, for example, the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).

But in the morally gray areas of life, such as eating food sacrificed to idols, and their numerous cultural equivalents in any era, Paul bends over backwards to be sensitive to the non-Christian mores of society around him so as not to hinder people from accepting the gospel. He does not assume that all aspects of culture are inherently evil but practices what has come to be called the contextualization of the gospel—changing the forms of the message precisely in order to preserve its content. Then Christianity stands the best chance of being understood and even accepted.5 Sadly, Christians of many eras have instead tended to be more sensitive to the legalism of fellow church members and have too quickly censured contemporary social customs, alienating themselves from the very people they should have been trying to win to Christ.

A comparison with Galatians 2:11–21 also proves instructive. Some have found Paul’s approach to Peter at Antioch hopelessly at odds with 1 Corinthians 9:19–23. How can he rebuke Peter so harshly for shrinking back from table fellowship with Gentiles in the presence of Judaizers, when here he himself admits that to the Jews he became like a Jew? A little probing, however, discloses the answer fairly quickly. At Antioch, the Judaizers were insisting that the ritual law was necessary for salvation (Acts 15:1). Giving in to their scruples at this point would have sent the wrong signal to the Gentile believers and therefore would have jeopardized the very foundation of the gospel—salvation by grace rather than works. But in Corinth the people to whom Paul is accommodating himself are neither believers nor individuals promoting works-righteousness. In fact, Paul’s “evangelistic principle”—his desire that as many people be saved as possible—is the unifying motive that accounts for his diametrically opposite behavior in Antioch and Corinth. Here he accommodates himself to Corinthian pagans on morally neutral matters precisely in the hopes that more of them will come to faith in Christ that way.6

The world’s religions and cultures include many such practices that at times may be intertwined with anti-Christian spirituality but that in many settings are not. These includes ceremonial foods, days, festivals, dress and grooming, forms of recreation, social functions, and so on. Where participating in any one of these would inherently compromise the gospel, Christians must refrain. Where abstaining would inappropriately distance believers from their non-Christian friends and neighbors, they should participate. Overcoming non-Christian misconceptions about the nature of Christianity, misconceptions that more often than not involve legalism rather than license, forms a crucial part of the evangelistic process and makes the Christian claims of freedom and joy more credible.

As noted above, verses 24–27 are not immediately applicable to all aspects of Christianity. They appear in this context of Paul’s voluntarily adopted patterns of flexibility and accommodation for the sake of gaining a greater hearing for the gospel. Still, in 11:1 he will encourage all believers to imitate him in these patterns. So we may generalize and apply these verses to the discipline of evaluating life’s circumstances on a situation-by-situation basis to know when it is important to assert our freedoms and when voluntarily to relinquish our rights.

It is of course far easier and requires far less thought to adopt one of these options consistently—either pure separatism or pure indulgence. But neither of these courses of action is in the gospel’s best interests. Paul’s athletic metaphors of self-discipline make plain that he is calling us to the far more rigorous approach of proceeding on a case-by-case basis with morally neutral matters.

The sacrifices that athletes in training make call to mind as well that Paul’s “evangelistic principle” should permeate all of our lives and order all of our priorities. From time to time we verbally share our faith and explain our moral commitments, but all of life involves modeling for a fallen world the balance of freedom and restraint that Paul articulates here. Whether at work or at play, at church or in the world, we are never “off-duty” with respect to the tasks of exhibiting the values of a balanced Christian life or of identifying with our culture for the sake of redeeming it.7 Verse 27 closes this section with a fitting reminder. We should never take our success in any of these areas for granted nor “retire” from diligent, self-controlled Christian living as long as God extends our days on this earth.

Contemporary Significance

IN LIGHT OF verses 19–23, it is hard to justify the prevailing patterns of evangelism by formula: using identical tracts, sets of questions, or pre-packaged approaches on everyone with whom we want to share Christ. Paul’s model far more closely approximates “friendship evangelism”—coming along side and getting to know unbelievers, valuing them as God’s creation in his image in and of themselves, and not just as potential objects of conversion.8 Then as we become familiar with each person’s unique hopes and fears, we may contextualize the gospel in such a way as to speak most directly to those concerns.

Contextualization, of course, has become a buzz word among missiologists and missionaries. When a person tries to reach people of different cultures, the need for doing more than dumping a canned condensation of gospel truths becomes both apparent and acute. Contemporary Jewish Christianity helpfully incorporates Sabbath (Saturday) worship, Christianized versions of the major Jewish festivals, folk music and dance, use of key Hebrew terms, and so on, in ways designed to make Christianity seem less Gentile and more true to its Jewish roots. Occasionally it lapses into legalism, insisting that various Jewish rituals must be observed, but usually this is avoided. Contemporary Palestinian and Arab Christianity increasingly recognize the legitimacy of praying at times and in postures common to Islam, using houses of worship that resemble mosques in appearance, and stressing regular times of reflection and devotion over against the frenetic activity that so often characterizes Western faith and missions. Yet these Christians must be careful not to so resemble the distinctive features of Islam that they unwittingly communicate the notion that they have converted to the faith of their Muslim neighbors!9

For many Western Christians living and working in relatively homogeneous secular settings, the most important lesson from verses 19–27 may relate to their choices of companions, whom they spend significant time with, cultivating friendships and engaging in recreation or leisure-time pursuits. Many Christians barely know any non-Christians well enough to share their faith in less than superficial fashion. Many congregations so insist on their members attending countless church functions that faithful followers have no time left for a fallen world. Better to spend less time in church and more in the world, so long as that does not reflect a lack of commitment to Christ and mature Christian living.10

In addition, as Michael Green says pointedly, “[Paul] would not … have tolerated the middle-class captivity of the church in the Western world. He would have been as active in evangelizing skinheads as undergraduates. He would have been as much at home talking of Christ in the bar or the open air as at the supper party.”11 Ministries to the outcasts and marginalized of our day—the unwed mothers, inner city and ethnic minorities, prisoners, prostitutes, homosexuals, and AIDS victims—begin to implement the vision of “all things to all people” that Paul presents so challengingly.

Verses 24–27 fall on deaf ears in an age of hedonism, entertainment, and leisure. Almost every church competes each Sunday with television, local or national sporting events, and outdoor recreation, as pastors wonder who will show up that week. Getting believers to commit to activities, particularly ministries of visitation and outreach, at times other than Sunday morning, often defies the creativity of even the most innovative of leaders.

Yet Paul compares the evangelistic lifestyle of believers to athletes who sacrifice normal pursuits for the sake of strict training and a competitive edge. In a day when fewer and fewer Christians commit themselves to long-term pastorates, career missions, lifetime service as elders or deacons, or other multi-year ministries, we need people who will make such commitments to Christ and to a particular local body of believers. The same is true of personal spiritual discipline and holy obedience to all God’s commands.