Bird's-eye view
In this dense and potent passage, the Apostle Paul lays out the central operating principle of his entire ministry. It is a stunning paradox: the freest man in the world voluntarily makes himself a slave to everyone. This is not a contradiction; it is the very logic of the gospel. Paul's freedom is not a libertine freedom to do whatever he wants, but a Spirit-bought freedom from sin, from the curse of the law, and from the need to please men. And what does he do with this glorious liberty? He immediately leverages it, invests it, and in a sense, forfeits it for the sake of winning souls. He becomes a strategic, Spirit-led chameleon, adapting his methods, customs, and cultural posture not to compromise the truth, but to gain a hearing for it.
He outlines his approach to three distinct groups: the Jews, those under the Mosaic code; the Gentiles, those without that code; and the weak, those with tender consciences. To each, he adapts his approach, not by changing the gospel message, but by removing any unnecessary cultural or personal offense that might prevent them from hearing it. This entire enterprise is governed by a higher law, the law of Christ, and is fueled by a singular motive: the advancement of the gospel. Paul does all of it so that he might "by all means save some," and in so doing, become a fellow partaker in the blessings of the gospel he proclaims.
Outline
- 1. The Paradox of Gospel Freedom (1 Cor 9:19-23)
- a. Free From All, Slave to All (1 Cor 9:19)
- b. Strategic Adaptation for the Sake of Souls (1 Cor 9:20-22)
- i. To the Jew, as a Jew (1 Cor 9:20a)
- ii. To Those Under the Law, as Under the Law (1 Cor 9:20b)
- iii. To Those Without Law, as Without Law (1 Cor 9:21)
- iv. To the Weak, as Weak (1 Cor 9:22a)
- c. The Ultimate Motivation (1 Cor 9:22b-23)
- i. That I Might Save Some (1 Cor 9:22b)
- ii. For the Sake of the Gospel (1 Cor 9:23)
Context In 1 Corinthians
This passage is not an abstract theological treatise; it is intensely practical and flows directly from the preceding argument. In chapter 8, Paul addressed the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols. He established the principle that while an idol is nothing and the mature believer is free to eat, he must not use his freedom in a way that causes a weaker brother to stumble. In chapter 9, Paul defends his apostolic authority and his right to receive financial support, a right he has chosen not to exercise among the Corinthians. Why? For the same reason he restricts his freedom with food: for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor 9:12). The verses we are considering here (9:19-23) are the grand summation of this principle. Paul is using his own life as the prime exhibit. His freedom is real, his rights are legitimate, but he holds all of it in an open hand, willing to set any of it aside to remove an obstacle to the gospel. This section, therefore, provides the theological engine for the practical instructions that follow in chapter 10, culminating in the charge to "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31).
Key Issues
- The Nature of Christian Liberty
- The Relationship Between Freedom and Servanthood
- The Ethics of Cultural Adaptation
- The Distinction Between Law and Gospel
- The Meaning of "The Law of Christ"
- The Motivation for Evangelism
The Freest Slave
The central theme here is a glorious paradox. Paul, more than anyone, understood the breathtaking scope of Christian freedom. He was a man set free from the covenant of works, free from the curse of the Mosaic law, free from the beggarly elements of the world, free from the fear of man. He belonged to no one but Christ. And yet, this is the man who says, "I have made myself a slave to all." This is not the language of subjugation but of love. It is the willing, joyful, strategic enslavement of the self for the good of others. True Christian liberty is never a goal in itself; it is not a declaration of personal autonomy. Rather, it is the platform from which we launch ourselves into the service of others. Freedom is the capital we are given to invest in the lives of those who are still in bondage. Paul understood that you cannot serve two masters, so having been freed from the mastery of sin, he joyfully enlisted as a bondservant of all men, for the sake of the one true Master, Jesus Christ.
Verse by Verse Commentary
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
Paul begins with a declaration of his status in Christ. He is "free from all." This means he is not obligated to any man or any human system. He is not bound by the ceremonial laws of the Jews, nor the social customs of the Gentiles, nor the scrupulous anxieties of the weak. His conscience is captive to the Word of God alone. But this freedom is not for personal indulgence. He immediately pivots to the practical outworking of this liberty: "I have made myself a slave to all." This is a voluntary, deliberate act. He takes his freedom and lays it down on the altar of evangelistic love. The goal is explicit: "that I may win more." The verb "win" is a commercial term, like gaining a profit. Paul is a spiritual entrepreneur, and his business is the business of souls. He leverages his greatest asset, his freedom, in order to maximize his return, which is the salvation of men and women.
20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews. To those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law.
Here he begins to provide specific examples of his strategy. When his mission field was the synagogue, he became "as a Jew." This does not mean he pretended to be under the Mosaic covenant for salvation. We know from Galatians he would fight that error to the death. It means he respected their customs. He would circumcise Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess, to avoid unnecessary offense (Acts 16:3). He would participate in purification rites in the temple (Acts 21:26). He was willing to live within the cultural framework of the Mosaic law, not as a means of justification, but as a means of getting a hearing. He clarifies his own position carefully: "though not being myself under the Law." He is not under its condemnation, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. But he is willing to come alongside those still under its tutelage to lead them to the Messiah who fulfilled it.
21 To those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
When he went to the Gentiles, the pagans, those "without law," he adapted in the opposite direction. He did not burden them with Jewish dietary laws or ceremonial washings. He met them on their own terms, quoting their poets at the Areopagus (Acts 17:28). He ate what was set before him, asking no questions for conscience' sake. But this freedom has a crucial boundary. His adaptability was not antinomianism. He was not a lawless libertine. He immediately qualifies his statement: "though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ." This is a critical distinction. While he is free from the Mosaic code as a system of salvation, he is bound by a higher law, the "law of Christ." This law is the law of love, the royal law, the moral law of God as it is written on the heart and fulfilled in loving God and neighbor. His freedom from the ceremonial code did not mean freedom from moral responsibility. His life was governed, constrained, and directed by his allegiance to King Jesus.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
The third category is "the weak." These are believers whose consciences are not yet fully informed by their freedom in Christ. They might have scruples about food, or holy days, or other matters of indifference. To them, Paul "became weak." This means he did not flaunt his freedom. He would not eat meat in front of a brother who believed it was sinful, lest he wound that brother's conscience. He would rather never eat meat again than cause a brother to stumble (1 Cor 8:13). He condescended to their weakness out of love. Then he provides the summary statement for this entire strategy: "I have become all things to all men." This is one of the most famous and most abused statements in the Pauline corpus. It is not a license for doctrinal compromise or ethical relativism. It is a principle of missional flexibility, governed by the law of Christ and aimed at the salvation of souls. The goal is not to be liked by all, but "that I may by all means save some." The "all things" are matters of indifference. The "all means" are any and every method that is consistent with the truth of the gospel.
23 So I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
Paul concludes by stating his ultimate motivation. Why does he do all this? Why the self-enslavement, the cultural contortions, the patient condescension? He does it "for the sake of the gospel." The gospel is not just a message he preaches; it is the central reality of his life, the cause to which everything else is subordinate. And there is a personal benefit as well: "so that I may become a fellow partaker of it." This does not mean he was working to earn his salvation. Rather, it means that by throwing himself into the work of proclaiming the gospel, he experiences the joy and blessings of that gospel more fully. It is like a man who loves a feast and so invites everyone he can to come and share it with him; his own enjoyment of the feast is magnified by seeing others enjoy it too. By giving the gospel away, he participates more deeply in its power and glory.
Application
This passage is a direct broadside against two perennial errors in the church: legalism and license. The legalist is the one who is not "free from all." He is in bondage to human traditions, extra-biblical rules, and cultural preferences which he wrongly elevates to the level of divine law. He is unable to become a Jew to the Jew or a Gentile to the Gentile because he is trapped in his own little cultural box, and he wants to drag everyone else into it with him. He confuses his customs with the gospel.
On the other hand, the licentious man misunderstands what it means to be "under the law of Christ." He takes his freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. He is unwilling to become weak to the weak because he prizes his personal liberty more than he loves his brother. He insists on his rights, his preferences, his way, and if weaker saints are offended, well, that's their problem. He uses his liberty as a club, not as a tool for service.
The Pauline path is the narrow road between these two ditches. It is the path of principled flexibility. We must be absolutely rigid on the non-negotiables of the gospel: the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the reality of the resurrection, justification by faith alone. On these things, we must be granite. But on matters of cultural expression, musical style, dietary choices, and a thousand other things where Scripture has not bound the conscience, we should be graciously flexible. We must learn to distinguish between the message and the wrapper. The message is unchanging, but the wrapper can and should be adapted to the audience. The central question we must ask ourselves in our evangelism, our church life, and our personal relationships is this: Am I doing this for my own sake, for my own comfort, for my own tribe? Or am I doing this for the sake of the gospel?