Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.

19. made myself servant ] Literally, enslaved myself.

the more ] Not necessarily more than other people, but as our version implies, more than he would otherwise have gained.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

For though I be free – I am a freeman. I am under obligation to none. I am not bound to. give them my labors, and at the same time to toil for my own support. I have claims like others, and could urge them; and no man could demand that I should give myself to a life of servitude, and comply with their prejudices and wishes, as if I were a slave, in order to their conversion; compare 1Co 9:1; see the notes at 1Co 6:12.

From all men – ( ek panton). This may either refer to all persons or to all things. The word men is not in the original. The connection, however, seems to fix the signification to persons. I am a freeman. And although I have conducted like a slave, yet it has been done voluntarily.

I have made myself the servant of all – Greek, I have enslaved myself ( emauton edoulosa) unto all. That is:

(1) I labor for them, or in their service, and to promote their welfare.

(2) I do it, as the slave does, without reward or hire. I am not paid for it, but submit to the toil, and do it without receiving pay.

(3) Like the slave who wishes to gratify his master, or who is compelled from the necessity of the case, I comply with the prejudices, habits, customs, and opinions of others as far as I can with a good conscience. The slave is subject to the masters will. That will must be obeyed. The whims, prejudices, caprices of the master must be submitted to, even if they are mere caprice, and wholly unreasonable. So Paul says that he had voluntarily put himself into this condition, a condition making it necessary for him to suit himself to the opinions, prejudices, caprices, and feelings of all people, so far as he could do it with a good conscience, in order that he might save them. We are not to understand here that Paul embraced any opinions which were false in order to do this, or that he submitted to anything which is morally wrong. But he complied with their customs, and habits, and feelings, as far as it could lawfully be done. He did not needlessly offend them, or run counter to their prejudices.

That I might gain the more – That I might gain more to Christ; that I might be the means of saving more souls. What a noble instance of self-denial and true greatness is here! How worthy of religion! How elevated the conduct! How magnanimous, and how benevolent! No man would do this who had not a greatness of intellect that would rise above narrow prejudices; and who had not a nobleness of heart that would seek at personal sacrifice the happiness of all people. It is said that not a few early Christians, in illustration of this principle of conduct, actually sold themselves into slavery in order that they might have access to and benefit slaves, an act to which nothing would prompt a man but the religion of the cross; compare the note at Rom 1:14.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. For though I be free] Although I am under no obligation to any man, yet I act as if every individual had a particular property in me, and as if I were the slave of the public.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

For though I be free from all men; the word men is not in the Greek, but is supplied by our interpreters. Some make things the substantive, and restrain it to the things of the ceremonial law. It may be understood both of men and things; he was born no mans servant, nor by Gods law made a servant to any mens humours, and as free as to many other things, as he was to have taken maintenance of the churches, for the pains he bestowed amongst them.

Yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more; yet (saith he) observe my practice, that I might gain men to Christ, (so the apostle several times calleth converting souls, bringing them in love with the gospel, and into a road that may bring them to heaven, which we ought to account the greatest gain in the world, as it appeareth from Dan 12:3), I have become, or made myself, the servant of all; not the servants of their lusts and corruptions, (that is the way to lose mens souls, and destroy them, not to gain them), but a servant to their weaknesses and infirmities, so far as they were not sinful: I have denied myself in my liberty, and determined myself to that part in my actions, which I saw would most oblige, profit, and endear them to me, and to bring them more in love with the gospel.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

19. free from all menthat is,from the power of all men.

gain the morethat is,as many of them (“all men”) as possible.“Gain” is an appropriate expression in relation to a”reward” (1Th 2:19;1Th 2:20); he therefore repeatsit frequently (1Co9:20-22).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

For though I be free from all men,…. As an apostle, being in the highest office in the church, he had none superior to him, that could exercise any power and authority over him, and was also independent of men for his maintenance, which he got by his own hand labour: though it may be observed, that the word “men” is not in the original text, and the word “all” may as well have respect to things as men; and the sense be, that he was free, as from the curse of the moral law, so from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and all the rituals of it, and might, if he would, make use of his Christian liberty; the following verses seem to incline to this sense, as the preceding ones do to the former:

yet have I made myself servant unto all; in faithfully and indefatigably preaching the Gospel to them; undergoing all manner of affliction and persecution for the sake of that and them; behaving towards them with all meekness and humility; condescending to their weakness, and accommodating himself to their capacities and customs:

that I might gain the more; than other apostles have done, or than it could be reasonably thought he should, had he behaved in a more lordly and domineering manner: his end was not to amass wealth, to gain riches and treasures of good things to himself, but many souls to Christ, who otherwise must have been lost; but being brought to the knowledge of Christ, and salvation by him through his ministry, it was profit to them, and gain to Christ: the metaphor is taken from merchants, who spare no pains, but take every method to acquire gain and profit; the ministers of the word are spiritual merchants, their traffic lies in the souls of men, whom they are studiously and anxiously careful to bring to Christ.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Apostle’s Devotedness.

A. D. 57.

      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.

      The apostle takes occasion from what he had before discoursed to mention some other instances of his self-denial and parting with his liberty for the benefit of others.

      I. He asserts his liberty (v. 19): Though I be free from all men. He was free-born, a citizen of Rome. He was in bondage to none, nor depended upon any for his subsistence; yet he made himself a servant to all, that he might gain the more. He behaved as a servant; he laboured for their good as a servant; he was careful to please, as a servant to his master; he acted in many cases as if he had no privileges; and this that he might gain the more, or make the more converts to Christianity. He made himself a servant, that they might be made free.

      II. He specifies some particulars wherein he made himself a servant to all. He accommodated himself to all sorts of people. 1. To the Jews, and those under the law, he became a Jew, and as under the law, to gain them. Though he 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. 2. To those that are without the law as without law that is, to the Gentiles, whether converted to the Christian faith or not. In innocent things he could comply with people’s usages or humours for their advantage. He would reason with the philosophers in their own way. And, as to converted Gentiles, he behaved among them as one that was not under the bondage of the Jewish laws, as he had asserted and maintained concerning them, though he did not act as a lawless person, but as one who was bound by the laws of Christ. He would transgress no laws of Christ to please or humour any man; but he would accommodate himself to all men, where he might do it lawfully, to gain some. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, and so, one would have thought, might have excused himself from complying with the Jews; and yet, to do them good, and win them over to Christ, he did, in innocent things, neglect the power he had to do otherwise, and conformed to some of their usages and laws. And though he might, by virtue of that character, have challenged authority over the Gentiles, yet he accommodated himself, as much as he innocently might, to their prejudices and ways of thinking. Doing good was the study and business of his life; and, so that he might reach this end, he did not stand on privileges and punctilios. 3. To the weak he became as weak, that he might gain the weak, v. 22. He was willing to make the best of them. He did not despise nor judge them, but became as one of them, forbore to use his liberty for their sake, and was careful to lay no stumbling-block in their way. Where any, through the weakness of their understanding, or the strength of their prejudices, were likely to fall into sin, or fall off from the gospel into heathen idolatry, through his use of his liberty, he refrained himself. He denied himself for their sakes, that he might insinuate into their affections, and gain their souls. In short, he became all things to all men, that he might by all means (all lawful means) gain some. He would not sin against God to save the soul of his neighbour, but he would very cheerfully and readily deny himself. The rights of God he could not give up, but he might resign his own, and he very often did so for the good of others.

      III. He assigns his reason for acting in this manner (v. 23): This I do for the gospel’s sake, and that I may be partaker thereof with you; that is, for the honour of Christ, whose the gospel is, and for the salvation of souls, for which it was designed, and that he and they might communicate in the privileges of it, or partake together of them. For these ends did he thus condescend, deny himself as to his liberty, and accommodate himself to the capacities and usages of those with whom he had to do, where he lawfully might. Note, A heart warmed with zeal for God, and breathing after the salvation of men, will not plead and insist upon rights and privileges in bar to this design. Those manifestly abuse their power in the gospel who employ it not to edification but destruction, and therefore breathe nothing of its spirit.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

I brought myself under bondage ( ). Voluntary bondage, I enslaved myself to all, though free. Causative verb in – (, from ). The more ( ). Than he could have done otherwise. Every preacher faces this problem of his personal attitude and conduct. Note (as in verses 1Cor 9:20; 1Cor 9:21; 1Cor 9:22, but once in 21, regular liquid future of ) with is probably future active indicative (Jas 4:13), though Ionic aorist active subjunctive from is possible (Mt 18:15). “He refuses payment in money that he may make the greater gain in souls” (Edwards).

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

Made myself servant [] . Rev., brought myself under bondage; better, as bringing out the force of doulov bond – servant, from which the word is derived, and thus according with stewardship, ver. 17. Gain [] . Carrying out the thought of servant in ver. 18. “He refuses payment in money that he may make the greater gain in souls. But the gain is that which a faithful steward makes, not for himself, but for his master” (Edwards). The word is not, as Godet, to be limited to its purely natural meaning, but is used in the sense of Mt 18:15; 1Pe 3:1.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

THE METHOD AND REWARD OF TRUE MINISTERS

1) “For though I be free from all men. (eleutheros gar on ek panton) “For being in a free or liberty state or condition from all men,” – unobligated by human ties.

2) “Yet have I made myself servant unto all. (pasin emauton edoulosa) “Yet, I voluntarily enslaved myself to all men.” Like the redeemed slave who bored a hole in his ear saying, “I shall be your slave voluntarily forever,” so Paul sold out voluntarily and wholly to bear the gospel, through the church, for the Master; So should we Exo 21:5-6; Rom 1:14-16.

3) “That I might gain the more.” (hina tous pleionas kerdeso) “in order that I might gain, influence, or win so much or more.” Paul’s self abasement, abnegation, or neglect to seek material support for himself was of an holy, consecrated desire to be the more useful to the Master, Joh 15:13-14; Joh 20:21.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

19. Though I was free from all. Εκ πάντων, that is, from all, may be taken either in the neuter gender or in the masculine. If in the neuter, it will refer to things; if in the masculine, to persons I prefer the second He has as yet shown only by one particular instance how carefully he had accommodated himself to the weak. Now he subjoins a general statement, and afterwards enumerates several instances. The general observation is this — that while he was not under the power of any one, he lived as if he had been subject to the inclination of all, and of his own accord subjected himself to the weak, to whom he was under no subjection. The particular instances are these — that among the Gentiles he lived as if he were a Gentile, and among the Jews he acted as a Jew: that is, while among Jews he carefully observed the ceremonies of the law, he was no less careful not to give occasion of offense to the Gentiles by the observance of them.

He adds the particle as, to intimate that his liberty was not at all impaired on that account, for, however he might accommodate himself to men, he nevertheless remained always like himself inwardly in the sight of God. To become all things is to assume all appearances, as the case may require, or to put on different characters, according to the diversity among individuals. As to what he says respecting his being without law and under the law, you must understand it simply in reference to the ceremonial department; for the department connected with morals was common to Jews and Gentiles alike, and it would not have been allowable for Paul to gratify men to that extent. For this doctrine holds good only as to things indifferent, as has been previously remarked.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

Butlers Comments

SECTION 3

Reasons For Relinquishment (1Co. 9:19-27)

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the lawthough not being myself under the lawthat I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the lawnot being without law toward God but under the law of Christthat I might win those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; 27but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1Co. 9:19-22 To Save Some: It is important that Paul lists the salvation of others as his first reason for willingness to relinquish rights. This is the priority he is trying to establish in the consciences of the Corinthians.

When Paul says he is free from all men, he means he is free from being bound by any mans scruples (see 1Co. 10:23; 1Co. 10:29-30; Rom. 14:1-4). He does not mean that he has no moral obligation to be his brothers keeper. All men have that liability. And this is exactly the point to be made in this passage. Though free from the scruples of all men, Paul will gladly relinquish this freedom and submit to their scruples in order to win them to Christ. He does more than merely acknowledge other mens right to have and to practice scruples different than his, he declares his practice is to enslave (Gr. edoulosa, aorist tense, enslaved at some point in the past) himself to other mens scruples in order to save them. The Greek word translated win is kerdeso and often translated gain (as in money or business profit); it is used metaphorically in the scriptures to describe winning someone to the gospel. When we win someone to Christ, we not only gain them for Jesus, we gain a brother (see Mat. 18:15) and are ourselves profited. This is Pauls motivation for sacrificing any right to gain a brother.

Paul was a Jew. He was reared in the strictest sect of the Jewish culturethe Pharisees (see Php. 3:4-6). We would suppose he preferred to practice, whenever possible, Jewish cultural habits. He undoubtedly preferred kosher food as much as Peter (cf. Act. 10:14); he carried with him the Jewish abhorrence of images and idols (see Act. 17:1-34); he went customarily to Jewish synagogues to worship and preach; he practiced Jewish purifications (Act. 21:26) in order to conciliate his Jewish brethren; he defended himself against the charges that he had profaned the Jewish temple (Act. 24:5-21); and reminded Agrippa that he had always lived among the Jews according to the strictest sect of the Pharisees (Act. 26:2-8). When he was among the Jews, Paul honored their Jewish scruples and lived as they did, ate what they ate, abstained from that which they considered unclean, observed their days and seasons. However, when any Jewish brother demanded that Paul keep the law of Moses as a necessity for salvation or membership in the kingdom of God (the church), he vehemently and immediately denounced it as apostasy (cf. Galatians, Romans and Hebrews). He would have Timothy to become circumcised in order not to offend his Jewish brethren (Act. 16:1-4), and on the other hand, he would refuse to yield to the Judaizers who insisted he compel Titus to be circumcised (Gal. 2:3) in order to keep the law of Moses. All this he did in order to bring as many Jews as he could into the saving grace of Christ.

And it was the amazing grace of Christ that could make this Pharisee of the Pharisees, Paul, equally at ease involving himself in Gentile culture (those outside the law). He was truthful and firm, but never rude and insulting toward Gentiles for their belief in idols (cf. Act. 19:37). He was so thoroughly familiar with their philosophies, arts, and politics he could communicate the gospel to them in their frame-of-reference (Act. 17:22-33; Act. 16:35-39). He fellowshiped with Gentile Christians as his brethren and defended their gospel liberties even against the pillars of the church (Gal. 2:1-21). He could eat with unbelievers and even partake of meat sacrificed to idols without wounding his own conscience (1Co. 10:27-30). Paul could be knowledgeable, courteous and friendly toward unbelievers, and could freely fellowship with Gentile Christian brethren in an atmosphere of perfect equality. But he would never use his liberty as license for immorality (see 1Pe. 2:16; Gal. 5:13; 1Co. 8:9). Paul considered himself under law to Christ (Rom. 6:12-23). The law of Christ is the law of love (Rom. 12:10; 2Co. 5:14; 1Ti. 1:5; Joh. 13:34-35; Joh. 15:12-17; Gal. 5:14; Col. 3:14-15; Jas. 2:8; Mat. 22:39-40). Love is more compelling and constraining than any law (1Co. 13:1-13; 1Jn. 3:14-24; 1Jn. 4:7-21). Only under the compulsion of Christs love is there power to relinquish ones rights for the salvation of another. Only in the constraint of Christs love is there power to keep the commandments of Gods new covenant in daily living. Every condescension Paul-the-Jew made to Gentile culture he did so in order to win every Gentile he could to Christ. But he would never participate in any cultural usage, Gentile or Jewish, which compromised the new covenant of faith in Christ.

To the over scrupulous (Jew or Gentile) Paul became scrupulous. He would observe any mans scruples so long as that man did not attempt to bind them on others as necessary to covenant relationship with Christ. Every Christian has the same obligation toward all men (cf. 1Co. 8:7; Rom. 15:1; 1Th. 5:14; 1Co. 13:4-7; Act. 20:35, 1Co. 10:33).

In the latter half of 1Co. 9:22, the verb gegona is perfect tense and means, I became, and am becoming, all things to all men. It is something he had practiced ever since becoming a Christian and would continue to practice. His statement here does not mean he became a two-faced hypocrite. It does not mean he compromised any doctrinal or ethical truth. It simply means he tried to project himself into each individuals circumstances as much as possible in order to win them to Christ. It means he made every attempt possible to understand the thinking, feelings and actions of others. It means he had an honest interest in people as persons and not just as numerical-conversions. Someone once described teaching, medicine, and the ministry as the three patronizing professions. But when we patronize people we make no effort to understand themno effort to find some point of personal contact. Paul did not patronize people. He made every effort to understand them and live with them within their own cultural, educational and social milieu. The Living Bible paraphrases 1Co. 9:22 : Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. One of the greatest hindrances to the spread of the Gospel throughout the world is that people of all races and cultures simply do not try to understand one another in matters not clearly commanded in the New Testament. Even Christian people are unwilling to forfeit their rights in order to make such understanding possible. Until Restoration Movement people are willing to sacrifice some of their overly-cherished Anglo-Saxon traditions and customs in order to understand where others are coming from we will never accomplish the great ideal for which the Movement beganChristian unity!

1Co. 9:23-27 To Save Self: The Greek phrase (1Co. 9:23), panta de poio dia to euaggelion hina sugkoinonos autou genomai, should be translated All these things I do because of the gospel in order that I may become a joint partaker of it. One commentator insists, The suggestion that this (verse) means, lest I lose my share in salvation (ICC), misses Pauls meaning. The context indicates that he was concerned with the salvation of others, but that he had no doubt about his own. In the first place, the Greek preposition dia denotes cause or reason. In the second place the Greek verb genomai is in the subjunctive mood and indicates Paul was hoping to become a joint partaker. In the third place the context (1Co. 9:23-27) does suggest Paul feared he would lose his share in the gospel if he did not run so as to obtain it.

Even the word prize (1Co. 9:24) reinforces the idea that Paul was concerned with the possibility of forfeiting his share in the gospel. The Greek word brabeion is translated prize and is related to the Greek word brabeuo which means to decide, arbitrate, rule, umpire, award, referee. The brabeion was the prize awarded by the referees or rulers of the Greek games to an athlete who won his race or other contest (see Php. 3:14; Col. 3:15). The Corinthian brethren would understand immediately the figure of the Greek games as an analogy of the Christian life. Since the time of Alexander the Great, athletic games had been popular throughout the Greek world. The most famous, of course, were the Olympic Games held at Olympia (located in the Peloponnesus). The first games in recorded history were held in 776 B.C. The Roman emperor Nero drove a quadriga (a chariot pulled by four horses) in the races in 66 A.D. (about 10 years after Paul wrote this letter). Nero was thrown from his chariot and nearly crushed to death; restored to his chariot he continued the contest for a while, but gave up before the end of the course. The brabeus (judge or referee), however, knew an emperor from an athlete and awarded Nero the crown of victory. Overcome with happiness when the crowd applauded him, he announced that thereafter not only Athens and Sparta but all Greece should be exempt from any tribute to Rome. The Greek cities accommodated him by running the Olympian, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games in one year; he responded by taking part in all of them. The Isthmian games were second in popularity only to the Olympics, and were held every third year. Paul must have been an avid sports fan, for he used athletic contests often to illustrate his messages (cf. Php. 3:14; Gal. 5:7; 2Ti. 2:5; 2Ti. 4:7-8; Heb. 12:1).

The Greek word agonizomenos is translated athlete in 1Co. 9:25. Its literal meaning is one who struggles, one who contends, one who agonizes. Our English word agony comes from this word. Jesus struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane is called agonia (Luk. 22:44). Jude writes that Christians are to contend earnestly (Gr. epagonizesthai) for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jud. 1:3). Right relationship with God is a strugglemake no mistake about that! It involves agony and pressure. Christians are contenders, combatants, strugglers.

Every agonizer (athlete) must exercise self-control in all things in order to compete as a winner. Paul uses the Greek word egkrateuetai translated temperate in the KJV, but self-control in the RSV. It literally means, within-strength, or inner-strength. Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit of God in the Christian (Gal. 5:23). Self-control is what the Christian must make every effort to add to his life as a supplement to faith, knowledge, virtue, etc. (2Pe. 1:6). Athletes in the Greek games had to endure, according to Horace, the regimen of obedience, sparse diet, and severe training for ten months before he was qualified to enter the actual game. Modern athletes spend weeks and months disciplining their minds and bodies in rigorous training and competition. Some modern professional golfers have been known to practice swinging their clubs until their hands are blistered and bleeding. These all submit to self-discipline in order to win a perishable trophy. Should not Christians, then, be willing and able to exercise self-control for the imperishable crown of eternal life? Should not Christians be willing and able to relinquish a few rights or freedoms in order to win the game of life?

For Paul there was no uncertainty in his regimen of self-discipline. He did not run his race of life aimlessly (Gr. adelos, unevident, unclear, uncertain). He did not consider the Christian struggle a session in shadow-boxing or quixotic jousting with windmills. For him the Christian life was a contest to win, a war in which there was no substitute for victory (Eph. 6:10-23). It was a trial that demanded severe self-discipline.

In 1Co. 9:27 the Greek word hupopiazo is translated pommel and means literally, to give a black eye by striking the face. Figuratively Paul is saying, I beat my body black and blue . . . to keep it under control. It is inconceivable that Paul is saying he practiced literal flagellation (whipping) of his own flesh. He clearly taught that literal severity to the body was of no real spiritual value (Col. 2:18; Col. 2:23; 1Ti. 4:1-3; 1Ti. 4:8; Rom. 13:14). Withdrawal into a monastery and daily scourging of the flesh does not solve the problem of worldly-mindedness. It may, in fact, intensify it by pride in self-righteousness. The other Greek word in 1Co. 9:27, doulagogo, translated subdue, is literally, lead as a slave. This clarifies Pauls practice of self-control. He, Paul, that is, his mind, controlled by the Spirit of Christ, led his body as a slave. He articulated this with precision in Rom. 6:12-23; Rom. 8:5-11; Rom. 12:1-8.

Athletes set goals. Their goal is always to win! They must be willing to give up any freedom which might be a hindrance to reaching that goal. The Christians goal is to be transformed in character into the image of Christ. Christians need to see the goal clearly. One of the most distressing things about modern man is the obvious aimlessness and distortion in setting this as a goal. If any Christian is not willing to give up whatever is necessary for him and others to attain the highest potential God has for them, that Christian will, at the end of the race, find himself rejected. Adokimos is the Greek word translated disqualified. It is a word from the ancient alchemist (who was both a pharmacologist and a metallurgist) and his practice of testing metals and casting aside those which were spurious.

This is not the final word of the New Testament on Christian freedom. But it is perhaps the clearest and most persuasive presentation to be found. Only the teachings and examples of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, are more compelling.
The man who has surrendered to evil and rebellion against God has imprisoned his self behind walls of fear, alienation, hate, falsehood and impotence. Man was not made for that kind of character. He cannot be free with that nature controlling him. Those characteristics severely limit any potentiality he may have for growth into the image of Christ. The man who is good only because there is a law standing in his way to being bad is not free either. The only man who is truly free, is the man who is good because he wants to be good for Jesus sake. It is Jesus Christ who makes us free men by making us new creatures through regeneration. His Spirit is born in us and we are changed into His image from one degree of glory to another as we surrender to his new commandment (compulsion) of love.

Appleburys Comments

Text

1Co. 9:19-27. For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. 23 And I do all things for the gospels sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. 24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

Paul Preached to Win (1927)

Commentary

For though I was free.He had laid this principle down in the beginning of the discussion of his right to receive support. He was not bound by the customs, regulations, and practices of others. He was free to forgo accepting support that the gospel of Christ be not hindered.

under bondage to all.He was a slave to all in that he had a service to perform in their behalf. By preaching without charge he was able to win more than he would have done if he had accepted support. Why? Evidently there were some at Corinth who were constantly looking for opportunities to discredit him by saying that he was working for money. He removed the possibility completely, and in so doing was able to win more for Christ. Moreover, he was also able to gain much more satisfaction from his work in this way (this is not stated in the text).

to the Jews I became as a Jew.Paul used his right as a Jew to go into the synagogues on the sabbath day and, when called upon, go speak to them. God providentially provided for the propagation of the gospel through the scattering of the Jews over the known world before the Day of Pentecost. For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath (Act. 15:21). When Paul came to Antioch of Pisidia, he entered the synagogue on the sabbath and sat down. After the reading of the law, he was invited to speak. He stood up and with characteristic gesture urged those present to hear his message. Carefully and skillfully, he led the audience through the familiar but ever interesting story of Gods dealings with the Jews. Then he declared that God had fulfilled His promise given through the prophets in the resurrection of Jesus through whom he proclaimed the remission of sins. When the meeting was over, many of those present urged Paul to speak to them again the next Sabbath. See Act. 13:13-52.

When Paul selected Timothy to travel with him, he had him circumcised because of the Jews that were in that part of the country. Timothys mother was a Jewess, but His father was a Greek. See Act. 16:1-2. In the case of Titus, however, on whom some tried to force the law of circumcision, Paul refused to be bound by the opinions of men, since Titus was a Greek. See Gal. 2:1-3.

not being myself under the law.Paul did not carry this matter of conformity to the point of keeping the law in every instance. Indeed, he had been freed from the power of the law by becoming a Christian (Gal. 2:19-21). As a Jew, however, he could approve of circumcision, keep the vows of his Jewish background (Act. 18:18), and even go into the temple with offerings along with other Jewish brethren (Act. 21:17-26).

to them that are without law.Paul associated with Gentiles as if he were one of them. He defended his right publically when Peter refused any longer to eat with the Gentiles because of his fear of the Jews (Gal. 2:11-21). This whole course of action reminds us of Jesus who associated with publicans and sinners, not as one of them, but as the Good Physician who came to minister to the sick and the lost. Paul was always careful to conform to Gods law, for he was under the law of Christ, just as he said to the Galatians, Bear ye one anothers burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

To the Weak I became weak.This is what he wrote about it in the second letter to the Corinthians: Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness (2Co. 11:29-30). He fully understood and appreciated the problem of the man who was weakthat is, who did not have the information he should have had about idols and who, by the wrong example, might have been led to violate his conscience and so perish. An excellent example of the meaning of empathy.

that I may by all means save some.He was concerned about the salvation of all menthe Jew and the Gentile, the weak and the strong. He used every possible means to win them to Christ. At that, only some responded to the gospel invitation.

that I may be a joint partaker.When Jesus was on the cross there were some who taunted Him saying, He saved others, himself he cannot save. How true! But how many Christians have caught the point of Pauls remark? He did all things for the gospels sake in order that he might become a partaker also in its blessings. Does he not suggest that there is some real doubt about participating in the joy of heaven if we fail to participate in the spreading of the gospel?

they that run a race.Two illustrations taken from the athletic games illustrate what he has just said about the necessity of doing all things for the sake of the gospel that he might become a partaker of its blessings. They also illustrate the great principle which he had been discussing: the limitation of Christian liberty. In the tenth chapter, he adds another illustration to shown what happens in the case of the one who fails to observe this principle.

In the race, there were many runners, but the prize was for one. Paul says, Even so, run that ye may attain. All of you are to run so that you may receive the prize of eternal life.

exercise self-control in all things.Here is the principle of limitation of liberty. The athlete had to observe the rules of training if he expected to win the prize. There were some things that he had to give up. Just so, there were some things that the Christian had to give up, such as liberty to eat food used in idolatrous worshipif he was to win the weak brother. This is, of course, just one of the many applications of the principle of limiting liberty for the sake of others. The rules of the game are given in the Bible. For a summary of them see 2Pe. 1:5-11 and Gal. 5:22-24.

Crown.This is the wreath that symbolized victory, not the diadem of kingly authority. But for the Christian, it was a thing that did not perish. It is the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fades not away (1Pe. 1:3-5). It is the crown of righteousness which the Lord will give to those who have loved His appearing (2Ti. 4:8). It is the crown of life for the victor over temptation and sin which the Lord promised to those who are faithful to the end (Jas. 1:8; Rev. 2:10). It is the crown of glory that fades not away which the chief Shepherd will give to those who have cared for the flock when He comes (1Pe. 5:4).

I therefore run, as not uncertainly.Pauls purpose in preaching was to win some to Christ; his goal was life eternal. Too many are like the Israelites who lost sight of their goalthe promised land. Perhaps there is too much pointless preaching, too much aimless holding of services, too much organization for the sake of organization. The aim of church activity should be to evangelize and to educate. Make disciples, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and of equal importance, teaching them to observe all thing whatsoever I have commanded you (Mat. 28:18-20). And we must organize to evangelize as well as to educate. There is just as much need for a permanent director of evangelism in every congregation as there is for a director of education. Both are necessary! Without them, we are likely to be found running without a goal.

The writer of Hebrews sounds a timely warning to all on this issue: Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God (Heb. 3:12). And again, Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience (Heb. 4:11).

I buffet my body.Literally, strike under the eye. Paul takes this figure from the boxing match. He was in the fight to win. He landed blows where they counted. He gave his opponenthis bodya black eye, the knockout blow. Those who interpret Rom. 7:14-25 to mean that Paul constantly fought a losing battle with sin need to consider his remarks in this verse. He did face constant opposition from Satan, but he was equipped to conquer and that he did (Eph. 6:12-18). In this life, we too have a struggle with Satan, but there is no need to let him win; there is no need for us to fight as one beating the air; there is every reason why we must overcome.

I myself be rejected.No man can safely say until the good fight is finished that he has gained the victors crown. See 1Co. 10:12. The word translated rejected means rejected after a test has been made. It is the assayers term for that which did not stand the test or meet with approval. It is used in Rom. 1:28 where it is translated reprobate. Those who rejected God were given up to a reprobate mindthat is, considered to be utterly worthless. It describes the one who may be disqualified in a race. This was Pauls great problem. He proclaimed the message of Christ in such a manner that he would not be disqualified, that is, be lost. He was careful to observe the rules of the game and to keep the goal in mind so as not to become disqualified after preaching to save others.

Summary

The principle of the limitation of Christian liberty which was introduced in chapter eight is applied to Pauls rights as a Christian and an apostle in this chapter. He begins with a series of questions that called for affirmative answers. As one who is free and who qualifies as an apostle of Christ, he has certain rights. He cites as proof of his apostleship the fact that he had seen the Lord. Others might deny that he was an apostle, but the Corinthians could not for their position in Christ depended on their belief of the word of the cross which they had heard from Paul. Since he is an apostle, he has a right to be supported by the preaching of the gospel. Other rights are mentioned which the other apostles and the Lords brothers and Cephas enjoyed, but the main issue in the discussion is the right to support. The reason for it is seen in the possibility that others were exercising this right over the Corinthians, a thing that Paul was determined to forgo in order not to hinder the gospel, that is, to prevent some from saying that he was preaching just for the sake of making a living.
He proves his right to support by reference to the soldier, the keeper of the vineyard, the shepherd, and all who worked with the hope of partaking of the results of their labors. These examples are not limited to human experience, for the law said, You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading the grain on the threshing floor. This principle is seen in the work of the farmer who plows the field in hope of enjoying the fruit of his labor and threshes the grain in hope of eating the bread that is made from it.
But Paul refused to use his right for the sake of the gospel of Christ. He insisted, however, that he had a right to be supported, for he called attention to those who served in the temple and waited upon the altar. They were supported by the work they did. Then he added, Just so, the Lord ordained that they that preach the gospel should get their living from their work.
Nevertheless, he was not writing in order to receive support at that time or at any future time, for he declared that he would rather die than have anyone make void his glorying in the fact that he was free to preach the gospel without charge. Preaching the gospel was a necessity. He was a servant of the Lord and was bound to be faithful in the task assigned to him. But he was free to preach it without receiving support for so doing. His purpose was to avoid doing anything or letting others do anything to discredit the gospel. He endeavored by becoming all things to all men to win some to Christ and become a fellow-partaker in the blessing of the gospel, that is, be saved himself. Just as the athlete must exercise self-control in all things, so Paul was willing to renounce some of his rights as an apostle to make sure of winning the race and conquering his body so that he would not be rejected after he had preached to save others.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(19) For.The question is here answered. His reward was to gain the greater number of convertsJews (1Co. 9:20), Gentiles (1Co. 9:21), weak ones (1Co. 9:22). The only reward he sought for or looked for in adopting that course of conduct, for pursuing which they taunted him with selfishness, was, after all, their good.

The word For, introducing the answer, would seem to imply that the reward must be a greater one. For though an Apostle, I became a slave of all that I might gain the greater number. The words greater number probably include the two ideas, viz., a greater number than he could have gained had he used his rights as an Apostle, and also a greater number of converts than was gained by any other Apostle.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

19. Free made myself servant Greek, . Free from all, I have enslaved myself to all, is his terse, antithetic language. It presents his independence of soul and body by nature; the enslavement of both to all by grace. Yet in that very enslavement he finds a dignity, a reward, a glory.

Gain the more A prize above all other earthly gain. To submit to the whim and caprice of others is a hard trial to the flesh and spirit. It reduces a high-spirited man from a freeman to a slave. If done for self-interest, it is a sordid debasement. If so done as to sacrifice truth and righteousness it is a crime. If by such conformity we confirm a caprice, a falsity, a superstition, it is an error and a danger. But if done for a high moral purpose, with careful limitations for rectitude, with the aim of delivering from falsity and superstition, then it is a high attainment, worthy the chief of the apostles. This is a renunciation of self, not of a mere mystic kind, or that shows itself in self-mortifications or self-flagellations, but in renouncing self-gratification for human good. It is thus that Paul, Luther, and Wesley have become the objects of reverence to mankind.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

In Fact He Puts Everything Into His Work Of Winning Men For Christ (9:19-26)

‘For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews. To them who are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law. To those who are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain those who are without law.’

For it is he who is the debtor (Rom 1:14). He is a debtor to all, a slave to all. He is a free man, indeed a Roman citizen, a man with great privileges, but he deliberately makes himself a slave and in bondage to all men. And he is ready to shape his life in any way necessary in order to gain as many as possible for Christ. That is all that matters to him. The fact that he is free from all because he earns his own way does not affect his dedication to his task. It rather accentuates it.

To the Jews he becomes as a Jew so as to win them for Christ. To those who are under the Law (here possibly widening the scope to include God-fearers who meticulously followed the Law, although not Jews) he becomes as under the Law, just as Jesus had done previously when He had observed all the tenets of the Pharisees, while not Himself being a Pharisee. Even though he is not actually under the Law, he will observe it scrupulously before them, and when he is with them. He will do anything not to put them off as long as it does not contradict the Gospel.

And to those not subject to the Law he becomes as one without law, as one who lives under the principles they live by, although he stresses that that does not mean that he becomes wild, or careless, or lawless. He is not without law to God. He recognises the inward law established by conscience (Rom 2:14-15). And he is under law to Christ. he acknowledges his responsibility to follow Christ’s teachings and Christ’s example. He would not, for example, eat things openly seen as sacrificed to idols in a pagan temple. He is still under God’s general law as revealed by conscience, and under Christ’s principles of life. But while remaining in line with Christ’s teaching he abstains from involving himself while among them with those things that would put off those not under the law, the ritual teaching, the food laws, the washings, the laws on cleanness, and any other things that really only affect the Jews. And his purpose is so that he might gain those who are without the law for Christ.

The point here is about religious behaviour not moral behaviour. He does not mean that he will literally do anything, whether sinful or not, to win men. He means that he will not allow particular religious ordinances to get in the way of the acceptability of his message. If it will help he will perform them, if it will not help he will avoid them.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Devoted work for the sake of the Gospel:

v. 19. For though. I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more.

v. 20. And unto the Jews I became 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;

v. 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.

v. 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.

v. 23. And this I do for the Gospel’s sake that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Here Paul’s policy of self-denial is explained in detail. Taking up the thought of 1Co 9:1 again, he states: For, while I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all men, in order that I might gain the more. A true servant of Christ uses his liberty in the Gospel in no other way but for the edification of his neighbor and for the praise of God. Paul was free, he was not bound to any man’s arbitrary rule, but went his way independent of the judgment of men, actuated and controlled entirely by the Spirit of Christ that lived in him. But this liberty he asserted in a very peculiar way, from the standpoint of man, namely, in complete self-denial. Through love every Christian is the debtor of his neighbor, places himself at the service of his neighbor, has his true spiritual welfare in mind at all times, Rom 13:8. And Paul’s sole aim was to gain all the more souls for Christ by this service. This was a seeking for gain which could not but win the approval even of those that were inclined always to suspect his motives. With characteristic energy and wisdom he applied himself to this task, by making a careful analysis of the situation and laying his plans accordingly. To the Jews he became as a Jew in order to win the Jews; without denying or setting aside one word of the eternal truth, he accommodated his methods to the circumstances, always with the intention of winning souls for Christ, Act 16:3; Act 18:18; Act 21:23 ff. To those under the Law, whether they belonged to the Jewish nation or to the Gentiles (mainly circumcised Gentiles), he became as one under the Law, in order to gain those under the Law; he was willing to conform to the customs, modes of life, and methods of instruction in vogue among them, so long as these matters were really things indifferent. To those without the Law, to the heathen in the strict sense of the word, he became as without the Law, although for his own person he was bound under the Law of Christ, in order to gain those without the Law; when in a heathen community, Paul did not practice the Jewish customs, a fact which would merely have antagonized the Gentiles; he omitted all reference to regulations of the Old Testament which were strictly Jewish in character. And this he did because he was in the Law of Christ, his Redeemer, the Fulfiller of the Law, being his life. The love of Christ was the motive for all his actions, a life implanted in Him and anxious to demonstrate itself in the service of the Gentiles; in the midst of the idolatry of heathenism, Paul found points of contact for the application of the Word of Grace. To the weak the apostle became weak in order to gain the weak; his loving insight enabled him to understand the scruples and weaknesses of those that had not made much headway in Christian knowledge. See 2Co 11:29. Every true servant of Christ must learn from the apostle not to despise any one, nor to permit disgust over foolish weaknesses to enter his heart. There may be much spiritual incapacity, but the ability to hear the story of the Gospel will remain in most cases; and the object is to gain the weak also. And therefore Paul summarizes: To all men I have become all things in order by all means to save some. In this way the practical wisdom of Paul’s pastoral love and self-denial shone forth. It was not duplicity, as his enemies alleged, 2Co 1:12; 2Co 4:2; 2Co 12:16; Gal 1:10, but the expression of a heart which acted under the discipline of the sanctifying Spirit. And it was all done for the sake of the Gospel, in order that he might be a joint-partaker with it. Every new soul won for Christ exhibited to the apostle the glory of the Triune God and the beauty of the Redeemer, and in the communion of all these saints the blessings of the Gospel reacted upon him, permitted him to partake more fully of the Gospel’s vitalizing effects. The faithful servant of the Gospel will himself reap the rich benefits of his work.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

1Co 9:19. Servant unto all This is very emphatical, and intimates that he acted with as self-denying a regard to their interests, and as much caution not to offend them, as if he were absolutely in their power,as a slave is in that of his master. See Doddridge.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

1Co 9:19-22 . Confirmation of this . . by his practical procedure in other matters, which was such, that not to renounce the use of that would simply be to contradict himself; it would be a gross inconsistency .

] Masc. It belonged to the apostolic to put himself in bondage to no man, but to be independent of all (1Co 9:1 ; comp Gal 1:10 ); to hold and to make good this position of freedom towards every one, was a result flowing from, and a constituent part of, his rights as an apostle (in opposition to Hofmann, who asserts that a position precisely the converse of this was the only one logically tenable by the apostle). [1500] Notwithstanding, Paul had made himself a bondsman to all , accommodating himself to their necessities in ministrative self-denial. It is only here that occurs with ; elsewhere (Rom 7:3 ; comp Rom 6:18 ; Rom 6:22 ; Rom 8:2 ; Rom 8:21 ) and in Greek writers with .

] i.e. according to the context: the greater part of the , not: more than are converted by others (Hofmann). Comp 1Co 10:5 . By acting otherwise he would have won, it might be, only individuals here and there.

] namely, for Christ and His kingdom , by their conversion. Rckert explains it as meaning: to carry off as an advantage for himself , which Hofmann, too, includes . But the precise sense of the phrase must be determined by the context , which speaks in reality of the apostle’s official labours , so that in substance the meaning is the same as that of in 1Co 9:22 . Comp Mat 18:15 ; 1Pe 3:1 . Regarding the form , see Lobeck, a [1504] Phryn. p. 740.

[1500] According to Hofmann, Paul establishes the negative question by the sentence linked to it with , which states that, so far from receiving reward, he had given up his freedom, etc., for the same end for which he refrained from claiming support. This view is connected with his incorrect rendering of ver. 18, and falls with it.

[1504] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 1966
THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY

1Co 9:19-23. Though I be free from all men, yet hare I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 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; 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. 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. And this I do for the Gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

IT is a favourite sentiment with some, that the epistles of St. Paul, having been written to particular Churches and on particular occasions, are of little importance to us at this day. And, of all the epistles, this before us is most open to that objection, as having been, more than any other, written for the correction of some existing abuses, and in answer to some specific questions. But God, by whom the Apostle was inspired, knew that, whether the same specific points should again arise or not, the general principles by which they were to be determined would be of use to the Church in all ages: and accordingly we find, that the views and sentiments which were elicited from the Apostle on these occasions give us a deeper insight into the Christian character than we could otherwise have obtained. We are here instructed not merely by general and abstract principles, but by a practical application of those principles to circumstances fitted for the illustration of them. And we cannot but account it a great blessing to the Church, that the enemies of the Gospel were permitted so to assault the character of the Apostle, as to extort from him a vindication of it, and thereby to obtain for the Church in all ages a complete exposition of practical Christianity.
The words before us open with extraordinary precision the nature and extent of Christian liberty: for the fuller explanation of which we shall distinctly mark,

I.

Its proper boundaries

Liberty cannot exist without restrictions; for, if unlimited, it would degenerate into licentiousness. Besides, if every man were at liberty to act agreeably to his own corrupt wishes without any controul, the weaker would be a prey to their more powerful neighbours, and would be the constant victims of tyranny and oppression. St. Paul, though at liberty to vary his conduct according to circumstances, was still under a law by which his liberty was restricted: he was not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. Christian liberty is a right to do or forbear any thing,

1.

Which is not evil in itself

[What is evil in itself can be warranted by no circumstances under heaven: We must not do evil that good may come, even though the good which we promise ourselves be ever so great. We must not do it for the gratification of others. If our dearest friends and relatives endeavour to persuade us, we must be alike deaf to their menaces or entreaties. We must not love father or mother more than Christ; yea, we must even hate them in comparison of Christ; that is, we must, when their will comes in competition with that of Christ, act as if we hated them, giving no more heed to them than we would to an avowed enemy. The plain answer to be given to all who would wish us to act contrary to any command of God, is this; Whether it be right to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Neither must we do evil for our own advantage. If an act be sinful, we must, like the Hebrew Youths, refuse to do it, even though we saw the fiery furnace, already burning with seven-fold intenseness, ready to destroy us. So likewise, if a duty be clear, we must not be deterred from the performance of it, even though we knew that the consequence of our perseverance must be an immediate incarceration in the den of lions: like Daniel, we must prefer the maintenance of a good conscience to the preservation of courtly favour, and the avoidance of a cruel death [Note: Dan 6:10.]. In all such circumstances we must embrace the proffered alternative, and surrender up our lives rather than violate a command of God.]

2.

Which is not evil in its consequences

[An act perfectly innocent, in itself may, by the circumstances in which we are placed, become no longer innocent. If, for instance, the eating of meat offered to an idol be likely to prove a temptation or a stumbling-block to a weak brother, we are then no longer at liberty to eat it, notwithstanding in itself it is a matter of perfect indifference. We are bound to have respect to his weakness, and to abstain from a thing which may become an occasion of sin to him: and, if we do not abstain from it, we sin against him, and we sin against Christ [Note: 1Co 8:8-12.].

So likewise, if a thing would be injurious to ourselves, we must not do it, even though others might be at liberty to do it. Suppose, for instance, we know from experience, that splendid equipage or apparel administers to, and calls forth into exercise, the pride and vanity of our hearts; or that a luxurious table is apt to lead us to intemperance; or that some particular amusement operates as an incitement to covetousness, or a provocative to wrath; we should deny ourselves in those particulars, and not seek an indulgence that we have reason to fear will become an occasion of sin. The express command of God in all such cases is, Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil it in the lusts thereof [Note: Rom 13:14.].

Thus under a variety of circumstances is our liberty abridged, even in things that are, under other circumstances, indifferent: for though all things may be lawful, they may not be expedient; and we must not so be brought under the power of any, as not to be able to forego them, if the welfare either of ourselves or others demands the sacrifice [Note: 1Co 6:12.].]

Such, we apprehend, are the limits beyond which Christian liberty has no existence. But within these limits there is abundant scope for,

II.

Its legitimate operations

In all that we do, we should keep in view the best interests of mankind
[Whatever Paul did, or whatever he forebore, his one object was to promote the salvation of his fellow-men. This he tells us six times in the short space of four verses: and in another place he tells us, that he had the same object in view in all that he suffered: We endure all things for the elects sake, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory [Note: 2Ti 2:10.]. Such must be our object also in all that we do. We must not be seeking merely to please men; for if we please men, we cannot be the servants of Jesus Christ: in as far as we seek to please them, it must be solely for their good to edification [Note: Rom 15:2.]. To remove their prejudices, to conciliate their regards, to choose out acceptable words, to accommodate ourselves to their apprehensions, are all legitimate methods of gaining a more easy access to their minds, in order that we may ultimately win their souls: and, as we administer milk or meat to persons according to their capacity to profit by it, with a view to the sustenance of their bodies, so we may do for the benefit of their souls: and, if only we keep this end in view, we shall in all that we do be approved and accepted both of God and man [Note: Rom 14:18.].]

For this end our liberty may be used without reserve
[It is delightful to see how free and unembarrassed the Apostle was in all his intercourse with mankind, and how studiously he adapted himself to all their varied prejudices or necessities. Was he with a Jew;he submitted freely to the yoke which Moses had imposed, though he well knew that the Gospel had freed him from it. On the other hand, was he with Gentiles who had never been subjected to the law of Moses;he readily conformed himself to their habits. If he was with one that was weak in faith, he cheerfully bore with all his weaknesses and infirmities, and acted, as he would have done, if his own mind had been under the influence of the same doubts and fears as agitated the mind of his weaker brother. In a word, he became all things to all men.
Now this is the very course which we should pursue: we should seek the welfare of our brethren precisely as he did, namely, in a way of self-denying restraint, and in a way of condescending compliance.

We should seek it in a way of self-denying restraint. Not again to recur to the mention of eating meats offered to idols, which the Apostle would not do as long as the world should stand, if it should make his brother to offend [Note: 1Co 8:13.]; we may see in the chapter before us how determinately he refused to accept the support to which both by the laws of God and man he was justly entitled [Note: ver. 12, 15.]. Such concessions are most lovely; and would be productive of incalculable good in the Church of God. In a family, for instance, the governing part of it is not willing that all which an inferior member of it may think conducive to his benefit shall be allowed to him: it would become the inferior to evince a self-denying spirit, and cheerfully to concede a part of his privileges, that he may not irritate and embitter the minds of his superiors. It may be asked, perhaps, What, am I to sacrifice any thing which I think profitable to my soul? I answer, Yes: and God would repay you for so doing, provided you did it purely from a tender concern for the welfare of your superior: the very self-denial, which such an act would call forth, would itself be a more substantial benefit to the soul, than all the gratification which would have followed from self-indulgence: and St. Paul himself has set us an example of this conduct: I, says he, please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved [Note: 1Co 10:33.].

We should further seek it in a way of condescending compliance. Paul, in order to meet the prejudices of the Jews, and to gain the easier access to their minds, circumcised Timothy: and with the same view he submitted to the tedious rites and ceremonies which attended the performance of the Nazarites vow [Note: Act 21:26.]. And if we were more willing to meet the wishes of those who are prejudiced against the truth, we might greatly allay their hostility, and often win their souls. There is in many young Christians an unreasonable stiffness in relation to matters of pure indifference; and they will often plead conscience for their non-compliance, when it proceeds solely from a want of compassion for the ignorance of others, and of due concern for their souls. They will please themselves, however much their enemies be offended, when by kindness and condescension they might have operated a favourable change upon their minds.

Well do we know, that these principles may be easily perverted; and that it will often be extremely difficult to know how far, and in what manner, they are to be called forth into action. Nevertheless, the principles themselves are good, and indispensably necessary to be embraced and cultivated by all who would adorn the Gospel of Christ: and, if only we look well to the motive by which we are actuated, we shall not be likely to err very materially in the application of them. The main point to guard against is, the doing any thing which is in itself sinful, or any thing, the lawfulness of which we ourselves doubt: for we ought certainly to be fully persuaded in our minds, that the restraint which we impose on ourselves, or the concession which we make, be not contrary to any express command of God. Where the concession which others require at our hands is forbidden of God, there the rule must be observed; We must obey God rather than man.]

From the whole view of this subject, we cannot but remark,
1.

Of what infinite importance is the salvation of the soul!

[Whence was it that the Apostle laboured so indefatigably in every possible way to save the souls of men? Whence was it that he even wished himself accursed from Christ, or after the example of Christ, for his brethrens sake? Did it not proceed from a conviction, that the souls of men were of infinite value, and that, if he could but by any means save some, he would be richly repaid? But think of all that Christ did and suffered and then say, whether your souls are not of more value than ten thousand worlds; and whether any labour, any self-denial, any sacrifice can be too great for the advancement of their eternal welfare? ]

2.

How exalted is the morality which we are called to practise, if ever we would attain salvation!

[Doubtless it is through Christ alone, even through his blood and righteousness, that we must find acceptance with God: but we must serve Christ as well as believe in him. He has indeed fulfilled the law for us; but he has not therefore dispensed with its requirements: on the contrary, we are under the law to Christ; and are to fulfil his will precisely as the Apostle Paul did; having our hearts filled with zeal for his glory, and with love to the souls of men. We quite mistake, if we imagine, that Christian morality consists in a mere abstinence from outward sins, or a compliance with outward observances: the heart must be given up to God, and the whole soul be engaged in seeking his glory. It is well known, that by nature we are altogether selfish, and desirous that every thing should bend to our will, and every person should consult it: but grace teaches us to have our own will mortified and subdued; and to live no longer to ourselves, but altogether to our God. O brethren, aim at this: be satisfied with nothing short of this: and be aspiring after this blessed attainment daily, and with your whole hearts: for it is in this way only that you call be partakers of the Gospel, and of the inheritance of the saints in light [Note: ver. 23.]. It is by this that you will approve yourselves followers of Paul, as he was of Christ.]

3.

How greatly do we need to be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit!

[Who is sufficient for these things? These attainments are high and difficult; and the very way to them is dark and slippery. It is easy to think ourselves upright in our intentions, when we are in reality actuated by a desire of mans applause, or a fear of his displeasure. It is easy also to fancy that we are sacrificing our own wishes for the good of others, when we are only gratifying our own earthly and carnal desires. In these things none but God can keep us from error; none but God can perfect that which concerneth us. Pray then, that the Holy Spirit may guide you into all truth. Pray, that He, who upheld the Saviour in all his arduous work, may form in you the mind that was in Christ Jesus. Thus you may hope to be preserved blameless amidst all the difficulties with which you are encompassed, and to win by your conversation many, who would never have been won by the word alone.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

(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.

It must not be supposed, from these expressions of the Apostle that he was a time-serving man, for he had before declared, that it was the Gospel which he preached, and that a woe would be unto him, if he preached not the Gospel. But the sense is, that he explained the Gospel to the Jew upon Jewish principles, and to them that were without law as without law, the Gospel superseding the law by the finished salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ; meaning, that in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availed anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. Paul preached wholly Christ, knowing, that if righteousness came by the law, then Christ was dead in vain, Gal 2:21 . So that this kind, accommodating spirit, never relinquished a single point of importance in the Gospel, but only enabled the Apostle to address himself to his several hearers, as might best come up to their apprehension of divine things, and to gain and gather out the Lord’s people in every place, and among every class, wheresoever he found them. Sweet pattern for ministers, while studying to shew themselves approved of God!

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

19 For though I be free from all men , yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

Ver. 19. That I may gain the more ] The Greek word for gain signifieth also the joy and delight of the heart in gaining. It signifies also craft or guile, such as is that of the fox; which when he is very hungry after prey, and can find none, he lieth down and feigneth himself to be a dead carcase, and so the fowls fall upon him, and then he catcheth them. So must a minister deny himself to gain his hearers. because

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

19 ff. ] He now proceeds to answer the question, ‘ What prospect of reward could induce me to do this ?’

[ Yea (literally] For , q. d. the reward must have been great and glorious in prospect) being free from ( the power of ) all men, I enslaved myself (when I made this determination: and have continued to do so) to all, that I might gain (not , which he could not exactly say, but) the largest number ( of any : that hereafter Paul’s converts might be found to be : see below on 1Co 9:24 ).

Bengel has remarked on , ‘congruit hoc verbum cum consideratione mercedis :’ but ‘ congruit ’ is not enough: it is actually THE ANSWER to the question ; This ‘lucrifecisse’ the greater number is distinctly referred to by him elsewhere, as his reward in the day of the Lord: ; , ; . 1Th 2:19-20 . And it is for this reason that . . is three times repeated : and, as we shall presently see, that the similitude at the end of the chapter is chosen.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

1Co 9:19 . . . . serves further to explain, not . . (the impropriety of a grasping use of such right is manifest), but Paul’s general policy of self-abnegation (1Co 9:15-18 ). The real aim of this long discussion of ministerial comes into view; the Ap. shows himself to the Cor [1371] as an example of superior privilege held upon trust for the community, of liberty asserted with a view to self-abnegation: “For, being free from all, to all I enslaved myself, that I might gain the more”. is masc., like the antithetical ( cf. . , 1Co 9:22 ); a rare construction (commonly ) implies extrication , escape from danger ( cf. Luk 1:71 , 2Ti 2:26 ). In 1Co 9:1 signified freedom from needless and burdensome scruple, here freedom from entangling dependence . Paul freed himself from everybody, just that he might be everybody’s servant; had he been bound as a salaried minister to any particular Church, his services would in that degree have been limited. For the motive of this , cf. Gal 5:13 ; and for Paul’s aim, in its widest bearing, Rom 1:14 ; Rom 15:1 ; also Joh 13:12 ff., Luk 22:24 ff. , “the more” not “the greater part” (as in 1Co 10:5 ; so Mr [1372] and others), nor quam plurimos (Bg [1373] ), but “so much more” than could otherwise have been gained ( cf. 2Co 4:15 , Luk 7:43 ; so Ed [1374] ). The expression is used for (1Co 9:22 ), in allusion to the charge of gain-seeking to which P. was exposed (2Co 11:12 ; 2Co 12:17 f., 1Th 2:5 ; cf. Tit 1:7 ; Tit 1:11 ); “gain I did seek,” he says, “and greedily the gain of winning all sorts of men for Christ” ( cf. Mat 4:19 ).

[1371] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[1372] Meyer’s Critical and Exegetical Commentary (Eng. Trans.).

[1373] Bengel’s Gnomon Novi Testamenti.

[1374] T. C. Edwards’ Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians . 2

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

1 Corinthians

A SERVANT OF MEN

1Co 9:19 – 1Co 9:23 .

Paul speaks much of himself, but he is not an egotist. When he says, ‘I do so and so,’ it is a gracious way of enjoining the same conduct on his readers. He will lay no burden on them which he does not himself carry. The leader who can say ‘Come’ is not likely to want followers. So, in this section, the Apostle is really enjoining on the Corinthians the conduct which he declares is his own.

The great principle incumbent on all Christians, with a view to the salvation of others, is to go as far as one can without untruthfulness in the direction of finding points of resemblance and contact with those to whom we would commend the Gospel. There is a base counterfeit of this apostolic example, which slurs over distinctive beliefs, and weakly tries to please everybody by differing from nobody. That trimming to catch all winds never gains any. Mr. Facing-both-ways is not a powerful evangelist. The motive of becoming all things to all men must be plainly disinterested, and the assimilation must have love for the souls concerned and eagerness to bring the truth to them, and them to the truth, legibly stamped upon it, or it will be regarded, and rightly so, as mere cowardice or dishonesty. And there must be no stretching the assimilation to the length of either concealing truth or fraternising in evil. Love to my neighbour can never lead to my joining him in wrongdoing.

But, while the limits of this assumption of the colour of our surroundings are plainly marked, there is ample space within these for the exercise of this eminently Christian grace. We must get near people if we would help them. Especially must we identify ourselves with them in sympathy, and seek to multiply points of assimilation, if we would draw them to Jesus Christ. He Himself had to become man that He might gain men, and His servants have to do likewise, in their degree. The old story of the Christian teacher who voluntarily became a slave, that he might tell of Christ to slaves, has in spirit to be repeated by us all.

We can do no good by standing aloof on a height and flinging down the Gospel to the people below. They must feel that we enter into their circumstances, prejudices, ways of thinking, and the like, if our words are to have power. That is true about all Christian teachers, whether of old or young. You must be a boy among boys, and try to show that you enter into the boy’s nature, or you may lecture till doomsday and do no good.

Paul instances three cases in which he had acted, and still continued to do so, on this principle. He was a Jew, but after his conversion he had to ‘become a Jew’ by a distinct act; that is, he had receded so far from his old self, that he, if he had had only himself to think of, would have given up all Jewish observances. But he felt it his duty to conciliate prejudice as far as he could, and so, though he would have fought to the death rather than given countenance to the belief that circumcision was necessary, he had no scruple about circumcising Timothy; and, though he believed that for Christians the whole ancient ritual was abolished, he was quite willing, if it would smooth away the prejudices of the ‘many thousands of Jews who believed,’ to show, by his participation in the temple worship, that he ‘walked orderly, keeping the law.’ If he was told ‘You must,’ his answer could only be ‘I will not’; but if it was a question of conciliating, he was ready to go all lengths for that.

The category which he names next is not composed of different persons from the first, but of the same persons regarded from a somewhat different point of view. ‘Them that are under the law’ describes Jews, not by their race, but by their religion; and Paul was willing to take his place among them, as we have just observed. But he will not do that so as to be misunderstood, wherefore he protests that in doing so he is voluntarily abridging his freedom for a specific purpose. He is not ‘under the law’; for the very pith of his view of the Christian’s position is that he has nothing to do with that Mosaic law in any of its parts, because Christ has made him free.

The second class to whom in his wide sympathies he is able to assimilate himself, is the opposite of the former-the Gentiles who are ‘without law.’ He did not preach on Mars’ Hill as he did in the synagogues. The many-sided Gospel had aspects fitted for the Gentiles who had never heard of Moses, and the many-sided Apostle had links of likeness to the Greek and the barbarian. But here, too, his assimilation of himself to those whom he seeks to win is voluntary; wherefore he protests that he is not without law, though he recognises no longer the obligations of Moses’ law, for he is ‘under [or, rather, “in”] law to Christ.’

‘The weak’ are those too scrupulous-conscienced Christians of whom he has been speaking in 1Co 8:1 – 1Co 8:13 and whose narrow views he exhorted stronger brethren to respect, and to refrain from doing what they could do without harming their own consciences, lest by doing it they should induce a brother to do the same, whose conscience would prick him for it. That is a lesson needed to-day as much as, or more than, in Paul’s time, for the widely different degrees of culture and diversities of condition, training, and associations among Christians now necessarily result in very diverse views of Christian conduct in many matters. The grand principle laid down here should guide us all, both in regard to fellow-Christians and others. Make yourself as like them as you honestly can; restrict yourself of allowable acts, in deference to even narrow prejudices; but let the motive of your assimilating yourself to others be clearly their highest good, that you may ‘gain’ them, not for yourself but for your Master.

1Co 9:23 lays down Paul’s ruling principle, which both impelled him to become all things to all men, with a view to their salvation, as he has been saying, and urged him to effort and self-discipline, with a view to his own, as he goes on to say. ‘For the Gospel’s sake’ seems to point backward; ‘that I may be a joint partaker thereof points forward. We have not only to preach the Gospel to others, but to live on it and be saved by it ourselves.

Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1Co 9:19-23

19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20To 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; 21to 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. 22To 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. 23I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

1Co 9:19 “For though I am free from all men” This is the emphasis on proper Christian freedom (cf. 1Co 9:1; 1Co 10:29; Gal 5:13). Martin Luther has said, “A Christian man is free lord over all things and subject to nobody. A Christian man is a ministering servant in all things, subject to everybody.” See notes from Romans 14, 15 at 1Co 6:12.

“I have made myself a slave to all” This is the emphasis on proper Christian responsibility (cf. Rom 14:1 to Rom 15:13; 2Co 4:5). Because Paul was a slave of Christ, he was a slave of all who Christ came to serve and save, both the believer and the unbeliever. See Special Topic: Servant leadership at 1Co 4:1.

“so that I may win more” This is the term “gain” (i.e., kerdain). It is used in a variety of senses in the NT. In this context Paul uses the term in an evangelistic sense (cf. 1Co 9:19-22 and 1Pe 3:1). This is the proper evangelistic goal of all of our actions (cf. 1Co 9:22-23). Evangelistic intentionality in every area of our lives, not a particular methodology, is the key to a proper balance between Christian freedom and Christian responsibility.

1Co 9:20 This verse expresses Paul’s intentionality. Paul’s main concern was evangelism (cf. 1Co 9:20-23; 1Co 10:31-33). Therefore, he circumcised Timothy so as to work with Jews (cf. Act 16:3), but would not circumcise Titus (cf. Gal 2:3-5) so as not to compromise the freedom of the gospel among Gentiles.

“though not being myself under the Law” It is interesting that the Textus Receptus (i.e., known as the Western Text), which is known for its expansionistic tendencies, does not include this obviously original phrase. It is found in the Greek manuscripts P46, , A, B, C, D*, F, G, P and the Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian translations. We must relate Paul’s words here to Jesus’ words in Mat 5:17-20. Paul is not doing away with the Mosaic Law, but seeing its true fulfilling in Christ. The Law is not the means of salvation, but it is still (1) a true revelation and (2) a reflection of God’s will for humanity in society. It functions in progressive sanctification, but not justification. See Special Topic at 1Co 9:9.

1Co 9:21 “but under the law of Christ” This is a NT way of referring to the New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34. There are several different ways it is phrased by Paul and James (“the law of the Spirit of life,” Rom 8:2; “the law of Christ,” Gal 6:2; “the perfect law, the law of liberty,” Jas 1:25; Jas 2:12; “the royal law,” Jas 2:8).

1Co 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak” The meaning of “weak” is uncertain here because it has been used in this context for over-scrupulous or superstitious Christians (cf. 1Co 8:7; 1Co 8:10). It possibly relates to superstitious pagans (cf. 1Co 9:21). The Williams’ translation even translates it as “the over-scrupulous,” which is a good rendering. See Special Topic: Weakness at 2Co 12:9.

“I have become all things to all men so that I may by all means save some” Notice the number of “alls” (i.e., forms of pas) in this phrase. Paul’s inner self has been transformed from self-centered to gospel-centered. He is free to serve Christ, to serve the gospel, to serve the Kingdom (cf. Rom 6:11; Rom 7:4). Flexibility, intentionality, and love are crucial aspects of Paul’s life and ministry!

Paul’s mind was always on evangelism (cf. Rom 11:14; 1Co 1:21; 1Co 7:16; 1Co 10:31-33; 1Ti 1:15). However, it is sad to say that the last phrase gives a hint that most who heard him did not respond in faith to his message. Why some hear (with spiritual ears) and some do not, is the mystery of election and free will!

1Co 9:23 This is a summary verse, a transition verse. It can go with 1Co 9:19-22 or 24-27 or stand alone. This verse is not advocating a salvation by works. Paul is not saved because he evangelizes. He does it because he has accepted the gospel and knows its peace and urgency.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

all =

all things, i.e. restrictions of meats, &c.

have. Omit.

made myself servant = enslaved myself. App-190.

gain. Greek. kerdaino. See Act 27:21.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

19 ff.] He now proceeds to answer the question, What prospect of reward could induce me to do this?

[Yea (literally] For, q. d. the reward must have been great and glorious in prospect) being free from (the power of) all men, I enslaved myself (when I made this determination: and have continued to do so) to all, that I might gain (not , which he could not exactly say, but) the largest number (of any: that hereafter Pauls converts might be found to be : see below on 1Co 9:24).

Bengel has remarked on , congruit hoc verbum cum consideratione mercedis: but congruit is not enough: it is actually THE ANSWER to the question ; This lucrifecisse the greater number is distinctly referred to by him elsewhere, as his reward in the day of the Lord: ; , ; . 1Th 2:19-20. And it is for this reason that . . is three times repeated: and, as we shall presently see, that the similitude at the end of the chapter is chosen.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

1Co 9:19. , from all men) Masculine, as we have immediately after, unto all; comp. the more. I was free from all men, i.e. no one could have held me as subject to his power.-, I made myself a servant) a servant suits himself entirely to another.- , the more) The article has a force relative to all, i.e. as many of them as possible.-, I might gain) This word agrees with the consideration of a reward.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

1Co 9:19

1Co 9:19

For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.–[None had any claim on him because they maintained him; yet he reduced himself to the condition of a servant, both by serving all men without requiring even maintenance from them and by complying with their prejudices in all cases where he could without violating Gods will. How he did this is explained in the following verses.]

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

I be: 1Co 9:1, Gal 5:1

I made: 1Co 10:33, Mat 20:26-28, Joh 13:14, Joh 13:15, Rom 1:14, Rom 15:2, 2Co 4:5, Gal 5:13

that: 1Co 9:20-22, 1Co 7:16, Pro 11:30, Mat 18:15, Rom 11:14, 1Ti 4:16, 2Ti 2:10, Jam 5:19, Jam 5:20, 1Pe 3:1

Reciprocal: Gen 33:14 – be able Exo 26:26 – bars of shittim wood Lev 25:55 – my servants Mat 11:17 – We Mat 17:27 – lest Mat 20:27 – whosoever Mat 23:11 – General Mar 8:34 – Whosoever Mar 10:43 – whosoever Luk 11:37 – General Luk 14:1 – as Luk 14:23 – compel Joh 4:36 – he that reapeth receiveth Act 15:2 – should Act 21:21 – that thou 1Co 3:22 – Paul 1Co 7:22 – is Christ’s 1Co 8:13 – if meat 1Co 9:22 – that I might by 1Co 10:24 – seek 1Th 1:5 – for Tit 3:2 – all men

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1Co 9:19. Paul was not legally bound to any man, yet he voluntarily put himself in a position of service to everybody for the good he could do.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

In these verses our apostle proceeds to show the Corinthians farther, how mightily he did abridge himself of his Christian liberty, which was the argument he was insisting upon.

For, says he, though I be free from all men, as being a servant to none, yet have I made myself as a servant to all, that I might gain the more to embrace the gospel.

To the unconverted Jews he became as a Jew, circumcising Timothy for their sakes, Act 16:3 that he might gain the Jews.

To them who in their opinion were yet under the obligation of the ceremonial law, he carried himself as a person under that law, and accordingly he purified himself in the temple, Act 21:26.

To them that were without law, that is, the Gentiles, who were without the ceremonial law, he became as a person without law, abstaining from the use of all ceremonies as they did.

But yet, not being without law of God, but under the law of Christ; that is, as to the moral law of God, which was not abolished, but reinforced by Christ he did never account himself free from that, nor durst do any thing contrary to the eternal rule of righteousness; and all this, that he might gain them that are without law.

To the weak converts, either among Jews or Gentiles, he became as weak, by abstaining from what might hurt their weak consciences, that so he might gain the weak.

Finally, he became all things to all men, by compliance with them in all lawful and indifferent things, that he might gain as many as possibly he could.

And all this he did for the gospel’s sake, that the gospel might be the better esteemed, and farther propagated, and he might himself partake of the promises and rewards of it, together with them to whom he preached it, and had effectually entertained it.

Behold here the humility and charity of this great apostle; his ready condescension to the pitiable weaknesses of all men; his compliance with them in all lawful and indifferent things, for the glory of God, and the advantage of the gospel: a rare and singular pattern for all ministers and private Christians to imitate and follow.

Now from this example of St. Paul’s becoming all things to all men, and making himself a servant unto all,

we learn, 1. One great duty of a gospel minister is not to be a slave to any, but a servant to all; not a servant to their lusts, but to their weaknesses and infirmities.

Our apostle did not turn, as the flattering and false apostles did, with the tide and times, nor conform to them in what was sinful. He did not symbolize with all colours; nor was he a man for all hours or humours; For, says he, if I please men, (he means in any thing that is sinful) I am no more the servant of Christ, Gal 1:10. But wisely considering the case and state of all men, he did accommodate his ministry for the gaining of as many as possibly he could.

Some are all things to all men, that they may gain by all; a spirit not only unworthy of a minister, but of a man. But St. Paul complied with all men, and made himself the servant of all, that Christ might thereby gain, his gospel gain, yea, and they themselves gain; which hints to us

a second observation, The great end which the holy apostle aimed at, in this his compliance with, and condescension towards, the weaknesses of his people: This I do for the gospel’s sake.

As if he had said, “Though I thus stoop and yield to all men, it is to serve my Master, not myself. Think not that I thus put myself into all forms towards men for my own preferment in the world; but that Christ may be preferred in the hearts and acceptations of all men.

I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” 1Co 10:33.

Behold here the noble mark which this minister of Christ had in his eye, the saving of souls. That he might hit it, he wisely observed the temper and state of his people, striving to render himself agreeable and acceptable unto all, that he might by all means save some; yet had he also an eye to himself in all this; he had respect to the recompence of reward, as lawfully he might.

This I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker thereof with you; that is, that I may have a share myself in the promised rewards of the gospel which I have preached to you.

Blessed be God, it is lawful for all the ministers and members of Christ to do good out of hope of reward; and that his glory and our own happiness are so inseparably connected and knit together, that by promoting the former we secure the latter.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

1Co 9:19. For though I be free from all men Not bound to do that which seems unlawful, inconvenient, or disadvantageous to myself, to please any man; yet have I made myself a servant unto all Addicting myself to the most fatiguing duties, that I might advance their happiness; or complying with the persuasions and inclinations of others in things indifferent. The original expression, , is literally, I have enslaved myself to all; an expression peculiarly beautiful and proper as used here by the apostle. Slaves wrought for their masters without hire, and were careful to comply with their humours. And the apostle, while preaching the gospel, reduced himself to the condition of a slave, both by serving all men without hire, nay, without requiring a maintenance from them, and by complying with their prejudices in all cases wherein he could do it without sin. In other words, he acted with as self-denying a regard to their interests, and as much caution not to offend them, as if he had been absolutely in their power, as a slave is in that of his master. Where is the preacher of the gospel who treads in the same steps? That I might gain the more To true religion and salvation; in which, as he might have added, I have found a noble equivalent for all I could do or bear. By the word , translated I might gain, the apostle intimates, that his converting men to Christ was a part of the gain or hire, which he proposed to obtain by preaching the gospel.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Vv. 19. For though I be free from all, I made myself servant to all, that I might gain the more.

Paul formulates the general principle on which is founded the particular self-denial of which he has just spoken, and which guides all his conduct. Thus the for finds its natural explanation. By the term free, Paul returns to the question of the first verse, the theme of the whole passage.

Most commentators of our day take in the masculine sense: from all men. But the preposition , out from, is not very suitable in this sense; it would rather require . supposes a domain from which one goes forth. Paul has therefore in view all the legal prescriptions relating to meats, days, forbidden touchings, and in general everything in religion and morals which belongs only to the external form. As to himself, he felt that he was no longer subject to any restriction of the kind. Yet he consented to accommodate himself to the prejudices of any man, rich or poor, great or small, who held to any of these observances, and that for the very reason that in his eyes they were indifferent; he was infinitely less afraid of sacrificing his liberty than of using it so as to compromise the salvation of one of his brethren. We must therefore take , to all, in the masculine sense as certainly as we take in the neuter sense (see on 1Co 9:22).

The pronoun , myself, indicates the apostle’s action on himself, necessary to effect this deliberate subjection. The words , the more, have been variously explained. Rckert: as many as possible; Neander, Edwards: more than I should have gained without that; de Wette, Meyer, Holsten: the greater number of those to whom I preach; Heinrici: more than those whom I had gained by acting otherwise; Hofmann, Alford: in greater number than those who have been converted by others. The most natural meaning seems to me to be: to gain them (these ) in greater number than I should have done by acting otherwise. Account is thus taken both of the article and of the comparative.

The word gain should not be taken in the sense which has become almost technical, in which we say: to gain one to the faith or to the gospel. The term is taken in its purely natural meaning. The apostle regards the salvation of a soul converted by him as a personal gain; for he identifies his possessions with those of Christ. What he gains for Christ is a part of his , his reward.

The following verses are the development of the word , I made myself servant.

Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)

For though I was free from all men [and therefore had a right to demand wages of them and ignore their prejudices], I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. [Here was yet another joy which he found in preaching a free gospel. His spirit of self-sacrifice won the confidence of the people, and enabled him to make a larger number of converts. Though entitled to wages as a free man he preferred to work as a slave for nothing, accounting the additional disciples which he thus made as a more acceptable hire than his maintenance. Moreover, after the manner of a slave, he had adjusted himself to the prejudices and idiosyncrasies of each class which he served as far as he innocently could; that, by having a larger measure of their confidence and good-will, he might be able to win a larger number to Christ. He now describes this part of his service.]

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

19. Being free from all, I rendered myself a slave unto all that I may gain the more. This glorious spiritual freedom, which we enjoy in the Omnipotent Sanctifier, delights to condescend for Jesus sake, become servant to all, that we may win the more to shine in our crown of rejoicing in the coming eternity.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

1Co 9:19. Reason, in addition to those of 1Co 9:15 ff, for the conduct described in 1Co 9:18.

Free; takes up 1Co 9:1, and thus marks a transition from Paul’s specific refusal of maintenance to his conduct generally.

Free from all: from any one who can compel him to do this or that.

Servant: or slave: see Rom 1:1.

Made myself servant: cp. Gal 5:13. He submitted to restriction, toil, privation, for their benefit.

May gain: explained in 1Co 9:22. To save his soul, is to gain him as an eternal Crown of rejoicing: 1Th 2:19 f; Php 4:1. Cp. Mat 18:15, Phm 1:15. Paul reminds us that he will gain by his voluntary service.

The more part: as in 1Co 10:5; 1Co 15:6; Act 19:32; Act 27:12. It suggests a sad conviction that in some cases Paul’s self-denial would be in vain.

Fuente: Beet’s Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament

Apostolic freedom 9:19-23

The extent to which the apostle was willing to lay aside his rights comes out in this pericope. Since Paul chose not to receive pay for his ministry in Corinth, he was free from the restrictions that patronage might impose. This left him free to become the slave of all.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Paul was a free man, not a slave of any other human being. Nevertheless as the Lord’s servant, he had made himself subject to every other human being so he might win some to Christ. Serving people rather than commanding them is the way to win them (cf. Mar 10:45).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)