Perspective: Don't Adapt the Gospel, Adapt Yourself

“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have 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 gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

- 1 Corinthians 9:15-21

How many times have you heard becoming “all things to all men” lauded as a way to reach others with the Gospel?

Despite the relative ubiquity of the passage, some key points are often forgotten.

First of all, Paul says “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

This is passive voice for a reason. It is God working through Paul to make him become all things.

Secondly, Paul recognizes that his aim is not to save everyone.

If we are to perceive that the ultimate goal of the vocation of ministry is to save everyone, the temptation arises to compromise the Gospel to fit in with the culture, or to turn worship into an industry and the church into a business to gain more converts.

But only God can make a convert. Human effort and striving may be able to produce some temporary, outward gains, but it is certain to be a net loss for the kingdom if it comes at the expense of the true Gospel.

The Word is truly powerful enough to produce faith, but only in whom God wills, as our human wills are incapable of believing in truth of our own accord.

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This is a necessary doctrine to ensure that man is not given undue credit for salvation, and rather that God is given the glory in all things.

“For, although nature is able in a manner to do the outward work, (for it is able to keep the hands from theft and murder,) yet it cannot produce the inward motions, such as the fear of God, trust in God, chastity, patience, etc,” as the Augsburg Confession puts it.

This fits well within the views of even many modern psychologists. Since the scope of their practice is largely naturalist, many tend to deny altruism exists altogether, and rather posit that even the most charitable actions are out of an in-built desire for reciprocity.

As we recognize that God exists outside of nature, and that faith is a gift from God, we can overcome this fatalistic and largely deterministic extreme.

Christianity is strong because it provides a refuge and a garden from the chaos of the world and the fatalism that it produces.

Why would we forsake the beauty that lies within our faith to imitate what we see has only caused destruction in the secular world?

In this passage, Paul is not saying you should make the Gospel become all things to all people to gain some, he is saying that ministers, and Christians, should become all things to all people to gain some.

That is to say, they should restrain themselves from exercising their Christian liberty to the fullest degree so that they might be an example and imitate Christ.

Paul, in effect, was a slave to God working on the behalf of Corinth, and provides an example as we too, although perfectly free in Christ, should be made slaves to God working where he places us in love for our brethren.

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” - 1 Corinthians 9:15

True freedom is not the liberty to destroy oneself, or to be left to ones own devices, which surely lead to destruction; it is rather being subject to a perfect and omnipotent master.

“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” -John 8:34

If we are not subject to Christ, we are subject to our flesh, or to the world, both of which tend to self-destruction.

Providing further context, earlier in the chapter Paul writes to Christians about meat sacrificed to idols. He emphasizes that since idols were nothing, and that there is only one God, it was not inherently wrong to eat meat that may have been sacrificed to idols.

However, he emphasizes that many of their brethren were not so assured that idols were nothing, and that seeing a Christian eating the meat would embolden them to do the same without the inward faith that idols meant nothing, and as such cause them to sin and stumble in the faith.

Paul makes a similar point in Romans.

“I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died… And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” - Romans 14:14-23

Charity, then, is emphasized in rightfully abstaining from Christian liberty in the same sense that Paul “becomes all things to all men.”

Paul, then, after talking about meat, emphasizes that Christian churches should pay their pastors. He, however, abstained from accepting any money from the Corinthians, who were weak in the faith. He did this to emphasize that, unlike the sophists of the day, as was mentioned above, he was a slave to Christ working on their behalf.

“Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.” -1 Corinthians 9:14

It is often said that justification by faith alone is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. Paul abstaining from this payment from the Corinthians emphasized this point to them.

The Gospel was and is a free gift. If it were paid for by the Corinthians, they might be under the impression that Paul worked for them, and not for God, and that they had sway over his teachings. Or that somehow Paul himself brought about their own salvation. He rebukes this notion earlier in the chapter

“For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” - 1 Corinthian 3:4

He then goes on to state that it was God that gave the increase and brought about salvation among the converts of the church.

To believe that we in any way merit salvation makes it seem as if God owes us something.

“Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.” - Job 41:11

On the contrary, Jesus himself taught “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).

The Father himself is the perfect example of this, sending the second person of the Godhead, his only begotten (not made) and consubstantial Son, to die for us, and some time after Christ’s ascension sending the Holy Spirit to work through his Word and the sign and seal of the Sacraments to create or renew our faith towards God.

The Christian life is perpetually receiving grace from God. We, in turn, are enabled to truly and fully love our neighbors through this.

As Martin Luther said, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.”

We should live out the Gospel with this in mind. We should not act as if our actions merited favor from God, but to remember that Christ’s actions have already done so, and to receive his grace to live out such faith.

Adapt yourself to the Gospel, don’t adapt the Gospel to yourself or to the culture around you, and be renewed.