By Robert L. Olsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Influencing for Christ
1 Corinthians 9:19–27; 10:31–33; 11:1
Walking in Their Shoes (9:19–23)
In the preceding chapter, Paul addresses the issue of meat being sacrificed to idols. As part of the rituals associated with the pagan religions in Corinth, animals would be offered as sacrifices. The meat from these sacrifices would eventually be sold in markets and a question arose among Christians as to whether or not it was acceptable to eat the meat from these rituals. Paul responds by saying that it depends upon the Christian.
To some Christians, this would be seen as a spiritual compromise and for them, Paul asserts, this would be a sinful act. These Christians are seen as weaker brothers. For other Christians, however, they realized that there are no foreign gods as there is only one God and therefore the pagan ritual is an exercise in futility and the meat is just that — meat. It is acceptable for Christians to eat it if they so choose. Paul tells these believers, the stronger ones, that it is thus not sinful for them to eat this meat.
The issue at stake in this situation is one of Christian freedom — how free are Christians when it comes to issues that are not clearly written about in the Bible?
For Paul the main issue is not whether one eats meat or not but rather that the gospel is proclaimed clearly and without hindrance. So for Paul, if eating meat distracts from the clear preaching of the gospel, the Christian needs to use his freedom to not eat meat. Just because one is free to do something does not mean that one ought to do that thing.
So for Paul, even though he is free to eat like a Gentile, for a Jewish audience he might not because he wants them to hear the gospel clearly. Likewise, for a Gentile audience, he lived as a Gentile so they would not be distracted by Jewish customs.
The key is for us to do what we can to win others to Christ as we preach the gospel. We should try to remove every stumbling block we can that might hinder the gospel.
Running in the Race (9:24–27)
In order to live for Christ and present the gospel, Paul uses the illustration of running a race. For Christians, we need to live in humility, putting others first. This is like running a race because it requires self-control and endurance.
Paul is not referring to salvation in this passage so that Christians need to run the race of salvation. We can only run the race because we are already saved and we have the Holy Spirit to enable us to “compete” as it were. Paul says that the Christian life is like preparation for an athletic event. We need to practice spiritual disciplines like praying, reading and memorizing Scripture, tithing, and so forth so that we will have an effective witness to those we seek to reach for the gospel.
Following Our Leader (10:31–33; 11:1)
To encourage the Corinthian believers, Paul holds himself up as a model to follow because he is following our supreme model, Christ. Just as Paul is not using his freedom for personal preference, his listeners should do the same. We should deny ourselves and our freedom in order to win others to Christ.
Christ could have used His freedom to serve Himself, but instead He denied Himself and took up the cross. We ought to do the same for the benefit of those around us, not compromising the gospel but removing all stumbling blocks from the gospel.
Share with others: