a. attribute of a slave : obligation
the antithesis of the 'freedom' prized by the corinthians'
v19 "though i am free...i have made myself a slave"
rom 1:5 "i am under obligation both to jew and to greek..."
slaves do as they must, not as they want
b. attribute of a slave : humility
a slave is one who serves, who treats others as though they are more important...
1Cr 4:11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are
poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;
1Cr 4:12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled,
we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;
1Cr 4:13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become
as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, {even} until now.
slaves serve their masters, not themselves
(remembering that humility is considering others more important than oneself)
1 pet 2:16 - bondslaves of god
act as freemen, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil,
but use it as bondslaves of god. honor all men; love the brotherhood,
fear god, honor the king.
1. v.20 - to the jews ...
(turn to...) acts 16:3 - timothy gets cut...
2. v.21,22 - to those without the law, to the weak
- the weak are contextually the group we are talking about (both chap 8 and 10)
- this should stir memories with the corinthians as he stated that most of
them weren't wise, mighty, or noble in 1:26...
- to this group, paul will not eat meat or take salary
our principle :
v22,23 "all things to all men that i may by all means save some.
and i do all things for the sake of the gospel"
our position :
v19 'slaves to all' men
application intro :
- some of us have never thought about our lives as slavery
- some of us have thought about it...but we will forget it
1. every action should be with a mind to the gospel
v23 "i do all things for the sake of the gospel"...
it is very different to live one's life with the active pursuit
of 'making disciples' (and being a disciple) from the human default.
we forget, we don't want to, we want other things
paul's willingness to do all for the gospel goes so far that in romans 9 he says :
i could wish that i myself were accursed, separated from
christ for the sake of my bretheren, my kinsmen according to
the law, who are israelites.
a. relevant to the audience
1. avoid misplaced ferver and needless offence
- incorrect distinctives
- wearing different clothing
- eating different food/drink (alcohol...)
- being a part of a different culture
Example : the southern christian mentality
- annoying interaction
2. pursue relevancy
- be understandable
- remove barriers
1Cr 1:17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not
in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
1cr 2:1-5
1Cr 2:1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority
of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
1Cr 2:2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,
and Him crucified.
1Cr 2:3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
1Cr 2:4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words
of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1Cr 2:5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on
the power of God.
your love should show.
- christians have been endowed with a purpose, a great contrast
to the world who pursues things like pleasure, golf, stamps, and beanie babies.
matt 10:38 - "take up your cross and follow me"
matt 11:30 - "for my yoke is easy, and my load is light"