“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Pandemics are seasons of inconvenience. We can’t go to all the places we want to go, do all the things we want to do, or see all the people we want to see. We are under government mandates, work restrictions, and medical cautions. We have to make all kinds of adjustments in daily life, which is totally unnatural for people living in the most prosperous nation, in the most prosperous era in history.
We all react to this inconvenience in different ways. Some of us follow every rule, either for our own safety and sanity or for the sake of the vulnerable. Some of us just keep on with our regular lives, determined to not let fear rule us. All of us are on information overload, with data and opinions coming at us like an open hydrant. What does it mean to walk with Gospel wisdom in such a time?
Paul and His Rights
Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians (from Ephesus) around 54 AD. The Corinthian church was living in a metropolitan and polytheistic society, and the way they lived in that environment was causing division, immorality, and arrogance. They did not value godly sanctification, and they were living too much like their unsaved countrymen. Paul wrote to lovingly challenge them to live like the Gospel is true – to value eternal things more than present comfort.
In these verses Paul is writing about going out of his way to make all kinds of people comfortable with him. He wasn’t willing to violate the Word of God or his conscience, and he wasn’t being fake. But he was willing to be extremely flexible for the sake of his Christian family. When he was with other Jews, he followed the Jewish customs. When he was with Gentiles, perhaps he ate huge plates of bacon. He was willing to bend on all the things that didn’t matter as much, so he could have a voice for the Gospel.
Us and Our Rights
As believers begin to gather again in different environments, we each have opinions about what that will look like. Some of us have very strong opinions, and that’s fine. What is not fine is to let our personal desires become bigger to us than the Gospel – to assert our rights in ways that make others unable to experience our love.
When Paul was around his Jewish friends, he could have insisted on acting like a Gentile. When he was with his Gentile friends, he could have boasted about his lawfulness. But instead he became “all things to all people” so that the Gospel could be heard clearly above any of Paul’s preferences. The Good News was so very much bigger to Paul than his desire to do things his own way.
I am thankful for the Summit community, for how many are willing to be flexible to make everyone feel comfortable in our midst. When we follow in Paul’s footsteps, we are living out of love. We gladly recognize our earthly rights as citizens of America, and our freedom as citizens of God’s Kingdom. But we even more gladly bend our preferences for the sake of the Gospel.
Wisdom and Surrender
We don’t want to live in fear. Neither do we want to disobey those in authority without good reason. So, it can be a struggle to wisely surrender our preferences. Fortunately, we have an example even greater than Paul. The One who surrendered every privilege for our sake is with us and in us, giving us grace to help others feel loved. For the sake of the Gospel of Jesus, we can lay aside our own ways of doing things. He did it for us, and it cost much more than comfort or convenience. That’s why our response is joy – to gladly flex to make everyone feel welcome and safe in the family of God.
-Mark Siverling