I 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.
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.
24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25  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.
26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27  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.

As we look at today’s text we must keep the context in mind. Chapter 9 is too long for us to cover it in one devotional, thus we broke it up into several days. There are too many people who like to take today’s text and twist it to fit a corrupted theology. Let us look at what God directed the apostle Paul to write here.
Paul began here by reminding the saints in Corinth, and all subsequent saints, that the servant of the Lord is exactly that. He is not trying to climb a corporate ladder. Paul was chosen by God/Jesus Christ, to be an apostle. As an apostle he was given the power to heal people and also the authority to write Scripture. We know that God gave the apostles the ability to do signs, to prove they were true apostles.
There are no apostles today. There are many false apostles today and they also claim to be able to do signs. They claim they are empowered by God, but in fact they are either deluded, or they are actually wilful instruments of the devil. We have God’s Word. We can know the truth.
The apostle Paul was not a slave of men. His message came from God. In Galatians 2 the apostle Paul stated that the other apostles added nothing to his doctrine or theology. Paul was taught directly by Jesus Christ as were the other apostles. Jesus Christ taught them all the same. Their teaching needed to agree one with another. In Galatians 2 starting at verse 11, Paul had to publicly rebuke Peter, a fellow apostle, because he was guilty of contradicting the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. That could not stand, and Paul, who was ‘newer in the faith’ than Peter was, had the authority to rebuke Peter. The apostles could not be divided. They served the same Lord and Saviour and their message must be the same. As we noted, there are no apostles today, but the Word of God is not divided nor is it contradictory. True Christians need to take the Word of God seriously and understand that there needs to be a unity because the same Holy Spirit indwells every true born again Christian.
As a servant of the Lord, and not a slave to men, Paul stated that he made himself a servant unto all in order to be able to reach more people with the Gospel. What does this mean? In the following verses Paul explained how this worked.
Paul was a Jew, and when he was dealing with Jews, he became a Jew. He did not become a Judaizer. He rebuked Peter for being guilty of joining himself to the Judaizers. He did not go back to law keeping. He spoke Hebrew at times to address the Jews. He followed their customs as long as they did not interfere with God’s Word. He wanted to be back in Jerusalem in time for the feast of Pentecost because he wanted to be able to reach the Jews in Jerusalem and other areas he would travel to.
The ungodly Jews were still under the law. The temple was still there at that time, and the lost Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Saviour. They were still living under the aspects of the law that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. However, they had corrupted the law.
The vail in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom when Jesus died on the cross. He shed His blood there and He would present His blood to His Father in heaven. Hebrews 12 makes this clear. The temple was still standing at the time Paul was writing this letter of I Corinthians. That temple would be destroyed in 70 A.D. It was destroyed by the Romans, but it was destroyed under God’s direction. There was no need for that temple. It had become a distraction to the Jews. They worshipped the temple, rather than the One Who fulfilled all aspects of that temple. They refused to recognize God’s purpose for the temple and thus God would remove it. The apostle Paul was willing to reach out to the Jews in a manner that did not compromise the truth.
In verse 21 we read that Paul also reached out to those who were not under the Jewish law. That would be the Gentiles. Jesus Christ told Paul that he would be the apostle to the Gentiles. Notice that it states very clearly in verse 21 that Paul did not separate himself from the law of God. He was living under the law of Christ which is the only way any born again Christian can live as a Christian. The law of Christ is defined as the righteousness of Christ in Romans 10:4.
Too many professing Christians like to dismiss the things in the Bible they do not like by claiming they are not under the law. Thus they identify with the world in ways that God condemns. The righteousness of Christ is not promiscuity. It is obedience to God’s law in spirit and in truth. It is not the corruption of that law as the ungodly Jews had done. It was not the absence of the law as the Gentiles had done. It was having the law of God written in their hearts.
The emergent church philosophy says we need to adopt the world’s music and their immodesty, etc., in order to reach the world. James tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. John commands us not to love the world. The apostle Paul was not condoning the carnality that had permeated the church in Corinth. He was directed by God to expose that carnality and to tell them they must reject that and walk in truth.
In verse 22 Paul spoke of those who are weak. He has already addressed the matter of idolatry in chapter 8. There were saved people who had been brought up believing idols had power. They had then been saved, but they were still young in the faith. Paul said he would refrain from eating meat if eating meat would offend a weaker brother. He was not promoting the vegan diet. He was talking of purchasing meat that had been offered to idols, or sitting down at a table where the host would announce that the meat they were going to eat had been offered to idols. Paul would not partake of that meat. He knew an idol was nothing. However, those who worship idols believe their idols are deities. They are happy to see others accept that lie as well.
Paul was a saved man. He was commanded to preach the gospel of Christ. He was not going to allow the false religionists to interfere with the preaching of the gospel of Christ. He would live a righteous life, as defined in Christ through the Scriptures. He would not allow stumblingblocks to interfere with the preaching of the pure gospel of Christ. None of what Paul wrote here supports the New Evangelical/emergent church philosophy.
In verse 23 Paul continued to remind us that he was willing to forgo some things that he could do, for the gospel’s sake. He wanted others to know the truth. The truth is not found in the world. True saints are to separate from the world. They have been bought with a price. Study the life of Christ and notice how He lived and what He taught. He never sinned. Don’t let the devil give you his twisted definitions of sin. Look at what God says and follow Him.

I John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

If you are saved, you will be teachable and you will want to know the truth.
In verse 24 Paul used the illustration of those who run in a race. They all run, but there is only one winner. Today we are told there can be no winner. They say we need to run the race so that all can gain the prize. God says it does not work that way. Born again Christians are called to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. All Christians will go to heaven. However, the Bible is clear that all Christians will appear at the judgment seat of Christ. There will be those who will receive rewards and there will be those who will not receive rewards.

II Timothy 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

The crown of righteousness if for those who love His appearing. Those who love His appearing demonstrate that fact by living for Him now. The Corinthians were lacking in this at the time of Paul’s writing to them.
In verse 25 we are reminded of the need for discipline in our lives. Paul reminds us that the runner is looking for that corruptible trophy. That trophy needs to be polished or stored in a special way to try to keep it looking good. But it looks old after a time. It is corruptible and will eventually be destroyed.
The crown that Jesus provides never gets old. It is precious and cannot lose its value.
Thus in verse 26 Paul referred back again to the runner and the fighter. The good runner runs with certainty. He knows where the finish line is. He knows who his competitors are. He sets his pace and pays attention to who is coming up alongside of him. He judges the distance to the end, and makes sure that he can maintain a pace that will take him to the finish line in a strong manner.
The fighter fights to win the battle. He needs to make sure his equipment is good enough to last until he wins. He does not just beat the air. He wants to make sure that every punch or every swing of the sword has the capacity of hitting the mark. It is amazing to note how inaccurate the police are with their guns. They know how to pull the trigger, but they are very poor at hitting the target.
In verse 27 Paul again spoke of the discipline that is required. He would not corrupt his body in any way. He wanted the saints in Corinth to be able to see the righteousness of Christ in him. He did not want to be dismissed as a fraud. The true saint does not want to be dismissed as a fraud. The true saint wants Jesus Christ to be pleased with him. He wants to hear that “well done” from the Lord Jesus Christ. That well done is only for those who like the apostle Paul, serve God faithfully.
Pastor Bartel