World Mission and Rights (1.Cor.19-27)

Introduction

One of the more surprising things Britain had to do in order to join the EU was to formulate a Bill of Rights for the country. Surprising not that the EU should require such things to join; but surprising, surely, to think that a nation as preoccupied with rights as Britain didn’t already have one. For if ever there was a creed for people in Britain (or for that matter any Western country) then would surely be `I know my rights`; heard from the lips of a suspicious hospital patient, a defiant child in a classroom, or a resistant suspect under arrest.

It is the motto that is shared by all in society, irrespective of background, and it would seem, irrespective even of legal compliance. There is the oft-quoted case in the States involving a burglar injured in the course of robbing a house in semi-darkness, who astonished the family who owned the house (and presumably excited fellow thieves) by successfully suing them for damages. However, it seems that even proven felons appear to have rights to stand on!

(1) What do you think people’s rights are?

(2) Do you think a Christian’s rights are different? Why?

1 Corinthians 9:19-27 comes in the middle of a large section in which Paul addresses this issue, from the start of chapter 8 right through to the start of chapter 11. Paul’s conduct in Corinth had evidently been raising eyebrows and so he is writing to defend himself (9:3), and in doing so outlines a Christian attitude to rights.

(3) What sort of rights do you think Paul could have claimed? (1-6, 12a)

(4) What was his attitude to them? (15a)

(5) What was his priority? (12, 18)

(6) Paul develops this priority in relation to two commonly perceived rights: the right to cultural identity (19-23) and a comfortable life (24-27); and shows how gospel advance warrants waiving them.

Gospel advance matters more than cultural identity

In verse 19, Paul outlines his commitment to unreached peoples by describing himself as `a slave to everyone`.

(7) What types of people was he seeking to reach with the gospel (20-22a)?

(NB the `weak` were a type of Christian Paul had been discussing in chapter 8, who risked opposing their consciences by following the example of older Christians in issues which, although not forbidden by Scripture, they believed to be morally wrong.)

(8) Paul said he had `become a slave to everyone`(19) and `all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some`(22). What did this mean for each group of people he was witnessing to (20-22a)?

Paul’s readiness to adapt to difficult settings might have seemed hypocritical, or even two-faced. so he parenthetically mentions that he is still nevertheless `under Christ’s law` (21).

(9) How would being under Christ’s law have affected his behaviour in these various situations?

(10) How might a whole-hearted commitment to gospel advance threaten our cultural identity?

(11) In what ways do we try to cling on to our cultural identity? What should be our response to this passage?

This does not mean that by necessity we must all become cross-cultural missionaries. But it does mean that if we’re staying within our culture it has to be for the right reasons, and not just because it is `home` and what we’re used to. We need to repent of the attitude that is culturally smug and glad to be `normal` when confronted by other backgrounds.

Gospel advance matters more than a comfortable life

Paul goes on to speak about the effect that a commitment to gospel advance will have on life in general. Using imagery from athletics, he describes the focus and discipline that he wants the Christians to have.

Look at v 24-26.
(12) What is the `strict training` needed for a gospel focus? What is the `crown`?

(13) In what ways do we behave like `a man running aimlessly`? What should our objective be in life?

In case we’re tempted to think that Paul is being extreme and that this does not apply to us, he concludes by saying that this priority is bound up with the essence of what it means to be a Christian. So much so, that without it he risks being `disqualified` (27).

(14) How is commitment to gospel advance proof of saving faith?

The spread of the gospel mattered to Paul more than standing on his rights, and by the end of this section of the letter he urges his readers to `Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ` (11:1). We’re not apostles with the unique role that Paul had, but we are called as Christians to give up our rights for the sake of the gospel.

(15) How in our lives with the decisions we make can we follow Paul’s example?

Sam Allberry, 2000