விரிவுரை தற்போது ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமே கிடைக்கிறது. தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு நடைபெறுகிறது.
1 Corinthians 9 — So Run, That Ye May Obtain
Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Have we not power to eat and to drink? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel. Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew. To them that are without law, as without law. To the weak became I as weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 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.
“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.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:22
- v.1-14 The apostle's rights
- v.15-23 Rights waived for the gospel
- v.24-27 Run to obtain
All things to all men. Not chameleon ethics; the apostle's flexibility about non-essentials for the sake of the gospel.
That I might by all means save some. The verb is save. The accommodations are not for friendship merely; they serve salvation.
So run, that ye may obtain. Christian life as athletic discipline. The prize is real; the running must match.
A counter to passive Christianity. The runner runs to win. The disciple lives to obtain.
Keep under my body. Athletic self-discipline. Paul will not let his appetites rule him.
Lest... a castaway. A sober word. The preacher who lives loose can be disqualified. The verse cures complacency in Christian leadership.
Verse 22 sets the missionary heart. That I might by all means save some. Be flexible on non-essentials so that the essentials reach more people. Hold the gospel tightly; hold the cultural particulars loosely. The verse is a calling for every Christian witness.
Paul's flexibility for the gospel's sake mirrors Christ's own incarnation — He became flesh that He might save flesh. The chapter's self-emptying for others is Christ-shaped at every step. Every Christian witness imitates the One who emptied Himself for our salvation.
Free... yet servant. The Christian paradox. Freedom is used for service; the highest liberty is the choice to lay it down.
That I might gain the more. The aim is evangelistic. Self-giving for the sake of those not yet won.