What does it mean that Paul made himself a servant to all (1 Corinthians 9:19)?

Answer

The apostle Paul longed to witness the salvation of the Jews—his own people—and their inclusion in God’s kingdom (Romans 9:1-3;10:1). Even more so, he was eager to fulfill God’s specific calling on his life to minister to the Gentiles “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;”, (Ephesians 3:8). Paul desired to be used by God as a tool to proclaim the gospel and guide those who hear the message to faith in Jesus Christ. He wrote, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”, (1 Corinthians 9:19, ESV).

To be an effective messenger of the gospel, Paul gave up his freedom and essentially devoted himself to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1;Romans 6:22;1 Corinthians 7:22;Galatians 1:10). This concept of making himself a servant or slave is represented by the Greek term doulos, which denotes a person who is legally owned by another and whose entire existence and purpose are determined by their master.

As a free Roman citizen, Paul belonged to no one. He possessed extensive rights within the laws of his society. He also enjoyed spiritual liberties as a Christian. Conversely, in the ancient Mediterranean world, enslaved individuals had minimal rights or freedoms. A slave was obligated to obey the commands of their master. Paul affirmed that he was free to do as he pleased,But instead, he willingly lowered himself to the status of a slave to all people. He willingly became a servant of all to win as many converts as possible.

In saying, “I have made myself a servant to all,” Paul had adopted the mindset of Jesus Christ, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus possessed the nature of God, with all the freedoms and advantages that nature affords, yet He lowered Himself, made Himself a servant to all, and died on the cross to become the Savior of the world «And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. », (1 John 4:14).

Following the Lord’s example, Paul yielded his rights, privileges, affiliations, and preferences to serve others and further the cause of Christ: “When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:20-23;NLT).

Some who misinterpret this passage accuse Paul of being a chameleon who changed his message and standards to fit different audiences.It his audience. But Paul never compromised truth. Instead, he adapted his approach to avoid offending his audience. He would not flaunt his freedom in front of the Jews or inflict the law on the Gentiles. His goal was to remove obstacles and stumbling blocks to their acceptance of the gospel (see 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 6:3; Romans 14:20). Warren Wiersbe writes, “A good witness tries to build bridges, not walls” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, Victor Books, 1996, p. 601).

In Acts 16:1–5, Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him on one of his missionary journeys. In deference to the Jews they would minister to, Paul arranged for Timothy (whose father was a Greek) to be circumcised. The missionaries wanted nothing to hinder the Good News from spreading and being received throughout the area. To achieve this aim, Paul and Timothy made themselves servants to all.

Paul’s motivation for preaching was not selfish ambition: “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake” «For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. », (2 Corinthians 4:5, NLT). A good servant of Jesus models himself after his Master, who made Himself a servant to all.