28. All Things to All People
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews ... To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). One of the most distinguishing traits of Paul's ministry was his ability to relate to people everywhere, and these verses from his letter to the Corinthians are a well-known summary of that principle of being all things to all people. However, the principle was one Paul applied not just to the outside world, but also to those in the Church.
A chapter later, in the same epistle, Paul stresses this truth even more clearly:
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved (1 Corinthians 10:32–33).
We see the principle again in Paul's letter to the Galatians: "I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you" (Galatians 4:12).
Many today do not realize that the early Church was, for much of the first century, almost two churches. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians met in their own areas, and there was often little interchange between them. That there was tension between the two groups is seen in many ways, including the situation in which Paul confronted Peter himself in this regard (Galatians 2:11-14).
One example is particularly instructive. Acts 21 tells us that toward the end of Paul's ministry, the apostle visited Jerusalem and met with James, the brother of Jesus, who was the leading apostle there at that time. But this was no ordinary meeting. Even this late in Paul's ministry, there was clear tension between Paul as leader of the Gentile Christians and some of the Jewish Christians. But Paul, in following his principle of being all things to all people, doubtless moved the Jewish Christians by presenting them with a considerable gift from the Gentile churches that they had collected for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem (Acts 24:17). For their part, James and the Jewish Christians were clearly desirous to make things work:
Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law" (Acts 21:20-24).
This was the point at which many modern interand intradenominational meetings and negotiations might well erupt into arguments and recriminations. The Jewish Christians' suggestion might even be understood as meaning that Paul was unclean through all his time in the Gentile world, and he should therefore join with Jews who would be purifying themselves at that time. But Paul's response is instructive: "The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them" (Acts 21:26). This event reminds us of how Paul had previously circumcised his assistant Timothy in order not to unnecessarily alienate Jews (Acts 16:3). In neither case was Paul backing down in weakness, however. He was not in any way turning away from full support of the Gentiles (as Peter unfortunately did in similar circumstances), but he was clearly showing that he was willing to undergo the Jewish practices in order to be a Jew to the Jews, to be all things to all people.
Recognizing Paul's approach in this area of being "all things to all people" – inside as well as outside the Church – is vital for our understanding of his ministry and what he accomplished, and it underscores an important lesson for us, too.
One of Paul's most quoted sayings is this: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). We should never forget the context of this verse – that it follows the verses we looked at above, in which he tells us he strove to "be all things" and to "please everyone" so that they might be saved (1 Corinthians 9:19-22, 10:32–33). That, for Paul, was the only reason for being all things to all people.