1 Corinthians Week #17 – Study Questions
Freedom & Rights pt. 2
1 Corinthians (CGS#17) – 9:15-23
INTRODUCTION – In this passage, Paul continues to develop his thought from verses 1-14, which we learned about last week. His argument so far could be summarized like this: “I have the freedom and the right to ask you to pay me for preaching, but I won’t do anything that could put up an obstacle to the gospel.” In this week’s passage, Paul pushes this thought even further.
Starting right away in verse 15, Paul is recommitting himself to removing barriers to the gospel. He says, “I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.” He’d rather die! And what’s his ground for boasting? Verse 18 answers, “That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” All of this is for the goal given in verse 19: “I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” Putting it all together, his train of thought goes something like this: “In order to win more people to the gospel, it’s my joy to preach the gospel free of charge. In fact, if the act of paying me keeps anyone from the gospel, I’d rather die!”
Those are pretty strong words, and it seems like Paul actually means them. By using the Greek word “douloō,” He is willingly putting himself into a posture of service—literally “slavery”—towards the Corinthian church. He is using his freedom in Christ to submit himself to the needs of the Corinthians. He’s not shy about his reasons either. He makes it very clear: “that I might win more of them” (v. 19), “in order to win Jews” (v.20), “that I might win those under the law” (v. 20), “that I might win those outside the law” (v. 21), “that I might win the weak” (v. 22), “that by all means I might save some” (v. 22), culminating explicitly in verse 23, “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” His goal is clear: He will joyfully give up his freedoms and rights—even his very life—if it leads to sharing the gospel’s blessings with others.
If you haven’t yet seen the beauty and worth of the gospel, this might seem foolish. But Paul was no fool; he knew what he was doing and he lived it out by continuing to preach the gospel in every circumstance: in plenty and in need (Philippians 4:11-13), in freedom and in prison (Colossians 4:3-4), in living and in dying (Philippians 1:18-21). Wherever he found himself, His overarching goal was to preach Christ and Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). This was his “boast,” his delight, his satisfaction. He knew the Corinthians’ greatest need was the saving and sanctifying work of Christ, and he pursued that end with reckless abandon, casting off every weight that could slow him down (Hebrews 12:1). If that sounds familiar, it’s because we defined love this way a few weeks ago: “Love is the persistent concern for someone’s greatest good and the willingness to serve them toward that end.” This is also reflected in one of Christ Community Church’s values, Purposeful Responsiveness. We want to be a community that recognizes needs and responds to them with joy-filled energy and compassion. But how do we recognize the most important needs?
In this week’s sermon, we laid out a framework for ranking and discerning matters of importance: Essentials, Convictions, Commitments, and Preferences. Like the Corinthians, everyone’s greatest need is the saving and sanctifying work of Christ, so that’s clearly an essential. But after that, what convictions are driving your responsiveness? Are you willing to lay down your freedoms and rights to keep from putting up obstacles to the gospel? In a spirit of love and humility, like Paul, let us seek to “count others more significant than [ourselves]” (Philippians 2:3) and joyfully lay down our rights to meet their needs.
GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time, take time to answer this question together: Have you ever laid down your freedom and rights for another? What impact did this have?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday-Saturday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions about the passage we are studying that week.
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How have you seen God at work in your life this week? Have you enjoyed him? Have you heard his voice and the leading of his Spirit? Big ways or small ways.
- How do you rank matters of importance in your life?
- How does Paul’s burden and approach show the value of purposeful responsiveness?
- How am I seeking and seizing the opportunities God provides every day?