There is a phrase in 1 Corinthians 9:22 that says “I [the apostle Paul] have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.”. This phrase is one of the most used and misused phrases in the Bible. On the surface it seems as though Paul is saying that he was willing to become like the people he was trying to reach with the gospel, and that he would use any method necessary to accomplish the goal of bringing people to Christ. In our day churches often take this passage to mean that we must become a little like the culture around us in order to reach the lost. This verse is also seen as giving the church a blank check, so to speak, for any and all types of evangelistic methods. After all, it says to use “all means”.
Is this what Paul meant? Did he really want churches to mimic the culture in order to win the lost? Can we truly use any evangelistic method we want, so long as it accomplishes the goal of saving some?
In order to know what Paul meant, we need to take into consideration some rules for interpreting and understanding the Scriptures. First, we must measure our interpretation against the rest of the Bible. If our interpretation contradicts other verses, then our interpretation is wrong and we need to find another interpretation. Second, we must read any passage in its context. We must look at the verses (and even chapters) that come before the verse we are interpreting. Third, we must recognize that the most accurate translation is not a translation at all, but rather the original manuscripts (or copies of those manuscripts). With those few points in mind, let us reexamine 1 Corinthians 9:22.
1. If 1 Cor. 9:22 is teaching that we must mimic the culture or give people what they want in order to win them, then there will be other passages that teach the same thing. To my knowledge, there are none. The Greeks of Paul’s day liked drama, and yet there are no commands or examples where Jesus or the Apostles told the church to start drama clubs in order to attract lost Greeks. The Romans liked sports, and yet there is no hint in the Bible of any church starting a sports league. This is not to say that sports or drama are inherently wrong. But God didn’t tell us to give people what they want so that they will be won to Christ. In fact, earlier in 1 Corinthians (chapter 1), Paul says that the Jews wanted signs and the Greeks wanted wisdom (v. 22). Did Paul give them what they wanted? No. He gave them what they didn’t want: he gave them the gospel, and he gave it to them in a way that they found unattractive (v. 23).
Also, we must note that when it comes to the culture we are never instructed to mimic the culture. In fact, we are told just the opposite. We are told to be holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). To be “holy” means to be different from the rest of the world. It is difficult, if not impossible, to make a case from the rest of Bible that we should act a little like the world in order to win the lost.
2. What then did Paul mean when he said that he became “all things to all people”? In order to understand that, we must look at the context of that phrase. If we back up to 1 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is talking about eating things offered to idols (vv. 1-13). Paul says that he would give up his rights to eat certain things so that he would not offend his brother (v. 13). In chapter 9, he mentions several rights that he had as an apostle (vv. 1-14). But Paul says that he had “not used this right” (v. 12; see also v. 15). When we come to chapter 10, he is still talking about giving up our rights (vv. 23-28), so that we don’t cause unnecessary offense as we proclaim the gospel (vv. 32-33). So, one main theme of chapters 8-10 is giving up things that we may have a right to do, so as not to cause unnecessary offense. This is what Paul means by becoming all things to all people.
3. But isn’t Paul telling us to use any and every method to reach unbelievers? After all, he said “by all means”. This is where it is helpful to know the Greek from which our New Testament is translated. The three English words “by all means” are actually taken from one Greek word, the word “pantos”. Pantos is used only nine times in the New Testament, and it is only translated as “by all means” one other time (Acts 18:21). It has been translated using many different English words or phrases like “no doubt”, “doubtless”, “surely”, and “certainly”. Paul was not saying that we are to use whatever methods our clever minds can invent, rather, he was saying that in giving up some of his rights for the sake of the gospel, God was pleased to use him to bring people to Himself. Paul encourages us to do the same (1 Cor. 10:32 – 11:1).
Salvation is a work of God and God alone. He doesn’t need our help or our creative evangelistic methods. He does, however, graciously choose to involve us in His work. He works through us. But, again, He doesn’t need our innovative techniques. God works through the simple proclamation of His word and the gospel (Acts 2:36-41; 8:30-37; Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Cor. 1:18,23; etc.). This “method” may not have all of the pizzaz of our modern methods, but the results don’t fade as quickly either. God’s methods (as revealed in the Bible) are always best.