In verse 17 Paul continues, “For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.” This verse is not easy to understand. The words “not of my own will” mean not willingly. Even if Paul had not been willing to preach the gospel, he would have had no way to escape the Lord’s burden, for he had been entrusted with a stewardship. This indicates that with Paul preaching the gospel was not a matter of choice. Paul had been caught by the Lord, drafted by Him, and entrusted with a stewardship. Whether or not he was willing, he had to fulfill the burden given to him. He had no choice about this. He could not escape the commission to preach the gospel.
In this verse Paul refers both to God’s commission and to his own burden. Because God had commissioned him, he had a burden. He had no choice except to carry on the work of the ministry. Therefore, he could say to the Corinthians, “I don’t care how you treat me, or how you doubt about me or examine me. I preached the gospel to you out of burden, out of necessity. I did not have any choice in the matter.”
In verse 17 Paul speaks of a reward. The book of 1 Corinthians was not written to help lost sinners be saved, but to help saved believers to grow (3:6-7), to build with the precious materials (3:10, 12-14), to care for the Lord’s members (8:9-13), and to run the race (9:24). Hence, reward is mentioned repeatedly as an incentive to the believers’ progress (3:14; 9:18, 24-25).
The Greek word rendered stewardship also means a household administration, household dispensation. The apostle was not only a preacher but also a steward in God’s house, a household administrator, dispensing Christ’s salvation, life, and riches to His believers. Such a ministry is the stewardship with which he was entrusted and commissioned (Eph. 3:2; 2 Cor. 4:1).
Verse 18 says, “What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in the gospel.” Here we see that Paul did not use his right with respect to the Corinthians. This gave him ground to boast, as mentioned in verse 16. Although Paul did not use his right with the Corinthians, he did use it with other churches. In 2 Corinthians 11:8 Paul even says that he robbed other churches in order to serve the Corinthians. Other churches supplied him, but the church at Corinth did not. According to 1 Corinthians 9:18, Paul preached the gospel to the Corinthians free of charge.
In verse 19 Paul continues, “For though I am free from all, I have enslaved myself to all, that I might gain the more.” By the word all here Paul means all men. He was free from all men in the sense that he did not owe anyone anything. This means that he was free from the Corinthians, not owing them anything. However, being free from all, Paul enslaved himself to all in order to gain more people for the Lord.
In verses 20 and 21 Paul says, “And to the Jews I became as a Jew, in order that I might gain Jews; to those under law, as under law (not being myself under law), that I might gain those under law; to those without law, as without law (not being without the law of God but within the law of Christ), that I might gain those without law.” Here it seems as if Paul was not a Jew. Actually, he was a Jew, but he no longer lived a Jewish life. Instead, he lived a Christian life. But he became as a Jew in order to gain Jews. Likewise, to those under law, he became as one under law in order to gain those under law. In verse 20 Paul inserts the parenthetical statement “not being myself under law” in order to indicate that he was not under law. He did not want the Corinthians to think that he was for the law. Although he was not under law, he became as one under law to those who were under the law.
According to verse 21, to those without law Paul became as one without law that he might gain those without law. Again he points out, parenthetically, that he was not without the law of God but within the law of Christ. In Greek the expression “in the law” is ennomos, in law, that is, in the sphere, the limit, of law; hence, under law, subject to law. It is the opposite of anomos, outlaw, that is, outside the sphere, the limit, of law; hence, without law. Within the law of Christ means under the ruling of Christ, subject to the regulation of Christ, that is, legitimately, legally, rightfully, duly subject to Christ, under law to Christ, lawful before Christ. The law of Christ denotes the higher and better law of Christ working through love (Rom. 8:2; John 13:34), which is Christ Himself as our life regulating us from within. Paul was no longer under the law of Moses, but he was under the law of Christ. To the Gentiles, who did not have the Mosaic law, Paul became as one without law, not being without the law of God, but within the law of Christ.
In verse 22 Paul declares, “To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. To all men I have become all things, that I might by all means save some.” To become all things to all men means that Paul adapts himself to all things, that is, to different ways of eating and different practices (v. 23), for the sake of all men. He was willing to live in the way followed by others. For example, when he was with vegetarians, he would not eat meat. With Jews, he would not eat pork. In this way he became all things to all men in order to save some.
Verse 23 says, “And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow-partaker of it.” The Greek word rendered fellow-partaker is rich in meaning; it also means a joint participant, cooperator, copartner. The apostle is not only a fellow-partaker, a joint participant, enjoying the gospel, but also a cooperator, a copartner laboring for the gospel. However, here he refers to the enjoyment of the gospel. Hence, in the Recovery Version we use the word fellow-partaker.
To preach the gospel is to labor. But as we labor in preaching the gospel, there is a share, a portion, for our enjoyment. Paul was alert that in preaching the gospel to others he might participate in the enjoyment of the gospel. He was careful not to miss partaking of this enjoyment.