Lessons #293 and 294
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Adaptability for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor 9:19-23)
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 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. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
This passage in which the apostle says that he has become all things to all people may appear that he changes his spiritual values based on individuals he associates with or that he is being hypocritical in his interactions with different groups of people. This is not what the apostle meant to convey as will become evident as we study the passage. Furthermore, he is not being a chameleon. A chameleon is an unclean animal Israel was not to eat as stated in Leviticus 11:30:
the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
A chameleon is a unique species of lizard famous for changing its skin color to agree with the object with which it comes in contact. Thus, the word “chameleon” may be used to describe a person given to often expedient or superficial change in ideas or character or to one that is subject to quick or frequent change especially in appearance. A person who stands firm on the truth of God’s word could hardly fit the description of a chameleon type person. Whatever it is the apostle conveyed in this passage could not possibly be that he changes his position or view of truth, specifically the gospel message that is invariant, based on the environment or that he uses methods that would conflict the truth. We can be certain of this because the apostle had conveyed to the Corinthians that he never used deceptive means to convey the gospel of Jesus Christ as implied in 2 Corinthians 4:2:
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
Consequently, whatever the apostle conveys in the passage before us could not be interpreted as him shifting the goal post of truth, as some people are prone to doing, in order to preach the gospel. No! The apostle was concerned with the concept of adaptability that does not move him away from God’s truth. Because the apostle never says that he becomes hypocritical or changes the truth of God’s word to accommodate those he interacts with about the gospel, we should be aware that what he wrote in this passage is not concerned with compromising of truth or watering down the truth to make it palatable to people. He is concerned with adapting to whatever group he interacts with in such a way that the basic truth of the gospel or the Christian doctrine is not compromised. This being the case, there is a message the Holy Spirit wants us to hear through Apostle Paul. This message is that You should do everything that is lawful to advance God’s word. We use the word “lawful” to indicate that any adaptation that a believer gets involved in to ensure that the word of God is preached, must not be contrary to the word of God. In effect, a believer should learn to compromise in such a way that nothing is done that is contrary to the word of God. This means that every believer should learn how to compromise in the non-essential in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our use of the term “non-essential” is to refer to anything that does not conflict with God’s word. We should learn to distinguish what is essential and what is not when it comes to the word of God. The apostle had already demonstrated an example of non-essential in the right to eat any food. A believer may not insist on this right if that causes a problem for another believer. So, one could forgo that right in order to help another believer. This would be an example of compromise that does not contradict the word of God.
Be that as it may, Apostle Paul, in a sense, is continuing with the concept of not making use of his right as an apostle although he has shifted to a different aspect of using of his right. This may not be readily perceived, especially since the translators of the NIV and many of our English versions did not translate a Greek conjunction used in beginning part of verse 19. The Greek technically begins with a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. In our passage, there are three possible usages that are in a sense related. It could be used as a narrative marker to express continuation or connection in which case it may be translated “for” as done in many of our English versions. This interpretation would suggest that the apostle is continuing his declaration of not using his right in way that would interfere with the preaching of the gospel. Another interpretation is to take the Greek conjunction as a marker of transition to another point in which case it may be untranslated. This is probably the interpretation of the English versions that did not translate it. A third interpretation is that the conjunction is used as a marker of explanation. The implication would be the apostle is explaining what he said in the previous section regarding not using his right of support to preach the gospel and so without charge to the Corinthians. All three interpretations make sense; therefore, it seems the apostle was continuing his concern with not using his right by providing explanation for it, but he shifts to a different topic from that of the right of support to that of not making using of his freedom as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Apostle Paul conveyed that he is free in Christ, returning to his introduction of his freedom given in verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 9 since he emphasized the concept freedom, which is reflected in the very first word, he used in the Greek of verse 19. It is this emphasis on freedom that is given in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 9:19 Though I am free and belong to no man. Literally, the Greek reads For being free from all men. The word being in the literal translation or am in the NIV is translated from a Greek participle. A Greek participle (verbal adjective) is subject to different interpretations in relation to the main verb. In our passage, it is subject to two different interpretations. A first interpretation is to consider the participle as indicating the reason or cause of the apostle making himself a slave in which case it may be translated by introducing the word “since” or “because.” This interpretation seems to be that reflected in the NET that reads since I am free. A second interpretation is to consider the participle as concessive that states the action of the main verb is true in spite of the state or action of the participle and so the participle is often translated by introducing the word “although.” In our passage, this means that the apostle makes himself a slave despite him being free as the apostle of Christ. It is this interpretation that is reflected in majority of our English versions.
The apostle literally says being free from all men so what does he mean? To begin with, let us understand the word “free” as used by the apostle in emphatic manner since as we have indicated is the first word in the Greek of verse 19. The word “free” is translated from a Greek word (eleutheros) that may mean “free” in the sense of being released or not bound by obligation, hence the word means “exempt” regarding taxes as in Matthew 17:26:
“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him.
The sentence the sons are exempt is literally the sons are free. The word may mean “released” as it is used to indicate a widow is released from marriage obligation of the deceased husband in Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 7:3:
So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
The sentence she is released from that law is literally she is free from the law. The word may mean “free” in the sense of being free socially and politically so not to be a slave as the word is used in the contrast between being a slave or a free person in Ephesians 6:8:
because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:19, it is used with the meaning “free,” that is, not under the servitude of another or not under the ownership of another.
The translators of the NIV imply that the apostle explained what he means by being free using the verbal phrase belong to no man. However, the Greek reads literally from all men. Of course, the Greek does not contain the word “men” but it is included because we have a masculine plural of the word “all” in the Greek. The word “all” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (pas) that means “all, every, each, whole” but in the Greek form used in our passage it means “all, each.” Quite often when we encounter the word “all” or “everything” we think in terms of absolute totality. This, of course, creates problem for many in accepting specific teachings of the Scripture. For example, some people reject the doctrine of election because they say God is not willing for anyone to perish but wants everyone to come to repentance, as we read in 2 Peter 3:9:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The problem with using this passage to deny election is at least twofold. The first is with the word anyone translated from the plural of a Greek word (tis) that means “anyone, anything, someone; something, many a one or thing, any, some.” In the Greek text, it is in the plural so it is best to translate it “some” or “certain ones.” This interpretation is supported by the fact the translators of NIV translated the same plural Greek pronoun “some” in the clause as some understand slowness and so one wonders why they did not translate it “some” the second time the word appears. This interpretation of the Greek word used, to mean “some” or “certain ones,” immediately reveals that those that will not perish are not humanity in general but “certain ones” or “some.” The second problem is with the word everyone that is translated from the same Greek word that we said means “all, every, each, whole.” The context suggests that it should be translated “all” and not “everyone.” If this translation is followed, then it is easier to understand that “all” refers to the “some” or “certain ones” that God is not willing for them to perish but to repent. These certain ones are the elect to whom Apostle Peter mentioned in the beginning of his first epistle. They are those God is not willing to perish but to be saved; for all the elect will be saved as implied in the reason Apostle Paul gives for his laboring to preach the gospel in 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The point we want to establish is that the Greek word that may mean “all” as in the literal translation of 1 Corinthians 9:19 all men should not always be taken in an absolute sense but that it is the context that determines its interpretation. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:19, the word where it appears twice pertains to totality of persons or it pertains to an individual. Therefore, in the first usage of the word in our verse, the apostle would be thinking of all humans in absolute sense but in its second usage, he would be thinking of each person he comes into contact.
We have considered two key words in the Greek used in our passage, so we ask again; what does the apostle mean in the literal verbal phrase being free from all men? He means that he is not in servitude to any human in Corinth or anywhere else. He is not controlled by anyone in the sense of being restricted by, say, support he might have received from anyone in Corinth or elsewhere. If the apostle had received special support from anyone in Corinth, then it is possible for that person to dictate for him where to go or not go regarding the preaching of the gospel. As it is, he is not obligated to anyone’s favor and so he can preach the gospel wherever he decides, and the Lord leads him. The fact the apostle is not in servitude to anyone makes what he says next more meaningful regarding his not using his right of support or right to do anything he wants in Christ since he has freedom in Him as His apostle.
The next assertion of the apostle concerns a fact that applies in his various contacts with people. He states as a fact that he makes himself subservient to others that he comes into contact. It is this fact that he stated in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:19, I make myself a slave to everyone. Literally, the Greek reads I enslavedd myself to all. The word “all” used in our literal translation is translated from the Greek word (pas) that we stated previously means “all, every, each, whole” that is used twice in our verse with different senses. In this second usage of the word, it has the sense of each person that apostle comes into contact instead of “all” in absolute sense although the Greek is in the plural leading some English versions to use the phrase all men instead of all as we have done in the literal translation. That aside, the main assertion of the apostle is that of making himself subservient to each person he comes into contact as stated in the sentence I make myself a slave to everyone.
The expression “make…a slave” is translated from a Greek word (douloō) with the basic meaning of “to make a slave,” “to enslave.” It may be used in a literal sense of denoting absolute subjection or the loss of autonomy. Hence, it is used literally to describe the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt in Stephen’s sermon as stated in Acts 7:6:
God spoke to him in this way: ‘Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
Except for this usage in the NT where it is quoted from the Septuagint of Genesis 15:13, all its seven occurrences in the NT are in a figurative sense. It is in the sense of a believer’s obligation or commitment to God that Apostle Paul used it when he indicated that believers are slaves of God having been set free from sin in Romans 6:22:
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
Of course, it is in the sense of being committed to righteousness that the apostle used the word in the declaration of Romans 6:18:
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
The word may mean “to be obligated, bound” as it is used to indicate that under certain circumstances the believer may not be obligated to an unbelieving spouse, as it is used in 1 Corinthians 7:15:
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
It is in the sense of being dependent on the basic principles of the world that the Greek word is used in Galatians 4:3:
So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
It is the sense of being dependent on wine or being addicted to it that the word is used in Titus 2:3:
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
Apostle Peter helps us to understand a meaning of the word as being defeated by or succumbing to something in 2 Peter 2:19:
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
The clause for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him is literally for to whatever someone succumbs, by this he is also enslaved, according to the LEB. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:19, it is used in the sense of “to make one subservient to another person’s interests” and so means “to enslave,” that is, “to make a slave; bring into servitude.”
Enslavement is usually what is brought upon a person by force but rarely a person would enslave self. When this happens, such voluntary enslavement of self is associated with economic situations. A person under economic hardship could sell himself/herself to another as a slave but that was regulated how that should be handled in Israel in Leviticus 25:39:
“‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave.
It should be clear that it is for self-interest that a person becomes subservient to another. In effect, because a person has something to benefit, the individual beomces subservient to another. This situation obtains in workplace with certain individuals who try to be subservient to a boss in order to get what they want but once they obtain what they want they change their attitude. Thus, humans may become subservient to others because of personal interest or self-preservation but this is not the case with what the apostle stated in the passage we are considering. The apostle indicates he is subservient to the interests of others. In other words, it is the interest of others, not his personal interest or self-preservation that drove him to being subservient to them. His being subservient is adaptation to people’s interests in way that does not contradict God’s word but is necessary to help them as he explained later beginning in verse 20.
It is rare for us to do things without a purpose or anticipated benefit. This was the case with the apostle’s being subservient to the interest of others he came into contact. His purpose is that by such subservience, he could help lead others to Christ as in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:19 to win as many as possible that literally reads in order that I might win/gain the more. The verbal phrase of the NIV or the literal translation introduced the goal or purpose of the apostle in making himself subservient to the interest of others because the Greek began with a Greek conjunction (hina) that has several usages but, in our passage, it is used as a marker of purpose or goal so that it may be translated “in order that.” The implication is that what follows the Greek conjunction gives the purpose or the apostle’s goal of being subservient to the interest of others. His goal is to lead as many as possible to Christ as in the verbal phrase of the NIV to win as many as possible.
The word “win” is translated from a Greek word (kerdainō) that may mean “to gain,” that is, to acquire by effort or investment. Thus, literally, it is used for acquiring wealth in Mark 8:36:
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Figuratively, the word may mean “to gain” in the sense of to make another someone’s own, as that is the sense that Apostle Paul used it in describing his goal about Christ in Philippians 3:8:
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
The verbal phrase gain Christ, according to the standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG), means make him one’s own. The word may mean “to win” someone in the sense of gaining someone to the cause of God or Christ as it is used in Matthew 18:15:
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
The word may mean “to avoid something” or “to spare oneself from something” as the word is used in Apostle Paul’s reminder to the crew of the ship taking him to Rome that they could have spared losses they sustained if they had listened to him as we read in Acts 27:21:
After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
We should be careful to understand that when we said that the apostle in using the word translated “win” in the NIV of the verse we are considering, means to “acquire converts” that we do not mean the apostle had the power of turning unbelievers to converts in Christ. Instead, what that implies is that he would preach the gospel and God would draw converts to Himself. The explanation we have given is also applicable to what the apostle wrote in Romans 11:14:
in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.
Saving someone is the work of God as the apostle stated severally in his epistles as, for example, in 1 Corinthians 1:21:
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Therefore, when the apostle stated in Romans 11:14 save some of them he meant that God would save some. It is the same sentiment that the apostle conveyed in using the Greek word translated “win” in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 9:19. Hence, the apostle meant that as he preached the gospel of Christ, God would save as many as possible so that it can be said that he acquired or gained many converts.
Apostle Paul’s goal of ensuring he leads as many as possible to Christ and his willingness to be subservient to the interest of others imply that the apostle imitated his master, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God but He became subservient to God the Father because He wanted to provide our eternal salvation so that the Holy Spirit through the apostle commands us to imitate the attitude of the Lord Jesus, as we read in Philippians 2:4–8:
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
The Lord Jesus was concerned with our interest of having eternal life that He was willing to humble Himself to take a human nature. We can say that there is nothing that the Lord Jesus could gain by being concerned with our interest except that He demonstrated God’s love for us. He did not have to humble Himself the way He did, but He did so. It is this understanding of the Lord Jesus’s subservience that helped the apostle recognize that he should not spare anything to help to lead others to Christ. It is this understanding that he reflected in his epistle to Timothy when he conveyed to him that he was willing to suffer anything to bring the gospel to the elect so they may be saved in the passage we cited previously, that is, in 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The apostle imitated the Lord Jesus and so he commanded the Corinthians to imitate him. He was concerned with the interest of others spiritually that he had a burning desire for the salvation of people especially, those of his fellow Jews as he stated in Romans 10:1:
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
We are to imitate the apostle as he imitated the Lord Jesus Christ. We should do so by having this one goal of helping unbelievers to come to a saving faith in Christ. In other words, we should be conscious of the need for us to impact unbelievers for Christ. This means that if we are governed by this purpose or goal then we would be careful in what we do. We will be willing to forgo our rights or suffer humiliation if that is what it takes to lead others to Christ. We are saying that our day to day living as Christians should be affected by the fact that we want to lead others to Christ. There is no more important thing we can do for any unbeliever than to lead that person to Christ. Consequently, we should be occupied with such thought that in all we do; we keep asking the question of whether our conduct or activity would help an unbeliever to respond to the message of the cross of Jesus Christ. No wonder the Holy Spirit commanded believing wives to be so conscious of their conduct in terms of their submission to their husbands so they could win their unbelieving husbands to Christ as we read in 1 Peter 3:1:
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.
Although the passage is addressed to believing wives with unbelieving husbands, but the principle also applies to believing husbands who should through their love and conduct towards their unbelieving wives lead them to faith in Christ. It is true that our focus is on unbelievers so we can lead them to Christ, but we should also be aware that we should be concerned with the interest of our fellow believers that if we know, for example, of one that is going astray spiritually that we should do whatever we can to help such a person spiritually as that is commanded in James 5:19:
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
Be that as it may, recall the message we are considering is that You should do everything that is lawful to advance God’s word. This message, as we indicated previously, is based on Apostle Paul’s action recorded in the passage of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 that we are considering. We have noted that the apostle asserted of being subservient to the interests of others for the primary purpose of leading them to Christ. He did not want to leave us guessing what this means or how he did what he declared. Therefore, he proceeded to provide explanation of what it means or how he was subservient to the interest of others in what follow, beginning in verse 20. We say that what follow beginning in verse 20 provide an explanation of what the apostle meant or how he went about doing what he declared because of a Greek conjunction (kai) that begins verse 20 that is not translated in the NIV and in nearly all our English versions. The Greek conjunction has several usages. For example, it may be used to introduce a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translated “and then, and so.” It may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy with the meaning “and yet” or “and in spite of that” or “nevertheless.” It may be used to mark an explanation so that what follows explains what goes before it leading to the translation “that is, namely, and so.” It is in this later usage that the word is used in our verse so what follow beginning in 1 Corinthians 9:20 provide the explanation of what the apostle meant in being subservient to the interests of others in order to gain as many converts to Christ as possible.
The first explanation of the apostle about being subservient to the interest of others is that of being to the Jews what he was not after his conversion. It is this that is given in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. This is quite an interesting statement from the apostle. We say this because of the words the apostle used. He said I became like a Jew. The Greek verb the apostle used is interesting as I will show shortly.
The word “became” is translated from a Greek verb (ginomai) that may mean “to be” although it is different from another Greek word (eimi) that may also mean “to be” in that our Greek word emphasizes that of being what one was not before. That aside, our Greek word has several meanings. For example, it may mean “to come into existence” so may have the sense of “to perform” as it is used for the description of the miracles of the apostles in Acts 5:12:
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
The word may mean “to become something” as Apostle Paul used it in cautioning believers not to become stumbling block to others in their use of their freedom in Christ in 1 Corinthians 8:9:
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
The word may mean “to occur as process or result” hence may mean “to take place, to happen.” It is in this sense of something occurring because of another thing that the word is used by Apostle Paul regarding the commendation the Lord will give in the future as stated in 1 Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
The sentence each will receive his praise from God is literally praise will come to each one from God. It is with the meaning “to happen” that Apostle Paul used the word to describe his sufferings as stated in 2 Timothy 3:11:
persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:20, the general sense of the word is “to become,” that is, “to enter or assume a certain state or condition.” As we noted, a distinctive feature of the Greek word that the apostle used instead of another Greek verb that has similar meaning, is that of emphasizing that of being what one was not before.
We can be sure that the apostle knew his Greek, so it is interesting that he used the Greek word we considered when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. Apostle Paul was a Jew as he declared emphatically in Acts 21:39:
Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
The word “Jews” is translated from a Greek word (Ioudaios) that although strictly means “persons belonging to Judea”, that is, a “Judean” but it has been used in different ways depending on the period of history of Israel in view. Prior to exile, the term “Jews” was used to describe Judeans as we can gather from some passages in OT Scripture. The term was used to describe Judeans in 2 Kings 16:6:
At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.
The phrase the men of Judah is the way the translators of the NIV translated a Hebrew word (yehûḏî) that means “Judean, Jew.” Prophet Jeremiah used the term in the same sense of Judeans in Jeremiah 32:12:
and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
He also used it to describe all Hebrews prior to the exile, as recorded in Jeremiah 34:9:
Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage.
This usage of the term to describe all Hebrews was applicable in the time of exile. For example, Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin, was described as a Jew in Esther 2:5:
Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,
Of course, it will seem that the term was widely used to describe the other Ten tribes who were scattered all over the vast kingdom of King Xerxes since the attempt to exterminate the Jews was one that was widespread throughout the kingdom of Xerxes. During the period of exile, the term was applied to some Gentiles who allied with the Jews, as implied in Esther 8:17:
In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
The people of other nationalities became Jews in the general sense of one who identifies with beliefs, rites, and customs of Mosaic tradition. Consequently, after the exile, the term “Jews” was applied not only to those who were from the Southern Kingdom of Israel but to Gentiles who were adherents to the religion of the Judeans.
In the NT time, the term “Jews” was used to describe Judeans as those who adhered to Mosaic tradition. Of course, it is not a term that these Judeans used to describe themselves since they preferred to use the term “Israel.” That Judeans did not generally use the term to address themselves, but the term “Israel” may be seen by comparing the descriptions of Jesus during His crucifixion. On the one hand, the Jews referred to Him as the “King of Israel” in Mark 15:31–32:
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
On the other hand, the Roman soldiers referred to Him as “King of the Jews” in Mark 15:17–18:
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
That others used the term “Jews” to refer to Judeans as those who adhere to Mosaic tradition is evident in its use by the Samaritan woman that Jesus Christ spoke with, as recorded in the fourth chapter of John, specifically, John 4:9:
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Judeans in the NT used the term “Jews” to describe themselves when it is intended to differentiate them from Gentiles. Thus, Peter used term “Jews” when he preached in Cornelius’ house, as recorded in Acts 10:28:
He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
It is in the same sense that Apostle Paul used it in his rebuke of Peter, as we read in Galatians 2:14:
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Apostle Paul in this usage indicates that a Jew is one who by birth is an Israelite and so practices Mosaic tradition. But that is not all, he also implied that a true Jew is not one who is merely a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as evident in circumcision but one that is regenerated, as that is what we can gather from Romans 2:28–29:
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
In any case, the term “Jew” refers originally to those who were Judeans, but it extended to all those who were Hebrew people. Of course, today, Hebrew people are found in every nation in the world although some of them do not even know they are Hebrews. However, current research to locate the lost tribes of Israel have led to few discoveries. The tribe of Gad has been traced to the Ibos in Nigeria, the Yinglings of Sweden, among others. The tribe of Dan traced to Sudan, some Levites in Lemba tribe of Ethiopia. Other Hebrew people have been found in other parts of the world. This should not surprise anyone because of what Prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 11:11:
In that day the LORD will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
By the way, proper identification of the Jews/Hebrews is important because of the promise of the Lord to Abraham in Genesis 12:3:
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Many Christians in this country, for example, support present Israel because of this promise but present Israel consists primarily of a tiny fraction of the Hebrew people. Thus, for consistency those who support present Israel ought to know who the rest are to avoid bringing curse on them.
Be that as it may, the question of who a Jew is, should be understood primarily as Apostle Paul would have used the term in the epistle we are considering. You see, in modern time, the word is used in different ways because of the existence of modern state of Israel. A person is accepted as a Jew by Orthodox Judaism if the person has been born to a Jewish mother and who has not apostatized in the sense of being a Christian or converted to any religion. Others would include a Jew as one who has a Jewish father or who has converted to Judaism. Of course, Jewish leaders prefer the term “Israel” to describe the Hebrew people. That aside, it is in the sense of a Hebrew person who practices the Mosaic tradition that the apostle used it in 1 Corinthians 9:20. We say this because when the apostle identified himself as a Jew, he meant one who was born a Hebrew that practiced the Mosaic tradition. He referred himself as a Jew in Acts 22:3:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
The understanding of what the apostle meant with the word “Jews” helps us to answer the question of what he meant in 1 Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew but we are out of time, thus, we will answer the question of what the apostle meant in our next study.
02/19//21