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SERIES: I AM GOD ALMIGHTY: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY
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Becoming All Things to All Men to Save Some
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FEBRUARY 18, 1996
Becoming All
Things to All Men
to Save Some
Message by
John Piper
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,
that I might win the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the
Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those
who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without
law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of
Christ, that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I
became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to
all men, that I may by all means save some. 23 And I do all things
for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
To Win Others
Five times he says that his aim is to win people. Verse 19: "that I
might win the more." Verse 20: " that I might win the Jews . . . that I
might win those under the law." Verse 21: "That I might win those
who are without law." Verse 22: "That I might win the weak."
To Save Others
So five times he says that his aim in adapting to the way people live
is to win them. Then at the end of verse 22 in his summary
statement he says, "I have become all things to all men, that I may
by all means save some." So he says his aim differently here. Five
times it was "to win" people; and now it is "to save" people.
1. to win others;
2. to save others;
3. to be partaker in the benefits of the gospel himself.
Now what does this mean? Win others for what? Save others from
what? Partake in what benefits of the gospel?
To help us do this I have written the STAR article this week about the
wrath of God and included numerous texts about it. We need to
memorize some of these and expose our minds to them as often as
we are exposed to the messages of the media that the big things in
life are money and position and coolness. One of the biggest
realities in the universe is the wrath of God, and it is coming on all
those who do not trust in Jesus, "who delivers us from the wrath to
come."
Then he explained:
These two theses seem to contradict each other . . . [But] both are
Paul's own statements, who says in 1 Corinthians 9:19, "For though I
am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all," and
in Romans 13:8, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another."
Love, by its very nature, is ready to serve and be subject to him who
is loved.
How do you keep your faith and your freedom and your radical zeal
to win people and not just copy people? The answer is that you think
hard about your relation to the law of Godthe way Paul did. And
what you come to is this:
And all the while you keep a vigilant watch over your heart to see if
you are in the law of Christ. Here are two tests of how you are doing
in this delicate balancing act. I close with these:
O may the Lord grant us to use our freedom to become the servants
of all, that we might by all means save some!
John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and
chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor
of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more
than 50 books , including A Peculiar Glory .
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Solid Joys
16 We may make our plans, but God has the last word. [a]
2
You may think everything you do is right, but the LORD judges your motives.
3
Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying
them out.
4
Everything the LORD has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked
is destruction.
5
The LORD hates everyone who is arrogant; he will never let them escape
punishment.
6
Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your sin. Obey the LORD and
nothing evil will happen to you.
7
When you please the LORD, you can make your enemies into friends.
[b]
8
It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income,
dishonestly gained.
9
You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.