Readings for today: 1 Corinthians 9-11
As Americans, we believe every human being is endowed with inalienable rights. Among these are a right to life. A right to liberty. A right to pursue happiness. These rights are enshrined in our Constitution. They are explored in further detail in our Bill of Rights. Indeed, one could say our entire legal code is an attempt to flesh out how we define our “rights.” We have “bills of rights” for taxpayers, patients, students, etc. When we arrest people for crimes, the first thing we do is tell them their rights. We advocate in the global community for the enforcement of human rights and we often take action if we feel such rights are violated. Most of our hottest political debates center around what we perceive to be “human rights.” Even on an individual level, we cling to our “rights” and react strongly if we feel they are being infringed upon or violated.
The Apostle Paul could not be more different. Because he believes with all his heart that he is saved by the grace of Christ, he willingly surrenders all his rights for the greater glory of the gospel. Paul has every “right” to assert his authority as an apostle. Every “right” to get married. Every “right” to work for a living. Indeed, he has every “right” to make his living off the gospel just like the Levitical priests. Paul has every “right” to eat or drink whatever he wants since God has set aside the kosher food laws of the Old Testament. He has every “right” to circumcise or not circumcise, depending on the situation. If Paul were to assert his “rights”, he could claim a privileged place as a Jew among Jews, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Phil. 3:4-6) But Paul is more than willing to relinquish all of his rights...why? Because “he counts everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)
Part and parcel of becoming a Christian means waiving whatever rights we believe we are entitled to as human beings or American citizens or whatever other identity we hold so dear. We have to be willing to lay these things down for the greater privilege of serving Christ. Christ demands total and complete allegiance. He will not allow our “rights” to get in the way of His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom. Not even those most fundamental rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Does this mean Christians can never be happy? Never be safe? Never be free? Of course not. What it means is that even these things - as important as they are - cannot get in the way of the gospel. As Paul writes, “we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:12)
Ultimately, “rights” have to do with identity. Wherever we ground our identity, we will guard and protect those rights fiercely. Think about the culture wars that are currently raging and what they reveal about where so many find their identity and thus their rights as individuals. Gender. Sexuality. Race. Political affiliation. National citizenship. Economic status. Educational level. All of these things become part of our identity. Some we are born with. Some we achieve over the course of our lives. It doesn’t matter. Christ calls us to lay all of them down. To willingly and joyfully surrender them for the greater privilege of becoming His disciple. Once our identity is grounded in Him, we realize all the rights we’ve been clinging to are rubbish compared to the magnificence of His amazing grace. This, in turn, gives us unbelievable freedom. I love how Paul puts it, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
Friends, what rights are you holding onto? What privileges are you clinging to? What parts of your identity still need to be surrendered to Jesus? Let go. Open your hands. Open your heart and experience anew the freedom that comes only from the gospel.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 12-14