Much has been said in our time about Liberation Theology. Biblical liberation comes in two parts: liberty from control of indwelling sin for the believer, and liberty to forego certain behavioral practices to protect certain types of Church believers. Paul explained this latter liberty in Rom. 14:1-15:13, as well as 1 Cor. 8:1-9:23.
Before explaining 1 Cor. 8:1-9:23, it might be helpful to review some history leading up to Paul’s Corinthian letter.
When Jesus returned to His home synagogue in the Galilee, He read from Isaiah “. . . He sent Me to proclaim release to the captives . . .” (Luke 4:18). Next, He had the audacity to assert, “Today (emphasis mine) this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). Meanwhile, John the Baptist was languishing in Herod’s prison (Luke 3:20). So much for “Liberation Theology!”
Or, was it? Later in His ministry, Jesus pointed out to some Jews who had believed Him that ‘the truth would make them free’ (cf. John 8:32). They objected. Then Jesus made this critically important statement: “. . . everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). So the freedom Jesus was talking about was not a physical release from the clink, but a spiritual release from indwelling sin.
Later in the history of the Church, Paul had summarized the gospel in these two statements: “therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and (emphasis mine) through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses” (Acts. 13:38-39).
To summarize: the gospel addresses two human problems. The first problem is the unbeliever’s sins that require God’s forgiveness. The second problem is the believer’s slavery to sin that requires God’s Spirit.
So far, we have simply traced from biblical sources the complete salvation message.
Now, let’s review Paul’s commentary on a believer’s liberty. The believer has the liberty not to become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor. 8:9). The “weak” is a brother for whose sake Christ died—i.e., a believer (1 Cor. 8:11). The same “weak” for whom Paul became weak, so that he might win the weak (a believer) by any and all means and save the weak brother (1 Cor. 9:21-22).
By the way, the “weak” believer is a singular but integral part of Paul’s four-party classification of the Church that needs to be saved: Jews (non-observant), those under the Law (aka, the circumcised), those without the law (gentiles), and the weak (mostly believing Jews brought up under Moses who had developed a conscience about eating meat sacrificed to idols, and about which their believing gentile brothers had no such conscience (cf. Acts 15:20-21; Rom. 14:1-15:6).
Paul became as a Jew to Timothy (re circumcision) and likely to Barnabas. Paul became as those under the Law in Acts 21:20-26. Paul became a “gentile” in Syrian Antioch (cf. Gal. 2:11-14) and in Philippi (cf. Acts 16:15). And Paul purposed forever to be as “weak” to a weak brother in 1 Cor. 8:13.
Notice from 1 Cor. 9:21 that no matter Paul’s choices to temporarily suspend his liberty in certain behavioral practices, he nevertheless remained under the law of Christ to which he alluded in Rom. 7:4 and 8:2. In other words, his behavior on behalf of salvation for believers did not activate his indwelling sin, nor did it dishonor God because he did it out of love for edification of believers (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1b).
A compelling theological argument that 1 Cor. 9:19-23 does not apply to the unsaved is as follows. All unsaved people are under the control of indwelling sin (Rom. 11:32; Gal. 3:22). As a saved person, the apostle Paul is “in Christ,” that is, Christ is Paul’s Lord (Rom. 1:1), controlling Paul’s members to bear fruit for God (Rom. 7:4-6; 15:18; cf. Gal. 2:17). Were Paul to enslave himself to the unsaved, as some understand 1 Cor. 9:19 to mean, then Christ, abiding in Paul (Gal. 1:16), would become the slave of sin by virtue of His host’s actions (cf. Gal. 2:17). Obviously, such a situation would be truly ludicrous (Rom. 6:10 wherein Christ died to sin once for all). In fact, Christ was careful to avoid entrusting Himself to those under sin (cf. John 2:24-25). However, Paul’s enslavement to saved people (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:5) puts Christ in no such situation because saved people share a common Lord (cf. Rom. 14:4).