“All Things to All Men”: (The Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 9: 19 – 23)

By Derek van Rensburg

How is it at all possible to project an image of being narrow-minded and judgemental and, at the same time, imagine that you can be an effective witness for Jesus Christ? The teaching of Jesus Christ unambiguously rejects such aberrations and, by definition, His Gospel of Grace renders them inadmissible.
This is the paradox which Derek van Rensburg sees at the heart of the very conservative brand of Evangelicalism which has been his spiritual home for more than half a century.
In order to facilitate affordable Bible studies, Van Rensburg has, over many years, compiled his own notes for distribution among the participants in his study sessions. Among others, wife Wendy has encouraged him to publish these notes and a selection of these comprise this book which he has entitled ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN in the spirit of the Apostle Paul.
This title, taken from First Corinthians 9:22, is an expression of Van Rensburgs conviction that the Gospel of Gods Grace through Jesus Christ has often been hamstrung by a variety of anathemas and exclusivities. While this Gospel is so central to the conservative Evangelical Christian tradition to which he belongs, he identifies typical negative trends in this tradition which compromise the Gospel. A Christianity obsessed with anathemas is hardly a vehicle for the effective communication of Gods Grace to a hurting and broken world.
By contrast, he notes the transformation of the pharisaically obsessed Saul of Tarsus into the Gospel-obsessed Apostle Paul. Coming from the one-time compulsive persecutor of the early church, with all his pharisaical hang-ups, the following quotation from First Corinthians 9:19-23 expresses a radical conversion-transformation. It also constitutes the Christ-like communication of the Gospel of Grace to a Christless world. Paul said:
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 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. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from Gods law but am under Christs law), so as to win those not having the law. 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. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
How different that is to a very great deal of the conservative evangelicalism the author has known for many, many years. If evangelism really is fundamental to evangelicalism then the evangelical exclusivists among them need to take a good hard look at 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
This book, ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN is in two parts. Part One is comprised of six essays expressing the authors views on some contentious topics germane to the above-mentioned paradox. These essays are entitled:
1. Standpoint 2.I believe the Bible 3. In the beginning God created and Christians 4. Difficult Old Testament passages 5. The Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) 6. Christian Inconsistency
Part One is fairly polemical and should, accordingly, stimulate discussion on that level.
Part Two consists of seven Bible studies in which the authors orthodox Evangelical theological grounding is very evident. He is committed to this theology but is convinced that certain important aspects of it are often misrepresented in the habits and practices of Christians and institutions associated with it. This conviction prompts the occasional searching question among more regular questions constituting the general method of thes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Feb 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469155616

Derek van Rensburg

Conservative evangelical born and church-bred, Derek van Rensburg studied at the conservative Bible Institute of South Africa and has accumulated a personal library of hundreds of books dominated by conservative Christian authors. For almost three decades, however, while he remains thoroughly committed to conservative evangelical fundamentals, he has questioned many of the assumptions and attitudes associated with this Christian tradition. He and Wendy are the parents of Bruce who, with Karin, are parents of granddaughters Kayla and Jemma.

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Copyright © 2012 by Derek van Rensburg.

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Contents

Introduction

PART ONE  ESSAYS

Standpoint

I Believe The Bible

In The Beginning God Created And Christians

Difficult Old Testament Passages

The Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)

Christian Inconsistency

PART TWO  BIBLE STUDIES

Exodus

Amos

Introduction To Habakkuk

Habakkuk

Introduction To Mark

Mark

Introduction To Galatians

Galatians

Philippians

Philemon: Christians And Big Issues

Bibliography

DEDICATION

To my dear wife Wendy who, despite her differences with my

heretical, slightly more liberal leanings, has supported me and has

encouraged me to write this book. Her own brand of orthodox

conservatism is of a refreshingly agreeable nature.

Introduction

I have become all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:19-23) is the Apostle Paul’s expression of his personal commitment to the letter and spirit of The Great Commission authorized by Jesus Christ. The previously bigoted Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, now converted, not only had a new message but also a new attitude and tolerance toward others who did not necessarily fit his mould. The new man made the new message accessible to all people because he bent over backwards to accommodate all for the sake of the gospel. While the word compromise has become akin to a swear word in conservative Christian circles, it is quite clear that the Apostle Paul learnt the art of Christian compromise without compromising his principles.

Christians need to learn that lesson and they need to start at home. The incontrovertible testimony of two thousand years of Church History, magnified and multiplied by Protestant denominationalism, is that Christians differ in approach to the Scriptures, theology and a wide range of related matters. By contrast, both inside and outside the Christian Church, there is remarkable agreement on the character, teaching, priorities and example of Jesus Christ. Thus, while it is unreasonable to expect Christians to behave consistently like Jesus Christ, it is reasonable to expect that, at least, their pronouncements and intentions would conform to His. Where this creates tensions within a traditional system it is time for that system to change.

Since childhood, I have been associated with a conservative brand of Christianity, predominantly in what may be termed Reformed and Evangelical church fellowships. For more than twenty years I have come increasingly under the impression of a very strong influence within this tradition conflicting with some very basic teachings and priorities of Jesus Christ. It has become impossible for me, for example, to refute criticisms, directed against us of self-righteousness, selective intolerance, condemnatory judgmentalism and the like with the resultant divisiveness and exclusivism. We are certainly often guilty of all this in direct conflict with Jesus Christ and with our central doctrine of Salvation by Grace.

In attempting to address some of these concerns, I may leave some under an impression that my conservative tradition is being betrayed. Yet I believe these criticisms leveled at us are best addressed by an approach consistent with our own central Gospel of Grace rid of much unnecessary baggage and this is my quest. If a so-called conservative believer needs to think more like a so-called liberal believer in order to get his head aligned to Jesus Christ, then so be it!

In Part One, I seek to address a few subjects typically raised by conservative evangelicals as orthodoxy-tests. I believe that in articulating this stance we often carry unnecessary traditional baggage of the kind we could and should be rid. I am not concerned about any accusations of conflict with my conservative evangelical roots and yet I trust that you will be able to detect enough of that tradition in these essays. I am convinced that, stripped of its unnecessary baggage, this brand of Christianity most accurately reflects Jesus Christ as depicted in the Gospels and interpreted in the Epistles and, in reflecting Him, is thoroughly relevant to modern people. Part One is largely an exercise in polemics and should stimulate discussion on that level.

Private and group Bible study has played a significant part in my entire Christian walk and I have conducted group study for the better part of the last three decades. For about the last two, I have compiled my own notes as study guides for use by the participants. A selection of these constitute Part Two and, while I attempt to maintain the baggage-free approach, my conservative evangelical upbringing firmly underpins the content. The study question method lends itself to discussion.

Because the descriptions liberal and conservative are so familiar as distinguishing identikits, I have used them more often than I would have preferred. Far too often they trigger knee-jerk reactions generating more heat than light and are, ultimately, of little value. They say one is born either a little conservative or a little liberal but this no more defines one’s spiritual status than the colour of one’s eyes.

The Apostle Paul’s exposition in Romans 14:1 to 15:13 (in a 1st Century church context) is the authentic Christian approach to the reconciliation of a typically up-to-date liberal versus conservative conflict-situation. In the interests of Christ’s declared desire for unity within His Body, the Church (John 17:11, 21, 22), Paul vigorously opposed, in his most extreme language, the age-old yet thoroughly modern penchant within the Christian church for seeking and magnifying all things divisive.

I have become all things to all men begins at Home and is the magnanimous Pauline response to the directive of Jesus Christ: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

(All references to the text of Scripture are to the New International Version of the Bible)

PART ONE

Essays

Standpoint

Having introduced this book, some may be uncertain as to the basic Christian principles underpinning my views which some may experience as controversial. I have said I am thoroughly committed to conservative evangelical Christian fundamentals but am unhappy with conservative evangelical inconsistency with its own principles.

What do I believe?

Without falling into the Athenasian trap of reducing things divine and eternal to intricately defined formulas, I believe in the Creator and divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Bible is the Word of God but, with J.I. Packer (page 96), I do not believe that this guarantees the infallibility of any interpretation thereof. This means that the Protestant Reformers were quite correct to insist that the Bible be made available, in the vernacular, to all people with the consequent differing interpretations and many Protestant denominations. Christian humility should help us to be more hesitant of glibly claiming theological or doctrinal purity for ourselves.

Although, again, I cannot explain it, I believe that I have been reconciled to God through His own Grace and Jesus Christ is the Mediator (1Timothy 2:4-6). That means I acknowledge, as a sinner, that I am unable to earn or merit that reconciliation. I was not required to conform to any so-called Biblical norms and standards. As the evangelistic hymn says: Just as I am, without one plea… It is all by God’s Grace.

Consistency, therefore, requires that this principle apply to all people everywhere without respect of persons and without let or hindrance. In turn, the implication is that the Christian is duty-bound to resist all temptation towards narrow-minded criticism, intolerance and judgementalism for which we have rightly become notorious. Jesus Christ warned us against it and He refused to indulge in it Himself. In fact, He seemed to have patience with all people except those who made selective demands on others (Matthew chapter 23).

Conservative evangelicals have too many anathemas. We Christians are often part of the problem of a fallen humanity and are prone to be highly selective in our criticisms. We are more committed to our comfort-zones than to the Scriptures. Given the nature of sin as a condition with various symptoms afflicting the entire human race (Romans 3:22-23), the New Testament uses the scrambled-egg approach when listing symptoms: the humanly so-called big and small sins are mixed (e.g. Mark 7:20-23; Romans 1:26-32; 3:9-20; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 4:17-32; Colossians 3:5-11;