THAT THEY MAY

“Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED” (1 Cor. 10:33). The apostle Paul knew that the divided, corrupted Corinthian church must get its act together in order to be effective in evangelism, that souls may be saved. To that end, he gave three directives: 1) Do all to the glory of God, 2) Do not be a stumbling-block and, 3) Be a steppingstone. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved” (1 Cor. 10:31-33).

DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39). This reminds us of the acrostic “J-O-Y”: Jesus first; Others second; Yourself last. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13).

DO NOT BE A STUMBLING-BLOCK
Much of the division in The Church of God was due to cultural differences of the Jewish and Gentile members. Paul taught them that if they were to be effective soul winners they must not offend one another because of differences in customs and traditions of men. They must have a mutual respect for one another in such matters. Earlier in the letter Paul had said, “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:20-22).

BE A STEPPING-STONE
Just avoiding offence is not enough; we must seek to please one another. If we are to be effective in soul winning we must not tear one another down, but rather build one another up. “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification” (Rom. 15:2). This will require a conscious effort. “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) .