How does 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 20 relate to Paul's original religion?

Answer 1

1 Corinthians 9:20 reads: "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;" As with almost all Bible verses, the understanding of the verse must include the context in which it is written. The church at Corinth was, for the most part, a Gentile church. History, as well as snippets of information found in both letters from Paul that have been canonized, indicates that this was a church that was not founded by Paul, nor probably by any of the apostles. The gentiles at Corinth followed Greek philosophy, which was considered to be the method of discovering knowledge or wisdom. Thus the notion of following a particular orator was in vogue. This is why Paul had to start out his letter chastizing the Christians at Corinth for dividing themselves into factions based on following Paul or Apollos or some other teacher; they even lowered Jesus down to that same level. Chapter 9 follows a missive on leading others into sin by being flexible. He segues into being an apostle, but not demanding any rights from the position. He contrasts the freedom he has in Christ — which connects back to the previous portion of his letter — with being a slave to all, so that he might reach some of them. Perhaps the best summary of this section can be found in verses 22 and 23: 22… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. As we see in the book of Acts, Paul started out as a devout Jew. In Philippians 3:4-9 Paul shows his credentials to a different set of believers by stating that he was a Jew by birth, able to trace his lineage back to Benjamin. He claims that, "as for legalistic righeousness, faultless." (3:6) He then says, though,"but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." (3:7) Paul was a Jew, and could still identify with Jews. Paul also understood why some Christians, who perhaps doubted his conversion, would fear him, knowing of his past persecution of Christians. Rather than divide people, he wanted to reach as many as he could through his freedom in Christ. He could eat meat offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8), or he could refrain from doing so if it should cause another to stumble. Rather than use his freedom for his own profit, he used it for the sake of the gospel — the Good News.

1. Paul was a Jew.
2. Paul become a follower of Jesus who was also a Jew.
3. And now he pretended to be a Jew to convert the Jews?

There is here a distinction made between being Jewish by birth - as Paul was - and being a Jew in religious practice and belief, which Paul had been, but was no longer. However, he was respectful enough to those still within the Jewish religion to fit in with some of the external trappings of the religion...hence the reference to ' becoming as a Jew'. He's saying that he was no longer a practicing Jew, but was bringing them the gospel within their religion with no compromise to Christ's message. He in no way could change his birth, though, and so was still in that context only, a Jew.
He was now a man of Jewish birth who had converted from the religious aspects of that in dramatic fashion to become a follower of Christ.