Paul makes a powerful point in 1 Corinthians 9:19 about being free and belonging to no man. I would add, that we are free from all men, even others in the church. Yes, we are free to turn our back even on God.
Paul referred to Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10 as deserting him, “because he loved this world.” They had been teammates in serving God – but the lure of the world drew him away from those previous commitments to a life of compromise. He was free to do that, and so are you and I.
Paul spoke of this in his letter to the Galatians, 5:13, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”
Our freedom is not to be exercised in a self-serving or gratifying way. We are free to serve. To serve in love. That is, in a self-giving way.
This is the choice Paul made according to 1 Corinthians 9:19. He declared, “I make myself a slave to everyone.” This word “slave” means to be a “bondslave.” It refers back to the Old Testament when a slave was to be freed after 7 years. But if he chose to continue as a slave to his master for life, the master would take him to a doorpost and with an awl bore a hole through the ear and into the doorpost as a sign that he’d be a bondslave for life.
That’s the decision Paul made – to be a bondslave of Jesus Christ to serve everyone around him. This was a serious choice. It meant he had to take everyone seriously and be ready to serve them.
I haven’t always been faithful, but I too have made that choice. Have you?