Excursus on the Gospel - Becoming All Things to All Men

Luke's record of Paul's gospel ministry highlights his commitment to "become all things to all men." His witness to Christ in the synagogues was very different from his witness to the Athenians. But in each instance, the goal was the same: Paul labored to make Christ known and comprehensible by meeting his hearers at the point of their own worldview and understanding. In that way alone could their hearing result in authentic faith. This message is the first of two examining the crucial issue of "contextualizing" the gospel - making it comprehensible without compromising it. Whereas men always seek to write God into their own personal narrative, "becoming all things to all men" means communicating to them clearly and understandably their solemn obligation to be written into God's narrative.