3 STATES

1 Cor 9:19-22 is a familiar passage:

19 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 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), to win those under the law. 21 To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

When we read this passage, we tend to focus on Paul's dedication to sharing the Gospel. Which is appropriate because that IS the major thrust we are to imitate: becoming all things to all people so that by all possible means we might save some.

But with our focus on Paul's approach to evangelism, we might not notice an important encapsulation here of Paul's basic framework for viewing the various states of mankind. 

In essence, Paul sees all human beings being in one of three states:

1. Those without God's law.
2. Those under God's law.
3. Those under the law of Christ.

Those without God's law =  the Gentiles, those who grew up outside God's law. 

Those under God's law = the Jews, specifically those who were seeking to attain righteousness by observing God's given law.

And those under the law of Christ = the true Christian, those who were forgiven and now living by the Spirit. 

Not only is it important to understand the differences between these states in order to tailor our evangelism to people (as the passage above would indicate), understanding this framework is key to making sense of much of the New Testament, especially Paul's letter to the Romans.